Asia Bibi and the Pakistan Blasphemy Laws – sentenced to death for drinking water!

Posted on by Opher

There is a war going on in Pakistan regarding the insane blasphemy laws. Hard line clerics have called out masses of people to protest that the laws are being diluted.

Diluted!!  They need chucking out!!  The blasphemy laws are barbaric!!

Asia Bibi is a Christian. She was out harvesting berries with a group of Muslim women. They protested about her drinking water from the same bowl as them and accused her of insulting the prophet. In 2010 court found her guilty and sentenced her to death by hanging.

She is still in prison awaiting death. Violent fanatics have threatened her family and say they will kill Asia if she is released.

This is the madness of fundamentalist religion!!

Jerusalem – The Church of All Nations – Photos

Posted on by Opher

I love art and religion sure bought in some experts to produce some great works. I found them all quite wondrous to look at. They are built to impress and Jerusalem is not short of impressive religious works of art. We have 3 religions all trying to outdo each other – to show that they are the real ones and the other two are rubbish. The result, for an atheist such as me, is spectacular.

The Church of All Nations – built in Gethsemane was very impressive.

Favourite Religious Quoutes gathered by Michael B.

Posted on by Opher

Some of my favorite religion quotes:

“I have no faith in Faith, and don’t believe in Beliefs.”
Neal Peart

“The religious persecution of the ages has been done under what was claimed to be the command of God. I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do to their fellows, because it always coincides with their own desires.”
Susan B. Anthony

“One’s religion is whatever he is most interested in.”
J.M. Barrie

“Religion is the most malevolent of all mind viruses.”
Arthur C. Clarke

“Die Irreligiösen sind religiöser als sie selbst wissen, und die Religiösen sind’s weniger, als sie meinen.”
Translation: “The irreligious are more religious than they themselves know, and the religious are less so than they think.”
Franz Grillparzer

“The cosmos is a gigantic fly-wheel making 10,000 revolutions a minute. Man is a sick fly taking a dizzy ride on it. Religion is the theory that the wheel was designed and set spinning to give him a ride.”
H.L. Mencken

The life of an atheist.

Posted on by Opher

Is it dull being an atheist?

We are born, we love, we have fun, we share, we create, we solve problems, we care, we make things better, we love a bit more, we play music, dance and sing, we paint, we write, we think, we wonder, we are in awe, we raise families, we love a lot more, we share with friends, we drink, we party, we create, we help one another, we laugh a lot, cuddle, hug and cry a bit, we die.

It’s not so bad to open your eyes in a wondrous majestic place for a while. In fact it’s awesome.

Religion and indoctrination

Posted on by Opher

P1090435

Religion and indoctrination

I was struck by the first case of a British woman being tried for taking her young son to Iraq to join ISIS. Her claim was that she had to live under Sharia law or she would be doomed to hell.

I felt sorry for the sad indoctrinated lady. She had been brought up to believe that all who thought differently to her were doomed to be tortured in the fires of hell forever.

It is notions like this that led to the European conquests of America, Australia, South America and the rest of the world. Insane religious zealots set out to bring their faith to the ignorant savages and thus save their souls. In the process they did, incidentally, steal their lands, torture, and rape, plunder their valuables, enslave and practice genocide upon them – all in the name of religion. I am sure that all the millions of natives who suffered these depravities (even to agonised death) were eternally grateful. Their eternal souls rest in the ecstasy of heaven instead of suffering endless torment and torture while their free relatives were, due to their ignorance or wrong beliefs, endlessly damned.

It is only when we stand back and view the savagery and stupidity of these actions that we can see the foolishness of religion for what it is – pure tribalism and power unleashed. It certainly sets a lot of bells ringing in my head:

If there was a god who behaved in this psychotic manner (punishing good people by torturing them for eternity for believing in the wrong religion or no religion) then one would have to say that this god was sadistic.

The Christians, Hindus, Jews and Muslims all assert the same thing: if you do not believe in my god and follow my religion you are doomed. Some even go so far as to declare that all non-believers should be tortured and killed.

This is clearly tribal insanity of the most primitive and savage nature.

So how are these primitive beliefs perpetuated?

They come to us from the dark ages of the dawn of civilisation when laws were arbitrary, life was cheap, women were subjugated and violence an everyday occurrence. Religion provided some semblance of law and morality.

We’ve moved on. Civilisation has arrived. We have better laws and more philosophically and psychologically based morality. We do not have the same need for superstition.

Yet religion persists.

The reason is quite clear – it persists because young children are indoctrinated and the seeds are implanted deep into their psyche. Once there they are there for good. The seeds implanted into the developing minds of our children are so deeply imprinted that there can be no escape. They are damaged for good.

We see this so clearly in the likes of the Rock ‘n’ Roll rebels such as Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis with their lives alternating between the extremes of wildness and religious fervour. The child indoctrination creates those extremes of behaviour.

It is sad to witness.

Yet the State aids and abets this abuse of our children. Parents are encouraged to enter into religious ceremonies – baptisms, marriage and worship. The media put out their programmes of religious worship as if this is what we all should be doing.

Worst of all schools in Britain have, by law, to teach religion to our children with daily services of worship to some supernatural creature who supposedly sees every thought and deed. We inculcate magic and superstition into our children. It is a wonder that it does not do even more damage to those young minds.

Then the religions have their input. They hold their services and are eager to get their hands on the young. They have their pomp, pageantry and magnificent buildings to create the fairy tale – so it must be true.

All the religions have their fanaticism, promote their intolerance and hatred and terrify with their stories of everlasting agonies to come. It must be a terrifying experience for children to hear these sorts of superstitions. It would implant itself deep into the psyche.

Yet all around the world the evangelists, Jesuits, Rabbis and Imams feed their noxious poison into the minds of our babes and we allow them to do it. Just imagine if we had similar institutions set up by the fascists, communists, republicans, nationalists, democrats, socialists or tories? If political groups were vying with each other to plant their evil thoughts into those open minds?

There is no difference.

Indoctrinating children is child abuse. It is far-reaching and has a detrimental effect for life.

The religious schools should be shut, religion taken out of schools, all religious education halted with the closure of Sunday Schools and all other religious ‘education’ facilities – the worst probably being the Muslim Madrassas.

Religion should come with a health warning and be treated in the same way as alcohol and tobacco – not for distribution to minors – except that it is even more dangerous.

Going back to that poor twenty six year old mother who was so abused as a child that she believed that taking her young son to a war zone was preferable to living in a civilised country; that she had to live under sharia law in order to be saved from hell; that only Islam had the right answers and all unbelievers were kuffars; that it was better to be martyred than to live; that murdering kuffars was demanded by her god; that there was a god and he demanded she lived her life according to the medieval writings of some semi-civilised culture from the dark ages.

What a sad, abused lady.

It is time that a civilised world put a stop to this indoctrination and abuse. There is no room for child abuse of this nature and scale. It is simply horrendous.

Here are a few of my books. They are available on Amazon in both paperback and on kindle.

Anecdotes – paperback just £6.95  Kindle – just £1.99 or free on Kindle Unlimited

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Anecdotes-Weird-Science-Writing-Ramblings/dp/1519675631/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1459501044&sr=1-7&keywords=opher+goodwin

More Anecdotes – paperback just £7.29  Kindle – just £2.12 or free on Kindle Unlimited

http://www.amazon.co.uk/More-Anecdotes-Essays-Beliefs-flotsam/dp/1530770262/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1459501044&sr=1-1&keywords=opher+goodwin

My other books are also available. There is some unique to suit most tastes if you like something thought provoking and alternative.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Opher-Goodwin/e/B00MSHUX6Y/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1459501044&sr=1-2-ent

Buddhists and Quakers

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P1020021

Buddhists and Quakers

It seems to me that human beings are psychologically hard-wired to relish ritual and pageant. We are enthralled and impressed by it. The ploys of fancy dress, high hats, big thrones and sceptres always work. We apply ourselves to ritual washing and ostentatious prayer, chanting, singing and reciting with gusto and find it reassuring. We take the ornate palaces, cathedrals and mosques as proof. We see the Castles, Palaces, and pageant as evidence of unassailable power.

We are gullible and easily duped.

The same tactics rarely failed in the past. The planet is festooned with abandoned pyramids, stone-circles and mounds that are testament to past religions that have blossomed and perished. Ruined castles, sacked fortresses and toppled statues are testament to power overthrown.

Religion is about power. We have a need to feel that someone is in control – ultimately god, but in the meantime the imams, bishops, priests, cardinals, caliphs, popes and shaman will do.

Psychologically we need to feel our life has purpose, death is not the final curtain and the universe has meaning. That is understandable.

I too feel the power of the mystic around me even though I reject all religions as man-made power bases.

If I were to adopt a religion it would likely be one of two – either I would become a Quaker or a Buddhist.

Recently I have been having conversations with Quakers. I am impressed with their gentleness, kindness, tolerance and love of nature. Those are characteristics that I greatly value. I find it hard to tolerate fundamentalist extremists of any complexion. Their intolerance and viciousness appals me.

Likewise my experiences with Buddhist monks are the same. They were happy, pleasant, friendly people who were tolerant of other views. They projected ‘loving kindness’ to all sentient creatures. Their aim was personal peace, harmony and understanding. Their beliefs were flexible enough to accommodate differing opinions.

What a contrast that is to the dogmatic beliefs of evangelical Christians, fundamentalist Jews and ISIS, Boko Haram, the Taliban and all the other fascist mobs and breeders of hatred. When I listen to those insane Southern fundamentalists quoting scripture at me on their god-induced mission to save the world from the devil I am filled with a mixture of amusement and horror. They really believe that horseshit.

Religion can be a source of great cruelty and evil.

If I was going to follow any religion, which I’m not (I can’t fully believe in the things in front of my eyes, let alone medieval scriptures I’m supposed to take on hearsay), I would settle for being a Quaker or a Buddhist. Those I am attracted to pantheism to. The pagans had some great ceremonies. Perhaps I’ll settle for being a non-practicing pagan. Those witches, warlocks and druids all look a bit silly, don’t they – dressed up in their fancy costume. But then that’s not much different to all these bishops in their big hats, the women in burkas, men with big beards, priests in robes Jews with funny hats and locks of hair, Sikhs in turbans, and the rest – all clinging to their medieval garb as if their god gives a damn.

No. I’ll stick with the antitheism. If it turns out there is a benevolent god and paradise it will be a bonus. Any god worth his/her salt wouldn’t hold my views against me. Any god who behaves in such a mean-spirited way is simply not worthy of the position

My beliefs – Religion

Posted on by Opher

AppleMark

My beliefs – Religion

I am an antitheist. I believe religion has been created by man. I believe the holy books were written by men. I believe that religion is used by certain people to gain power over others.

Any institution where the leaders are exulted into positions of power I believe is corrupt. Any religion that has leaders dressed in gaudy uniform, with pageantry and elaborate ritual, extravagant buildings and dogma, is setting out to impress and gain power.

I do not believe in heaven, paradise, hell or fifty three virgins. They are manifestly ploys to frighten or control adherents.

I do not believe in any personal god who is interested in human beings, let alone one who created the whole universe just for us. That is egocentric to say the least. Any casual look at cultures around the world shows the worse the conditions the more devout the people. If god responded to prayer the poor would have been elevated long ago. I do not believe in prayer.

As to whether there is a god or not. I do not know. If there is then that force, for me, is more akin to the energy in the atoms than a conscious person.

I think that any literal interpretation of the holy books is dangerous. They were written thousands of years ago and it shows. The Abrahamic tradition (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) originates from a tiny corner of the Middle East and a group of nomadic tribes who roamed around in that region. The writings are full of their creation myths, wisdom, misogyny, power seeking, control and power, cruelty and limited view of the world and religion. Some of the stories are great. Many of them contain beautiful words and phrases that have adorned our culture. There is much to be admired. But even a cursory glance shows the hypocrisy, ambiguity, inconsistency and different authors and views. The god described varies enormously from a caring god of love to a vengeful creature of immense cruelty and vindictiveness. One can select the texts to create a vision of love, peace and forgiveness or select others to justify war, unimaginable cruelty and intolerance. We only have to look at the way they have been deployed (and are being deployed) to justify the hideous torture and burning of witches, pogroms, inquisitions, crusades, jihads, gruesome genocides and murders and pillaging and rape. ISIS are only the latest in a long line.

As an antitheist I would like to see all religion done away with. It is not the cozy Sunday at church or prayer at the synagogue, temple or mosque, the comforting words or helping hand that it purports; all religions are power structures of intolerance, hatred and creators of war and conflict.

As a tolerant person I believe that religion should be a personal choice for consenting adults, and people should have the right to believe in whatever they wish.

Now spirituality, the afterlife, and mysticism – that’s something else.

Do repressed cultures create violence and misogyny?

Posted on by Opher

The book of ginny

At present there are thousands of young men streaming in to fight for the caliphate of ISIS/ISIL. They are all fired up to defend the values of Islam against the influence of the West.

So what are the things that are things that are attracting them? Well, as with all wars, there is the excitement and comradeship of fighting for a cause. There is also the desire to be seen as a hero, a real brave man, to do heroic deeds and be respected. There is the added attraction of sex. They can take their Jihadi brides, rape infidel women, and sate their sexual appetites in a way that would be impossible within the constraints of their culture.

ISIS is attractive because it is the Rock ‘n’ Roll of religion. The young men have freedoms they never dreamed of. They can kill, rape and destroy to their heart’s content. They don’t have to be content with chucking TVs out of windows, driving Rolls Royce’s into swimming pools or dynamiting toilets. They can do it for real with no limits and god not only sanctions it but gives them backstage passes in the bargain!

The only downside is that it isn’t going to last too long. Having your legs and nuts blown off, getting burnt, maimed and blown to smithereens by American, Russian, Iraqi, Kurdish, Jewish or Jordanian forces can be a slight negative.

The further shock comes later still when you see that your mutilated comrades do not die with smiles on their faces as they are lifted up to paradise by Allah to spend eternity with their allotted virgins.

What attracts the women to such a fate is a different matter.

What do you think?

The trouble I have with religion. The violent gang-rape of prepubescent girls.

Posted on by Opher

The book of ginny

The trouble I have with religion was illustrated very clearly by an article I read in the Guardian Newspaper regarding the Yazidi girls. These are Christian, which in the eyes of Islamic fundamentalists means they are infidel unbelievers. When ISIS captured the Yazidi people they were instructed very clearly from their scriptures what was required. Allah wanted them to behead non-believers or convert them to Islam. Allah wanted these grown men to bind the young girls of ten or eleven, gag them and rape them. They could be used as sex slaves.

Now in our civilised world we would consider any grown men who tied up a young terrified girl of ten, gagged her and gang-raped her as being a depraved animals. If they used the excuse in court that they were merely carrying out the wishes of Allah that would be inexcusable. They would be rightly locked up for a long time as disgusting paedophile rapists and their actions considered more vile than anything Jimmy Saville had done.

Yet according to the Koran these things are permissible. Allah sanctions the beheadings, the terrorism and maiming of innocent people, the rape of young girls, the torture, the horrendous deaths, the cutting off of limbs, the destruction of pre-Islamic artifacts and the persecution of all non-believers. These are not perversions of Islam. They are contained in the scriptures.

The Koran is not unique. The Bible has similar gruesome and barbaric practices – particularly the Old Testament. There are instructions and sanctions for dashing babies heads against rocks, taking an eye for an eye and worse. Throughout history fundamentalists have focussed on the parts they wish to emphasise to sanction inquisitions, pogroms, crusades and the torture and burning alive of innocent people who simple disagreed.

Of course in the modern age where it is not considered polite to smash your next door neighbours baby’s brains out because they follow a different faith there has been a tendency for religious instruction to follow the ‘nicer’ texts. We are taught to love our neighbour, share our fish and turn the other cheek.

The hypocrisy, contradiction, blood, fire and intolerance is glossed over. But it is there.

These religious texts come from primitive cultures where misogyny, violence and retribution were the order of the day. They are seeped in it. It permeates the doctrine. When ever an extreme fundamental cult comes along they unearth the texts that support their doctrine and apply the dogma.

In Europe we had to fight for the enlightenment. It brought an end to centuries of religious tyranny with all its viciousness and augured a new age of science. We threw off the shackles of theocracy and separated politics from religion. It enabled a flourishing of science that has created all the wonders of the modern world from electricity to space exploration.

Without the enlightenment we would still be in the Dark Ages. Our women would be walking around in veils and we’d likely be riding about on horses. Now perhaps there is something to be said for that kind of society we see vestiges of in America with the Amish culture. They live happily without electricity, cars and modern conveniences. They wear quaint medieval costume.

Personally I’d prefer the choice and like my car, electricity and music.

ISIS, and other religious fundamentalist groups of all religions, are merely feeding off the sections of their doctrine that sanction their actions and justify their desires. They really wish to take the whole world back to the time of Mohamed, Jesus or Krishna and force everyone to live in that medieval culture described in those texts.

The problem as I see it lies in the basis of those religions. They were devised by men in a culture that was primitive and unpleasant. I do not subscribe to those values. I consider them flawed.

I wish to live in a world that has equality, tolerance, peace, freedom, respect, responsibility, justice, love and friendliness as its core values. I place caring, compassion and empathy as higher values, not just for people but all life and the planet. I value debate, differences and argument and deplore violence, hatred and cruelty.

That is why, without entering into any esoteric discussion regarding god, I reject all religion. As far as I am concerned all religions are outmoded, flawed and supporting a culture I despise.

The world has moved on and human beings, while still showing a great propensity for hatred, violence and callous cruelty, are a lot more civilised than we used to be. I would hate to see religion undo that.

Opherism – The fastest growing religion on the Planet!

Posted on by Opher

The book of ginny

Numbers for the new religion Opherism have tripled in an hour!

That’s right! There are three times as many Ophs as there were an hour ago!

At this rate we will take over the whole planet in a day and a half.

I predict, assuming the rate of expansion in numbers continues at the same rate (and I have no reason to expect otherwise) that in one day we will have 16 million followers – 16,000,000 Ophs. In just 38 hours we would have 8 billion. Now as there are only 7 billion people on the planet I am confident that everyone on this planet will be an Oph by Tuesday lunch-time!

Won’t that be great?

No more war! No more poverty! No more eco-catastrophe! Harmony, peace, love and friendship for everyone and everything!

I told you it was possible!