Nick Harper Brilliant!!! – at the wonderful Ropery in Barton 2014

Posted on by Opher

I’ve seen Nick tens of times in different venues all over the country but rarely as good as this!!

This is a new mature Nick, slightly more restrained, less chaotic and loud. A more thoughtful, humorous Nick.

Right from the start he set up a delightful relationship with the audience who warmed to his anecdotes, asides and humour.

Nick was in fine form, bending notes, doing impossible chords, mad tuning in songs, changing broken strings without pause all complete with a voice that soared into impossible heights. It was magical.

The new songs sounded great as well! And that album is out next week!

If you haven’t seen him recently – look out for him coming your way – it’s not one to miss!!

If you are unfamiliar check out his stuff on Amazon and purchase the great CD ‘Seed’ to begin with. You’ll end up with them all!

Check him out on You-Tube!

There is no god!

Posted on by Opher

A study of human psychology and the history of religion shows me that the concept of god was constructed out of our own need for a father figure to look after us, cure all our ills and provide us with purpose.

Psychologically we are not able to find our own purpose in life; we have to believe there is a purpose to life and the universe. The thought that it is all meaningless is too horrible to contemplate. Hence we create gods with magical, undisclosed purposes for us.

There is no purpose. The universe merely exists. We are born and we die and go nowhere. There is no magical heaven or hell. Our consciousness has evolved and has no mystical, spiritual aspect. There is no soul. When we die it dies.

We will grow to accept this and make our own purpose in our lives, revel in the lives we have and live to build better lives for our children, fellow humans, and fellow creatures. That will be sufficient.

History shows us that religions, gods and philosophies come and go. The gods of yesterday are no longer worshipped. If I was to open a church to Baal, Isis, Zeus or Aphrodite now I would be considered a nutcase. Yet they were universally worshipped by millions. Viracocha, the Inca god, was so powerful that you were not allowed to speak his name, human sacrifices were made to him. He is dust.

All the rituals, dress-codes, prayers, sacrifices, incantations, hades, Valhalla’s, Elysium’s and gods and goddess are all quaint post-scripts as will all our equally pointless customs, beliefs and practices become – no matter how fervently we presently believe in them.

Why not read more in my controversial novel which has a major theme of religion and death/

Indoctrinating children with religious belief is child abuse!

Posted on by Opher

Freud findings indicated that the adult is unable to overcome the indoctrination that occurs during childhood.

If you fill a child’s head with religious ideas before they are old enough to rationalise they are stuck with it for life!

Our children should be free to grow up and make their own decisions when their brains have matured. To teach religion in school or madrassa is abuse.

To bring up a child with religious concepts that they cannot possibly understand is as much an abuse as physical or sexual abuse and just as long lasting in its harmful effects.

You don’t agree? Then read my controversial novel where the themes deal with the absurdity of religion – ‘The Antitheist’s Bible’

Freud’s view of religion – A universal obsessional neurosis!

Posted on by Opher

Freud believed all religion was the universal obsessional neurosis of humanity. It came out of the oedipal complex and the child’s feeling of helplessness.

Freud believed that as humanity matured and became more secure it would grow out of this need.for religion.

Freud believed we should act like sensible teachers and seek to ease the path towards a more mature civilisation, free of neurosis, and mitigate the violence that would inevitably come from this transition.

Think of me as a sensible teacher.

Why not read a novel that explores the absurdities of religion? ‘The Antitheist’s Bible’ is a novel whose themes are religion, death and people’s inability to cope with reality.