In The Wings

Posted on by Opher

In The Wings

Robots and clones shaking their fists;

Bowing and scraping with gods on their wrists.

Bombs raining down; prostration and prayer.

God is a killer; death everywhere.

Jesus loves you but he wants you to die.

Mohamed loves you from up in the sky.

Trump the clown pulling the strings.

ISIS and evangelists wait in the wings.

Opher 4.3.2026

I was listening to Hegseth, complete with white supremacist tattoo, gloating about the death raining down on Iran. I was reading about the US Generals giving their ‘Jesus Loves you and wants you to kill’ speeches to the troops.

It was all sick.

The USA is in the hands of a bunch of Nazi Evangelists.

Iran is in the hands of a bunch of Nazi Muslims.

They are all praying for death.

It is pathetic. I see all these Muslims in lines prostrating themselves in the rubble as they did out their dead children. God is great.

I see these evangelists applying their hands and asking God to intervene on their behalf.

How many was this god saved?

Religion is surely the worst invention we ever came up with. How many has it killed?

You can be sure of one thing – Trump is making BILLIONS out of it. We haven’t forgotten Epstein though!!

Spirituality – Is the whole Universe Conscious?

Posted on by Opher

Fortunately I was brought up in a home where religion was not foisted upon me. That’s great. I regard teaching religion to children as child abuse.

As a teenager I went through a questioning/spiritual phase where I started to investigate various religions. I was very interested in mysticism and looked for it in Christianity with mystics like St John of the Cross, in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sufiism and Native American practices. They fascinated me. I had no belief in any god as such but saw spirituality as a force that worked through all of nature.

In later teens I started getting into the Beats and Zen and went along to a Buddhist temple for some meditation.

I became disenchanted. My observations of history and the present led me to conclude that all organised religion was little more than a power structure and vehicle of the state. I despised all its incarnations, saw no evidence for any god and could easily divorce all notions of spirituality from religion. The two were distinct. One good the other horrendous.

One only has to look at the division, hatred, violence and terror created in the name of religion. One only has to look at the hypocrisy and way religion is used to justify all manner of excesses and nastiness to see how awful it is. Religion = cruelty and control. Spirituality = harmony and oneness.

For me spirituality resided in nature and I was completely content being an atheist. I saw no role for any god.

As a scientist I was happy to explain the whole universe in terms of observable phenomena.

There were numerous things that intrigued me. Coincidences occurred. Like with evolution being simultaneously ‘discovered’ in different parts of the world. Like numerous coincidences that sprung up with friends reading the same book, turning up or telephoning etc. I was particularly intrigued by experiments that indicated that photons behaved differently when being observed.

These things could not be easily explained but I put it down to coincidence.

I do like to keep up with science and have been intrigued by quantum physics. Observations such as electron being in two places at the same time fascinate me.

I was very interested in the ideas coming out of latest scientific theories. As a Sci-fi writer I find them extremely energising.

One of the papers I read was concerned with consciousness (one of my pet interests). Is consciousness a product of our brains? How do flies and organisms with little or no brains exhibit consciousness? Many religions have regarded rocks, trees and planets as possessing consciousness. That seemed a little absurd. A branch of Buddhism regarded the brain as a sense organ that ‘sees’ thoughts not the seat of consciousness but an observer of it.

That intrigues me.

This paper proposed that consciousness was inherent in our universe. It was either created with it or was responsible for its creation. Not a god but an inherent force that operated through all matter and was not restricted to living things.

Maybe.

Here’s what Copilot came up with:

ArgumentCore ClaimWhy It Supports a Conscious Universe
Mind–Body ProblemConsciousness can’t be reduced to matterConsciousness must be fundamental
Teleological CosmopsychismUniverse shows goal‑directed behaviorSuggests mind-like structure
Anthropic ArgumentUniverse fine‑tuned for consciousnessConsciousness may be built-in
Consciousness Field TheoryConsciousness precedes matterUniverse is fundamentally conscious
Galileo’s ErrorScience excluded consciousnessReintegrating it may require cosmic consciousness
Emergence ArgumentConsciousness arises from universeUniverse must contain proto-consciousness

Which is the worst religion??

Posted on by Opher

On what basis can you judge a religion?

a. Does it create fear and trauma by threatening people with horrendous ends if they don’t believe? (Hell, brimstone, torture, being outcast)

b. Does it promise ridiculous rewards for believing? (everlasting bliss, 24 virgins, food and drink)

c. Does it require very strict dress codes- particularly for women? (Veils, robes, burqas)

d. Does it insist on draconian rituals – prayers, fasts, attendance, supplication?

e. Does it discriminate against women – separating them into second-class roles or as chattels?

f. Does it advocate violence against people who believe differently?

g. Does it have strict blasphemy laws?

h. Are there severe punishments for disobeying rituals, dress codes, blasphemy or leaving the cult?

i. Do the hierarchy receive privilege and dispensation? Who profits the prophet?

j. Do they use the psychological threat of the fear of death?

k. Just it involve psychological coercion?

A bad religion sets out to hook its victims young and coerce them with fear then trap them in a cycle of ritual. They provide comfort against the fear they have induced. They create a tribal togetherness against the common enemy – everybody else. They hold forth a glorious future – world domination and eternal life.

In my opinion all religions have a series of rather daft creation stories and claims; all were created for political/social reasons; (the Abrahamic religions all stem from tribal Arabic culture with inbuilt misogyny); all suppress science and progress; all are totally intolerant and repressive; all ban and burn books; all slaughter and torture heretics; all indoctrinate children; all set up an elite who are the source of all knowledge and live a privileged life; all go to war and sanction wars. Of course, there are sects like the Quakers, who are opposed to some or all of the above.

Then we have the supportive, positive, mental affirming aspects of religion and the good they do in the community and for the mental health of individuals as a counter measure. All religions do some good. But I contend that the evil they do outweighs the good by a considerable amount.

There are a number of contenders:

Christianity with its witch burning, tortures, public burnings of Catholics, inquisitions, book burnings, indoctrination of children, evangelical patronising of other cultures, bloody massacres, sacking of cities, wars, pogroms and crusades. Intolerance and fear. Hate and stultifying ritual.

Islam with its inbuilt misogyny, beheadings, strict heresy laws, ban on music, destruction of historic sites and removal of art, stonings, mass torture, terrorist bombings, jihads, repression, indoctrination of children, intolerance and violence.

Judaism with its tribal intolerance, violence born of feeling victimised, closed community, indoctrination of children and claustrophobic adherence to ancient script. It kills progress and traps its victims.

Hinduism with its violence towards Muslims and strict rules, its rituals, indoctrination of children and crazy dietary regime.

If I had to choose a religion I think it would be a much more tolerant, less indoctrinated, less misogynistic and more questioning, open religion – maybe Buddhism, Quakerism or some kind of worship of sun and nature. I would acknowledge that all religions bring some degree of comfort, support, security and help that human beings seem to need. I would just contend that the harm they do far exceeds the good.

Fortunately I was never indoctrinated as a kid and I can see these monolithic power structures for what they are. Organised religions are hierarchical power structures. Those at the top do very nicely. The worshippers are easily conned. Culture sucks people in because belief and ritual are the done thing. It’s hard to go against something everybody else seems to believe in. Human minds are frail. We seem to need the comfort of ritual, ceremony and belief in a higher force. We are weak. We cannot cope with death and fall back on promises. We search for answers to big questions and fall for simplistic explanations. I don’t. I still question and see through the simplistic answers and indoctrination.

All the religions above have had their periods of extreme nastiness. If I was choosing the worst religion I would be hard put.

In the past I think it was probably Christianity. It’s violence, torture, misogyny and vindictiveness was unparalleled. But the enlightenment curbed its power and softened its violence. Islam, with its present culture of hatred, revenge and violence, it’s wish for expansion and world domination, has superseded Christianity as the most deplorable.

What are your views?

It’s Tribal

Posted on by Opher

Working on my Death Diaries! Another excerpt!

Posted on by Opher

I’m quite fascinated with the idea of life and death. I told my youngest son what I was working on and he thought it sounded macabre and morbid. I don’t agree with that. I find it interesting.

I’m not aware of having any life-threatening illness. Death does not appear close or welcome. That will change I am sure. Meanwhile I record my thoughts, feelings and investigations.

What do you think?

70. Souls, Spirits and Essence

Do we have a soul? Something separate from our corporate self? Some essence, a separate spirit?

Many religions believe we do. Somewhere within us is a separate soul, an eternal essence, our spirit. When we die it leaves our body and continues its journey to other adventures – depending on culture and beliefs!

It’s an interesting concept.

As a scientist I look for the evidence. This concept of some internal separate essence is fascinating. We do have a sense of identity, of self. Our ego. Psychologists have investigated this for centuries now. Freud and Jung are probably the most famous.

Freud did not believe in any soul. He saw the creation of our personalities as the result of internal conflict between unconscious forces – our subconscious, instincts, intrinsic psychological structures and learnt behaviours. He viewed our personality as a psychological construct. It is neither apart nor real – part genetic, part learnt – shaped by experience and genes. He divided it up into three components: our Id, which is the primitive, instinct-driven survival component. The Id demands instant gratification. Then there is our Ego. The Ego overrides the Id and moderates our desires with the needs of reality. On top of that we have the Superego. This is more learnt and provides our moral compass, shaped by our culture and upbringing.

Sigmund Freud not only pooh-poohed the concept of a soul but was scathing about all religion. He described religion as a mass illusion, a collective neurosis, based on our inability to cope with uncertainty, fear and repressed desire. He saw religion as a wish fulfilment for a deep-seated desire for a protective father as well as a tool for social cohesion and means to restrain primitive instincts through moral codes. He related it to an Oedipus complex based on a desire for an authority figure that dispensed justice in the form of rewards and punishments. Humans desired the universe to have purpose and fairness! Dealing with the capricious nature of life with its intrinsic meaninglessness was too much of a burden.

Well, wouldn’t that be nice! We all want the bad guys to meet their comeuppance and the good guys to be rewarded. We love the idea of Karma. We want to believe there is some purpose and that we go on, that’s it’s not just a fleeting flicker in the face of eternity.

We have a soul!

Well No. According to Freud that’s all bollocks.

Jung, on the other hand, had a very different view. He actually believed there was a soul and it had an essential role in mediating between the conscious and subconscious. He saw it as a bridge. He did not however, claim that the soul was immortal or separate. He saw it as intrinsic to the function of the psyche, an element of self with two aspects – a male and female component. The soul was the essence of the individual and required caring for. He advised that we nurture our souls through introspection, meditation and self-reflection. Jung was not as critical of religion though he stopped short of saying the soul was apart from our body and mind.

Jung had a more positive view of religion, believing that a spiritual life could assist people in finding meaning and wholeness. He saw it as cohesive in cultures and useful in reconciling aspects of the subconscious and conscious into a peaceful reconciliation. Through spiritual practice people could achieve resolution, become whole and more authentic. He saw religion as an innate human instinct essential for psychological well-being.

Jung did not believe in a soul as a religious entity. He saw it more as an internal aspect of the human psyche that mediated and resolved aspects of our internal psychology. He viewed religion as having some importance in promoting important cultural cohesion as well as inner spiritual/psychological contentment.

I reckon Freud would have thought that Sophie telling Ian Dury’s kids, Albert and Bill, that Ian had gone to heaven would have been harmful bollocks while Jung might have been kinder and thought it helped them through a difficult psychological period.

As for me, I take a slice from both camps. I think all religion is dangerous mass psychosis while leading a spiritual life of harmony and peace with nature can lead to purpose and contentment.

I agree with both of them – there is no separate soul!

My view that there is no soul counts for little. The debate rages. Most religions and philosophies are focussed around this concept of a soul that goes on after death. Mass delusion? Human nature? That doesn’t make it true or false.

Then we have all our near death recollections and anecdotal descriptions of past lives. We can take all that with a pinch of salt or not.

I often try to understand my own brain and its workings. How do I think? Where do thoughts originate? How do I manage to formulate the words I speak? It’s a very complex, quick and sophisticated. Can it really just be the result of these neuronal connections and electrical pathways in my brain? Seems bizarre. These thought processes of mine become fraught when confronted with public speaking. I get this inner panic as to where the words will come from. Will they arise and organise themselves when required? I have doubts so I make notes to assist the process.

So how does this complex process take place? Plato and Descartes argued that there was a separate soul that was responsible for our thoughts and consciousness. It’s an attractive idea but doesn’t really hold water. Like concepts of god it merely kicks the can further down the road.

I don’t know where or how my thoughts and words arise. I’m kind of OK with that. Not fully understanding something is better than latching on to a daft explanation that doesn’t explain anything. The idea of a soul merely creates something else that can’t be explained, much like the concept of a god.

Animals have consciousness. It appears that plants do as well. Is this consciousness/awareness a product of our brains? What about flies whose brains are the size of pin heads? Or microbes? Or plants? They have awareness. How do they manage that? Can you be conscious without a brain?

Then we come up against the murky world of quantum. Is consciousness a product of all matter?

The mind boggles. Does the universe possess an intrinsic consciousness? Does that imply a god?

Do organisms need a brain in order to be conscious? Seemingly not.

Questions. Questions. Questions. Do they demand answers? Not necessarily. I’m OK with wonder and speculation. I’m very suspicious of answers.

So does the soul exist. Not in my book. When I’m dead, I’m dead. Finito. Over. The end.

Mind you, there was that infamous experiment to try to find the weight of a soul after it leaves the dying body. That sounds fun. You have to find a willing party and place them on a very exact set of scales able to detect minute changes in weight as they die. Well they did this. In 1907 Dr Duncan MacDougall attempted to weigh patients at the moment of death. He claimed that at the moment of death there was a change of 21 grams. He interpreted that as the soul weighing 21 grams. That all sounds wonderfully interesting until you see that his experimental methods were very suspect, the samples were small and results unreliable. Nobody has proved the ‘soul’ has weight or that one actually exists.

I’ll stick with my view. Religion is bollocks. Souls don’t exist. We have one life. Make the most of it! (though I am seduced by this quantum idea and the view of all matter having consciousness – but then the idea of Karma appeals to me too! I’m just a sucker for interesting ideas or solutions that appeal to my sense of justice.)

As for 21 grams – I reckon you can stuff that!

Religious indoctrination = Child Abuse??

Posted on by Opher

Planting fear into the minds of children with concepts of hell and satan is worse than beating them in my opinion.

No child should be exposed to religion until they are old enough to reason. In my opinion it’s worse than heroin.

George Carlin’s American Dream

Posted on by Opher

I just spent the weirdest New Year of all time. I watched George Carlin’s American Dream. Had to watch it to the very end. It was captivating. Probably the best bit of TV I’ve watched.

He took Lenny Bruce a stage further. This wasn’t comedy even though it made me laugh; it was acute social observation.

George Carlin’s American Dream (TV Series 2022) – IMDb

You need to watch it. Well worth it. Sometimes it’s hard to get your head round where George was coming from. It was so dark. But this is what I gleaned:

We are a rogue species. Our whole history has been run on violence and destruction. We are a completely messed up species. There is no hope for us. The sooner we are all gone the better.

Individually we are fine but put us together in a group and we become rabid, completely nuts. Lunatic religions. Lunatic politics. Lunatic conspiracy. Just lunatic.

What we need is a good virus to eradicate us.

The whole world is run by around 900 billionaires for 900 billionaires. They don’t give a fuck about us. THEY REALLY DON’T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT US!

To them we are an expendable workforce, a mindlesss bunch of soldiers to be deployed and a bunch of suckers to be exploited. Our lives are worthless, pointless and completely useless. We exist so that they can do what they want. Fortunately for them we are extremely gullible and easy to control.

The last thing that 900 want is an educated, thinking public. They like us stupid, working for them, sacrificing ourselves for them and voting for who they tell us to. They want a stupid, ill-informed bunch of morons unable to reason. They want dope, soap and social media. When we’re not working for them they want us comatose.

The way the world is organised is complete madness and there is no way of putting it right because we, as a species, are insane. We are as guilty as the 900 responsible for the shit show. We put them in charge. We elect their puppets.

All we can do is remove ourselves from the shitshow and watch it as entertainment.

There is no hope. Give up the idea of hope. Give up the idea of trying to make things better. There is no way. We are all fundamentally damaged. We are fucked.

War, natural disasters, starvation, volcanoes, hurricanes, drought, global warming, plagues, sit back and enjoy. It’s entertainment. We are doomed. Anything that helps kill us off is good. It’s entertainment. Divorce yourself. There is no hope.

Forget about the planet. We cannot hurt the planet. Even if we wipe out 99% of life it’ll come back. The planet’s not in danger. We are! We will be gone and the planet with take a deep sigh and move on. We are the problem and we will kill ourselves and there’s nothing anybody can do about it.

Nothing is as it seems

Posted on by Opher

Nothing is as it seems

Nothing is as it seems;

Reality or religion

Politics or dreams.

We stagger through

With barely a clue

Not knowing what to do.

Following fools

As idiots clap and yell

Believing the claptrap

Of heaven and hell.

Feeding the machine

To earn our pay

To play

The senseless game

Of wealth and fame

And live

Another day.

But nothing is as it seems.

Opher 27.12.2024

The more I see of crowd psychology the more I despair. Put a group of people together, bolstering each other, reinforcing each other’s views and you get a recipe for disaster.

Put it in a religious or political setting and it turns nasty – feeding division and hatred.

Put it in entertainment and it can be annoying.

I am bombarded with the American-style hysteria of shrieking and yelling that attends competition. Strictly is the worst!

Human beings can generate good positive excitement at sporting events and concerts but they also become unbearable in competitions and dangerous in political and religious settings.

Group psychology is a phenomenon much used by politicians, religious leaders and entertainers. It has many negative characteristics.

This is where war comes from.

15 qualities of an Atheist.

Posted on by Opher

As an atheist, who not only doesn’t believe in god but thinks Religion has been the most destructive force in human history, responsible for more death, destruction, torture and hatred than anything else; that religion is based on fear and division; that American evangelicals are no different to ISIS Muslim Neanderthals; and that atheists have a higher morality, I thought this article was quite accurate.

People Who Don’t Believe In God Often Have These 15 Qualities Too

Do you believe that Religion is a negative force?

Posted on by Opher

Are you opposed to brainwashing kids?

Do you believe that religion has held back development?

Do you think that religion is misogynistic?

Do you believe atheists can be as moral as believers?

Do you believe in an interventionist god?

Do you think all religions were created by people?

What do you think about the thousands of religions that have died out?

How many gods have there been?

Is there a difference between religion and spirituality?

You might find these books interesting:

Antitheist’s Dictionary: Amazon.co.uk: Goodwin, Opher: 9798389994171: Books

This book consists of definitions of religious words interpreted by a cynical antitheist. While hilarious it is sacrilegious, offensive and controversial. If you are religious and easily offended then I suggest you steer well clear. If you are not religious (or are of a less sensitive nature to your more serious religious colleagues) then dip in and have a laugh along with me. However, I should warn you; I have serious intent as well. I view religion as a social menace that should be kept clear of children, schools and the State. I believe history has shown religion to be a major source of evil worldwide. I believe it creates war, misogyny, torture, hypocrisy, exploitation, bigotry and hatred. There is little good that ever comes out of it. I hope all religion withers away naturally. Until then I respect your right to believe in whatever brand of superstition you wish – just as long as you do not try to force it on anyone else!

The Antitheist’s Bible: Amazon.co.uk: Goodwin, Opher: 9798391606536: Books

A controversial, blasphemous novel full of sacrilege and irreverence, laced with pathos and humour. One man struggles with the death of his mother, retirement from a career he loves and a desire to do something with the remainder of his life. He moves towards retirement while wrestling with the hypocrisy of religion, its power and wealth. He wants to expose the rotten heart of manmade religion.
Jihads, Crusades, Evangelists, ISIS, Religious Fanatics, Brainwashing, Pogroms, the Holocaust, Burqas, Torture, Heretics, Inquisitions, Witch-Hunts, Misogyny, Daft Costumes, Rules and Dogma, Terrorism, Life After Death, Heaven, Hell, Satan, Fear, Bibles, Torah, Koran, Persecution, Anti-Semitism, the Taliban, Control and Intrigue – that’s the religion we have created. He’s sick of it.
He wants to write, to travel and read; to live. In his eyes the world is full of wonder and awe. He sees a huge difference between religion and spirituality.
The first book he will write will be an expose of the power-struggle, brainwashing and greed that is organised religion. It will be called The Antitheist’s Bible.
This is that story.

The Book of Ginny: Amazon.co.uk: Goodwin, Opher: 9781500890742: Books

WARNING – Sexually Explicit and Religiously Dangerous! This book is a sexually explicit expose of religion. If you are easily offended by sex or hold strong religious views I suggest you read no further. Ginny was a young party girl with a close group of friends. Life was good. She had a job she enjoyed and her world was fun. There was the round of parties, clubs, dancing, drugs and sex that provided the spice. Apart from one or two ‘aggravations’ such as getting herself prosecuted for shoplifting life was pretty sorted. Then came the voices and life would never be the same. She had been chosen and instructed to spread the word. Ginny put the world of sex, drugs and dancing behind her and embarked upon the task of delivering the new gospel to the world. At first it seemed to go so well but then she discovered that there were many with vested interests who were not so enamoured with any new revelations. They had a battle on their hands.

The Teachings of White Eagle: Amazon.co.uk: Forsyth, Lewis Fraser, Goodwin, Opher: 9781790978670: Books

As I understand it, White Eagle was a Native North American Chief who specialised in healing and led a spirit team of healers, including Uncas. He had ‘passed over’ to the spirit world hundreds of years before. He was one of a number of benevolent spirits who worked through my Grandfather. He is quite a renowned spirit teacher and healer. There is an active White Eagle Lodge with branches in the UK, Ireland and worldwide. I presume this is the same White Eagle that my Grandfather ‘worked’ with.

These are the teaching of White Eagle as dictated from the spirit world through my grandfather Lewis Fraser Forsyth.