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What a load of absolute bullshit.

This has me going. I am blown down by the blatant christian attempts to take over a secular business show.

When did American Idols become a christian show broadcast on a christian channel? It hasn’t. I wonder how much the church paid for the “top 8″ to play this song?

Have a lovely listen:

It pains me to place this sort of stuff on my blog but I just can’t help but wonder how the hell this got on to TV??

I know that the states is struggling with political independance, secularism in schools and “religious terrorists” but this video/situation strikes me as propaganda.

It’s as if they are saying, “Oh look how proud your American Idols are too sing about the lord, and only a good American Idol would sing about the lord and if you want to be an American Idol you must sing about the lord.” Bollocks.

What would’ve happened if one of them said no? What would’ve happened in the press if one of them was jewish or an atheist? I am dissapointed and am probably not going to watch this innuendo-pushing-program anymore. Done.

This is a spam comment I received today:

This website is very nice and colorful too. Its nice to have something to show others where you attend church and to show all the smiling people filled of the goodness of the Lord. You have a wonderful website here. May God rich bless you always.

Those of you who know me and read this blog will clearly understand the humour. If you don’t understand it might be worth searching for religion in my archives and you’ll get it.

I cannot actually believe that I need to blog about this story, but I do.

I just read this article, here’s a snippet and then I’ll continue:

Not my cup of tea. I am sorry to say that my estimation of Gareth Cliff has been lowered, for what it’s worth, not for his views on religion - I am not surprised by uninformed and shallow approaches to a Universe filled with mystery! That happens every day! I am disappointed in the manner in which he dealt with this issue, and the ordinary listener who expressed her opinion in relation to his. Clearly he was dismissive of her, yet he wanted to have the right to have his opinion heard without challenge!

The irony of this comment is that Dion (the author) is doing precisely what he criticises Cliff for doing; being dismissive. What a load of rubbish.

I have openly stated before that I am an atheist and have no issue with that. I am not ignorant, uninformed of shallow. In fact, I am well versed in christianity and have gone out of my way to educate myself. Why is it that in the eyes of a christian, any form of altering opinion is blasphemous and tantamount to condemning yourself to “hell”.

Get real, freedom of speech is the answer here and Cliff said and did nothing that should be considered bad. So he aired his views, would christians be pissed off he said god was great? If he said that christians were right? No, they wouldn’t because it would agree with their view on the world. Obviously they are upset because his opinion is different to theirs. Simple.

There is really no reason for them to send in hate mail and tell him that they are praying for something to happen to him to convert him to god. Please.

So if Cliff is going to hell then so am I. We need to get over this religious elitism in the same way that we have overcome apartheid.

Another post to read: Sarah Britten.

I have been watching an incredible expose on christians and the extremist christian warriors forming in the USA. Christina Amanpour takes on the leaders of these sects in various religions, not only christianity.

God’s Warriors is the title of the series. If these little children, teenagers and cooked up parents are the warriors then I want to know who I am battling? Is it them?

On to Ron Luce. I think that in the series it noted that he has a school, a bible school on 42hectares of land. His students pay $650 per month to be at this school.

Ironic his name don’t you think, Luce? Short for Lucifer? Interesting.

Anyways, I digress. Luce, let’s call him Luce, he charges these kids to attend his school where they can’t listen to any secular music, watch any rated movies or programmes and cannot read anything that isn’t approved. That is scary isn’t it? I think so. I also think that it is shocking that Luce has provided each student at his school with a computer and headset and asks them to sit, everyday, and preach the word of his lord to anyone they can get hold of on the phone.

That sounds incredibly to me like slave labour. Hell, it sounds worse than slave labour because at least slaves are paid. These kids are paying to be his slaves.

Throughout the entire programme on CNN there was a distinct lack of parental presence. All that I saw was young children shouting about the word of the lord, angrily fighting with gay people in San Francisco, violently protesting for their beliefs. I think it’s great that these kids are involved and believe in something. But I am vehemently against brainwashing of any sort. These kids looked brainwashed.

I cannot believe that anything this propagated can be good for anyone, for children, teenagers or adults. In fact, religion has done nothing for our world other than to create wars that have lasted centuries. Palestinians and Jews, The Crusades, US war on Iraq and many others. All inherently religious based wars. Where is the good?

Now we are roping in our youth without giving them a choice or an alternative. This scares me, the Battle Cry and God’s Warriors scare me, it is all very worrying.

I have been very cautious about bloging on this topic. The reasons are obvious. But I feel that it is time.

It is no secret that I am an Atheist. Anyone who reads this blog will know that and I have no problem with others knowing it either. It is not something that I am ashamed of, as much of society dictates people in my position need to feel.

I have been reading Jarred Cinman’s blog on ThoughtLeader recently and he has made some great arguments on the topic, see “Why atheists are just plain right“.

My stance on religion (or lack thereof) comes under fire on a daily basis just about. I have no problem with this as I enjoy the topic and enjoy rational, reasonable debate around the topic.

Note my use of the words rational and reasonable. There are some arguments that I will never accept as final from a christian; “Just have faith” is one of them and, “I simply believe” is another. Let me put it to you this way, I don’t have faith and I don’t believe. That is that.

In the same way, I want to express something to those that challenge atheism and feel that we are wrong: We (atheists and christians) suffer from basic but opposite assumptions, I believe there is no god, you believe there is. At the end of the day this is where the argument starts and this is where it will always end. We do not believe the same thing. Simple.

In my mind there is a very obvious reason for the raging debate however and this is where my post really starts. The reason is this:

By the very nature that christians believe in the bible - which states that you need preach the word of god - they must innately believe that anyone who does not believe in the bible or Jesus or god is wrong. That’s me. I’m wrong.

Now I am taking a very scientific and analytical stance here. When I argue, I argue by asking what the difference is between my “wrongness” and how I perceive your beliefs to be “wrong”? There is no difference. Christians ask me to disprove the existence of their god, I ask them to prove it to me. They ask me to disprove heaven and I ask them to prove hell. There is no solution here.

Yet without a solution we are lost. Why? Because one of us are wrong according to our belief systems.

I am not going to continue providing examples, explanations and justifications as I think this is a very circular argument that will ultimately take us back to the starting point of differing belief systems. But why, why must I be wrong? Take a second and think, is it possible, for a split second, that you could be wrong?

Religion doesn’t often feature on this blog, I am always very undecided about how people will receive my opinions on the topic.

I battle enough getting people to buy in to my views on SA that religion is a fight I am not ready to have with most people. I say this because many people (mainly christians) are not willing to dicuss the matter rationally with me but instead choose to condemn me to an eternal hell.

Just like this mom:

WOW this is one scary mother, literally. My mom is much more understanding about my religious choices or lack thereof.

Hoffmeyer said, and I quote: he could “almost associate” with rock musicians wanting to hold a concert to warn people of the dangers of religion, according to a story at News24.

That is an extremely brave statement from a man who’s main audience are surely christians second to none. Steve really is loving the controversy these days!

I have got to agree with this kind of concert and I am sure that Kevin will back me up here, if christians are allowed to hold concerts in the name of their cause and are allowed to have christmas concerts then why shouldn’t there be a concert warning people against the effects of religion too? Don’t get me wrong, I am not mudslinging the christians here, the concert will apparently speak of the dangers of all religions and religion in general.

The only issue I have with the concert is that they are planning to have it on 7/7/7 (July 7th 2007). Now I am not bleak because this should be some sort of holy godly number with all the sevens or something like that, I am bleak because that is the day that Live Earth is coming to Jo’burg. That concert will rock.

Back to the dangers of religion. There are so many opportunities for christians to help themselves look good (ok maybe not good, maybe just better) in the media but they don’t. This guy didn’t: “I believe the movement is demonic and inspired by Satan, but that Christians don’t have to feel threatened, because God is stronger than Satan,” Said Dr Isak Burger, president of the Apostolic Faith Mission. Do me a favour you moron. You think that because anyone is going against your prayer day that they must be demonic and satanistic. That is ignorance of the highest order you tosser.

Is it not more ridiculous to actually believe that a day in a year (7/7/7) is going to convey your prayers to god more effectively than on any other day? if ‘the big guy/girl’ hasn’t answered your prayers yet then 7/7/7 is not going to change that I’m afraid.

The only praying that I will be doing on that day is that they turn up the volume at the Live Earth Rockathon baby!!

I have already linked to the Today Trip Religious banter but I am sad to report that some people just can’t keep their shit together. The debate has ended in the termination of a friendship and that saddens me. It saddens me because I thought that religion preached tolerance and understanding not brash decisions that end in the loss of a friendship due to a debate. Ridiculous.

I am of the school that believes that challenging yourself and the norm is the norm. I believe that without debate, challenging thought and progressive movement the wheel would never have been invented and Africans would still be slaves. If you do not agree with this and are still taking lessons from your preacher who was taught be another preacher who learnt from the same book that the same people have been studying for 2000+ years then I feel sorry for you. This is ignorance. Learn from the bible, that’s cool, it’s a great little book with some little gems hidden in there somewhere. But please, please do not tell me that it is the be all and end all of knowledge. That my friends is blatant disregard for common sense and a choice to remain ignorant due to fear.

Rant over and I’m out.

Something strange is brewing. It seems as though it’s bash/debate/laugh/movie/watch religion day today. Today Trip has a massive debate going on with a couple of religious zealots and me! While Kevin is bored apparently and loving the religious comics!

Nice work everyone.

A brief snippet from the debate going on at Today Trip:

Nic said…

nikki: Very interesting and rational points. Good work. Lets put it this way: I have managed to review my options, my beliefs and my faiths. I made the CHOICE to walk away from religion because there are too many unanswered questions. Too much that is left to “Just have faith” and not enough that is telling my why, where, how, when. there are too many paradoxes and too much mystery and enigma surrounding it all. Religion is only a recent creation. +-2000 years old, and in +- 2000 years it might be gone. These are my reasons. I did not flakely walk away from religion it was a long and arduous process that I am happy with. And let’s be honest, I was not born in to my choice, I made it by myself. Hetty, you have made no choices, you have challenged nothing and YOU are the sheep my friend. do not try and turn the argument around to push your fears and insecurities on to others. This is a personal choice and I do not condemn you for it. To each his/her own.

With regard to Elle’s comments, I think that if anyone is going to choose religion, Elle’s approach is the best approach: Going to church doesn’t make you a christian, any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. Religion is a personal choice, a personal thing not a mass movement. Mob mentality is bad in any context, religion is no exception.

People are not loving my brash approach to this topic, but hey, ignorance is bliss and ignorance is comfortable. I like to be uncomfortable and challenge my life and lifestyle. To each his/her own. Simple as that.

I think that South Africa is making great steps forward by legalising same sex marriages. We are the first country on our continent to do so. Brilliant. I personally believe in “To each his/her own” and if that happens to be a his or her of the same sex then so be it.

What irritates me about this whole situation is the manner in which the religious groups have protested the decision. I am once again stating that to each his/her own is the way forward, so let the fanatics moan and bitch about the laws being passed. However I get extremely touchy when I read an article about this issue on the MG site that religious activists have branded the law “un-African”.

How on Earth is same sex marriage un-African? Who decides what is African (not starting that debate unless anyone is interested)? This is the kicker question right here: When did religious views become African views? Western ideas of religion have never been apart of the African culture. It is only in the recent history of the continent that Western ideals began infiltrating the African continent. It hacks me off to no end that religious freaks, fanatics or idiots are able to brand an apparent ‘anti-christian’ law as un-African.

I will say this again: when did Western religion become dominant in Africa as an ideal? What makes these people think that they have the right to brand anything, anything at all as un-African? If that is what being African means you can keep it and I will continue to be me as an individual living in Africa.