Here's how it goes in a typical debate with an redneck Christian.

I try to keep my FB to people who know me, my back ground and even like me for my character, strength and opinions preferably. . .even if not all of them. My friends generally appreciate a good debate, as it's an education to both parties. My friends generally can be taught, and love the flow of information. That said, sometimes I have a friend from a few local groups I go to as a ministry. These friends often don't know what I think about religion, but respect my knowledge of other things and think I'm wise, so friends me.  Little do they know that I'm "the internet cop", and will freely correct the judgmental and wrong things they post. Out of respect my friends who know me will classically keep quiet and listen, while their friends and family rip me to shreds. So, let me give you an example of the intelligence and rational responses an Atheist like me can expect from your typical Duck Dynasty defending sort of Christian. Quote:

" I think any person who is dumb enough to not even beleive in JESUS . . .is simply a lost soul that I pitty."

"[Debating is] Not worth my time I only reference king james version if its something that is of importance." (Anyone who has studied the King James, or it's history will know that it is a dead argument, and only used by the most closeminded individuals, as it has been debunked for a long time with new archaeological evidence.)

(His wife, my friend) . "He's busy at work and doesn't have time to debate. " (Excuse for why he has no answers, even while commenting.)

"And some things you can't have the answers to and I think that's why you struggle with understanding us Christians. There's some things your just not supposed to know or undrstand, which is a hard pill for scientific minded people like yourself to swallow."

(I don't understand Christians? I was one for most of my life! There may be some things we cannot know, but I am fine with those things being unanswered. . .religion is hardly one of them, we have solid answers now, as I have blogged on.)

(Husband)  "If u need answers and facts then pick up a king james bible and start reaeading and if that does answer all of your questions and doubt then read it again and if it still doesnt then it may be u just dont want to understand it. " ". . .I will not debate this any further. This does not make me a coward how ever it does make me feel saddened to know there is another lost soul."

(Another reference to how all he reads is the KJV and as he will not approve of or read any of my other sources I referenced, like stats from Pew forum or Wikipedia, it was seeming pointless to debate him. Although I used the KJV against him too. . .)

"Folks like you and google is whats wrong with this world today, believing everything u read on the internet is of no educational value! Which its very obvious your education was found threw internet search engines!"

(So I gave him some more stats on the educational value of the internet education, and how Atheists score higher on tests of intelligence and Bible knowledge then religious folks.)

"Once again believe everything u see or read on the internet. That explains your true lack of intelligence and the absense of a true and real loving God in your sorry and pitiful life. I hope some day you will be educated with facts and truth instead of theories."

(If you cannot see a pattern here, let me enlighten you as to the classic type who debates Atheists online these days. . .uneducated, nasty, pig headed Christians.)

(So he finally goes to a source on the internet -shock of all shocks-and tries to fight fire with fire, looking up a word I challenged him to be.) "Skeptic- a person who maintains a doubting attitude as towards plans, values, statements, or the charecter of others! Sounds like a very negetive and judgmental person to me."

(So for one, he hasn't learned how to copy and paste apparently, or spell check, as he couldn't even spell on his quote! Two, he sees no value in questioning himself or others.)

The Mother: "Who are you madam to write such unintelligent, hypocritical hogwash. . .Back off cause u want an intelligent biblical battle I can help u learn a thing or two. What a half witted individual and u say u have morals....alrighty then."

Hypocritical and immoral must be a particularly sore subject and be brought up a lot to this woman, as it was totally inappropriate here. And what's worse, after her brag of being ready to debate, all she did was fling insults, and never gave a single bit of info.)


Sadly, this is one thing that made me go towards Atheism from the start, the moral, nice, intelligent and educated folks as a rule were not the Christians in any debate I saw online. This is one example of many abuses I have received for sharing stats and facts about our world with those who want to believe reality to be different then it is. Is it any wonder that Atheists have a high suicide rate for being the most hated and distrusted minority?

Can an Atheist believe in eternal life for the body or spirit? You bet!

 According to research on cells, even from a long time ago, some cells renew themselves indefinitely!

This was shown in experiments with cells from rabbits being isolated and a nutrient solution added and changed everyday for many years. Only when the solution was not changed were these cells aging from taking in their own wastes. With a very short time of this toxification, the cells died.

Whether the cells could have died that quickly from lack of food, versus the toxification is yet to be confirmed, but the hypothesis of the scientists running the experiment was that it was overloading the cells with their own waste that killed them. So their belief was that not helping the human body detox of what we put in our bodies and because of what is in our environment, that may be what's killing us. (Or we would possibly be eternal!)

As a matter of fact only one woman's cells have been the standard for testing for a long time. The cells have self replicated without dying so many times over, that if put together, it is estimated that they would weigh about 50 million metric tons, which is about as much as 100 Empire State Buildings! They called her "the woman with immortal cells". Sadly, they were apparently not detoxing properly in her body (like they were in the test tubes that were changed daily) as she died young of cancer.
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So, you are basically being a martyr to your choices and circumstances being in the body and time you are in, whether you like it or not. What are these choices and circumstances you might ask? I'm sure I don't know them all, but I have discussed some both obvious toxins we need to detox from (like junk food, pesticides and herbicides or radiation) and not so obvious ones. (Like fluoride, vaccinations, whole grains that are not processed, dyes in food, many oils, chemicals in our body products, furniture and even clothes!)

Come with my imagination though to a time when all they had was good food and a clean environment. What killed those people? Or did they live long lives? Strangely, we tend to associate the past with shorter lives, not longer. . .why would that be? There could be a few explanations for that: they were all dying in wars, famines or natural disasters.

What about before religion, which spurned most of the wars? (I believe there was such a time.) That would leave mostly only natural things to kill them off. . . So when was there no war? Quote:
"What is interesting about Ancient Egypt is the fact that it's time line ran between 3150 BC an 31 BC but the Ancient Egyptian wars did not occur until half way through their existence."

"While it is known that the early Ancient Egyptians did send out raiding parties to nearby countries for the looting of precious metals, animals and people to keep as slaves.[or was it a tribute paid to them as gods over them?] These did not turn into full blown wars."

This lack of equality is I believe because the ancient Pharaohs/gods were the presumed masters. The Egyptian pharaohs/gods I believe were actually the half children of the Ancient astronauts/aliens that the world's religions all sprang from. (More on this in my series on them starting here.) The Egyptians of that time believed that pharaohs were go-between people (to the gods) that were half-man and half-god.
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This race of dark skinned people, the Nubians (who were manufactured to be slaves according to the ancient texts of the Sumerians) apparently had no technology, and no writing until much later. . . when they adopted their culture, writing and other things from the Egyptians, Also later they apparently started interbreeding with them, but as is typical in history, we can trace the breeding to be completely one sided. In other words, the slave masters did as the Bible described in Genesis 6.  "When the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” The same thing happens with any slave race, the woman are "taken", likely against their will.


 It was said in the ancient Sumerian texts that the slave race of these "gods" was simply created to dig for gold and precious metals. . .which was to be brought back to their planet to grind up and repair their atmosphere. It was said to be a planet with a lot of gold on it, and for this reason, the people from there also evolved to shine. (As referenced to a lot in the Bible as well.) Ironically, the name "Nubia" or "Nubian" is thought may originate with an ancient Egyptian noun, nebu, meaning "gold".


Back to the lack of wars though: The wars that eventually did happen were for he purposes of dominating and controlling the neighboring races of the [slave] Hittites and Cannanites who eventually rebelled. Which I suspect was the cause of all "war" until they disappeared and left their children in charge to squabble about history, eventually changing it enough to make it into a religion. As humans are still prone to do even today.
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Anyhow, at this time before war, the physical body could theoretically live forever, or at least a very long time. In the time before the Bible was written down, the belief in the gods was recent history that everyone knew, because the chosen ones actually walked with the gods! Adam, Eve and Enoch were said to walk and talk with "God" in the Bible (Which was actually plural "gods"). The book of Enoch goes into much greater detail of what most would call an alien abduction today.

 If we take the genealogies and stories seriously, these men in the Bible lived many hundreds of years before the flood! It is often theorized by Christians that the reason it seemed to change was more exposure to the sun with a much lessened atmosphere/"canopy of water". The real question: Is there any evidence of these stories being true? Were old men found in these areas, at that time? Actually yes!

Did you know that like how reptiles continue to grow throughout their lives, we have a few things that grow the longer we age too? We have a brow bone that protrudes and a jaw that grow longer, Do you know what they speculate that a very old face would start to look like? An ape. Could this be the confusion between our ancestry? It is understandable, but when there is only a slight look of an ape in the face, yet with all the even superior technology we know they had, the uprightness they stood with, the language ability we now know they had, and most importantly a blood type (RH-) not found in any primate (much less on this planet!), it seems that people should recheck their presumptions about the origins of humans.

So not only do at least some people's cells have the possibility of being eternal, we also have sculls showing that our ancestors did live around 800 to 100 years old, according to projections based on how fast those bones grow in humans now.

What about the "spirit" that people associate with "God"?
" The Ancient Egyptians believed that the pharaoh's spirit [the part of them that was said to be "God"] could live for an eternity, which means forever. They believed that the pharaoh would become [only] a god after he died, so pharaohs were buried in a tomb with many treasures which could be enjoyed in their Afterlife." (Mind you, as spirits are not known to need abstinence or generally be able to move things, not surprisingly the tombs when opened did not looked touched.)

Socrates said that "the actual practice of learning to leave the physical body and live in the spiritual body. . . is called "dying."

Egyptians did not call their ruler a "pharaoh" before 1554 BC during the 18th dynasty. Before that, pharaoh meant "Great House" in Egyptian and referred to the palace of the king.

Could this be what later evolved to be the belief that the spirit of "god" dwells within God's children?  The body is known as God's "temple" in the Bible, which could also be translated as "great house". So is the human body just a vessel for the alien spirit? When the vessel dies, the spirit of "god" being much longer living (even believed to be eternal) would then live on. . . possibly passing on to another "temple" or "vessel". . . possibly not. The spirit would then just be in a state of waiting to move on. 

Considering there is a lot of evidence for reincarnation, and ghosts living loose among us, this seems very likely to be the case. It's my theory for now anyhow. Besides, if life after death is as good as we're told by the religious, why do ghosts remain here and for what purpose?

 It's not the only link with my theory though: we also have the "witness of the Spirit" spoken of in the Bible. This is that feeling we get that we know a person, even though we have hardly met. Is the ancient alien/"god" part of us, reincarnated in it's eternal "cells", communicating with itself divided and living within humans! (Some people, possibly because of their bloodline as "Children of God" being a bigger draw to the alien spirit. . .I don't know, but kind of spooky!) 

We may have a god parasite!
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How might this "spirit" of the larger "gods" (literally translated "tall men") manifest in our smaller human bodies? Ever heard of our energy fields? Some people have larger ones, and some smaller, but all extend out from the body. This is a fascinating new science that use to be only in the realm of the mystical "quacks" but is gaining legitimacy, being talked of and researched by scientists more and more. A scientist and well renoun author was recently talking on the Opera show with Dr. Oz about energy medicine and this field around and in the body, from a scientific basis.
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Historically, this is a well known and practiced medicine who's basis is in the "spiritual" part of the body. There are skeptics of course, most of which will deny even the existence of this inner force, and yet anyone who is honest can see and feel the effects of this force. When you walk into a dark room, can you feel a presence in the room at times? How about when someone stands too close to you in a crowd? You may feel they are touching you although they are not, you may feel uncomfortable or anxious although there is no threat, you may even feel emotions that aren't your own - all of these feelings are due to your energy which comes out a little way from your physical body coming into contact with the other person. It's not as odd as it sounds.

When someone is close that you don't like, can you feel the negative energy? When someone is a needy, self centered or manipulative person, do you feel a suction of your energy force being around them? When someone is even looking at you (focusing their energy in your direction) do you feel their eyes on you even before you look at them? Depending on your sensitivity, and how big your and their energy field is, this can be felt nearer or further away.

How do we know the human energy field really exists besides intuition or imagination?

"Knowledge of the human energy field comes from ancient texts [like the Sumerian text, which literature has things like knowledge of the planets that was not known by common man for many thousands of years after.] and metaphysical literature, as well as what is observed through “high sense perception”. High sense perception is a term coined by Barbara Brennan to refer to the phenomena of “clairvoyance” — the ability to see that which lies beyond the reach of physical sight. The human energy field can be perceived in a number of different ways by use of what could be considered to be more subtle aspects of the 5 senses. Clairvoyance or “subtle sight” is only one way. People who are sensitive to the energy field may also hear it (clairaudience), sense it kinesthetically (clairsentience) or even have experiences of subtle smell and taste. Different people sense it in different ways, although some feel that everyone is capable of developing all types of subtle sense perception." 

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People can be stingy with their energy, as they have found it regularly drained from them. These are people, like me, that don't like hugs. Even the quiet presence of someone is a distraction to me, and I find I must be alone to give focus of my energy to anything fully. Some people I believe are more likely to be like this if they have a large energy field (which I have been told I do) because they get the effects of energy draining people from a further distance away. . .which causes it to happen more often. 

This larger energy field is evidenced in a large "personal space", and not liking physical touch, unless intentionally to heal. (Like a massage.) Perception is as good as intention here it seems to me, as those who you perceive don't like you, cannot heal you, nor can those who don't like you, pass on healing energy to you. 

Thoughts that are healing can actually be passed as energy from a distance, and thus the justification of prayer, which with intense "intention," thought, or "good vibes" can actually cause a reaction from a far. (Most times it has as much effect as praying to a horseshoe though, as the prayer is selfish or insincere.)

"Thoughts and actions can have severe consequences on our health, not just our own but those we direct our thoughts at." This is why doctors are confounded with miraculous healings. There is no denying the fact that how we think can change our health, but it is sketchy how this works on others, as we often don't even know who is sending good vibes our way. 

 Communication from this spirit of others is generally felt with an inner 'knowing' or thought popping in to your head, they may appear in dreams or provide a 'sign' relating to the information they want to impart. They may simply want to let people know they are near, safe and well and are felt by a cold shiver or goose bumps, or a breeze. These can be called ghosts, the spirit of God, or what have you, but we are talking of the paranormal here, and I think it's the alien spirit/parasite. 

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Whether for the good or bad though, this spirit is longer lasting then our bodies, and when we die our "energy field" leaves the body. When exactly does it enter into the next one? 

It is said by those who can see this energy field that the fetus while in the womb of the mother has no spirit. The spirit does goes in and out of the fetus, as if checking it out though, until it is born. As soon as the shoulders are out of the canal, a weak aura starts to appear. (Could this explain the light at the end of the tunnel that people see as they are dying?) 

The spirit has now to stay within the confines of the body after it is born. They say that depending on how content and willing the spirit is to reincarnate into that body, the child will live or die. This may correlate to the high rate of infant mortality (SIDS) in the first few months.

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So to recap:

• Cells could theoretically live forever if treated right.
• Our bodies in the past, before wars, have apparently, based on bone growth and the projection of time, lived as long as the Bible claims they did before the flood.
• The ancients believed in their leaders being gods.
• Later in the history, the children of the gods were believed to be having a "spirit of the gods" within that was released upon death. 
• By the 18th Dynasty the "gods" seemed to have left, and the name "pharaoh" came about, along with the belief in them being half god.half man.
• Pharaoh is translated "Great house", a similar concept to that in the Bible of God dwelling within the person who was his child. 
• This spirit or energy field within is larger, like the "tall men" or "gods" and seems to divide and reincarnate, just like cells.
• This spirit can be called energy, or our "force", "the witness of the spirit" or our "personal space".
• This spirit or energy is healing to the physical body if shared around physically or even mentally it seems.
• This spirit or energy leaves us when we die.
• The spirit or energy goes into a baby as it is being born. . .thus the light at the end of the tunnel.

And the process starts all over again. I believe that would be the definition of living forever. So the kingdom of heaven is within us, as Jesus said. We will be eternally living through people in the future as he is living in us now. Yes Jesus is basically "in my heart." So this is Fascinating stuff, "EH?" Does that make me a Christian all over again?! 

Why I laugh at invisible friends of all shapes and sizes.

 I feel I need to give my rebuttal to a note a close-minded Christian gave me as of late. The jist of it being, "don't talk to me about my precious Jesus, because we can't have peace if I hear Him mocked."

To illustrate my point of view: I want to talk about my sister, who as a child had an invisible friend she named "Trinny". She loved this friend dearly. This friend made her feel special, comforted her when she was lonely, made her brave and protected her from all her imaginary horrors in the night and such. This friend was someone to blame when things went wrong, and even someone whom you have control over how they manifest to you, when you feel powerless to change your life around you.  Most important, an imaginary companion is a tool young children use to help them make sense of the adult world. A child living in fear will often develop imaginary friends to cope with life.

 According to Wikipedia,  they say that some children find their invisible friends physically indistinguishable from real people, while others say they see their imaginary friends only in their heads. There's even a third category of imaginary friend recognition: when the child doesn't see the imaginary friend at all, but can only feel his/her presence. Experiments and science have confirmed these imaginary friends to be all in the head, and they theorize that the delusion originates out of fear, emotional traumas and insecurity, as well as a deranged perception of reality, but that's a whole "nother ball of wax. .  .

We never believed in Santa Claus though in our family, (even though my Grandparents did give us presents from him), mainly because we had helpful older people around to enlighten our childish minds.  If everyone including our peers had've perpetrated the lie to us though, we probably would have believed in him. I would've been ok with Santa even now, as there is little harm to believing in a big red happy man who brings you presents on one day a year if you were good. It's a great inspiration to be good, and I understand that kids need as much reason for feeling motivated to be good as the rest of us do. . .although I'm not crazy about the threat of only coal in the stocking if someone deems you not good enough.


The fact is though, given normal conditions, because of teasing peers and caring adults, someone will kindly, or not so kindly, inform the child of their delusional invisible friends and they will grow out of that reality.  Questioning things like: why their friend isn't actually showing him or herself, or speaking to anyone out loud to prove their reality? And while it may burst their bubble momentarily, it is a good thing for the peers and adults to do, eventually.

It is a pretty common thing as a child to suffer this kind of delusion, but as an adult we are expected to have grown out of it. . .there are some issues with that happening though sometimes: one is that if we aren't the only one with the delusion. " When one person suffers from a delusion, it is called insanity. When many people suffer from a delusion it is called religion."

Disbelief in our precious invisible friends cannot easily come though if we don't understand why we were wired or predisposed to even consider them as reality in the first place. According to neurologists and psychologists we believe in gods, not because we just feel compelled to worship them, or have a "God shaped vacuum in our lives," though that's exactly what Christians would claim. According to Psychologist Thomas Plante, PhD "religious thought is in many ways an unavoidable byproduct of the way our minds work. " For more on that check out the article,

A reason to believe, or 1/3 rd through the video called Why we believe in gods.

Unlike the harmless belief in Trinny or Santa though, when adults have a belief in God, they don't often stop at hearing and seeing things for themselves. A belief in the God of the Bible or Jesus for instance, is not the sort of belief that is easily kept to ourselves. . .although some "progressive Christians", and introverts can do just that. If a person's beliefs are harmless and only effecting them, then we could compare the child's beloved invisible friend, with the Christian's invisible friend Jesus. . .but sadly it's not that simple. . .

Like is explained in this poem I heard this morning in my UU church:
Some beliefs are like walled gardens. They encourage exclusiveness and the feeling of being especially privileged.
Other beliefs are expansive and lead the way into wider and deeper sympathies.
Some beliefs are like shadows, clouding children's days with fears of unknown calamities.
Other beliefs are like sunshine, blessing children with the warmth of happiness.
Some beliefs are divisive, separating the "saved" from the "unsaved", friends from enemies.
Other beliefs are bonds in a world community, where sincere differences beautify the pattern.
Some beliefs are like blinders, shutting off the power to choose one's own direction.
Other beliefs are like gateways opening wide vistas for exploration.
Some beliefs weaken a person's self-hood. They blight the growth of resourcefulness.
Other beliefs nurture self confidence and enrich the feeling of personal worth.
Some beliefs are rigid like the body of death, impotent in a changing world.
Other beliefs are pliable like the young sapling, ever growing with the upward thrust of life.
                                                                                           By Sophia Lyon Fahs

So it is imperative that we both strive to have beliefs that are like the "other beliefs", and attempt to help or enlighten those with the "some beliefs".  It is past the time for humoring them for their beliefs, as we would a child, for their own best interest. If they persist (unlike a child would) in the foolishness of blind faith when you give them all the evidence that has convinced so many of the scientists and smartest people around the globe, they need to feel some peer pressure, to know it is not OK to still believe such harmful stuff, against logic and science.

 While it's not fun to burst a child's bubble, it's worse to tell a grown adult that their life has been wasted away in ignorance, bondage and fear! Sadly, to me though, the golden rule is clear; like a child eventually needs to be told how foolish they are to stay in their childishness, we should know that the Christian needs to be told the same, for their own good.

 Unfortunately, because we know how hard it is for any person with invisible friends to see a reality without them, we know how hard of a path this is for both parties. We also know that their common first line of defense (when you do tell them of science and reality) will be denial, then anger and defensiveness. Sadly, Atheists know by experience that most often it makes us lose the very friendships we care about most. Should we still stand for truth against their delusion, and do anyways what we know is right, whether or not the person ever thanks us for it? I say definitely! We do what is right for the long term and the good of the world. . .not for personal gain. Like in the past (and now) I considered a true friend to be one who cared enough about me to be honest, even when it hurt. . .I try to do that now as always, in the best interest of my friends and family.

 If a Christian simply could keep their beliefs to themselves, then it's likely that no one would pick apart or "make fun of" their "dear Jesus" any more then people occasionally mock a general belief in Santa. . .but if they share their thoughts of a reality based on their invisible friend Jesus, share their best defense for it as "faith" and then be close-minded to new information that negates Jesus as even real, then they deserve some correction.

 I could go so far as to say, that if Jesus WERE real, he would be more likely to fight against such close-minded, dogmatic, judgmental beliefs and rigid rules.  He would have sided instead with the progressive  religious "rebels" who use science, common sense and accept everyone as an equal.  So when considering the question of the reality of your invisible friend Jesus, maybe you should ask, "what would Jesus do?"

Common sense translations of common Christian terms.

Born again: While the term originated in the Bible, it was first defined as a turn around in the life with a one time decision to truly follow Christ by a progressive, nondenominational evangelist named George Whitfield. His preaching became wildly popular with the shunned and religious rebels of the time, who were looking for anything real in the lives of the religious authorities of their time. (As this new teaching allowed the tables to be turned and the pompus ministers to be deemed "unfit of their office", if they were found without a legit sounding salvation or "born again" experience.)

God: all that is good, love in humanity, any mysterious thing science has no explanation for as of yet.

The Holy Spirit/the still small voice: The ingrained conscience of all people.

Being under conviction: you are feeling guilty, maybe because of your own conscience, maybe from peer pressure.

Being led of the Spirit: Making the right choices instinctively, and having intuition.

Being slayed in the spirit: an emotional high brought on by peer pressure, exhaustion and music.

I feel the Spirit: goosebumps, feel love and comradeship, usually while holding hands or having a group singing a song to unify.

The witness of the Spirit: where you "click" with a persons energy, personality, believe they are a good person like yourself; feeling as if that proves they are saved.

Relationship with Jesus: having religion.

Grieving the Spirit: going against the accepted norms in your church circle.

Having your conscience seered with a hot iron: Becoming callus to your conscience's voice and listening instead to bad influences. . .in the case of actual immoral behavior.

Creation: everything that was slowly made through evolutionary processes that continue to happen today with no creator. Nature, or Mother nature.

The heavens declare the glory of God. . .:we believe that because space is huge and awesome, that means our claim of a creator God, automatically trumps other people's creator god claims or the explanations of science.

Vision: usually a dream or hallucination while on a high from music, exhaustion/stress, drugs. . .

Sign from Heaven: A fluke, a superstitious reading into a normal occurrence.
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Blessing: All good luck, all processes of nature, as long as they are good.

Judgment of God: bad luck, all bad natural process.

The Devil: everything bad in the world. Any mysterious bad thing that science has no explanation for yet.

Sin: What someone's generation, denomination, and family reads out of the Bible as being wrong.

Sinner: someone who falls short of your expectation based on your reading of the Bible.

The lost: Anyone who rejects your limited worldview.

Modesty:  What someone's generation, denomination, and family reads out of the Bible as being the way they need to dress to please God, and not offend the opposite sex. Nothing to do anymore with being moderate in their actions or dress, compared to their culture, as one might suspect. . .

Making a joyful noise to the Lord: singing with no talent; cacophony.

Being in the ministry: making your living off of begging and  pushing your thoughts on others, while often doing no actual useful thing in a needy world.

Hate the sin, love the sinner: Judge the person as inferior to a good Christian/ a sinner, then tell them how then need to change to be acceptable to God, all the while claiming that they are still loved and accepted for who they are.

Religious freedom: proselytizing the children and desperate of society, disrespecting, mocking, shunning or physically abusing those in your own family or those with differing thoughts, lifestyles and beliefs, while expecting all onlookers to allow you your "religious freedom".

"Life isn't fair!"

My parents tell me that while a child my mantra was, "life wasn't fair." While it often came in response to my own plight in any given situation, I was also very empathetic and compassionate to the situations I saw in the world around me.

I remember seeing the poor people in Mexico, and realizing how unfair it was that they lived in such filth and poverty. I remember feeling for the desperate Mexican kids desperately washing our windshield (unfortunately without our consent) while we were in line at the border and then asking for a tip and my Dad refusing to give it. I thought how unfair it was that they could work all day under such miserable conditions, only to be stiffed by us. Were we really so poor that we couldn't give something to them for their effort?

I saw the working animals in Mexico as also being unfairly treated. I saw legless and homeless dogs roaming the streets, lots of dirty stray cats, and abused horses. Being a horse lover, I knew that a horse foaming at the mouth was an exhausted horse. I remember being treated to a horse ride on the beach and insisting on walking my horse as slowly as I could (though I was a good rider) so I could to give it a break. . . only to have the guide come up along beside my horse and whip it to go faster.

I find myself still deeply concerned with the inequality, abuse and greed still in the world today, but I guess I'm not as guilty as much about it anymore. I have the power to change the world with my empathy and compassion. I don't make excuses saying: "life's just inevitably going to be unfair, so it don't matter if I add a little to it's inequality, abuse and greed a little more." When I see something I can change that would make life a little easier, more fair or just for anyone, and it's in my power to do it, I make a point to do it. I made a pact with my conscience when I was 12, (at the time I thought it was God, and it was salvation) that I would never let a day go by that I went against my conscience's little voice inside. That was the best decision I ever made!

If you can't first respect yourself enough to do what you need to do in order to feel like a person deserving respect, how can you follow through to respect others? For a long time I was not listening to my conscience, (God I thought) but instead read the Bible and listened to spiritual authorities who told me that I needed to be content with, and even add to the injustice in the world. Every time my heart and mind rose up to tell me, "Angela you shouldn't look down on them as a sinner below you" I would come back with the memorized excuse, "I'm hating the sin, but loving the sinner." Every time my heart would break as I beat my innocent child (that is, biblically spanked them) into submission, my brainwashed mind would repeat "Spare the rod, spoil the child".  Every time a woman took the lead in anything without first asking her slave driver- that is godly leader of a husband- I was told she/I was usurping her/my authority. I knew that didn't seem fair, and yet, I was told time and time again that I just needed to accept my lot in life and be happy. It's no wonder I grew up quite a tom boy! And it's no wonder I couldn't stand the unfairness of life, it was all around me from childhood and sadly. . .I helped create it!

So maybe in retribution for the past I do what I do now in advocating for the minority, the abused, the downtrodden. I want the greedy put out of commission, and the poor to have a voice. What can I do to make a difference in the world before my little candle is snuffed out? All of my grand ideas take more time and money then I have to give right now with my young family of 6! So I content myself with my little corner of the world, and my neighborhood. I teach my children to follow in my footsteps, I live peacefully with and respect my Conservative Christian in-laws who live downstairs from our family (and that is quite a feat let me tell you!) I learn with and support woman in the community through numerous venues, I go to a UU church and I stay active as a blogger and with online petitions. The world may not seem changed yet, but all it takes sometimes is one voice to spread . . .will you be that voice with me to make a better world?

Some could call this abuse. . .I call it just signs of insanity.

Now I'm not saying insane people are predominantly of any thoughts or beliefs, but by sheer numbers, I find a lot more Christians who are crazy, especially these days! So, I'd like to share with you a few choice quotes I heard as of late.

Said to me by a stranger Christian one day when responding to a comment I made nicely to a stupid video:

  "So let's talk, tell me about your religion, .... You're not ashamed, are you? I understand if you are. Most of the swine running loose these days are ashamed and do not care to debate with me. Satan introduced Paganism to Nimrod and his harlot wife at the beginning of the tower of Babel, your pathetic arse just got owned. You should honestly pull that ugly face out of your arse. Oh and alas, I adore how you non-Christians go out of your way to prove that Jesus Christ never came in the flesh. Try0hard. What's even more sad is you're a concubine of Satan, you're just too stupid to know it. Bring it on, because I study religion like there is no tomorrow and I hand losers like you your arses on the daily, care to go there. Come at me brah. You're not only highly uneducated , but your comments make you seem like an asshurt bitch."


So just to clarify: She thinks I even have a religion, though I clearly said in my one little comment she was in reference to, that I was an Agnostic. I'm also pridefully accused and presumed to be "ashamed" if I follow my conscience and science with no excuses or loopholes for the first time in my life. . .while I'm not at all!

Now it's presumed that you're ashamed and a "swine" if you wisely don't chose to get into a debate with her. . .which normally I would, but not with a person like this!

She presumes to know for sure about history back at the Tower of Babel, and even more humorously, she thinks she has proof that it was Satan! She can't hardly get that one from the Bible, much less any Archaeology.

Now she takes to personal jabs, and calls me ugly. Well, she saw my picture, so that's in the eye of the beholder I suppose. . . but I think he shows her desperation to grasp at straws whe she lowers herself to such jabs to a total stranger. As for her vulgar references to "Arse", which means butt, it is only one of many choice words we hear from this classy "Christian".

Next we have sarcasm, and plain old lies. I never even heard of anyone who tries to prove that Jesus never came in the flesh! Proving that he wasn't God sure, but that he wasn't born a human? That's the dumbest thing I ever heard, and I certainly wouldn't have been the one to try to prove that!

Next typos, I'm guessing out of her passionate anger she had worked herself into.

And more judgmentalism and insults based off of ignorance and presumptions.

She "studies religion", but doesn't know that Atheists are the top rankers in knowledge of religions, as stated here, and instead elsewhere commented that "Atheist people are very very highly uneducated, it's almost sad. Christianity is wisdom."( Even though here is stated in a nonjudgmental way, that the IQ of Atheists around the world is higher then the religious person's IQ.)

Now she states a rude challenge, followed by more presumptions and criticisms she couldn't possibly know of from a 1000 letter comment from me on a video not even hers. The "brilliant Christian"guy she defended was shockofgod as seen here in a youtube video.

If you are a Christian, and not embarrassed by her, shame on you!

No wonder Christian's don't invite us to their houses anymore!

Now, I might be digging a hole for myself here. . . but I want to talk about what the Bible commands when it comes to dealing with me as an ex-Christian. I bet most people don't know this subject as well as I do, coming from a church that actually shunned Biblically.

My thought was,  why don't I see more Christian's "shaking the dust off of their feet" or shoes after coming out of my home? I see plenty wiping the dust or mud off of their feet coming in to my home, but never out! :) (That would be a really bad sign of filth if they had to!)


 I have plenty of Christians over for numerous social occasions for my family and because my house is with my Christian in laws who also have company over. Everything from a regular sewing class, to Midwifery and herb study groups, as well as an open minded discussion/support group for couples (though honestly I have only found Atheist and Agnostics to be interested in learning in that format). And I have made it clear that I don't believe their religious views anymore. So you'd think I've given ample opportunity for the verse in Matthew 10:14 to be carried out. ("And whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of your house. . .shake off the dust of your feet.")

Then I got to thinking, "I shouldn't even be allowed to enter into a Christian's house, or be greeted by them either. . .I should be avoided. According to these verses anyhow:

2 John 1:10 

"If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting. . ."

2 John 1:11 

"For whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works." (Yeah, I'm so wicked!)

Luke 10:10-12 

"But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you.'

Matthew 10:12-15 

"As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town."

Romans 16:17 

"I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them."

2 Thessalonians 3:14 

"If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed."

Titus 3:9-11 

"But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned."

2 Thessalonians 3:6 

"Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us."

1 Corinthians 5:11-13 

"But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?"

You mat say, I'm not a "brother" or even a Sister anymore since I went away from the faith.  Well, I'd dare say though that all my life few people doubted that I was saved, and if you believe in "once saved always saved", that should make me still your "sister". 

There is another issue with the vast majority of the verses on shunning though, and that is a presumption that those who go away are guilty of "sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler" while they are still claiming to be a Christian . . .they never deal with a person not living as a horrible and immoral person who doesn't claim any religion. . .maybe because in those days of superstition, it was just unheard of.

Whether the people where bad and immoral heathens, or  they were good moral people who no longer believed, the Jews taught that you should judge everyone not doing their customs as sinners, simply for their differences. Like in this verse:

Galatians 2:15

"We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners. . ."

So any difference even of hair or clothing would bring the condemnation of the Jews and even followers of Jesus in his day because of their heritage. . . today's Christians are no exception either because of following verses like these:

1 Corinthians 11:14-15

"Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering."

1 Corinthians 11:1-34 

"Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. .."

So I am condemned by some Christians for not wearing a head-covering, condemned by others for having cut or short hair. . .and infinitely many more things people find support for judging me as a sinner in the Bible. . . if they are looking for an excuse to be proud and judgmental. The thing is, I could easily do that back to them if I believed the Bible was my authority. For instance, I have not yet met a Christian who obeys the Disciples consensus in Jerusalem on the 4 things required of the Gentiles in this verse: Acts 15:19-22 "Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollution's of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. "
  Or the command of Jesus in this verse:

Matthew 6:5-6 

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues ( or churches, schools, restaurants, with their families. . .) and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

And how that verse ties into the practicality of "praying always" if you actually do pray in a closet, I'll let you figure out. . .

Back in the Bible days,  association was made with the evil, unkempt, bold dressers and the nonreligious, as Christians still do today.  Those who in their depression or discouragement with people and religion say "God must have given up on me", often bitterly decided they would do the same. Those people are still religious, in that they superstitiously still believe in him, they just live in rebellion to him. . .not realizing it is rebellion to common sense and morality that they are really rebelling against.

Eventually the Jews started to listen to their hearts and Jesus's teachings though, like:

Matthew 7:1-5 

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."

He taught them to listen to their inner conscience (i.e. "God" or the "Holy Spirit"). So the light turned on, and they started to see how it was wrong to judge and hate.

Acts 10:28 

"And he said to them, You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean." (It's a good thing I wasn't born a practicing Jew, or I wouldn't have married my husband from another nation.)

Sadly though, as good and moral as that verse is, it doesn't come as naturally to follow that, as being judgmental comes to a proud Christian ( or a proud Pharisee or Jew). So most Fundamental Christians take the condemning verses to judge others lives,  while claiming to believe these few good ones and be following Jesus. It's not what you believe as much as how you practice what you believe though. Because the end result of believing they all are inspired is that you will live like the very one's Jesus fought against and was killed by, instead of just taking the good of what Jesus said! Jesus had some choice words for those like that who also proselytize others to do like them:

Matthew 23:15 

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves." 

I think history shows a sad tale of that degeneration in any culture we have changed from their roots,  only to "westernize" and "Christianize". When are we going to learn as a culture, and individuals to just keep our religious thoughts to ourselves, and butt out!? It would make for instant world peace if you ask me.


 And I know what you're thinking, "Atheism is a religion too, and it takes even more faith to believe that there is no God!" To that I will say, you both show your ignorance of the diversity of the term, and to disbelieve in any known god, is not another belief, but the lack of one. Being Agnostic is even more open ended and teachable. Give me evidence, and I will believe, but faith in something that we can neither reason out or see through enlightened eyes, is wishing for fairy tales to be true, in my book. . . now at least.  When I was a child, I thought as a child. . .but now that I'm a woman, I put away childish things. . .fairy tales being one of them.

Just in case you were wondering. . .and want a good laugh. . .

In the circles I use to frequent  there was a lot of confusion over the whole question: "Are they a true Christian or not?" With "good" and "intelligent" people on both sides, it really made no difference what you did or who you were if someone wanted to say you weren't a "true Christian", as they always seemed to be able to come up with good, Biblical reasons to judge you as "probably not going to Heaven." So I hope I can settle this age old argument once and for all for those uncertain of their own or others salvation out there. In the spirit of goodwill :), I offer up a test to help you decipher not only if others are "true Christians" but if you also fit the bill. 

You’re a Christian:

If you let your congregation out early so you can beat the Methodists to Shoney’s.

If you laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.

If you think Fox News is balanced journalism.

If homosexuality disturbs you more than bombing a school in the Middle East.

If you talk to imaginary friends.

If even when given evidence to suggest that the world is 6 billion years old, you still think it's 7 thousand.

If you actually think that something like a crocodile/duck would prove evolution when in fact it would disprove our current understanding.

If you'll be the first to benefit from modern Science all the while claiming Science can't prove anything.

If you vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.

If you feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.

If you laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.

If your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children, and trees!

If you are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that the Earth is a few generations old.

If you believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. . . and yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."

If you define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers.

And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.

If you actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history.

If you say "It's not a religion, it's a relationship"!

If you don't find the vast majority of TV Evangelists creepy and disturbing.

If You think the President should place his hand on the Bible rather than the Constitution during his inauguration.

If too many sixes in a number makes you nervous.

If you think, "Smile, Jesus loves you,” is a valid cure for depression.

If you don't understand why everyone can't see the "truths" in the bible as clearly as you can.

If you think that a one-world currency will lead to the rapture, but you still try to convince everyone to stay away from a one-world-currency.

If it occurs to you that your religion looks an awful lot like Santa Claus for grown-ups, but instead of quitting your religion, you just don’t teach your kids about Santa.

If you know there is a sinner in your church service, but nobody comes down the isle at the invitation, you hold the congregation late with everyone praying and singing for the lost sheep to be saved.

If you pray to three separate deities, each of which specializes in different issues and has distinctly different responsibilities, but you insist you are a monotheist.

If you think being an atheist is worse than being a rapist, because the rapist can often marry the girl he raped and make everything ok, but the atheist commits the unforgivable sin of denying the Holy Spirit.

If you support the death penalty for consensual sodomy and 'practicing homosexuals', but mandatory marriage for heterosexual rape of single women.

If every time your country elects a leader who is not from your political party, you firmly believe the guy is the Antichrist.

If you believe the people who set up the UN were in league with Satan.

If you refer to every person in your social circle as ‘Brother’ or ‘Sister’.

If you think everything the country of Israel does is good and you should support them, because they are God’s Chosen People.

If your most coveted achievement is to convert a Jew.

If you believe God made the earth just LOOK old to test your faith.

If you say you are "blessed and highly favored" but more like Jesus's punching bag.

If you have an incurable disease and blame it on the Devil.

If you blame mental illness, unemployment, and bad luck on the Devil too.

If you think the U.S. military is in a crusade against evil, and in a “war against terror”.

If your shirt says "Jesus Saves".

If you reject modern medicine for praying to an imaginary friend.

If you like NASCAR because it's all about going in circles getting nowhere with all deviation resulting in a fiery end.

If you win an argument by pointing with a trembling finger and exclaiming 'wrong, friend!' Or “But what if I’m right, and you’re wrong?”

If you think having multiples from in-vitro fertilization is 'the will of God' but using the discarded fetuses from the same process for stem cell research is evil.

If everything good people do is to God's credit but everything bad is sinful and the work of the Devil.

If you read books and find every 'profane' word and actively removed them, don’t watch movies with more than a few bad words and give the evil eye to those around you who might dare use some . . .but say the ones in the Bible are “Holy” and” inspired” just like every other “word of God.”

If you have a deep personal relationship with someone you have never seen (physically), touched ( not touched by, emotionally) or actually heard speak to you (with your actual ears) even once.

If you burn books that contain tales of incest, rape, murder, patricide, fratricide, matricide, genocide, sex, sodomy, etc. and then call the Bible holy.

If you think it's okay to blow up a Planned Parenthood, but wrong for a man to love another man.

If you think hell is in the center of the Earth and Heaven is in the sky.

If you pray through Halloween to protect yourself from demons and witches.

If you honestly believe all the "religious" holidays you celebrate were not based on older traditions that existed before Christianity.

If you honestly don't know that your religion was also predated by similar god/man myths, as well as others that other cultures had, to make sense of their worldview.

If you spell god, "God" for your religion, but "god" for any other.

If you believe that snakes could talk once, but haven't ever since.

If you believe it never rained for hundreds of years all over the earth, and then one day flooded the earth.

If you believe that there were only Adam, Eve and their kids in the world, but have no explanation of how Cain ran off to a city.

If you enjoy telling little kids there is no Tooth Fairy, or ghosts but believe in and tell them about Angels and Demons.

If you are immune to responsibility to your culture because you are "in this world but not of it".

If you feel we are "worshiping the creation instead of the Creator" to be eco-friendly.

If you think all global warming is a hoax and/or wouldn't care if it wasn't because the Bible predicts that the Earth will burn up anyhow in the end times.

And last but not least...If you took your kids to the creation museum in Kentucky so that they could learn some "real" history.