The @Pontifex throws in his #pallium

This blew my fucking mind. I never would’ve imagined a pope would retire. My lack of imagination seems to be justified as apparently the last time a pope resigned was 600 years ago.

I’d always been creeped out by Joseph Ratzinger. I mean look at him. Those dodgy, pedophile-priest-hiding eyes. That innocence-devouring, cock-swilling grin. Plus, he’s German. They’ve never done anything good. Except this. And maybe this.

When I first heard that he’d headed the office responsible for investigating pedophilia cases, I was appalled, shocked, and cynically amused. Of course he did. It makes perfect, cartoonish, Bond-villain sense that the Church would pick as their next pope the guy single-handedly responsible for “handling” the child-abuse scandal.

What’s also cynically amusing to me is that the one billion plus Catholics out there haven’t abandoned their Church. Of course they haven’t. Because the abused rarely leave the abuser, much less have them arrested. The narrative’s just too fucking important.

“The Church is good.”

“The Church is God’s institution on Earth.”

“The Church is perfect.”

“Death is terrifying so let’s uphold this bullshit at all costs.”

I remember Bill Maher said years ago that if the Church were a day-care chain, it would’ve been shut down, bankrupted, and its culprits arrested and locked away.

But…

“The Church is good.”

I saw this documentary yesterday called Mea Maxima Culpa. It went into all kinds of detail on the various scandals. During it, I remarked something to the effect of, “The Vatican is a sovereign state. There’s no way to prosecute the pope.”

I met someone who is a registered sex offender. He/She must register wherever he/she lives for the rest of his/her life for his/her indirect part in a crime. He/She never molested anyone, but must wear this stigma forever.

The pope gets to retire. The “sex offender” must live with a stigma. Ah, the all-important narrative.

Someone told me things will change. Even Catholics will say, “Enough.” I’d like to agree. I’d like to assume that my (other) motto will ring true. Reason will always prevail. But sometimes, I’m not so sure.

And now, here’s a very amusing Betty Bowers video to cleanse your palette of all this depressing shit!

My conversation with #RobynHill (part II) on 3/16/12

Robyn returned for more! I get a little condescending at times. Oops. My text is in italics. Hers is in bold. Theirs is in italic bold.

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/designun.html

Here is a link to just a piece of why I consider a higher being more reasonable than flying random monster.

As I’ve said, the evidence is 100% indifferent in regards to what you find reasonable. Plus, you can no more disprove the influence of His Noodly Appendage than I can disprove the influence of Yahweh. But either of our inability to disprove is not evidence that either influencer were present.

I’ve taken a look at the page you linked and, right off the bat, the title irritates me: “Evidence for the Fine Tuning of the Universe.” Evidence. Not “Reasons Why I Assume There Must Be a Creator” or “It Seems Too Complex to Have Arisen without Sentient Influence, therefore it Must Have.” No, the article claims evidence. And what is this evidence?

“Evidence shows that the constants of physics have been finely tuned to a degree not possible through human engineering.”

How does the “evidence” show that? Things are the way they are, therefore someone put them in place like that? I agree that it may seem that way, but seeming is not evidence of the conclusion. And that’s it for the article. No evidence at all. Just “it seems fine-tuned, therefore is.” If you feel I’ve misrepresented the page and that there is evidence, please feel free to point it out. To make it easier, I’ve reproduced the article in its entirety.

My conversation with #RobynHill on 3/9/12

Before you ask, no, Robyn and I are not related. Robyn happened onto a post about Mike Lee.

She made the following comment:

“ha ha, Mike Lee makes athesists look ridiculous in the eyes of anyone who knows a thing about logic. Move away from Ad Hominem arguing Lee.”

I responded with this:

“Hey Robyn,

“Thanks for dropping by. Funny you say that as I’d say the exact same thing about any religious person and logic. What, specifically, makes you say that? I don’t actually remember seeing Mike argue anything. Are you saying he’s used ad hominems? if so, when?”

Then I went to her Facebook page, by the link to which she’d provided, and started a conversation. Here is that conversation. My text in italics. Hers in bold. And a few links, pics, and vids to keep your attention ’cause FUCK is this epic!

(Unrelated side note: from now on, the “on X” dates of those conversations won’t necessarily reflect the literal date on which they occurred or ended, but rather more likely the date on which I get around to posting them. Carry on.)

Anton Hill
Hi Robyn,

Thanks for your comment. I just left my reply on AtheistAsshole.com.

Best,

Anton.

Robyn Hill
Sorry, but Mike Lee just uses bad tactics to argue his cause. He needs to take a few logic and debate classes.

Thank you, #TheThinkingAtheist, for your “The Faith of My Family” video!

I’ve been meaning to post this for fucking ever. And I keep forgetting! The biggest reason why this one struck a chord with me is Austin mentions that, after questioning his faith, he tried a string of churches. What was the last one he names trying?

And while I’m not 100% sure he’s talking about the same one I was raised in, I suspect he is.

Thank you, Carl Franke, for your manifesto!

Following is the strongest I’ve heard of an atheist manifesto in a long time.

“…I’m so fucking sick of being told to shut up about my criticism of religion. Atheists aren’t flying airplanes into buildings. Atheists aren’t blowing up trash cans in N Ireland. Atheists aren’t mutilating children’s genetals. Atheists aren’t telling Africans that condoms don’t prevent the spread of aides. Atheists aren’t trying to force lawmakers to follow the biblical laws. Atheists aren’t anti-homosexual. Not anti gay-marriage, not pro gay-bullying. Atheists aren’t talking to my children behind my back and telling them they can live for eternity if they believe in god or that their daddy is going to hell.

“Atheists aren’t doing a lot of the nasty shit that religion is doing and I’ve decided that I’m not going to be quiet any longer. I’m not going to be quiet. I’m going to stand up and speak my god damned mind. And fuck them if they have to attack my character because they can’t attack my arguments.

“There is no god. If there was, he’d be pissed off at what his followers were doing. If there was a god, I’d fucking know it.”

–Carl Franke

Damn straight, Carl! Preach it, motherfucker!!