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Tuesday, 17 May 2011

  • Falsifying Information-Part 2

    During the same conversation, these believers mention the evidence to support the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.  One of the believers stated, “That it is pretty cool to see the charred remains of the two cities.  After during my research, I deduce this believer was getting this information from Mr. Ron Wyatt.  Ron Wyatt was a former nurse anesthetist by practice, but he became an amateur archeologist.  He claimed he discovered the ruins of Noah’s Ark, Sodom and Gomorrah, Tower of Babel, and many other sites.  His claims were dismissed and challenged by scientists, historians, biblical scholars, archaeologists, bible teachers,Israeli officials, and leaders of his Seventh-Day Adventist Church.  Mr. Wyatt asserted that his claims were dismissed because scientist rejected the fact that he was an amateur in the field of archaeology; however, this is not the case.  The reason behind the dismissal of his work is due to the scientific process he claims he used, but under further review his methods were due to furthering the claims of his faith and maintaining that the average person could understand the field of study concerning archaeology.  Furthermore, the evidence shows that he was ill prepared to submit his findings to a more stringent scientific review.  However, the real truth is the average persons are not able to truly evaluate the claims Mr. Wyatt. For more information about Mr. Wyatt please consult (http://www.isitso.org/guide/wyatt.html)

         In regards to the evidence supporting the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19), all cultures past and present create myths surrounding historical places and people.  The Israelites are no different.  The story of Sodom and Gomorrah were written long after the events took place. The sites that are identified as the biblical Sodom and Gomorrah are cities called Bad edh-Dhra and Numeira.  These cities located in the area of the Dead Sea were populated from about 3000-900BC.  The two cities were on the eastern fault line.  When a Geologist by the name of Frederick G. Clapp visited the sites, this is the information that was determined.

     Clapp found tha tthe region south of the Dead Sea is very unstable, being bordered by fault lines on the east and west. Earthquakes are common in this area. After surveying the geology of the district, Clapp concluded that combustible materials from the earth destroyed the cities. He found bitumen and petroleum in the area. Natural gas and sulfur, which normally accompany bitumen and petroleum, are also present. These combustible materials could have been forced from the earth by subterranean pressure brought about by an earthquake resulting from the shifting of the bounding faults (Clapp 1936a: 906; 1936b:40). Geologists who have studied the area in recent times agree with Clapp's reconstruction (Harris and Beardow 1995: 360; Neev and Emery 1995: 13–14; 33,37). If lightning or surface fires ignited these combustibles as they came spewing forth from the ground, it would indeed result in a holocaust such as described in Genesis 19. It is significant to note that both Bab edh-Dhra andNumeira lie at the edge of the plain, exactlyon the eastern fault line!

    To further substantiate Mr.  Clapp’s findings, this is what geologist Jack Donahue of the University of Pittsburgh state,” That an earthquake occurred at the time the cities were destroyed is clear from the work of geologist Jack Donahue of the University of Pittsburgh. At Bab edh-Dhrahe found that during the period of occupation there was sedimentation, orin filling, and a build up of cultural debris (Donahue 1985: 135). Following the destruction, this changed to an erosional regime, brought about by an uplift ofthe area (Donahue 1980: 50; 1985: 134–36). The uplift produced an increase in the elevation differential between the town site and the Wadi Kerak on the north side of at least 28 m (92 ft) (Donahue 1985: 134).This resulted in severe erosion on the north side of Bab edh-Dhra, causing the north wall to eventually collapse into the wadi (Donahue 1985: 136).

    At Numeira the findings weresimilar:

    It is suggested here that the tower collapse and extensive burn layers over the site were caused by an earthquake generated by fault movement (Donahue 1985: 139).

    The earthquake caused either an uplift in the vicinity of the site or a down dropping of the rift valley to the west, resulting in a 50 m (164 ft) increase in elevation differential between the town site and Wadi Numeira to the north (Donahue 1984:86; 1985: 137). It also caused a change in direction of the Wadi Numeira, which flowed south of the site during the period of occupation (Donahue 1984: 86, 88;1985: 138). Heavy erosion following the event resulted in the loss of the north part of the settlement, including the north defensive wall (Donahue1984:87;1985:138,139).

    Evidence found at Numeira suggests the residents fled the town in haste. Most identifiable doorways from the latest phase of occupation had been deliberately blocked. This apparently was an attempt to strengthen the homes against damage.In addition, no valuable small finds were discovered nor were there food stuffs in the storage facilities. On the other hand, large quantities of pottery were found on the floors of the houses, evidently too heavy and bulky to transport in the hasty evacuation. It appears the residents had some early warning, such as preliminary tremors, and did what they could to prepare. They shored up their houses, gathered up their valuables and as much food as they could carry,and fled their homes never to return (Coogan 1984: 80–81). (http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2008/04/16/The-Discovery-of-the-Sin-Cities-of-Sodom-and-Gomorrah.aspx)

         The evidence shows that the two cities were destroyed by an earthquake and not the way the biblical story reads.  The cities were not destroyed by God due to the extreme wickedness of the cities nor were it destroyed because of men in the city wanted to rape the angels.  This story is a myth with a little bit of a historical backdrop.  Even though the evidence shows how the cities were destroyed, I suspect believers will continue believing the version of the bible, and they will never really do the research to verify their belief.

Sunday, 15 May 2011

  • Falsifying Information-Part 1

         Last week, I unfortunately had to tolerate a discussion on religious matters at dinner.  During this discussion, one of the believers deliberately made statements about some information that was disingenuous.  I say deliberately because this isn’t the first time this believer made false statements about a subject matter.  One of the issues discussed was that believers do not hate science.  The believer tried to prove this by saying that scientist are believers, and examples of scientists with belief were Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein.  First of all, the statement about scientist believing in God is not accurate. According to the study done by Nature magazine on 23 July 1998, “Leading Scientists Still Reject God.”  The study showed the members of the National Academy of Sciences are 72% Atheists, 21% Agnostic, and only 7% have a belief in God.  So the notion that scientist in general are believers is factually not true. Secondly, this idea that Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein are believers is not true.    Here are some of the quotes from Thomas Edison on belief in God. 

    1.      My mind is incapable of conceiving such a thing as a soul. I may be in error, and man may have a soul; but I simply do not believe it. [Thomas Edison, Do We Live Again?]

    2.      All Bibles are man-made. [Thomas Edison]

    3.      So far as religion of the day is concerned, it is a damned fake... Religion is all bunk. [Thomas Edison]

    4.      I have never seen the slightest scientific proof of the religious theories of heaven and hell, of future life for individuals,or of a personal God. [Thomas Alva Edison, Columbian Magazine]

    5.      I do not believe that any type of religion should ever be introduced into the public schools of the United States. [Thomas Edison]

    6.      To those searching for truth - not the truth of dogma and darkness but the truth brought by reason, search, examination, and inquiry, discipline is required. For faith, as well intentioned as it may be,must be built on facts, not fiction - faith in fiction is a damnable false hope. [Thomas Edison]

    7.      I cannot believe in the immortality of the soul... No, all this talk of an existence beyond the grave is wrong. It is bornof our tenacity of life - our desire to go on living - our dread of coming to an end. [Thomas Edison, quoted in 2000 Years of Disbelief, Famous People with the Courage to Doubt, by James A. Haught, Prometheus Books, 1996]

    8.      The great trouble is that the preachers get the children from six to seven years of age and then it is almost impossible to do anything with them. [ThomasEdison, quoted by Joseph Lewis from a personal conversation; source: CliffWalker's Positive Atheism's Big List ofQuotations]

    9.      What fools? [Thomas Edison, commenting on the spectacle of hundreds of thousands making a pilgrimage to the grave of an obscure priest in Massachusetts, in the hope of effecting miraculous cures, quoted by JosephLewis from a personal conversation; source: Cliff Walker's Positive Atheism's Big List ofQuotations]

    10.  Incurably religious, that is the best way to describe the mental condition of so many people. [Thomas Edison, quoted by Joseph Lewis from a personal conversation; source: Cliff Walker's Positive Atheism's Big List ofQuotations]

    From all these quotes, I don’t understand how any believer could concoct such outright lies about Thomas Edison being a believer.

    Here are quotes from Albert Einstein on belief in God.

    1.      The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable,but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this.

    Letter to philosopher Eric Gutkind, January 3, 1954

    2.      I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings.

    - Albert Einstein, responding to Rabbi Herbert Goldstein's question "Doyou believe in God?" quoted in: Has Science Found God?, by Victor JStenger

    3.      It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it.

    - Albert Einstein, letter to an atheist (1954), quoted in Albert Einstein:The Human Side, edited by Helen Dukas & Banesh Hoffman

    4.      During the youthful period of mankind's spiritual evolution, human fantasy created gods in man's own image who, by the operations of their will were supposed to determine, or at any rate influence,the phenomenal world.

    - Albert Einstein, quoted in: 2000 Years of Disbelief, James Haught

    5.      I have repeatedly said that in my opinion the idea of a personal God is a childlike one. You may call me an agnostic, but  Ido not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in youth. I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being.

    - Albert Einstein to Guy H. Raner Jr., Sept. 28, 1949, quoted by Michael R.Gilmore in Skeptic magazine, Vol. 5, No. 2

    6.      It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere.... Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs;no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.

    - Albert Einstein, "Religion and Science," New York Times Magazine,November 9, 1930

    7.      I cannot conceive of a personal God who would directly influence the actions of individuals, or would directly sit in judgment on creatures of his own creation. I cannot do this in spite of the fact that mechanistic causality has, to a certain extent, been placed in doubt by modern science. My religiosity consists in a humble admiration of the infinitely superior spirit that reveals itself in the little that we, with our weak and transitory understanding, can comprehend of reality. Morality is of the highest importance -- but for us, not for God.

    - Albert Einstein, from Albert Einstein: The Human Side, edited by HelenDukas & Banesh Hoffman

    8.      Scientific research is based on the idea that everything that takes place is determined by laws of nature, and therefore this holds for the action of people. For this reason, a research scientist will hardly be inclined to believe that events could be influenced by a prayer, i.e.by a wish addressed to a Supernatural Being.

    - Albert Einstein, 1936, responding to a child who wrote and asked if scientists pray; quoted in: Albert Einstein: The Human Side, edited byHelen Dukas & Banesh Hoffmann

    9.      Common to all these types is the anthropomorphic character of their conception of God. In general, only individuals of exceptional endowments, and exceptionally high-minded communities, rise to any considerable extent above this level. But there is a third stage of religious experience which belongs to all of them, even though it is rarely found in a pure form: I shall call it cosmic religious feeling. It is very difficult to elucidate this feeling to anyone who is entirely without it, especially as there is no anthropomorphic conception of God corresponding to it.

    - Albert Einstein, New York Times Magazine, November 9, 1930

    10.  Nobody, certainly, will deny that the idea of the existence of an omnipotent, just, and omni-beneficent personal God is able to accord man solace, help, and guidance; also, by virtue of its simplicity it is accessible to the most undeveloped mind. But, on the other hand, there are decisive weaknesses attached to this idea in itself, which have been painfully felt since the beginning of history. ...

    - Albert Einstein, Science and Religion (1941)

    Again, I do not understand where the idea came from that Albert Einstein is a believer.  By the quotes, one can honestly assume that he was not a believer by any stretch of the imagination.

    The other piece of misinformation the believer stated was that they did not believe that man evolves from a chimpanzee.  By this statement alone, I realized this believer and many other believers who make this statement do not have the faintest knowledge about evolution.  If this believer as well as other believers would take the time to study evolution they would find that a few million years ago humans and chimpanzee split individually from a common ancestor. (The Science of Evolution and the Myth of Creationism by Ardea Skybreak; Ch.7 pg. 120)

         Needless to say,these two believers were not very honest in their approach to this information which served to uphold their faith.  I don’t have a problem with believers having faith in their respective belief, but don’t deliberately alter information for the sole purpose of trying to build up your faith on false assumptions.

Tuesday, 29 March 2011

  • What's Real?

         There is a difference between having knowledge that people have been indoctrinated with versus internal investigation to prove whether or not what was learned from indoctrination is true.  Many people will state they know something is real based upon personal experience they have encountered.  What do we know is real?  I know that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.  You might ask how do I know this to be true?  I know this to be true because I have seen it will my own two eyes.  Some may see the previous statement as a contradiction, but it is not.  I know that the sun rises in the east and sets in west because not only have I seen it with my own two eyes, but internally I have questioned whether or not my eyes have deceived me, and the answer is no.  So I know that the sun rises in the east and sets in west because I have seen physical evidence of it as well as internally accepted this truth.

Tuesday, 01 March 2011

  • Copy and paste this mass message and send it to all of your friends and subscribers.

    "Therefore whoever eats the pasta during meals, him I will grant many noodles in heaven. But whoever denies pasta shall not receive everlasting culinary joy but shall perish in the land of meat sauce." -Parmesan 10:23

    If you are not willing to send out this mass message to all of your friends it is probably because you are not willing to take a stand for FSM. So some day He will just have to deny you entrance to heaven, where you can have all of the pasta you can eat.

Friday, 17 September 2010

  • American Christianity

    American Christianity-Part 1

     

         Many Christians in America practice what I call American Christianity as opposed to the faith of the bible.  Americans do not share the same faith as their messiah Jesus Christ.  Most recently, I have come to accept that many American Christians do not understand what it means to follow Christ.  The majority of Christians in America do not read their bible, but they always quote what their pastor says about an issue in the bible.  For example, the most polarizing subject among American Christians is homosexuality.  Many Christians will quote from this bible passage of Leviticus 18:22 as sign that God condemns this act.  This is simply not the case because the word abomination used in Leviticus 18:22 means object of intense aversion, feeling of disgust, vile action.  Christians would be correct if they remained true to the message of their messiah that homosexuality is sin just like fornication or adultery, but Christians often try to make the case that God separates homosexuality as something much more terrible than any other sin because of the usage of the word abomination.  According the gospels, Christ never made a big deal out of homosexuality the way American Christians do.  Somehow they believe it is their duty to fight against this act, but Christ never once talked about homosexuality as something special to be separated from other sins.  The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is something that the majority of believers misunderstand.  Often believers will point to this story to show God destroy this place because of homosexuality, but this is not a correct understanding of why the place was destroyed.  Genesis 18 describes that the place will be destroyed because the inhabitants of the city are exceedingly wicked.  There is nothing in the passage to suggest it was destroyed because of homosexuality.  Believers do not know this because most of them never read what the story says.   Furthermore, believers misunderstand the story concerning the angels sent to rescue Lot and his family.  Depending upon what bible a believer reads, the words have been changed.  The King James Version states in Genesis 19:4, 5

    4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
    5 and they called unto Lot, and said unto him, where are the men who came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them.

               Some version says that we may have sex with them or that we may have intercourse with them.  Most believers say that these men of the city were going to participate in homosexual activity, but this is not the case.  Given the fact the angels were from God then there would be no way they would submit to consensual sex with the men of the city.  The gang of men at Lots door had intentions of raping these angels.  People have to remember that rape is not about intercourse; it is about power and humiliation.

Brosho7

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