Owner: The Jesus Myth URL:http://www.thejesusmyth.com Join Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2007 14:42:18 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Blog style discussion site centered on atheism vs theism. Add your 2 cents and join the fray! Site statistics:Click here
New Design and Features 2007-09-30 14:08:44 A quick note of thanks to all of our contributors and members that have helped with the redesign of TJM. The goal was to not only give the site a refreshing face lift, but to incorporate a few new ideas to increase functionality. The new design can now handle the load that we have received as of late without causing the site to shred (those of you that were here last weekend know what I am talking about). We are going to be rolling out some features that o few of you have said that you would like to see as well.
When I first decided to do TJM, I had a basic idea of “community.” More people have been registering lately and so now it is time to continue with that idea.
Later on this week, there will be a private messaging system installed on the site. This will not be limited to use by just the core authors and contributors. If you are a registered user, you will have a PM box as well. This means that admins, authors, contributors and registered users will be able to send on
Rowan Atkinson on stage 2007-09-30 13:06:11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJA9RPX9mRY
Related PostsHow I lost my faithMy deconversion started early, but only in retrospect.
I never liked being religious, there were ...Just Remember, It’s God’s WordSex, corruption, murder – the scandal would spice up any era! But this was the Christian church be...
To hell and back 2007-09-29 18:31:23 The story of Carlton Pearson.
Carlton Pearson dreamed of greatness… and found it. He was loved and respected by tens of thousands of people — a preacher loaded with charm, charisma and an honest commitment to his God and his people. And then he lost it all. It all started when he got a new idea. Hell does not exist anywhere but here on here on earth, it’s a state of mind.
I watched this documentary last night about a “fallen” hero. He was an evangelical destined for greatness UNTIL he started preaching that a loving God would not create hell, a place of everlasting suffering. Everyone is saved, regardless of what the person did on earth, regardless if he or she accepted Jesus. Jesus already died for the sins of the world, and thus everyone is forgiven.
The evangelicals are up in arms - as one said: Why preach then? If there is no hell, we don’t need redeeming anymore, As Jesus already died for our sins. All I could think of was: Yes, there goes th
Whoever is not with me is against me… 2007-09-28 19:35:13 George W. Bush? Well, yes. But this sentence is being used by someone else too. Jesus, the son of God himself said it (Matt 12:30) And yes, I can see it clearly all around me. This seems to be a common thing to say among Christianity (yes, I’m pounding on Christians again… I promise someday I’ll pound on someone else). Here’s what I don’t get though. Even among Christians there are gaps as wide as the Grand Canyon. Just recently I’ve learned that some Christians believe in the big bang and evolution, while others insist on intelligent design, creation or whatever else they call it these days. So how does that work, dear reader? When did you decide that the big bang and evolution are in fact the “truth”… but at the same time believe in the Christian God? Is that just another version of making the Bible what you want it to be, rather than taking it as what it is? How do you decide which part to take literally and which part (Adam, E Read more:against
A House of Cards 2007-09-28 03:23:16 justjim asked Darque: “I would like to know where your enmity for religious faith comes from. What happened to you? Certainly it’s more than just a humanistic love of reason.”
I quickly discovered that this topic spawned enough material for a new article.
Don’t discount “Love of Reason” - Her evil bastard step-sister “Stupidity” is as dark and chilling as “Reason” is bright and warm. “Hatred of Stupidity” and “Love of Reason” are two sides to the same coin.
Stupidity is Purposeful Ignorance. Everyone is ignorant - remaining ignorant despite the bright light of Reason is stupidity.
Christianity is a house of cards, and the table on which this house is built is the concept of God. This table appears pretty stable - no challenger can rationally make a positive claim that God does not exist.
At first glance, this would suggest that God MUST be true - no challenge to God’s Existence can survive unscathed, Read more:House
, Cards
RA Rips on Buddhism (Or not…) 2007-09-28 01:17:02 Buddhism. That bastard-child of a religion. (And I say that with a smirk on my face and a grin in my heart)
“Embrace Nothing:
If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha.
If you meet your father, kill your father.
Only live your life as it is,
Not bound to anything”
I love Buddhism. I really do. But really, Buddhism is a joke with a “groaner” punchline. Just read some more zen quotes:
The student approached the master
He asked “What is zen?”
The master picked up a club
and beat the student upside the head.
After three strokes, the student was enlightened.
Or suffered a concussion.
(Ok, Ok, that’s not really a zen quote… But it probably could be
One cannot say (or even think) of what Buddhism is. (By making that statement, and this one, and every other statement that follows, I demonstrate my lack of “enlightenment” - Oh well. Or maybe not.)
Buddhism can only be arrived it in a roundabout manner. It’s a paradox: speakin Read more:Buddhism
Think about it… or get irrational? 2007-09-27 21:07:10 A headnote: This author is a busy person and is not often available and randomly reappears.
For some time now, I have had a good christian friend, born-again even, and we get along well. Anyway, like any born-again, he tries to convert me whenever he spends time alone with me (which is very rare in my life arrangement).
So, I thought I would catalog the clash of proselytizer and atheist.
It started out simply enough, he had no idea I was an atheist, and we didn’t really spend much time on things like that. A very light friendship. Then, we got into a fight after a class because we had been disagreeing about the subject matter (it was a participation class, everyone was involved). The subject? Theology. No surprise then.
Now, you would think that would be the end of the friendship, but we’re both reasonable people, and we continued to converse. From time to time, he’d try to convert me. It started out with rational arguments (oddly enough, this born-again believes in
There is Nothing I Dislike Worse Than… 2007-09-26 22:05:32 There is nothing I dislike worse than:
• Knowing that Osama bin Laden has not been captured, due to apathy of the Bush Administration and Congress. There is no excuse for this lack of action. We can find Saddam Hussein in a little hole in Iraq, but yet Osama bin Laden cannot be found?
• Some Christian conservatives spewing condescending messages like “God hates fags”, “God is Pro Life”, “Evolution is about how humans came from monkeys”, “You’re going to Hell for…”, “God told me…”, or “This is a Christian nation”. They act as if they have “the market cornered” on God. I suppose every other religion is godless according to their rhetoric. Why would some of these folks be teaching their children that the world is only 6,000 years old?
• Islamic paranoia. This is so similar to the old “Red Scare” days co-created by Joe McCarthy. People were deemed unnecessarily as “Commies”. Although “communism” may not be best form of government, we are Read more:Nothing
From Banana to Penis in 1 Minute 2007-09-25 20:24:53 Someone emailed this to me and I thought that I would just have some fun with it, so here goes!
The banana-the atheist’s nightmare.
Note that the banana:
Is shaped for human hand
Has non-slip surface
Has outward indicators of inward content:
Green-too early,
Yellow-just right,
Black-too late.
Has a tab for removal of wrapper
Is perforated on wrapper
Bio-degradable wrapper
Is shaped for human mouth
Has a point at top for ease of entry
Is pleasing to taste buds
Is curved towards the face to make eating process easy
To say that the banana happened by accident is even more unintelligent than to say that no one designed the Coca Cola can.
My Reply:
The Penis
- Proof That God Wants You To Use It
Please note that the penis:
Is shaped for the human hand
Has a non-slip surface (which is why KY was invented)
Has outward indicators for use: when soft too early, when hard just right, when limp too late
(For the uncircumcised) Has an easily removable and reusable wrapper
It is shaped for th Read more:Minute
The Power of Prayer 2007-10-12 23:09:28 Prayer. Your direct connection to God (unless you are Catholic, at which point you would go through your Priest). Two of the main reasons for prayer are communication with your deity and to bring your request to said deity. Can the power of prayer be measured? Yes. And no.
I am going to deal with the idea of prayer being used to request certain things of god. John 14:3 makes it clear that god is most certainly willing to hear your request. (In fact, if you use the secret password, it should come to fruition in order to glorify god.) How do we gauge the success rate of “prayer requests?”
The problem that you will encounter as you try to gauge the success of prayer is a pesky little thing known in Xtian circles as “God’s Will.” Let’s say for a moment that you have been estranged from a loved one for sometime. You pour your heart out to god for him to make a way for you to see this person again. Generally, the outcome is one of two things. It happens a Read more:Prayer
Fundamentalists Hate Noah’s Ark 2007-10-12 07:40:31 The story of Noah and the Ark leaves much to be desired, from many different fields of knowledge.
’Tis true, dear friends, ’tis all too true. They loathe, despise, and outright hate that wretched Flood and it’s associated Ark with a malevolence usually reserved for Communists, Democrats, gays, atheists, sex because it feels good, anyone named Clinton, and those who accept the Theory of Evolution, whatever their names & titles.
Of course, you’ll never get the first of ’em to admit that.
It is extremely difficult, nay impossible, to defend the Noachian Flood Story as anything other than a myth; a yarn to be spun and passed on by nomadic, tribal elders around the evening fire. All one needs to do is study the geologic record to cast fatal doubt upon it. Such an event in the so-recent past would have left a huge and unmistakable imprint upon the world; indeed, it would show up all over the world, explainable by no other process. But no such imprint exists, and we’ll be gett
What Won’t They Do? 2007-10-11 14:27:20 What won’t the church do to lure in the youth of today? It appears that there is nothing that they won’t stoop to to “hook and reel” in the little would be fish. (Yeah, pun intended.)
The membership lists in most churches across America seems to get shorter by the year. It seems as though they realize their imminent demise and have decided to go, once again, the hypocritical route. “Let’s let the kids play Halo 3 in church! Then, during a break, we can hit them with the message of Christ!”
Wait just a minute. If memory serves me correctly, I believe that the church has stood behind the idea that these violent video games were the bane of our youth in America. (Not that I agree with this line of thinking, mind you. Just here to point out the obvious hypocrisy.)
Just a quick little side note; how is this tactic any different than a pedophile offering candy to a child just to get him/her into his van?
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Apathism Is The New Atheism 2007-10-10 19:50:30 I was talking to my boyfriend the other night, and we got onto religion. He knows I’m an atheist and says he is too but for a very different reason.
The Boyfriend: “It’s not really that I believe or don’t believe I just don’t care. I have more important things to worry about, like finding a job and paying for gas.”
I’ve dubbed it Apathism. And if you look around you may notice several more people seemingly basing their religious and philosophical beliefs on Office Space.
People have stopped caring about religion, politics, government, science, world events and health. Now at first you may be thinking, “Why that’s terrible!” and in some ways it is.
*cough*bush*cough*
But isn’t this just what many atheists have been predicting? The religion has lost. It’s the old horse, put out to pasture with others like segregation and metal underwear to stop masturbation.
This may be a solely American occurrence and looking at Read more:Atheism
Archbishop Desmond Tutu banned from campus in Minnesota 2007-10-10 07:45:49 Archbishop Desmond Tutu has been disinvited to speak on the campus of the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota
. The reason: The head of the Catholic university said he was worried that the appearance of the Nobel Peace Prize-winner would be “hurtful” to the Jewish community, citing Tutu’s criticism of Israeli policies.
In addition, a tenured faculty member was removed from her position as director of the university’s Justice and Peace Studies program after she protested this decision.
The story, broken by the City Pages of Minneapolis, involves a partnership between St. Thomas and a group called PeaceJam International, based in Denver. That group arranges for Nobel Laureates to meet with at-risk and other youth in various places. For the past five years, the Justice and Peace Studies program at the University of St. Thomas has arranged with a local affiliate of PeaceJam to bring Nobel Laureates to campus to conduct the sessions. Under these auspices, Rigoberta Menchu, Betty Wi
Creationism: Europe says no 2007-10-10 01:50:04 The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
has passed a resolution (48 votes to 25) slamming creationism as “a radical return to the past which could prove particularly harmful in the long term for all our societies.”
Members of the assembly, which monitors human rights, approved 48 to 25 a report that attacked advocates of creationism for seeking “to impose religious dogma” and to promote “a radical return to the past” at the expense of children’s education.
Using some of the strongest language yet to condemn this blatantly religious intellectual regression, the report decried creationism as “totally against children’s educational interests”.
Although both Christian and Muslim variants of creationism are specifically mentioned by the report, this action appears to be a preemptive measure taken primarily in response to Christian creationism gaining a foothold in America, and the potential for this mindset to spread to Read more:Creationism
My God Wins, Loser 2007-10-09 15:11:07 While driving around today, I found myself listening to some talk radio. In front of me, there was a car with a bumper sticker that read, “If your living like there is no god, you had better be right!” Next to that, another bumper sticker that read, “WARNING: In case of the rapture, this car will become unmanned.” Next to that car was another vehicle with a solitary sticker that read, “Praise Allah.”
I have been asked Pascal’s Wager so many times in my life that I no longer want to dignify it with an answer. So, for now, I would like to turn the tables a bit and ask you something. What makes you so sure that YOUR god (which isn’t really your god, but rather the one which you have been taught) is THE god? “Well, the Bible says,” or “The Qu’ran says,” doesn’t really apply here. After all, those books are claimed to have been inspired by their respective gods. I don’t really expect to turn the las Read more:Loser
The Most Content Added In One Day 2007-10-07 17:27:15 Some of you may not have noticed the new addition to the navigation bar that reads “TOOLBOX.” All day today, I have been working behind the scenes to help carry out the merger of Atheist Toolbox and TJM. We have finished porting over the entire Fact Check section from AT and have added over 20 pages of information and essays to TJM. Hopefully, you will find the contents very useful. We will be looking to add even more as it becomes available to us. Thank you!
Related PostsMay We Never Forget May we never forget the results of fundamental extremism... (Moment of silence.)
Seriously, I thought that was metaphorical
A great comic.
Coming soon…You won't want to miss this, folks! TJM has been in contact with Nicole Smalkowski over the past cou...Christians dont understand Atheist QuotesFirst-Ever Nontheist Billboard Goes Up Today!
Read more:Content
, One Day
Seriously, I thought that was metaphorical 2007-10-07 16:13:38 A great comic.
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...Children and “God”I am creating artificial life, declares US gene pioneer
Read more:Seriously
, thought
I am creating artificial life, declares US gene pioneer 2007-10-06 10:04:22 Craig Venter, the controversial DNA researcher involved in the race to decipher the human genetic code, has built a synthetic chromosome out of laboratory chemicals and is poised to announce the creation of the first new artificial life form on Earth.
The announcement, which is expected within weeks and could come as early as Monday at the annual meeting of his scientific institute in San Diego, California, will herald a giant leap forward in the development of designer genomes. It is certain to provoke heated debate about the ethics of creating new species and could unlock the door to new energy sources and techniques to combat global warming.
Mr Venter told the Guardian he thought this landmark would be “a very important philosophical step in the history of our species. We are going from reading our genetic code to the ability to write it. That gives us the hypothetical ability to do things never contemplated before”.
More
Related PostsIowa State in the News AgainWould lo
Pornsaints 2007-10-18 12:05:27 pornsaints.org is an artistic approach to porn,
a pornographic approach to art,
a pornoartistic approach to religion.
http://www.pornsaints.org/
What is a Pornsaint?
“We will call Pornsaint whoever attains sanctity through pornography”
“…the pornsaint dwells in the house of the saints, but got there traveling a different way, and came in knocking at another door. If the saint, in a way, obtained the absolute by clambering up on God (any God), the pornsaint obtained it climbing over man. His way doesn’t go through renouncing the world of man in favor of the world of God, but through the utmost simultaneous participation in opposite aspects of the human world…”
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How to be more like Jesus 2007-10-17 22:42:50
Related Posts5 rational proofs that Jesus
is not GodBelow are 5 rational proofs that Jesus (pbuh) cannot be God:
1)He that is distinguished from God ...Jesus actually committed suicide If Jesus asked Judas to betray him, as this new Judas gospel indicates, doesn't that mean Jesus bas...Happy Easter, Here’s Your Quiz!The following will be an untimed, open book test to which I will even give you the references. Pleas...The Jesus TrailerThe Birth of Jesus - Matthew vs Luke
This is my blood, drink it - this is my body, eat it 2007-10-16 21:56:31
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Humanity has had a long fascination with blood sacrific...Stupidity of the Clergy Strikes AgainWhere faith and logic collide…
Peaceful Quotes From the Qur’an 2007-10-16 20:30:12 Such a harmonious, peaceful set of scriptures. How absolutely tolerant! Please, where do I sign up?
2:191 And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter. And fight not with them at the Inviolable Place of Worship until they first attack you there, but if they attack you (there) then slay them. Such is the reward of disbelievers. [87, Medina]
9:123 Make ready for them all thou canst of (armed) force and of horses tethered, that thereby ye may dismay the enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others beside them whom ye know not. Allah knoweth them. Whatsoever ye spend in the way of Allah it will be repaid to you in full, and ye will not be wronged. [113, Medina]
9:5 Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave Read more:Peaceful
, Quotes
Monkey See, Monkey Do. 2007-10-16 17:17:14 I just stumbled on This joke today.
8 monkeys are in a room. There is a ladder in the room, and at the top of the ladder is a bunch of bananas. The monkeys are fed adequate but unappetizing food.
For the first week, any time a monkey climbs the ladder, a nozzle drenches all the monkeys in icy cold water. Soon, any time a monkey starts to climb the ladder, all the other monkeys beat him senseless to avoid being punished.
One monkey is removed, and another takes his place. Not knowing about the ice water punishment, he approaches the ladder. All the other monkeys beat him senseless. Every time he gets near the ladder, they all gang up on him.
A second monkey is replaced. Same thing. The first replacement monkey joins in the beating.
A third is replaced. A fourth. Eventually all the original monkeys are replaced. The new 8 monkeys have never experienced the ice water punishment, yet any time any of them approaches the ladder, the rest of them gang up on him and beat him senseless.
I&r
The Jesus Trailer 2007-10-16 15:48:17 The Jesus
-trailer. When turning the car to the left, Jesus raises his left hand, when turning right he raises the right hand. Currently, it’s in parking mode and then both arms are outstreched, as if to stop people from passing.
Related Posts5 rational proofs that Jesus is not GodBelow are 5 rational proofs that Jesus (pbuh) cannot be God:
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Read more:Trailer
The Truth About Religion 2007-10-16 12:17:42
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY-ZrwFwLQg
Related PostsWhat is the biggest lie ever told?I honestly think it's that the world was made to believe there is a God. What can beat it?
Howev...Realistic Caption
I love the caption to this picture. It speaks for itself and many other's opinions. How can on...How to be more like JesusThe Bones of JesusWOODEN SHIPS ON A LAKE OF FIRE
Read more:Truth
, Religion
Realistic Caption 2007-10-16 11:33:35
I love the caption to this picture. It speaks for itself and many other’s opinions. How can one claim that the entire contents of such a book, with so many authors, “cherry-picked” translations, and interpretations, to be “the truth”? Since when is delusion “truth”?
Related PostsNo related posts
Read more:Realistic
, Caption
Inspirational Christian Posters 2007-10-15 21:24:37 My thanks to Durandal for these beautiful images. Enjoy all!
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SpousesCan it ever be?
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Read more:Inspirational
, Posters
Atheist Bashing 101 2007-10-14 14:51:30 I just love the way that this “Christian” bashes atheism! Wow, such language! Just listen to the hatred and bigotry as it drips from his mouth. (Be sure to watch the facial expressions too. VERY telltale.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mafTGZh8QE0
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Some of you ma...“He’s an Atheist you know…”Think about it… or get irrational?
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