PASCAL'S WAGER

 So, this great mathematician, Blaise Pascal, said essentially that you might as well believe in God because you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. However, I find that he was a bit short-sighted. It is not simply a 50-50 odds to be considered. Perhaps Pascal did not have knowledge of all the different gods that people have been believed in - past and present. There are at least ten major religions today and then at least  hundreds if you count the minor ones. So, your chance of picking the correct one is greatly reduced. So, no, it is not as simple as Pascal would have us think. Also, if one god exists, then why not many more? And is the universe always dominated by the same god? Perhaps at one time Zeus was the head god. How do we know? For me it is all fairy tales and make believe any way.

Super Strong-Force Field Theory

 Okay, this is me dabbling into a field in which I have no formal training and I am just putting this out there. I was thinking about the strange behavior of entangled subatomic particles. I surmise that there must be a force to allow this phenomenon to exist - it isn't magic.

So, I propose the existence of a super strong force that permeates the universe. I call it the "super-force". Changes in the strength of this force occur at very, very small increments as one travels through the universe. Very small objects (subatomic particles) are more sensitive to this force than macroscopic objects. For a person to experience changes in this force, they would have to travel many light years in one direction.

Think of it like being in a blizzard in a white-out condition. You cannot see anything because it appears uniformly white all around you. So, we cannot detect the super-force because we are immersed in it. The effect of the super-force on large objects may be so subtle within our frame of reference that it is beyond our level of detection.

Old Man and the Park

 So, an old man who was quite wealthy, retired and moved into my town. Being a philanthropist, he had a playground constructed in our town for young children. We all thought this was really nice of him. But then, he put a set of shelves filled with assorted candies in the middle of the park. 

The rule was that the children could play in the park and enjoy it as much as they liked, but they must never eat any of the candy that is on the shelves. If they did, he would ban them from the park and hunt them down. They would be tortured forever.

The town citizens were enraged and had the old man locked up. 

However, when this is done in a mythological story on a grander scale, it becomes part of the holy book. The "old man" is justified in all that he does.

Boring Heaven

 The Abrahamic HEAVEN where...
... everybody worships one super-powerful authority!
...  the authority not only incarcerates the dissenters, but tortures them for eternity.
... there are no needs that aren't fulfilled.
... you are happy all the time.
... everyone believes and does everything the same.
... you are in worship 24/7 for eternity.
Things that heaven doesn't have...
Your family, Your pets, Food, Sex, TV, Movies, Computers

Yet, this is the reason for living and the  goal that 85%
of the world's population is basing their lives on.

Seems pretty boring and very socialistic.

Hmmmmm.... heaven?

 Many people live their lives as religious people so that they can reap the eternal reward of "Heaven" at the end. So, what is "Heaven"  and this great reward? Well, throughout the bible they mention that there is no sun, no moon, and no night. It is also very bright so make sure to bring eye protection. Also, there is a lot of glass, pearls, and gold. 

And what will you do? Well, it is one big church in this city (or country). So, presumably there will be a lot of singing of hymns, praying, etc. Everyone will be like angels meaning neither male nor female and of course no sex (ugh! who wants that dirty stuff anyway?).  According to Matthew 22:30 there are no husbands or wives in heaven. Then by logical extension, no fathers, mothers, grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc.  I'm not sure where you get the idea that all your family is there waiting for you?  Some scholars site the visitations of Samuel, Moses, and Elijah as indications that we retain our identity in heaven.  However, these were key biblical characters and are probably granted special dispensations.  Some scholars say that the reunion with loved ones would be secondary to the "joyful" experience of praising god 24/7 for eternity.

Examples of Biblical Characteristics of heaven:

Revelations 21:4  Everybody will be painless and happy.

John 14:2  : Everyone gets a room in the house.

1 Corinthians 2:9   Something never seen, heard, or imagined. (Huh?)

John 3:16   Live for eternity.

Revelation 22:1-5   Big river, very bright, tatooed foreheads, no night (no sleep?), big tree with fruit and healing leaves.

Romans 10:9-13  All people are the same. (No individuality)

Luke 23:43   Like paradise.

Matthew 6:19-21   Nothing corrodes, rots, or is stolen.

Hebrews 11:16   A better country and/or city.

Revelation 21:21-27   No sun or moon - no night - constant light from god.  No temples (i.e. churches) in the city with a lot of pearl, glass, and gold. 

......................

If I had a god...

MY GOD

I do not have a god, but if I did...

1) My god would not make me "love" him or spend eternity in unbearable anguish.
2) My god would not tell me how to buy, sell and treat slaves because he would condemn slavery as an abomination to humankind.
3) My god would not treat half the population of the earth as inferiors because of their gender. ALL people would be treated and respected equally!
4) My god would not create an infallible "instruction book" filled with ambiguity and contradictions and erroneous information.
5) My god would not be concerned about the gender of two loving people. 
6) My god would not create a world full of people only to horrifically drown because he was dissatisfied. 
7) My god would not be vengeful and jealous because these are petty human traits.
8) My god would rule over billions of stars and planets which would probably contain thousands or millions of inhabited planets.
9) My god would not instruct soldiers to attack a people and kill women, children, and men as well as their livestock.
10) My god would not instruct soldiers to take young virgins as prisoners for their own purposes.
11) My god would not make his followers turn against their family.
12) My god would not punish my lineage for my sins.
13) My god would be tolerant of other's beliefs and not order me to slay them.
14) My god would not believe in animal or human sacrifice.

... and I bet there are many more others can think of.
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Twins, Triplets and the Soul

I personally do not believe in the existence of a spiritual human soul or an afterlife. However, I do find it entertaining to muse on the concepts of such things and how those who hold such beliefs deal with incongruities. After researching a bit, it seems that the majority of those on the religious right believe that the human soul is formed at conception when the sperm fertilizes the egg.
Okay. If that is so, then what about identical twins and triplets? Do they each get a part of a soul? Is the original soul reproduced? If it is reproduced, are all versions identical? If they each get a new soul, does that mean souls can be created without conception? 
It may seem like a minor point, but if you are a religious person and have one or more clones of yourself out there, you may be very concerned about this. After all, the entire basis of their belief system rests on the eternal life of the soul. 
If the original soul is broken up, then what if only one of them gets spiritually "saved"? Do they all go to heaven or hell?

Minds of Children

The Minds of Children...

I think the secular movement must readjust the focus of it's efforts.  Religion seems to be so successful because it begins the inculcation process at a very young age - even before speaking and walking begin. Infants are wooed with religious songs, hymns and poems. This constant exposure builds and reinforces the emotional links to the religious community. This is followed up with the constant barrage of additional information and emotional links through group activities, "fun" holidays and communal traditions.
The secular community should put forth an effort to create child appealing songs, stories and poems. There is a need for "fun" holidays and activities to teach and promote creative, reasonable, and scientific ideas and principles. If such things exists already, I have not seen them and they need to be advertised more.

Thoughts on the SOUL

     Much of religious belief rests in a firm conviction in the existence of the human soul. It is proposed to be an entity unto itself that can exist without the physical body. Since the soul is said to receive a reward of happiness and joy for life(?) eternal, it stands to reason that it can also feel sadness, anger, disappointment and many other emotions. That does bring up a number of other questions concerning the soul and it's abilities.
     Does the soul feel pain? hunger? tiredness?

Humanistic Atheist Concerns

As a Humanistic Atheist I find that I am too much focused on what is wrong with religion. Although I find most of the activities and ideas of mainstream religion benign, the fringe believers can come up with things that really annoy mean and that I view as harmful.

For example, many of the local churches have programs and fund raisers which are helpful to society. They cover things like providing food and shelter for the homeless and less fortunate. I guess my main gripe is when they start trying to flex their religious muscle in the political arena and try to dictate behavior and restrictions which effect all of society.

That being said, I do not want to expend the largest percentage of my energy on being anti-religious.  I would rather spend most of my time and energy on being a good humanist. So, I will be trying to find activities and opportunities that lend themselves to my situation. Due to my responsibilities to my disabled mate, I do not have the freedom of mobility around town and extended absence from the home. I will continue my search for things.