Neanderthals and Humans living happily until God came along?

The Neanderthal existence and demise is something that has always fascinated me. About as much as the Christians (and other religions) attempts to explain away the fact that God just let these high functioning apes die out in place of the apes that we are. This little fact is highly important and unsatisfactorily answered. If you want to know why I think its important for theists, its basically that they need to explain why their all loving god in fact is a genocidal freak.

As such to make the explanations even more difficult, recent research now shows that the Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens lived together longer than previously thought. So now they really have to explain why God is so such more off a merciless bastard than it was before.

Besides this very intriguing finding the authors used a very advanced carbon dating technique. This technique is far more accurate than previous C13 dating technique, the main reason behind this improvement is that it which makes use of an accelerator and enhanced extraction techniques. The data obtained in this study in fact corroborated a lot of earlier data, however it was also able to place data that was on the verge of the old C13 dating systems at a far more accurate time. This meant that these dates were earlier than previously thought to be. The direct result of this means that Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens spent more time living together than they did before. See the video below for some brief explanation of the movement and how the dates have been improved.

So why did god let the Neanderthals die you? Do you have a theistic explanation? I have simple evolution and it works.

Idiots of the week - Saudi Arabia again

This week Saudi Arabian authorities have gone and not surprised me by making the idiot list yet again. This week the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice have gone and arrested several atheists for making a blasphemous video. Now, this should not surprise anyone really, as atheists are brandished as terrorists in Saudi Arabia by the chief retard King Abdullah.


What makes this story even more absurd is that these idiots don't even know what atheism is. The define it as follows "Atheists deny the existence of God altogether". Really, this country deserves to be banned from the UN not for the religious intolerance and sexism, but for purely been mentally challenged.
I am sure the only reason they fear atheism, is they must know that rational thikning will kill their stone age beliefs like it is killing those other stone age religions i.e. Christianity and Judaism. So maybe they are paying attention to the rest of the world, but not to learn how to progress, they are learning how to stay in the stone age. Or maybe I am giving them far to much credit for actually being able to think ahead.

I am not one hundred percent sure but I believe this is the video from stills I have seen of it posted on atheist sites.

Here is a link to a petition offered by Atheist Alliance International to get the Saudi Arabian government to rescind their status of atheists. Please sign this petition. Maybe these goat herders will finally bow to pressure. It is highly unlikely, but we can hope.

On an amusing side note I tried to comment on the original news article using my Disqus account, and it seems that I will not be tolerated as my comment is still under review. Then again my Disqus handle is iamanahteistandthisiswhy.

xxx
Thanks to the Sean McGuire over at My Secret Atheist Blog for bringing this to my attention.

Stem Cells and Theistic Choices - Correction

Last year on the 7th of July I published a blog post called "Stem Cells and Theistic Choice". Now while I believe the argument still holds regarding theists making bad medical decisions based on their holy book. It is my obligation to report that the two male patients that have received the stem cells transplants have had their HIV return.

In contrast the Germany patient who received similar treatment is still HIV free. This shows we still have a long way to go to find a cure for this disease.

Also to note, this news comes on the heals of the Mississippi Baby case who was cured, then its parents stopped anti-retroviral treatment against doctors orders and it relapsed. The reason why the parents stopped treatment is not known.

Noah, a Chick Tract and a bunch of Communists

For those of you who don't know about Chick Tracts I apologize in advance for exposing you to them. However, they can be pretty amusing and some of the artwork in them is not bad actually.

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Anyway, as I have a particular fondness towards the Noah story and...... well the sheer idiocy of it I was highly amused to learn about the Noah story from a new source. So I thought I would elaborate on this fascinating tale and break down how the Ark has been found  by the Russians.

So turns out that during World War 1 some Russians were flying over Mount Ararat and saw what they believed was a submarine in the middle of the mountain. Needless to say an exhibition was organized by Czar Nicholas of Russia to find out whether this was really the Ark. At which point the story breaks into the lunacy of the Noah story which I have documented here, here and here and well here.

Well after that break from reality? Turns out that the Russians did find the ark and they even went inside to investigate. What they found was truly amazing as they found rooms with cages from floor to ceiling. So then they drew up documents and sent these documents straight away to the Czar in Russia. Unfortunately for us these documents fell into the hands of the Communists that had overthrown the Czar. These documents have since been destroyed by the evil communists as is evidenced by another Noah's ark website.

So there you have it those atheist communists destroyed the ark evidence as is proven by the Chick Tracts which never lie.

Creationists and the meta-information fallacy

Some of the so called more "knowledgeable" creationists I have debated like to point out that evolution is not credible as how can information create more information. Or more importantly they like to point out that there is no possible explanation for where  the meta-information come from except a creator.

So, what is meta-information? Well basically put its an idea created by creationists to try and confound people who support the evidence driven theory of evolution. In fact meta-information has its history in meta-data and has to do with information technology. To elaborate, its that data tells you about the data. For example if you download a file from the Internet it should have data attached to it which tells you who created the data and when.

Then what is meta-information to creationists? It is along the same lines as meta-data and is basically information about information. In essence what creationists are arguing for is that the information contained in the DNA may well be natural but where does the information for this information come from. In other words they are saying the DNA that codes for a protein can only be used when their is extra information telling the DNA what to do. Now this is confusing, and that is the point creationists want to confuse as they don't have answers. So here let me present the creationist and the chemical perspective for the concept of protein folding.
 

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Creationist perspective:
DNA codes for a protein to be formed. This protein forms and then folds into a shape guided by meta-information supplied by god. The protein works, so god exists.

Chemical perspective:
DNA codes for a protein to be formed. This protein forms and then folds into a shape by self assembly forces (very well documented). The protein works.

See, no meta-information needed. This idea of meta-information is created to try seem smart when in fact its utter tripe.

Idiot of the week - John McTernan

Well now we know that conspiracy theorists who believe HAARP causes Hurricanes and Tornadoes are wrong. The reason behind all these natural disasters is that God is cursing the USA for turning its back on Israel. Uhm, well that is according to John McTernan.


If you want to hear what Alex Jones says, then listen from 14:22 . Granted I know many people will not want to listen to Jones, so in simple terms he says that HAARP caused Sandy to postpone the elections that were not postponed. Of course this is all proven by well....... Alex Jones.

So there you have it next week is fight night between the conspiracy theorists and John McTernan. The title fight will be called "Who is right and who is delusional." Oh that's right they all are delusional. What blows my mind is that people actually take this stuff seriously. Really, how can you? When every other outlet or voice has some unscientific unproven theory that makes no sense.

One answer. Idiots!

John McTernan

How responsible are we?

Last week there was a really fascinating article published entitled "Neuropsychosocial profiles of current and future adolescent alcohol misusers" which got me thinking about how responsible are we really for our actions?

Now, while I do believe that most often we are responsible for our actions. This study indicates that there are also clearly times when we are not responsible for our actions. In essence someone can start to abuse alcohol due to a combination (or a single factor) of life experiences, neurobiological differences as well as personality. As such when someone does something under the influence of alcohol and they possess a risk profile are they actually culpable? I would say yes, as you should be responsible for you actions, even if it is beyond your control. This is important for society to function and so we should prosecute people that are under the influence doing bad things to maintain a respectable society.

However, what got me thinking even more is that should we not be banning alcohol to protect society and individuals at large. If these risk profiles exist and alcoholism can be so easily influenced by not just genetic but life experiences is it not societies prerogative to take action and help those that cannot help themselves. This is surely true when we consider the publicly funded campaigns against smoking which is more an annoyance than a risk in most cases. Think about it, has a person ever got into a fight after smoking one too many cigarettes? In fact, these anti-smoking campaigns exist not only for personal protection  but societal protection. They are around in part to alleviate the burden on society that comes from health problems associated with smoking.

 

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Now, whether you agree with my analysis or not.  It is my opinion that this type of research raises very important questions about what we as a society should or should not be doing, and unlike other issues this is grounded in fact.

Arrest the Pope

Recently, the country I am living in had a visitor that greatly upset me. Yes, the fool below was in South Korea.

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So I got to thinking about Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens call to get the last Pope arrested when he was in the UK. Truthfully, I am not embarrassed by their idea. I am embarrassed that no country and/or president has tried to actually do this. It is really disappointing that this has not happened.

The reality is that if some President or Country actually did arrest the Pope there would be global outcry and probably sanctions or worse. However, the truth is this country and/or president will go down in history as the country that broke the last leg the Christian faith was standing on. The fact is religion is dying and the Vatican is a stronghold. As long as the Vatican exists and is tolerated by other countries (while it harbors pedophiles) Christianity will remain relevant. After the arrest, it is likely that the Pope would probably be freed under international pressure or worse. However, at this point the damage will be done and the church will be dead as people will be forced to ask the questions why did this happen. When these questions are forced to be asked, its game over.

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Granted poloiticans that back this will probably never be re-elected. But they will gain what they desire, and that is history. They will go down in History.

China bans Islamic garb for 3 weeks

Recently I posted about the Religion of peace that is not peaceful. For this reason I was impressed with the Chinese government recently who decided to ban Islamic dress on public transport in Xinjiang city. Now while this may sound like a normal crackdown by the Chinese government on anyone or organization who disagrees with them. Surprisingly, it seems to be very well thought out this time.

The government has done this as they are having a sporting event in the city and they are worried about a possible terror attack. This is justified as some of the Islamic terrorist groups I mentioned in my recent post actually operate withing these Chinese regions. So, this is not a government oppressing religious freedom (which is surprising for the Chinese government), this is not a government stereotyping or race profiling. This is a responsible government looking at the numbers and following the logic. 

Remember its not racist if its based on facts.

Here is the poster the government has issued and these types of clothing will not be tolerated on public transport. Go China! I just wish it was permanent.

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Idiots of the week - Church of the Almighty God

Christians are great at denying there religion is extremely harmful. So I thought I would highlight a Christian group (Eastern Lightning aka Church of the Almighty God) in China, that is so harmful that they are banned by the state and have been guilty of multiple deaths. Then again I am sure the Christians reading this are already preparing their "They are not real Christians" statement.

So what do these Christians like to do?

They like to hurt demons, in fact they like to kill demons. The problem with this is that they classify some humans as demons. Then they go out and beat people to death, and I am being very literal here they beat people to death with fists and feet. They do not just take a gun and shoot, granted they do sometimes throw a good old stabbing in to vary up their repertoire of violence.

Oh and the also believe Jesus has been reincarnated a Chinese Lady called Lightning Deng. Now I don't have a problem with a female Jesus, but I am pretty sure thats not what the Bible says. Last time I read the Bible it said when Jesus was going to come there were going to be beats rising out of the sea etc. Now either I missed it, or this person is not Jesus, or John was tripping on LSD when he wrote Revelations. Personally, I think John was tripping balls.

Not surprisingly when they are not engaging in brutal beatings, they do what every other Christian church does. The recruit members that are going through a hard time, and then threaten them when they realize not all is well and want to leave. Some theists will claim this is a cult, but a cult and a religion only has a difference in the amount of people involved so that's an absurd statement.

Christians, time to grow up and embrace what your religion does and is.

What is Nothing?

It irritates me beyond belief when I see things like this. The following quote comes from Michael Robbins in a book review over at Slate magazine.

 "Nothing is not quantum anything. It is nothing. Nonbeing. This, not empty space, is what “nothing” signifies for Plato and Aquinas and Heidegger, no matter what Krauss believes. No particles, no fluctuation, no laws, no principles, no potentialities, no states, no space, no time. No thing at all. "

Now just to clarify, I actually did not even bother to finish the article after reading that sentence. (Update: I did read the article it was rubbish) The problem is that there is a fundamental flaw that needs to be addressed and as such I don't see the point in listening to rubbish until this error is corrected. This is true especially when the article title is explicitly about nothing, its called "Know Nothing". So here is my two pennies on what nothing is. Granted you don't have to accept my word for it, but please don't believe this fools word for it either.

Nothing as defined by philosophers does not exist. Just like many philosophical concepts (i.e. the soul and go) there is no proof for this so called nothing.

On the other hand however, nothing has been defined by physicists as actually being something. It is the quantum fluctuation in a vacuum, when all the air and matter in a space has been removed. So essentially nothing in the philosophical sense is there (although they will deny it) but that nothing is something i.e. the quantum fluctuation.

The difference between the definitions provided by physicists and that provided by philosophers is that physicists have proof. This means the nothing defined by physicists is the nothing that actually exists and is relevant in discussion and debate. As such Robbins needs to reanalyze his position as he is clearly misleading if he knows what Krauss has said about nothing.You are not allowed to pretend you know what something is when it has been proved otherwise. That is pure dishonesty.

xxxxx

On a side-note:
Some atheists have said Robbins has gone atheist bashing in this piece. I don't think he has, as he shows complete ignorance of what atheism is never mind other basic concepts. How can you bash something when you actually don't know what it is?

Islam the religion of terrorists (numbers don't lie)

Recently, I was noting to someone that Islam is a very violent religion and not the religion of peace. This created a huge objection as the person heavily disagreed with this as saying Islam is just misunderstood and the Koran is in fact all about peace and respect for your fellow man. You know that respect that says kill the person who denies the faith and converts. This really irked me as I know that Islam is anything but a religion of peace so I decided to delve into some numbers. After some serious work I came up with the following list.

So, in conclusion, here is a list of Islamic Terrorist Organizations compared to the number of Terrorist Organizations recognized by countries and the UN. Remarkably the religion of Peace makes up 56 % of terrorist organizations. A clear majority if you ask me, and the one that has been involved in the worst terrorist attacks in recent history.


Terrorist Organizations:  155
Islamic Terrorist Organizations: 87

The Names: Abdullah Azzam Brigades, Abu Nidal Organization, Abu Sayyaf, Aden-Abyan Islamic Army, al-Aqsa Foundation, al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades,Al-Badr,al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, Al Ghurabaa,(10) Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya, Al-Mourabitoun, Al-Nusra Front, al-Haramain Foundation,Al-Qaeda,Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula,Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb,Al-Shabaab,Takfir wal-Hijra,Al-Umar-Mujahideen, (20) Ansar al-Sharia, Ansar al-Islam, Jamaat Ansar al-Sunna, Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, Ansar Dine, Ansaru, Armed Islamic Group of Algeria, Army of Islam, Osbat al-Ansar, Boko Haram, Caucasus Emirate, (30) Deendar Anjuman, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, East Turkestan Islamic Movement, East Turkestan Liberation Organization, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, El Kaide Teror Orgutu Turkiye Yaplanmas, Great Eastern Islamic Raiders' Front, Hamas, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Haqqani network, (40) Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami, Harkat-al-Jihad al-Islami in Bangladesh, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Harakat-Ul-Mujahideen/Alami, Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin, Hezbollah, Hezbollah Al-Hejaz, Hezbollah (External Security Organisation), Hezbollah (Military Wing), Hilafet Devleti, (50) Hizb ut-Tahrir, Hizbul Mujahideen, Hofstad Network, Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, Houthis, Indian Mujahideen, Islamic Jihad - Jamaat Mujahideen, Islamic Jihad Union, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, (60) Jaish-e-Mohammed, Jamaat Ul-Furquan, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, Jamiat al-Islah al-Idzhtimai, Harkat ul-Ansar, Jamiat-e Islami, Jemaah Islamiyah, Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid, Jund al-Sham, Jundallah (Iran), Kata'ib Hezbollah, (70) Khuddam ul-Islam, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, People's Mujahedin of Iran, The Saved Sect, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, (80) Society of the Revival of Islamic Heritage, Stichting Al Aqsa, Students Islamic Movement of India, Supreme Military Majlis ul-Shura of the United Mujahideen Forces of Caucasus, Taliban, Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, Vanguards of Conquest

So next time someone tells you that Islam is the religion of peace send them here. Facts don't lie.

Idiots of the week - Boko Haram

Just when you thought the idiocy of the Islamic Terrorists in the Middle East could not be beat you find out that it has now gone an infiltrated into Africa as well.Before in this weekly segment I talked about those Boko Haram retards, and they are back again. Boko Haram are now using women as suicide bombers, as women are less likely to be suspected of being a suicide bomber. So while this is smart thinking by the terrorists its pretty messed up to be using peoples good nature against them.

What is ironic about this is that the men of Boko Haram are Muslims and in Islam women are considered not even real humans so why they trust these "things" to actually successfully complete these bombings I am not sure. On the other hand these women are retarded to want to do something like this for a religion that does not respect them in the first place. If these women are doing this under duress then sure I feel a tiny but of sympathy for them. But in reality they could just have an accident and blow their handlers up instead. So that sympathy is very limited.

Yet again here they are Islamic retards Boko Haram.

Jehovah's Witnesses and bad parenting

The one thing that has always amazed me how theist parents have a tendency to drive the fear of hell into their kids. Often this fear is driven in the most bizarre of ways by claiming things like Harry Potter is from the devil  and as such if you read the book you will enter a pact with the devil. So when I saw the following animation produced by the Jehovah's Witnesses I was not surprised to say the least.Briefly, its a mother driving the fear of hell into her son as he got a new toy from his friend. Of course we need to realize that the toy is demon possessed and evil and add any other evil adjective.

The one sad thing about this video is that this is typical of a conversation that could happen in any multitude of houses worldwide where parents hold idiotic beliefs in fairy tales. In fact, how does any state (or parent) actually justify that these parents are doing the children no harm by lying to them. It really is sick and while I would not go so far as to say its child abuse, it certainly is teaching a child how not to think. This teaching is something that can be unlearned as is evident from all the atheists we see in modern society that have emerged from the various religious indoctrinations. The problem is that this turn around takes time, and this is time that could be well spent learning something new or contributing something new to your community or towards your self etc.

So while I would not call these cartoons child abuse, I will call them lies and irresponsible parenting.

One last thing before we leave, seems the Jehovah's Witnesses even have a easy to use guide for kids on to how to knock on doors an irritate your neighbors.

I still think my idea to send Jehovah's Witnesses to Afghanistan or Iraq to knock on doors is the best idea. Then they will quickly determine what the consequences for annoying a neighbor is.

When does the soul arrive?

In my initial assessment of a recent article on the use of stem cells in Jordan, I was mildly surprised and then confused. I was surprised to realize that Islam has such liberal views on stem cell research in stark contrast to that other big Abrahamic religion of Christianity. In fact I think Islam should be applauded for this view although this is also where it starts to go slightly awry. It seems the only reason for this view on stem cell research in Islam is due to an interpretation of the scripture on when a soul enters the body. As such they are not holding this view just because they believe it is a benefit to mankind to do research on cells that could solve multiple problems.


Turns out that in Islam the belief that the soul enters the body either on the 6th day (according to the article) or the fortieth day according to old Muhammad. As such in Islam it is not killing  a human as is the commonly held belief of Christian organizations. However, if this was true then women would often be able to easily get abortions in Islamic Arabic countries. This is clearly not the truth though as in Jordan a women is not allowed to terminate a pregnancy. In fact Islam is against abortion in general just like Christians.

So this leaves a conundrum. What does Islam really want? It seems that somewhere someone relaized the benefits of stem cell research and thus want it to be allowed. However, they also dont want abortions going on as they respect the sanctity of life.

This is a great example of why atheists reject theistic views, they just make no sense. Then again this should come as no surprise considering Islamic views on human embryonic development.

Myth and religion

Recently I have been educating myself a little bit more in Greek mythology. In fact Greek mythology is just great, I mean the stories are off the wall batshit crazy. Where else can you get to read about all normal topics like incest, men giving birth, hell, retribution, infanticide and matricide etc etc etc. all contained in one book or play.

Needless to say, I have found that as with any subject you bother to educate yourself in it seems that Mythology should eventually lead you to doubt the validity of a God, or specifically the god you were brought up with if you are a theist. Its amazing that someone could not come to this conclusion, when you read how people in these myths believe or depend on various gods based on their location among other factors. Thats is people close to the ocean believe in  Poseidon, while those that live inland may believe more in another god like Zeus or Apollo, or hunters may be more believers in Artemis.

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What you will also realize in these reading is that Zeus, Hera, Dionysus or whatever other Greek god you care to name all have very personal serious issues. Yet even with all this craziness going on these gods were praised. In the same way we atheists wonder why modern day theists adhere to beliefs about their gods like Yahweh or Allah. All these gods that people believe in today have seriously screwed up ideas of right and wrong, and it just takes a little look into myth to understand why these ideas are so out of place in modern society. These Greek gods were just the Greeks way of trying to enforce societal norms on the people of the time. However, these societal norms of extreme gift giving (i.e. you daughter) or going to war as you feel insulted are not accepted anymore. We have moved on and we need to move on from these other ridiculous stone  age beliefs held by Muslims, Christians, etc. In fact we need to move on even from crazy modern day beliefs like Scientology, Mormonism etc.

So when an atheist says to a theist, "you don't believe in Zeus as I do, however I just don't believe in one more god." Just remember, there is a lot more to this than just simple mockery.

Idiots of the week - Saudi Arabian Government

I am thinking of renaming idiot of the week to focus on the Middle East, particulary that country that supports terrorism and human rights abuses while claiming that because of their special relationship with Allah its all ok really. You know that sadistic country called Saudi Arabia.

This week the Saudi Arabian government has a lot to answer for, as they have been caught supporting their Palestinian brethren as well as their Israeli brethren in their continued war efforts to destroy each other. Frankly, its good business sense but you cant go arming terrorists which is what Hamas is according to the EU, the US, but not the UN? Then again, this should come as no surprise really as the Saudi Arabian government has been condemning and funding terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda for years.

I am really of the opinion that Suaid Arabi should get international sanctions leveled against them, as they are a major player in the Middle East and they use their power to create havoc. This country, the holy country of Islam, I believe gets away with its actions mostly as the world does not want to upset Muslims by making the country where Mecca is a pariah. But why should religion be getting any special treatment?

Did Russia get special treatment for allowing Crimea to join its country? No, it got handed sanctions from both the EU and the US, as well as international outcry. However, we need to remember that the Crimea voted to join Russia and it was not this crazy land grab by a dictator as presented on the news. May I add here, that I am not even a fan of Vlad Putin, but the facts are facts.

Saudi Arabia deserves to be chastised and thrown in the corner with force to make it behave like an adult. This is the 21st century and we need to lose stone age mentality.