Worldwide Scam Alert!

It has come to our notice that there are groups of people around the world who convince people there's an invisible Jewish man floating about in the sky who will become very angry if they don't do certain things. One of the things these scammers insist others do in order to appease the wrath of this invisible Jewish man floating about in the sky is to give them money for a variety of reasons, including in order to build the scammers' headquarters where they can continue to fleece their sheep with the story about the invisible man in the sky.

There are many scammers and victims involved in this scam - the numbers are staggering, in fact. And the crimes committed by these scammers against unwilling victims are legion. We at the International Church of Astrotheology are currently attempting to set up counterterrorist units in order to battle this fraud.

Intellectual Rapists

For the last couple of days I've had some abusive creep email me about how he's going to beat me up on his website. His vicious commentary is based on his reading of some pages on my website, but he has emphatically stated that he has NOT read my books and does not intend to. Despite his confessed ignorance of my work, he is now on a rampage to attack me as an "expert" on my work. Such dishonesty is not uncommon, as I have been encountering it for years.

Not content with being dishonest and hateful towards me, this individual has threatened me if I don't respond to his reprehensible assault. It appears that people who viciously assault others in the intellectual realm, as this person is doing to me, do not consider that they are a major part of the problem - to wit, divisiveness and hatred based on beliefs.

To put it in blunt terms: Basically what this guy is saying is that, even if I'm not attracted to him, if I don't willingly have sex with him - and enjoy it - he will brutally rape me.

Hence, he is an "intellectual rapist."

Here's a thought - what is it exactly you are trying to accomplish with your personal assaults on others? Are you trying to make the world a "better place" with your violent attacks? Sorry, but that type of mentality is exactly what we are attempting to get rid of.

The Coolest Chick on the Planet

In case anyone's wondering who I am exactly, it is now official - according to Google, I am the coolest chick on the planet.

Oh, I know - it was tough beating out those chick peas.

And you thought I didn't have a sense of humor!

Hee, hee!

MSN also has me as the coolest chick on the planet - and the smartest woman in the world!

Yahoo search also has me as the coolest chick on the planet.

In case you're wondering, folks, this is an experiment in SEO - "search engine optimization." And a fruitful experiment at that. Very amusing to me as well - hey, we all need some comic relief!

Religious Rubbish Removal

The remarks in the following article about religious fanaticism being quite tiresome are well said and much needed.

"Some senior Australian cleric declares that women without hijabs are uncovered meat inviting rape..."

Well, of course, if the men are BARBARIANS who are taught that "women without hijabs are uncovered meat inviting rape!" It is quite obvious where this cleric's rotten mind lies - in the gutter. Moreover, anyone who is interested in raping MEAT is a subhuman in the first place, although an argument could be made that someone who would rape a woman - or a man or, god forbid, a child - is much more diabolical than a meat-rapist...

Gee, here's an enlightened thought: How about teaching the MEN to respect women, with or without the hijab, and enforcing strict LAWS against rape? Wow! How novel, what brilliance! But, no, we have to encourage the psychotic men to behave badly while repressing - nay, enslaving - the women. How very evolved indeed. And "they" wonder why so many of us don't want "them" in our civilized neck of the woods.

Here's a message for Earth's bullies:

"You may be quite pleased by your ability to terrorize 'your' women into covering themselves up, but you will not succeed in forcing the rest of the world's women into doing likewise."

So many morons, so little time.

Tired of all the religious garbage? It's time to become an Enlightenist
Muriel Gray on the need for recognition of all beliefs

GIVEN the uniformly alarmist nature of the news, leaving the country for the half-term holiday felt good this year. Choking in the wake of our carbon emissions was a nutcase Britain utterly obsessed with religion. People were threatening Jack Straw with violence; some woman (we think - for all we know it could have been Paul Gascoigne under that niquab) was claiming her right to mumble lessons at children while wearing a bag over her head, and the pope had made the hilariously Monty-Python
esque declaration that he was "considering" abolishing limbo for unbaptised babies, no doubt making intelligent Catholics squirm with embarrassment at the screaming silliness of heavenly admission by human whim.

But on our return, sadly, there is no let up. Some senior Australian cleric declares that women without hijabs are uncovered meat inviting rape, and now we have arguments over faith school quotas and whether or not 25% of pupils admitted should come from other faiths, including no faith. If I tell you that I am sick, sick, sick, way beyond the back teeth, of all this dark ages, loony tunes, divisive religious garbage then I am making an understatement. The worst thing is that although for the most part all the nonsense can be ignored, when it gets political it simply cannot, and there is nothing more political than how we educate the next generation of British citizens."...

Biblemania is an Addiction

Biblemania, or the "love of the Bible," is a deliberately contrived, socially acceptable addiction no less destructive to the individual and society as a whole than is heroin. The Bible pushers start in on their victims very young, sometimes before they can read, and insidiously and aggressively peddle their wares so that a child will become addicted to biblical junk for his entire life.

Biblemania is a very tough habit to break - and it's meant to be. In order to create Bible junkies, pushers must make their victims uncomfortable and dis-eased, filling them with an intense self-loathing, so that, broken, they will desire and be desperate for a fix. Bible pushers break their victims, so they need to be fixed.

The biblemaniac is armored against rational criticism of his habit - and he has a whole support system of fellow Bible junkies who will viciously defend his addiction. The biblemaniac is in denial that he has an addiction or that there is anything wrong with it. The biblemaniac's junk consists of sweet and sugary platitudes laced with poison, but his addiction will not allow him to see the poison. The Bible junk is no different than sugar - it may taste good on the surface, but a steady diet of it will kill you. In reality, Bible junk is worse than sugar, as, again, it is laced with poison. And Bible junkies often have no other fare to supplement their poison-filled diet.

Bible addiction is no laughing matter. Not only has it caused extreme pathological behavior in individuals, but it has led to the annihilation of entire cultures and the genocide of whole peoples. And, if the addiction is not addressed, it will lead the world into an Armageddon from which it may never recover, as its most virulent junkies - priests, pastors and politicians - stand by gleefully rubbing their hands, waiting for the biggest rush of their biblemania - the mushroom cloud of destruction.

Fortunately, there are treatments for biblemania. The first step, of course, is to move beyond denial and to recognize the addiction and its harmful and destructive affects on relationships and the quality of life. Next, we must find "food for the soul" that is more palatable and healthful, including appreciating the beauty of creation and humankind's enormous capacity for love.

What the World Needs Now is Amma, Sweet Amma

Although I don't find her parochial perception of the cosmos to be very stimulating, I do find the Indian saint Ammachi to be an excellent example of a true human being who has the ability to better the world in a very profound way.

When I first encountered Amma, I trivialized her hugging as so much frou-frou fluff, but in studying the sources of sociopathology and psychopathology - so prevalent on this planet - I believe that her instensely loving modus vivendi is EXACTLY what the world needs. The people who come to her are STARVED for love, tenderness, affection and attention. Human beings are frail and self-contained entities who simply need community and communion. No child should ever be starved for attention, affection and love - yet not only does it happen to heartbreakingly countless millions day upon day, but the most evil abuses are heaped upon them instead. Is it any wonder the world is filled with messed-up adults? When I feel the intense love for a child (my child), I sometimes become sad to consider how other children are not receiving the same - and I become sick to my stomach to consider what many of the ARE receiving.

In the face of such hideous deprivation and abuse, it is outrageous to assert that there is some "loving" personal God somewhere who cares about this planet and its creatures. It just doesn't wash, no matter how many times it is repeated - and abusively shoved down our throats by bibliophilia-demented fanatics who insult us and condemn us to the most atrocious punishments for not subscribing to their evil cult.

I sincerely hope the future of mankind moves away from that disgraceful human-hating mentality and towards replicating millions of hugging, loving Ammas all over the world.

God the Ultimate Child Abuser

Think about it. Not only does Biblegod Yahweh teach us that we should be cruel and hateful towards children, telling them that they are foul, born in sin wretches, but he also on several occasions causes people to slaughter babies and other children. For example, God calls Abraham to kill his child, allowing the poor boy to be terrorized by his father until the last second, when God changes his mind. God then hardens Pharaoh's heart and causes him to kill all the first born of Israel in his attempt to destroy Moses. Then he incites Moses to slaughter all the Midianites, making sure that he has killed all the male children and taken the virgin girls for the men of Israel to rape. God also works through the prophet Elisha, sending bears to kill 42 boys who made fun of Elisha's bald head. And so on, throughout the Bible, with the endless genocide of other peoples.

Proceeding to the New Testament, we find God - having come to Earth as Jesus - fleeing the scene while Herod, like Pharaoh doubtlessly under control of the omnipotent Lord, slaughters thousands of babies and toddlers. But Yahweh the Child Abuser isn't done there. No, his great plan to "save" the hopelessly sinful mankind whom he made badly in the first place is to destroy his own son! So, he sends his Holy Spirit to the Virgin Mary - another CHILD - and, voila! He takes birth as his own son in order to kill himself hideously, in a ritual torture suicide mission. So, God kills his own son, first making sure he is viciously tortured. God is guilty of creating a child specifically in order to kill him.

Nice precedents there. The pathology produced by this book and its foul inhuman stories is unimaginable.

Ban the Bible!

It's high time to ban the EVIL BIBLE from schools. And churches, and libraries, etc.

The Bible is full of horrible stories about the "chosen people" going about slaughtering everyone else, including men, women and children - all ordered and condoned by God. All other cultures besides the Israelites are considered evil. The Israelites are given authority to take the young virgin girls for themselves to have their way with. Just check out Numbers 31, for but one example. This short rant doesn't pretend to go into all the atrocities in condoned by the biblical god. There are few books more disgusting than the Bible.

Mom seeks a ban on Harry Potter in schools
Associated Press

ATLANTA — A suburban county that sparked a public outcry when its libraries temporarily eliminated funding for Spanish-language fiction is now being asked to ban Harry Potter books from its schools.

Laura Mallory, a mother of four, told a hearing officer for the Gwinnett County Board of Education last week that the popular fiction series is an 'evil' attempt to indoctrinate children in the Wicca religion.

Board of Education attorney Victoria Sweeny said that if schools were to remove all books containing reference to witches, they would have to ban such works as Macbeth and Cinderella."

God needs your money!

Following is a clip of George Carlin's brilliant critique of religion and God, part of "You are all diseased."

Get this video and more at MySpace.com

Who Was Jesus?

Good day, folks!

I am delighted to announce that my new ebook Who Was Jesus? is ready and available for immediate download! WWJ is not a long book - about 40 pages - so it should be easy to print out and read. Here's the link:

http://stellarhousepublishing.com/whowasjesus.html

Here's what the 1984 Libertarian Party presidential candidate, David Bergland, Esq., has to say about Who Was Jesus?

"For those who prefer to learn the actual facts that constitute important events in
history, Who Was Jesus? is an eye-opener. It is a gateway to better understanding of the foundation of Christianity. What if that foundation were not what everyone knows?... If there is any reason to believe that the very foundations of the Christ story are not what you thought, wouldn't you want to know about it?

"Who Was Jesus? is a succinct and penetrating examination of the gospels and their internal contradictions as well as a critical look at how the Jesus story was put together by fallible humans. It does not claim to be the whole story. But it is a great beginning to your search for truth about the Jesus myth and the hopelessly muddled foundations of Christianity."

You will note that I am requesting a minimum of $5 donation for immediate access to this new ebook. If any of you are able to give more, I would be most grateful. I will be actively working to get this book ready for hard copy distribution, using print on demand, but I need time to do so.

Well, I sincerely hope you enjoy and/or are edified by my new ebook Who Was Jesus?

The Bible is Repulsive

This is a great video that everyone should watch immediately! The fact is that the Bible is repulsive, and this bizarre psychosis that not only prevents people from seeing this fact but actually allows them to view the Bible as something "sacred" and "holy" needs to be treated as a collective mental illness that is destroying the world.

The people who created this video are wonderful.

Proving the Bible is Repulsive

Is Lance Armstrong a Psycho - or a Victim?

When I first heard about Lance Armstrong's testicular cancer years ago, my immediate thought was, "He's been using steroids." At the time, I figured many people must have had the same thought. Not knowing much about Armstrong or the sport of cycling but basing my thoughts on the doping scandals in other sports, such as the Olympics, I also figured that it was well known and admitted that Armstrong had been using steroids. I found it unfathomable that someone so young and a world class athlete could be riddled with testicular cancer if he had not been doping. Even though the stigma of such activity is quite heavy, I still was quite surprised to learn that Armstrong, when confronted with the issue, had actually denied using steroids and other performance enhancement drugs. Even with such a stigma, many athletes over the years had come clean, so to speak, when confronted with evident difficulties associated with doping - including getting busted. And then there was the sad story of NFL player Lyle Alzado, cut down in the prime of life at age 42 by brain cancer that may have been caused or exacerbated by doping. The assertion that he caused his brain cancer by heavy use of steroids was made by Alzado himself, but it is claimed that no scientific studies have found a solid link. Said Alzado, "Ninety per cent of the athletes I know are on the stuff."

And so, it would seem, are the majority of cyclists on steroids and other such drugs, if the testimony of ex-cycling trainer Willy Voet has any merit. This fact makes Armstrong's denial all that more implausible, particularly with the testimony by his former friend Frankie Andreu and his wife, Betsy, who both claimed they overheard Armstrong tell his doctor that he had used "steroids, testosterone, cortisone, growth hormone and EPO." Armstrong's doctor, however, denies the claim.

The question needs to be asked, is Lance Armstrong a psycho - or a victim? As has been pointed out, he is a role model for athletes and cancer survivors the world over, and he is doing a tremendous disservice to both, if he is lying. How many impressionable kids became cyclists because of him, and then were possibly drawn into the seedy doping world, to risk side effects that could have been prevented if their hero had copped to his use, supposing that he is guilty? Moreover, when my own mother became fatally ill with ovarian cancer, she took strength in Armstrong's recovery, although I did caution her about my suspicions regarding his cancer cause. She was quite disappointed to hear that, and I could sense her becoming deflated in her battle. My beloved mother was very strong, so she turned her mind to other inspiration, but she finally succumbed to the cancer in 2004. In any event, it would behoove Armstrong to tell the truth, presuming he is not.

Perhaps Armstrong is telling the truth and is merely a victim of jealous and vicious gossip? Considering what trainer Voet has said about non-doping cyclists ending up at the "back of the pack," if Armstrong is being truthful, he would have to be hailed as one of the greatest athletes ever. If not, well, he would have to be considered a psycho.

P.S. I'm appending this entry to state that, after careful consideration of information provided by others (thank you, Steve P.), I do believe we must give Lance Armstrong the benefit of the doubt, especially since he's never tested positive for anything. He was apparently a world class athlete long before he began in cycling, when he was a youth who evidently could not have used drugs. As someone who has been on the receiving end of hideous, false rumors from very vicious and vindictive people, I can relate if Armstrong is being unfairly maligned.

P.P.S. The assertion in the following article that "one of the possible side effects of prolonged steroid use is testicular cancer" appears to be controversial, as other claim there has been no scientific evidence linking steroid use to testicular cancer:

"Fears about steroid use also include other cancers, heart enlargement, increased blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, and musculoskeletal injuries. Upon closer examination, these too turn out to be overblown. Reports associating heart enlargement, or cardiomegaly, with steroid use often ignore the role of natural, nonthreatening enlargement brought on by prolonged physical exertion, not to mention the effects of alcohol abuse. The relationship is unclear at best. Evidence supporting a link between steroids and ligament and tendon damage is weak, since steroid-related injuries are virtually indistinguishable from those occurring normally. And blood pressure problems, according to Yesalis, have been exaggerated. There is some associative evidence that steroid use can increase the risk of prostate cancer, but this link has yet to be borne out in a laboratory setting. No studies of any kind link the use of anabolics to testicular cancer."

Source: Pumped Up Hysteria

The truth is out there - Cycling - Yahoo! Sports
E.M. Swift, SI.com

Is the truth finally catching up with Lance Armstrong, and is this one race the seven-time Tour de France champion may not be able to win?

In Tuesday's New York Times, two of Armstrong's former U.S. Postal Service teammates admitted to having used EPO, an illegal performance-enhancing drug, at some point in 1999, the first year Armstrong won the Tour de France. While neither said they saw Armstrong do the same, the implication was that the drug use was common knowledge within the team. 'The environment was certainly one of, to be accepted, you had to use doping products,' said one of Armstrong's teammates, who requested anonymity, fearing reprisals from the notoriously vindictive Armstrong, who still wields considerable power in cycling.

The other teammate was 39-year-old Frankie Andreu, a domestique who competed professionally for 12 years and was once Armstrong's close friend and roommate. He's now a motivational speaker and real-estate dealer in Dearborn, Mich. He said he only used EPO 'for a couple of races' and was speaking out in hopes of cleaning up his tainted sport.

More interesting -- to me, anyway -- was the testimony the Times uncovered that Andreu and his wife, Betsy, gave last fall during a lawsuit between Armstrong and SCA Promotions. The company had withheld a $5 million bonus it owed Armstrong after he won the '04 Tour because of doping allegations.

The suit was eventually settled out of court in Armstrong's favor, but in their sworn testimony the Andreus said that when they visited Armstrong in the hospital after he'd been diagnosed with testicular cancer, they'd heard him tell his oncologists that he'd used 'steroids, testosterone, cortisone, growth hormone and EPO.' Their testimony was disputed by the doctor who administered Armstrong's chemotherapy at Indiana University Medical Center. In the same trial, Armstrong testified that his doctors never asked him if he'd used performance-enhancing drugs, and that he'd never used those substances.

Which testimony is more credible? The Andreus' or Armstrong's? Ask yourself which party had the most to gain by lying. And why is that particular testimony significant? Because one of the possible side effects of prolonged steroid use is testicular cancer. It's impossible to prove, but if what the Andreus testified to under oath is true, than Lance Armstrong, role model and hero to so many cancer survivors, may very well have helped bring about his own cancer through his use of performance-enhancing drugs. Young athletes tempted to go down that road need to know if that's the case."

Courageous Woman Criticizes Religious Addiction

Taslima Nasreen is a famous Bangladeshi woman who was compelled to flee her native country because she dared to criticize Islam and to raise up secular ideals in that fanatically Muslim nation. She is especially concerned with the oppression of women, the true extent of which is so appalling it is impossible to look at it for too long without feeling deathly ill. Such courageous and honorable individuals are sorely needed on this planet of vast madness.

Religion has proved itself repeatedly throughout history to be a deleterious addiction that is no respecter of persons or cultures but impels its crazed junkies to destroy anyone and anything in their path for a fix.

Taslima concerned by `addiction to religion

Kolkata, Sept 11: Expressing concern at the rise in 'addiction to religion' among different communities, Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen has said Muslim countries should embrace secularism and modern values, including in the Madarasa system of education.

Taslima said the 'addiction to religion' could be seen among Muslims, Hindus, Christians and others, and was manifested in the greater number of youths regularly visiting places of worship.

'This shows that youths are becoming conformists, going by conventions, customs and superstitions and not following their own powers of rational reasoning. This does not augur well for a country. One should have the power to debate, to argue, to reason,' she said in an interview.

At the same time, she said, Muslim nations need to embrace secularism and reform their educational systems.

'Muslims countries should embrace secularism, work for instilling modern values among the backward sections and carry out reforms in education, which is mostly centered in Madrasas at present,' Taslima said.

Only by helping the average Muslim to join the mainstream of life could their seclusion be avoided, she said.

Pointing out that she was not against any religion, Taslima said she did not believe in any faith and was a secularist and a humanist who believed in protecting the rights of the oppressed through her writing.

She asserted that she spoke out against the 'pitiable condition' of women in every society, every community - be it Hindu, Muslim or Christian.

Bureau Report

Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin killed

Oh no! How very upsetting. I loved this guy. He was so exciting and amiable, and he brought so much light to the world. The world is poorer tonight. How very, very sad. My heart goes out to his family.

Om shanti shanti om.

Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin killed
37 minutes ago

BRISBANE, Australia - Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and environmentalist known as the 'Crocodile Hunter,' was killed Monday by a stingray during a diving expedition, Australian media said. He was 44.

Irwin was filming an underwater documentary on the Great Barrier Reef in northeastern Queensland state when the accident occurred, Sydney's The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on its Web site.

The Australian Broadcasting Corp. said Irwin was diving near Low Isles Reef near the resort town of Port Douglas, about 1,260 miles north of the state capital of Brisbane.

Queensland ambulance service spokesman Bob Hamil confirmed that a diver had been killed by a stingray off Lowe Isles Reef but refused to say who the victim was until relatives had been notified."

In Search of Religion's Rosetta Stones

I've just had part one of a brand-new three part article published in "The New Archaeology Review," which is a VERY slick magazine. To my knowledge, TNAR is only available online, unfortunately, as a PDR file. I have uploaded it to my site.

My article is entitled "In Search of Religion's Rosetta Stones" and deals with the correspondence between ancient megalithic ruins and astrotheology.

Here is an excerpt:

Today we are in a very exciting period of the relatively new science of archaeology, which has only been in serious development in the modern era for the past couple hundreds years. I say "modern" because it is clear that in ancient times some members of society were as fascinated with the human past as they are today, setting up, for example, remarkable museums and libraries to rival our own. In any event, perhaps it would not be unfair to state that we moderns are just now catching up to our ancestors in some of our scientific capacities, such that we can peer more clearly into our own captivating past. One of the areas in which we are slowly but surely uncovering our amazing roots is the science of archaeoastronomy, or "the study of the knowledge, interpretations, and practices of ancient cultures regarding celestial objects or phenomena," which reveals that many ancient societies were not composed of the barbaric cavemen commonly depicted but possessed astoundingly advanced scientific capabilities. Of course, anyone who has studied the Great Pyramid for even a short while cannot doubt the accuracy of that statement, as concerns the engineering abilities of the people who built it. In addition to such an astonishing building capacity came knowledge of the heavens and earth that even by our supposedly sophisticated standards of today is impressive. I am referring specifically to the astronomical alignments of the world's megalithic ruins, as well as other edifices, structures and sites found around the globe dating back hundreds to many thousands of years. Along with this very profound ancient knowledge of astronomy comes an equally profound, if mystifying, religious development also appearing worldwide. It is to this ancient religion or astrotheology that I would like to turn the reader's attention. It is my conviction that one cannot understand the world's major religions without placing them firmly within their astrotheological context. Devoid of the astrotheological underpinnings, these religions are all shadowy fallacies, no matter how hard one tries to make sense otherwise of them or how much falsified history is attached to them."

Dr. Robert Price and Acharya S on Infidel Guy

The radio event of the decade!

The stage: InfidelGuy.com

The players: Acharya S, Dr. Robert Price and Reg Finley

The event: Dr. Robert Price and I appeared together on Reg Finley's "Infidel Guy" radio program on Friday, September 1, 2006 from 8:00 to 9:00 PM EST/5-6PM PST.

The background: Dr. Robert Price is the author of several books on Christian history and mythology, including Deconstructing Jesus. Some years ago, he wrote an unfavorable review of my book The Christ Conspiracy and revealed in it my real name, published in "Free Inquiry" magazine. Needless to say, this occurrence brought me quite a bit of grief.

In any event, cut to the current scene, Dr. Price has read Suns of God and written a favorable review and sent it for publication in his Journal for Higher Criticism. We have exchanged cordial emails over the months, and have mended the fences to my satisfaction. So, while this
event was NOT the contentious free-for-all that some may be hoping for, it WAS a rare opportunity to hear two of the better known figures in the world of Christian origins and mythology come together for a (hopefully) civil discussion of what I consider some of the most important and interesting issues human beings can think about.

This may be the most important show I have ever done!

Mark your calendars and tell all your friends! Post this message in forums and groups, and start a buzz!

TruthBeKnown Radio

Thanks for tuning in!

Acharya S

P.S. Be sure to check out my books if you want to know more about what we will be discussing, or check out these Christ Conspiracy articles.

The Noble Palestinian Savage?

I've tried to stay out of the neverending mess in the Middle East, as it just seems so futile and useless to take a stance. Historically speaking, neither side is right or wrong, so no one has any clear claim on the territory, which at first glance seems to be at the heart of the struggle. The fact is that very few countries or nations can claim that they were not founded using force, slaughtering and displacing the previous inhabitants, who themselves often had massacred the previous inhabitants. Hence, the argument that Israel has no right to exist because it was founded upon violent displacement of previous inhabitants is as ridiculous as stating that America or Australia, et al., ad nauseam, have no right to exist because of their similar foundings. In other words - and I do not say this lightly, because I am no fan of "Zionism," whatever that term may mean - Israel has as much right to exist as does any other nation, based purely on the aggressive state of human history.

Now, I know well that it is quite fashionable in some quarters to champion the Palestinian cause, as, surprisingly, Jewish-owned or operated media around the world take the "bleeding heart liberal" perspective, which finds a ready audience in aging and vocal hippies. Don't get me wrong - I find all the violence and bloodshed to be despicable and abhorrent, to the point where, if I really inspected it, I would blow chow. It has always been my fervent wish that human beings would just stop fighting - in other words, cut it out already! It is for this reason that I continually stick my neck out and roundly criticize and condemn the diviseness of religion as so much deleterious dementia. As far as I am concerned, no religion is "the one and only truth," and most, in fact, border on retardation. For the purposes of this essay, however, I will not go into great detail about my criticisms of religion, as they can be found all over my website, my blog, my forum, my discussion groups and in my books.

All that having been said, with what I know about the Palestinian culture, which isn't a great deal but which is significant, I have to scratch my head at the rabid liberal perspective that demonizes the Israelis and angelizes the Palestians. In reality, both sides have behaved badly, and neither should be exonerated - which means that the Palestinian culture is not without its serious blemishes that need to be pointed out and condemned. Nay, "blemishes" is much too gentle a word. Horrors is more applicable, in fact. Well, what on Earth am I talking about? And why, if I am correct, are not more people bringing it up in the mainstream media? Why are women's groups in particular not harshly condemning these horrors? These are good questions that can only be answered by the fact of the basic human capacity for denial.

Murder by family

What I am talking about is the rampant honor killings of women and girls that come hand in hand with Palestinian culture, however that is defined. (There are those, of course, who claim that "Palestinian" is not actually a proper name, as these people are not really an ethnicity per se and the term is "manmade," but that argument is quite moot, because it could be applied to all ethnicities and cultures, as they are all manmade and not ordained from on high.) In any event, it is quite common in the Palestinian culture, and elsewhere in the Arab and Muslim world, for women and girls to be brutally murdered by their own relatives, such as brothers or fathers, when it has been determined that they have "brought shame" upon their families. This "shame" frequently comes in the form of the female daring to have sex but also if she is sexually abused or raped. In other words, if a girl or woman is victimized, it is she who is to blame and who is deemed worthy of murder. Because of this brutal and barbaric mentality, countless women and girls have been shot in the head, decapitated, or otherwise murdered simply because they were women whom men could abuse or rape. And, again, this vile practice is common in the Palestinian culture, where women apparently have little value, as dictated by the Koran and other Islamic traditions.

Let us give an example that may be useful in driving home the point that things in the Middle East are a bit more complicated than they appear. Although I do not see Israeli defenders raising these issues - but perhaps they should - according to one brutal honor killer who cut off his own daughter's head in 1997, and who happened to be the Palestinian National Authority attorney general, some 70% of all murders in Gaza and the West Bank were of women and girls, and constituted honor killings. This psychotic individual's assertions apparently have merit, as writer James Emery relates:

"In the Palestinian communities of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Israel, and Jordan, women are executed in their homes, in open fields, and occasionally in public, sometimes before crowds of cheering onlookers. Honor killings account for virtually all of the murders of Palestinian women in these areas."

"The murder of females in the Middle East is an ancient tradition."

In consideration of the facts that a woman being raped in these cultures is deemed "dishonor" brought by the victim, but cutting off her head, shooting her or otherwise murdering her is viewed as "honorable," is it possible that maybe, just maybe, the Israelis have their hands more full than the rest of the world suspects? If a woman's life holds so little value, and a people find it more honorable to murder a victim of violent crime than to punish her attacker, are we dealing with a rational mindset that is entirely exculpable from bringing on its own troubles? If the heartless "blame the victim" mentality in one culture can be so overlooked, why cannot it be likewise in another culture? In any case, it is clear that the "noble Palestinian savage" is but a myth. There is nothing "noble" about a culture that is engrained with, and avidly practices, so-called honor killings.

Sources:

Reputation is Everything: Honor Killing among the Palestinians
Honor killing demands global response

Is Islam a "Peaceful Religion?"

Anyone who has followed my work knows that I concur wholeheartedly with the assessment that Islam has never been "peaceful" and that it is an ideology designed for world domination. However, I certainly would disagree with the notion that Islam is any less a religion than Christianity or Judaism, both of which are likewise ideologies designed for hegemony. Christianity claims it is the only truth faith and that all others are therefore false. Its proponents further believe that adherents to all other ideologies are destined for hell and that their beliefs are diabolical and should not be permitted to exist. Hence, only Christianity is allowed, if the world is to be free of sin. Jewish holy texts such as the "Old Testament" constantly deem Judaism the "true" religion, while all others are false. The Old Testament further repeatedly asserts that the "chosen people" will reign over the whole world. The fact is that all of these religions have been jockeying for world domination over the past centuries to millennia. The fact is also that Islam currently is poised to blow over us like a terrifying tempest. As they say, forewarned is forearmed.

Islam Has Never Been Peaceful Nor Is It a Religion
By Dave Gibson (08/16/2006)

While the Christian prophet Jesus sacrificed himself for his believers, the Muslim prophet Mohammed frequently ordered his followers to sacrifice themselves for his own glory. Islam is not a religion at all, but a political movement with the goal of world domination. Islam has a very violent history and the terror now being perpetrated on the West is simply another campaign for world conquest.

The Quran orders Muslims to either enslave or kill those who refuse to worship Allah. The Muslim holy book does not teach love, but hate. Faithful Muslims are directed to kill the 'infidels.'

The following are a few of the violent passages found within the Quran:

'Believers, make war on the infidels who dwell around you.' (Sura 9:122)

'make war on the leaders of unbelief...' (Sura 9:12)

'Allah has given those that fight with their goods and their persons a higher rank than those who stay at home. He has promised all a good reward; but for richer is the recompense of those who fight for Him.' (Sura 4:96)

'Believers, retaliation is decreed for you in bloodshed.' (Sura 2:178)"...

We must no longer allow Muslims to hide behind the banner of religion. We must shut down their mosques, deport all non-citizen Muslims within this country, and consider internment for American Muslims until the end of the war. If we do not recognize the Muslim threat lurking within this nation...We can look forward to seeing more smoke rising over American cities.

TBK Forums

Woo hoo! I have a cool new enterprise on my site: The Truth Be Known Forums. We will be covering a wide variety of subjects, including, of course, religion, spirituality and mythology. Come on in and join the party!

Amazing Amazonian Stonehenge!

Astrotheology's busting out all over! Ah, how sweet it is. In my books and The Christ Conspiracy and Suns of God, I provide a large amount of multidisciplinary evidence to demonstrate that the world's major religions are in large part based on astrotheology or the study and worship of the sun, moon, stars, planets and nature in general. Numerous archaeological finds over the past couple of decades have borne out this assertion quite amazingly. What a fascinating world it is - and can be, if we can go beyond the fanaticism that blinds us to it.

Another ‘Stonehenge’ discovered in Amazon
Centuries-old granite grouping may have served as observatory
Image: Granite blocks
Gilmar Nascimento / AP file
A grouping of 127 granite blocks along a grassy Amazon hilltop may be the vestiges of an ancient astronomical observatory, according to archaeologists.

SAO PAULO, Brazil - A grouping of granite blocks along a grassy Amazon hilltop may be the vestiges of a centuries-old astronomical observatory — a find that archaeologists say shows early rainforest inhabitants were more sophisticated than previously believed.

The 127 blocks, some as high as 9 feet (2.75 meters) tall, are spaced at regular intervals around the hill, like a crown 100 feet (30 meters) in diameter.

On the shortest day of the year — Dec. 21 — the shadow of one of the blocks disappears when the sun is directly above it."

More Unmitigated Evil from the Unholiest

I hate to constantly emphasize the evil of the world, and I do attempt to balance it with a positive outlook for the future, but since the evil just keeps coming, I feel the need to be one of those who fight it back. Let us not sit idly by while such absolute evil is exported to our overly welcoming shores. And in case you do not think that it can be, be aware that, per my recent post regarding circumcision - which has thus far caused a bit of a stir around the globe - the incidence of female genital mutilation in the United States has skyrocketed in the past several years since the American borders were flung open to FGM-practicing immigrants. I have no doubt that these demented and vile people called "mullahs" are exporting their own heinous methods and ideology to the rest of the world, with deranged followers gleefully ready and willing to execute such brutality according to their whims.

If we are to create a better world - and, as the mother of a precious being, that is my main goal - we simply must keep our eyes open to the evil that will insidiously and assuredly infiltrate our potential paradise if left unchecked. Here is an unfortunate example of just such evil. There are those in the rabblerousing realms who unthinkingly support the Iranian government because it is ostensibly the "enemy of their enemy." These individuals do so at their own and our peril, because said "enemy of the enemy" is not our friend.

HANGED FROM A CRANE AGED 16
EXCLUSIVE JUSTICE IRAN STYLE: SICK GIRL EXECUTED BY JUDGE SHE DEFIED Her crime? She had sex with an unmarried man
By Susie Boniface

IT WAS exactly 6am and the start of another blisteringly hot summer day when 16-year-old Atefeh Rajabi was dragged from her prison cell and taken to be executed.

Every step of the way the troubled teenager plagued by mental problems shouted 'repentance, repentance' as the militiamen marched her to the town's Railway Square.

The Iranian judge who had sentenced Atefeh to death was left unmoved as he personally put the noose around her neck and signalled to the crane driver.

Kicking and screaming, Atefeh was left dangling for 45 minutes from the arm of the crane as the crowd sobbed and - under their breath - damned the mullahs.

Atefeh's crime? Offending public morality. She was found guilty of 'acts incompatible with chastity' by having sex with an unmarried man, even though friends say Atefeh was in such a fragile mental state that she wasn't in a position to say no."...

CRUELTY OF SHARIA LAW

PENALTIES imposed by Iran's religious mullahs include:

THEF T: Amputation of hands or feet for persistent offenders.

ADULTERY: Death by stoning.

UNMARRIED SEX: 100 lashes.

CONVERSION TO RELIGION OTHER THAN ISLAM: Death.

SODOMY: Death for adults, 74 lashes for consenting child.

LESBIANISM: 100 lashes, or on the fourth occasion death.

HOMOSEXUAL KISS: 60 lashes.

RUBBING ANOTHER MAN'S THIGHS OR BUTTOCKS: 99 lashes - on 4th occasion, death.

Circumcision is Evil!

There, I said it. Let me say it again: Circumcision is evil. Period. Don't give me your "religious covenant" or "hygiene" crap. No decent god would be interested in you attacking a baby boy's most sensitive body part with a knife and hacking it off. And only in rare circumstances - such as an unusual illness or if you reside in extremely unsanitary conditions - would "hygiene" have anything to do with it. To say that we must slice off - and sometimes tear - a defenseless baby boy's foreskin "in order to prevent infections" is as nonsensical as saying that we should excise little girls' nipples "in order to prevent breast cancer."

The fact is that, other than the rare case where infection does occur, which may or may not require surgery, circumcision is a totally unnecessary barbaric rite with no basis for existing in the civilized world. If you've been circumcised, I'm sorry. I'm certain that it hurt very badly and that it has had long-lasting, traumatic effects. If you've had your children circumcised, again, I'm sorry. I wish you had read this rant before you did so.

"Circumcision is the most commonly performed surgical procedure in the United States today."

Over the past decade or so, I have met and communicated with two world-renowned "anti-circ" scientists, including pediatrician Dr. Paul Fleiss, who told me he had performed "thousands" of circumcisions before he saw the light, and neuropsychologist Dr. James Prescott, who has evidently proved that circumcision causes irreversible brain damage. The foreskin is, after all, not a "useless piece of skin" but a highly complex organ. What does circumcision do, exactly? Dr. Fleiss describes this "denuding of the penis":

Depending on the amount of skin cut off, circumcision robs a male of as much as 80 percent or more of his penile skin. Depending on the foreskin's length, cutting it off makes the penis as much as 25 percent or more shorter. Careful anatomical investigations have shown that circumcision cuts off more than 3 feet of veins, arteries, and capillaries, 240 feet of nerves, and more than 20,000 nerve endings.31 The foreskin's muscles, glands, mucous membrane, and epithelial tissue are destroyed, as well.

As one can see, it is not a matter of snipping off a little skin, and it is logical to suggest that removing this material would have an effect on the brain as well. Regarding his efforts in demonstrating that circumcision causes brain damage, Dr. Prescott writes:

"The NICHD, NIH refuse to conduct the studies that I have requested over the years using fMRI and MRI technologies to document the proposed brain damage. Be assured the damage will be found when the studies are conducted - on both males and females."

Dr. Prescott's proposal is entitled, "Consequences of Perinatal Trauma - Genital Mutilation/ Circumcision - and Somatosensory Affectional Nurturance Upon the Adult Brain: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Positon Emission Tomography (PET) Scan Evaluations of Brain Structure and Function." The abstract is: "Draft Research Proposal that describes the rationale and specific brain structures for scanning the genital sensory projection fields of cerebral neocortex and cerebellar cortex and related brain structures to determine structural and functional (fMRI) deficits consequent to genital mutilation."

Drs. Fleiss and Prescott are quite passionate in their crusade to end useless, ritual circumcision. Unfortunately for them, they cannot be as forthright as I can in stating loudly and clearly that CIRCUMCISION IS EVIL. (In my own limited crusade, I fervently hope someone makes a song by that title.)

Think about it. You're a baby boy who has just come into the world. Now, it's hard enough on you, because you've been growing inside this cozy, dark womb with this loud but comforting wooshing sound. All of a sudden - bam! - you're popped out into this horribly bright room with some awfully frightening noise. Then you are separated from your mother and stuck all alone in an incubator. A few days later, someone attacks your penis with a knife - almost always done without anesthetic, but the anesthetic itself would require a needle stuck in your penis. The pain is so excruciating that you may pass out. Infants often go into shock from the pain, but the ridiculous human mind in denial has claimed they are "sleeping!"

Now, mothers of boys who are being circumcised will at times fight this barbaric mutilation and often feel like they've been stabbed in their hearts when they lose the battle. It is quite likely that the babies themselves - most certainly traumatized - are acutely aware that their mothers have "abandoned" them and failed to protect them against a vicious and despicable attack. It seems logical to conclude that this trauma may have a lifelong affect on a male's attitude towards his mother and women in general - could circumcision be contributing to the widepread misogyny of the world? In reality, it is quite likely that in some cultures - warrior cultures - circumcision was designed in large part to destroy this mother-son bond in the first place. Which means that this male genital mutilation has nothing to do with a "good god" in the first place and everything to do with barbarism. Frankly, when I think about the suffering this horrid behavior causes to defenseless babies, I feel overwhelmed by nausea, and my heart becomes sore. In order "not to offend anyone," I have pushed this subject into the back of my highly empathetic mind for years. If I'm offending you now, too bad. There are adorable little boys the world over who are about to be attacked, and I am not one to stand by while babies are being assaulted. In fact, I am offended - nay, outraged - that I have to live in a world where this appallingly sick behavior goes on all the time, with people either defending it or not giving a rat's ass about it. You can call it whatever you wish - you can in your petulance call me whatever you wish - but the fact will remain that genital mutilation is a brutal, physical assault against a baby or a youngster by adults who should know better.

In case you're still unconvinced, here is a description of infant male genital mutilation, euphemistically called "circumcision," from NOCIRC.org:

How is circumcision done?

Most parents don’t know what is actually done to a baby when he is circumcised. The baby is placed spread-eagle on his back on a board and his arms and legs are strapped down so that he can’t move. His genitals are scrubbed and covered with antiseptic. His foreskin is torn from his glans and slit lengthwise so that the circumcision instrument can be inserted. Then his foreskin is cut off....

Circumcision is extremely painful – and traumatic – for a baby. Just being strapped down is frightening for a baby. The often repeated statement that babies can't feel pain is not true. Babies are as sensitive to pain as anyone else. Most babies scream frantically when their foreskins are cut off. Some defecate. Some lapse into a coma. The reason some babies don't cry when they are circumcised is that they can't cry because they are in a state of shock. Most babies are circumcised without an anesthetic. Anesthetics injected into the penis don’t always work. Being stuck with a needle in the penis is itself painful for a baby, just as it would be for anyone else. Babies are rarely given pain medication right after they are circumcised or during the week to ten days it takes for the wound to heal. Pain medication is not always effective and is never 100% effective....

Most parents who see what is done to a baby when he is circumcised and how he reacts decide against circumcision and let their baby keep his foreskin intact.

I am hesitant about providing a photo of a helpless baby enduring such torture. Suffice it to say it is horrendous. Instead of posting this image of a baby boy strapped to a circumcision board and screaming in terror, I am hotlinking it. View it at your own peril.

As we know, there are all kinds of claims concerning the supposed "health benefits" of circumcision, such as the prevention of infections, HIV transmission and cancer, but I do not think that any of them are worth subjecting an infant to such torture as depicted in that image - one of millions - "just in case." Circumcision is evidently a panacea that "cures what ails ye," based on numerous "scientic studies" of the past. In this regard, Dr. Paul Fleiss states:

Circumcision started in America during the masturbation hysteria of the Victorian Era, when a few American doctors circumcised boys to punish them for masturbating. Victorian doctors knew very well that circumcision denudes, desensitizes, and disables the penis. Nevertheless, they were soon claiming that circumcision cured epilepsy, convulsions, paralysis, elephantiasis, tuberculosis, eczema, bed-wetting, hip-joint disease, fecal incontinence, rectal prolapse, wet dreams, hernia, headaches, nervousness, hysteria, poor eyesight, idiocy, mental retardation, and insanity. In fact, no procedure in the history of medicine has been claimed to cure and prevent more diseases than circumcision....

Today the reasons given for circumcision have been updated to play on contemporary fears and anxieties; but one day they, too, will be considered irrational. Now that such current excuses as the claim that this procedure prevents cancer and sexually transmitted diseases have been thoroughly discredited, circumcisers will undoubtedly invent new ones. But if circumcisers were really motivated by purely medical considerations, the procedure would have died out long ago, along with leeching, skull-drilling, and castration. The fact that it has not suggests that the compulsion to circumcise came first, the "reasons," later.

Unseemly as it may sound, the fact is that, rather than having appropriate medical reasons for removing a baby's foreskin, the medical industry is making big money from selling foreskins, which is a major reason it is unwilling to condemn circumcision. Circumcision is in fact a multibillion-dollar-a-year industry.

"The doctors aren't going to put an end to circumcision: They make huge sums of money to mutilate the babies."

As I say, if you or your loved ones were needlessly circumcised, I'm sorry. There appears to be little that can be done, although some people have undergone for reconstructive surgery to restore their foreskins. There are people attempting non-surgical methods as well. There are also support groups for men who feel circumcision has seriously damaged them, which I believe in many cases it has.

If you have an infant son or are about to have one, please do not circumcise him! Let us please allow our defenseless children to live their lives in happiness and comfort, unharassed by such a heinous thing as having the most sensitive parts of their bodies hacked at with a knife. How very upsetting and repulsive it is to consider that this barbarous act goes on day in and day out, around the world! If we are to ever see a healthy human society, genital mutilation - of both males and females - simply must stop.

Celebration of Life

Here's an oldie but goodie from The Gospel According to Acharya S.

Celebration of Life

What is the purpose in life? Is it simply to follow rules and rote that make people into robots and clones? It is clear that human beings, free from stifling and enslaving ideologies, can become great, exalted and divine. While it is crucial and good to engage in the breaking down of these divisive and dangerous ideologies that make human beings less glorious than they truly are, it is also necessary to identify that glory, such that we may all strive to attain to it. The human experience has always been one of extremes, and we have seen how negative extremes have manifested themselves in the human species and in the natural world around them. We have attempted to destroy these divisions. Now is the time to reveal the beauty and vivacity of the butterfly that emerges when the dead and desiccated cocoon is removed.

When are Human Beings at Their Best?

When human beings have fully blossomed, when they've reached a certain level of soul maturity that is balanced, neither too aggressive nor too ineffectual, they are a wonder to behold, bursting with life and love. These divine beings have a tremendous sense of humor, knowing well that there is no reason to take this long, strange trip seriously. This wondrous state of being does not require extraordinary intelligence but wisdom, which can be found even within a tiny seed. The intelligence it does require is that which compels all living creatures to truly be alive. This natural state is in fact the same in which animals live; it is not difficult to attain. Yet, because of ego encrustation, many people cannot regain this experience, which is that of childhood.

People at their best maintain the awe and wonder of a child while developing the responsibility and integrity of true adulthood. They are sensitive and empathetic, sharing in the pain of others and providing remedy. Yet they are not emotional basketcases who become too debilitated by tragedy for their own good and that of others. Of course, such an experience is necessary for a soul to mature, but there comes a time when one has had enough and demands change for one's own life, those of loved ones and of all life in general. The metamorphosis into a true human being is propelled by the painful experiences. At the point of blooming, one has truly decided that pain is to be avoided and that one's actions will be designed to provoke the most amount of happiness and bliss.

For the rest, please see Celebration of Life.

What is God?

Here is an oldie but goodie that someone requested I post to my blog. I have only posted the first few paragraphs of it, with a link to my TBK website.

What Is God?
Is God a giant man in the sky? No, God is the life force pervading the cosmos
by Acharya S

"Beware of the man whose god is in the skies." --George Bernard Shaw.

"The idea that God is an oversized white male with a flowing beard who sits in the sky and tallies the fall of every sparrow is ludicrous. But if by 'God' one means the set of physical laws that govern the universe, then clearly there is such a God. This God is emotionally unsatisfying... It does not make much sense to pray to the law of gravity." --Carl Sagan

"I just read your essay titled 'What is God?', and before I look any further into your site, I'd like to tell you that I found it the most truthful piece of spiritual writing I have ever read. So concise, a real stimulation unhindered by myth, parable and occult symbolism." -- S, Australia

What is God? Is God a giant man who once incarnated as his own son 2,000 years ago through the womb of a woman in the Middle East? Certainly not. Is God a man who created everything we see? Wrong again. These stories are just perceptions filtered through the limited human mind. They are not ultimate truths. Is God male? No way. This is an erroneous interpretation by the male ego.

"God" is the Life Force

One can think of God as the life force or sentience that permeates the cosmos, gravity or levity, it matters not. As an example of such an energy, one can take a plug and stick it into an electrical outlet - this is what becoming spiritual is all about. One becomes plugged into "God." But think about that electrical life force: It has no form. In other words, it's not a human being. It has no gender; it's not a male. It has no color; it's not white. It has no size and no container. That life force, or "God," is not a giant white man, as we have been told, who can mysteriously incarnate himself through the womb of a virgin of any particular ethnicity. Rather than being historical, these are myths that are merely symbolic for the creation of matter out of spirit.

In the Far East, this life force has been discerned as and termed "the Tao." The Tao is the "thing" that makes birds chirp, cats purr and the sap of the trees run. We can also call it cosmic consciousness. It is simply an energy, sentience or spirit that pervades all things. Far from having gender, as we have been led to believe, it is the magnetic principle between the male and female potencies. It is also the male and female polarities themselves. This Great Spirit, Tao, or God, encompasses all things. If it is not all-encompassing, it is not God. Anything less than the total is not God. The definition of "God" is omnipresence itself. Nothing is outside of "God."

For the rest, please see What is God?

Human Abusers

Are you a human abuser? Have you been taught and brainwashed that human beings are pathetic born-in-sin pieces of garbage? If you're a Christian, you have been taught just that, and if you're a reformed Christian by any other name, such as a New Ager or Buddhist, you likely still believe that humans are horrible wretches who need constant work and "processing," "enlightenment" or other fixing. If you're a Buddhist/New Ager, however, you have entirely missed the point of "enlightenment," in that you do not approach others as if they are "the Buddha," i.e., with dignity and respect. In the case of human abusers, other people are decidedly not the Buddha but merely disgusting and foul human beings who deserve to be abused.

This rude and obnoxious perspective is unfortunately widespread, as people the world over do not approach each other with kindness, love and respect but with suspicion, mistrust and exploitation in mind. There is a reason to be suspicious, of course, since many human beings are foul and will indeed exploit one and do one tremendous harm. But, there needs to be a balance between living in fear of evil people and happily trusting good people and enjoying life. How do we find that balance?

First of all, we need to stop brainwashing - braindirtying, as the case may be - our sweet, innocent little children into believing that they are bad, dirty and sinful. How very cruel it is to tell a cute little child such garbage - and how abusive. As far as I am concerned the Christian crud being programmed into little children constitutes child abuse, and its insidious effects are all around us, whether or not the individual calls himself a Christian. Child abuse is not easy to overcome, as it leaves a permanent scar on the psyche - and that's the whole point of proselytizing Christianity, replete with the gore of human sacrifice called "the Passion," to an innocent child's ears and mind.

At a carnival recently I observed Christian evangelists painting children's faces for free. The catch was not that there was Christian proselytizing literature lying around but that the children were being preached to as they sat there. In a low, sinister voice obviously designed not to be overheard by the parent, the proselytizer would robotically pick up a colored crayon, dip it into water, begin painting the child's face and whisper what the color represented. I didn't hear much other than what the color black represented: To wit, sins, such as "vandalism" and "drug addiction." The sinisterly whispering proselytizer recounted a litany of such sins, all represented by the color black, and told the child that "the punishment for sin is death." Nice, hunh, to tell a small child? Now, what is that innocent child going to think everytime he or she sees the color black? What about black people?

Sorry, but doing this brain-dirtying to your children or other people's children is not a "godly" mission but child abuse, pure and simple. And it is not something that we can just look away from, as the results of this abuse permeate our world, with adults who become human abusers. As a critic of such behavior, I am frequently on the receiving end of such abuse, by individuals who arrogantly and egotistically believe that they know me and that they are better than I am and hence have the right to abuse me. My person has been characterized by such individuals - who run the gamut of labels - in every evil manner imaginable, so that they can justify their sadistic abuse of me. If you read my writings, you will notice that I very infrequently "attack" named or designated individuals. On my entire TruthBeKnown website as well as this blog, I can only think of one person whom I have named and pilloried, other than a couple of sentences addressing bad behavior on the part of a couple others. Otherwise, I do not personally attack anyone, unless I myself am thus attacked. In such a case, of course I will defend myself! What did they expect when they attacked me? Ah, but you see, human abusers expect you to lie down and take it, beg for mercy and agree with them about how evil and unworthy you are. That's the response they want. So if you actually defend yourself, they become even more abusive and start ranting about how "angry" you are. Oh yes, I've heard it all - and what a demented mindf**k that one is! Well, of course, I'm angry, you psychotic moron! You just came into my face and started personally attacking me, casting all sorts of foul aspersions and falsehoods upon my character.

The fact is that people who are abused as children often grow up to be abusers and that religious proselytizing to a young, innocent mind frequently constitutes child abuse. The most "religiously" abused children are often the most hateful adults. So, if someone describes him or herself as "religious" or even "spiritual," watch out, as he or she will likely fly off the handle and become extremely abusive if his or her self-righteous surface is scratched. The remedy for such ongoing and multigenerational abuse, of course, is to remove its source, in this case the brainwashing of sweet, innocent minds with the hateful idea that they are born-in-sin pieces of garbage. Shake it off! Get rid of it and celebrate life!

New Age Phonies

News flash: I didn't just fall off a turnip truck yesterday. In addition to the weeping and wailing from the believing camp and the snooty disregard from the non-believing camp comes the nose-in-the-air pretensions of the New Age crowd - all of these factions are united in their attempts to dismiss my opinions. The Christians, of course, are quite convinced that they have got the true and correct belief system, while the atheists believe the same thing, and the New Agers are certain that they are the chosen people. All have one thing in common, and that is the conceit that they each know it all.

My opinions are vexing to the Christian because I'm perceived as an "atheist," while the atheists get up in arms because I'm "too mystical," but the New Agers are sure that I haven't experienced enough satoris or samadhi. (You see, you need to have a fancy Indian name as a pedigree for your mystical experiences, or they don't count.) In order to garner respect from the New Age snoozers, who seriously believe that they can think themselves into and out of any situation, you must park your cushion and spew a bunch of meaningless platitudes about "love,"
"God," "the universe," "spiritual union," etc. I got news for you, been there, done that. I've had just about every mystical experience in the books, which is why I don't entirely dismiss them - a fact that gets me into trouble with the atheists. I've read the best and worst of 'em, meditated upon my navel for hours on end, experienced countless satoris - including the "Cosmic Orgasm" or "Oneness with the universe," which is widely perceived as "enlightenment." It is this reality I have experienced that has allowed me to see what I see.

The conceited New Ager who believes that he or she is residing in pristine reality is no less deluded and no more enlightened than the average religious fanatic. The New Age goal seems to be to accumulate enough wealth to be able to live in hot tubs on Maui. I have rarely encountered a hardcore New Ager who wasn't completely self-absorbed in his or her attempt at becoming egoless. The most fanatical of these almost have less respect for other people than the members of the tribes to whom New Agers arrogantly pretend to have become superior. They are always talking about "self-help" and "processing," and they assume that everyone else is as messed up as they are. "She needs this and that," they smugly pronounce as they pettily psychoanalyze each other. If you haven't done their favorite group, you're nowhere, man.

Meanwhile, with their heads in the clouds, life passes by the prancing New Agers, so superior and smug in their mystical beliefs. The truth is that the plateau that these individuals are stuck on is called "spiritual arrogance," not enlightenment. Enlightenment is x-ray vision that allows you to see through the crap, not a billowing balloon of hot air that blocks the view.

Beddru is Beddou is Buddha

In the past several years, the Jesus-mythicist school has been embroiled in a Kersey Graves-induced Beddru-ha-ha that has left insolent Christian apologists cackling and howling in a most unprofessional and unseemly manner. Joining in this cacophony has been the woefully uninformed response from the unbelieving world. Woefully uninformed, I say, because to my knowledge no one of the past 130 years or so since Kersey Graves wrote "The World's 16 Crucified Saviors" has ever looked as in depth as I have into the sources of the many assertions made by Graves. Despite this lazy lack of investigation and study of a salient subject that surely merits nothing less than a CSI-style forensic examination, the naysayers have nevertheless written contrived and capricious commentary which reveals that they are indeed less than expert on the subject, in a variety of ways, but especially as concerns Graves himself and the reasons for his claims. In fact, it is obvious that several of these hypo-critics have not even read Graves's book in the first place!

For the rest of the article, please see Beddru is Beddou is Buddha.

Good God!

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.... And God saw that everything he had made, and behold, it was very good."

So begins Genesis, the first book of the Bible, widely purported to be "God's Word," written by the very finger of God himself. But perhaps God should have left his handiwork at that, as what follows and what we are currently up to our eyeballs in, isn't particularly "good." You see, God next made the mistake of taking a handful of mud and giving it life, calling it "Adam," meaning "ground" or "earth."

Unfortunately, according to the biblical fable this creature God created is for the most part so atrocious that God eventually has to send a flood to destroy almost all humans on the planet, except for Noah, his wife, their sons and their wives. God, apparently, doesn't like to take shortcuts by just snapping his omnipotent fingers to change his error-filled creation, but evidently enjoys the drama of flooding the entire earth and watching all its creatures struggle in terror and die.

Which brings me back to the present, when a flood of biblical proportions seems warranted once again. Not that I would want to bring it on, but, see, God himself has this funny way of not really fixing things in his creation but simply wiping them away when they get too messy. He's not really a very good creator in the first place, as he makes some really lousy stuff - e.g., MAN, who is so imperfect that God can hardly contain himself in trying to fix him. Heck, God even came to earth as his own son, performing this bizarre human sacrifice trick that supposedly fixed everyone by wiping away all of those sins that God apparently mistakenly imbued man with in the first place.

So many sins, so little time, God sighed. Evidently, God had a big bag of sins lying around, so when he created Adam he just had to toss them into the muddy mix. Ah, say the believers, but that's where the Devil comes in. Well, no devil is needed, thank you very much, as God can take care of himself. Are you saying that God needed a perfect foil for his little drama, so he brought in the devil to torment and destroy what his Word supposes is his finest creation? Why, that sounds like blasphemy!

In any event, looking at the world's situation, where there are a bunch of human beings with a slew of differences, from skin color to political to religious, I have to wonder, what was God thinking?

Naturally, that's a rhetorical question, because this situation, where all these diverse human beings will simply never get along, pretty much proves that the biblical god is a myth, not a reality. Of course, the response to this rhetorical question will be also to blame the humans for their obviously overwhelming nature - endowed in them by their Creator, according to this mythology - and to invoke the case of "free will." But, that's merely a puerile and deleterious excuse to explain why this omnipotent and perfect God made such a cruddy creation in the first place.

The sooner more human beings question these issues, the better off we all will be. If humanity does not wake up to this free will-activated ability to question the concept of God and the universe, we will never see an end to the constant bloodshed and horror around the globe. And, so long as we are conditioned to believe that we are superior to other people because of our erroneous religious beliefs, we will never recognize the "god" within ourselves and other human beings, in order to afford us, them and all life with the dignity we deserve.

Imbecilic Religion

As one may imagine, I've had my fair share of battles with arrogant, know-it-all religious fanatics on the internet, a good place to confine such battles if one wishes to have a social life. My perspective on religion and mythology is largely based on an anthropological model, with an eye to learning and knowledge. My emphasis on debunking the falsehoods within religion is secondary to my discoveries during my intellectual travels. In fact, the debunking only came because of my discoveries of the falsehoods and the unmitigated conceit that religion imbues in its adherents. I am first and foremost a scholar and scientist attempting to learn whatever I can about subjects that interest me. Fortunately for me, I do not have any religious beliefs to stand in the way of gaining such knowledge.

Not so with the majority of people who consider themselves "religious." The most fanatical are completely egotistical that they have found the "right" religion or belief system and that all others are false. Therefore, not only are they not to study any other religion but in fact they are supposed to shun all knowledge outside the limited framework of their beliefs. Hence, religious fanatics - God's most faithful - are also the most ignorant of humanity. Their ignorance is not limited to religion, however, as they gleefully and arrogantly slip their uninformed tentacles into just about every aspect of life, mucking up the works not with intelligence and facts but with smart-mouthed heckling and snide contempt of everyone and everything that exists beyond their extremely limited knowledge and education.

Trying to share interesting and important information and facts with religious fanatics is like attempting to sleep on a bed of nails. It is highly unpleasant and generally a complete waste of time. There is simply no reasonable person there who can say, "Really? Wow, that's interesting!" when they come across new information - and such utter ignoramuses must come across new information on a constant basis, since they know so little to begin with. Religion is the only arena in which the most ignorant person may be considered an "authority!" In religion, the less you know, the better. And it is so obvious to those of us who are not ignorant but who have studied these subjects that the real authorities like it that way, as one look at the manmade book of propaganda called "the Bible" will prove.

For example: "Obey the authorities in everything," squawks Paul, the establishment shill. In fact, at Romans 13, Paul exhorts:

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad....For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.

And to whom is honor due? 1 Peter 17 has the answer: "Honor the Emperor!" The author of that epistle prefaces that remark by stating:

Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right... Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect...

Next, Paul tells the Corinthians (1 Cor. 14:33-35):

As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silence in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as even the law says. If there is anything they desire to know, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

More of the same sexist and barbarous blather can be found at 1 Timothy 2:11:

Let a woman learn in silence and with all submissiveness. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet woman will be saved through bearing children, if she continues in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.

If we inquire as to where sexism comes from, we need look no further than the "Good Book." The foaming-at-the-mouth abuse hurled my way over the years has certainly often smacked of such institutionalized sexism and misogyny. After all, I am a woman speaking "in church," i.e., the religious arena, and having authority over men! How dare I?! No matter what facts or information I may bring to the table, the lazy-minded and unintelligent bigots can swat it away simply because of my gender.

Paul further tells the Ephesians (6:5):

Slaves, be obedient to those who are your earthly masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as to Christ...

Again, at Colossians 3:22, Paul says, "Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord."

And again, at 1 Timothy 6, Paul states:

Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be defamed.

Keeping slaves in line is obviously an important matter to Paul and his ungodly handlers, as at Titus 1:9, Paul once more exhorts, "Bid slaves to be submissive to their masters and to give satisfaction in every respect." But it isn't just the slaves, as a bit further at Titus 3:1, Paul tells his followers, "Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for any honest work..."

Not a word here objecting to the fact that there is slavery, and, of course, these verses have been used for centuries by unscrupulous and immoral "men of the cloth" - doing the Lord's work, naturally - to justify slavery. Yes, much more important than ending the suffering of millions of human beings, including children, has been the Lord's "good" name and "the teaching!" Ah, what a great religion!

I don't think it could be more obvious who really wrote "God's Word." The fanatic bibliolaters are in reality simpleminded pawns of the elite. But, my, they are good little ignorant foot soldiers, as they troll the internet looking for people who may have the audacity to point out the emperor's ugly naked body. The "religion of God" is actually the religion of the authorities, who are only too happy to keep their followers in a state of idiocy and ignorance. Their methods are to shut down the spread of knowledge - which is to me the heart of life - by training these moronic followers to ridicule and sass those who are usually far more intelligent and educated than they are. Hence, the world is often under the bullying dominion of mealy-mouthed know-nothings who personally attack those who are not in the same state of braindead mind control as they are.

Frankly, it is imbecilic to revel in such a lack of knowledge. It is the mark of imbecilic religion to encourage ignorance. Unfortunately, such blind faith is not merely imbecilic but also insidious and dangerous to the freedom and health of mankind and life in general.

The Da Vinci Cod, Part Deux

Despite all the brouhaha, the "Da Vinci Code" movie seems to have evaporated into the ethers. To my knowledge, nobody's talking about it. There is, however, a repercussion of Dan Brown's work that needs to be addressed: To wit, a cottage industry of individuals claiming descent from Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. Without naming names and URLs, and giving them publicity or Page Rank, certain people are claiming to be descended from "the Merovingians" and thus, according to the legends popularized by Brown and the "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" authors, they are the direct descendants of Jesus Christ!

First of all, being a descendant of the Merovingians is not particularly unusual, as recent news articles have declared: "Genealogists discover royal roots for all. Millions have provable descents from medieval monarchs." I myself am provably descended from English King Henry II and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, who constitute one set of my 24th great grandparents. Much to the dismay of many people, I imagine, genealogists also state:

The longer ago somebody lived, the more descendants a person is likely to have today. Humphrys estimates that Muhammad, the founder of Islam, appears on the family tree of every person in the Western world.

The same could be said of Jesus Christ, were he a historical person who actually mated with Mary Magdalene. Crunching the numbers, practically all of us Westerners would be "grandkids" of JC and MM. According to the Jesus-in-India myth, many Easterners would also be descendants of Jesus, as would thousands of Japanese, per the Jesus-in-Japan myth!

But, it is my contention that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene are fictional characters, straight out of mythology, so they could not be spawning anyone, whether or not these claimants are descendants of the Merovingians. I further contend that these Merovingian legends are fiction designed to give that faction the "divine right to rule." The innocents among us appear to have little idea as to certain developments throughout the ages regarding mythology: Importantly, numerous families over the millennia have claimed descent from this god and that godman. Apparently, these recent claimants are oblivious to the claims of divine ancestry for all Egyptian kings and pharaohs, as well as for the royalty around the world. Were these claims of past royalty true? Did the gods who fecundated the mortal women who gave birth to these kings and queens really exist and walk the Earth?

In Greece, ruling families loved to claim they were descended from the Greek Son of God, Hercules. These families were called the "Heracleids," and they dated back many centuries before the Christian era. Does this fact mean that Hercules really walked the earth? If, by scientific scrutiny, we have determined that Hercules is a mythical character, then by the same scientific scrutiny - and integrity - we must also determine that Jesus Christ is a mythical character. Hence, no one - no matter how much they wish to be special - is descended from Jesus. It's all just another smelly fish story.

Are You a Slob?

The following remarks were inspired by comments on my post about the Buffett-Gates merger, specifically regarding whether or not rich people are to blame for the state of the world.

While it is clear that in many places and under many circumstances, poverty on this planet is caused or exacerbated by greedy individuals who take advantage of others, the state of poor people is not always blameable on anyone or anything other than themselves. For example, while doing a favor for a friend recently, I ended up in a horrendous double-wide trailer occupied by some very slovenly individuals who were couch-potatoing it in front of the television while their "house" fell apart around them. It gave me the heebie-jeebies just being in the place. I am told that the husband, who looked quite able-bodied, doesn't work, while the wife holds down a fairly high-paying job, but you wouldn't know it from the condition of their home and property. Among other trash, rusted remains of cars riddled the outside, while dust and grime covered everything inside. The roof and ceiling were rotting, while the linoleum was missing on the majority of the kitchen-dining room floor. The TV, however, was a big, costly widescreen, hooked up to cable, of course.

I also visited another person not long ago who lived in a total wreck of a house complete with tarp on the roof. She had been approached by organizations and companies to fix the roof, using government money, but she "just couldn't get it together" to follow through.

In the past I have also spoken to homeless people, asking them why they don't take advantage of programs to help themselves. A number of them stated that they would rather live on the streets than "go to the hassle." I also made the mistake of allowing a homeless person to stay with me for a few days. Apparently, you can take the homeless person off the streets, but you can't take the street out of the homeless person. I gave this guy a beautiful wool coat someone had left at my home. That afternoon he came home with it absolutely filthy - he'd been dumpster diving in it.

In many parts of the U.S., with its extraordinary abundance, there is little excuse for living like these folks. It is obvious that laziness and lack of self-examination play a big role.