The religious learn about one god and believe it all. A fair percentage admonish those who believe in any other deity. Let's find another way.
Take your pick:
Agdistis or Angdistis
Ah Puch
Ahura Mazda
Alberich
Allah
Amaterasu
An
Anansi
Anat
Andvari
Anshar
Anu
Aphrodite
Apollo
Apsu
Ares
Artemis
Asclepius
Athena
Athirat
Athtart
Atlas
Baal
Ba Xian
Bacchus
Balder
Bast
Bellona
Bergelmir
Bes
Bixia Yuanjin
Bragi
Brahma
Brigit
Camaxtli
Ceres
Ceridwen
Cernunnos
Chac
Chalchiuhtlicue
Charun
Chemosh
Cheng-huang
Cybele
Dagon
Damkina (Dumkina)
Davlin
Dawn
Demeter
Diana
Di Cang
Dionysus
Ea
El
Enki
Enlil
Eos
Epona
Ereskigal
Farbauti
Fenrir
Forseti
Freya
Freyr
Frigg
Gaia
Ganesha
Ganga
Garuda
Gauri
Geb
Geong Si
Hades
Hanuman
Hathor
Hecate (Hekate)
Helios
Heng-o (Chang-o)
Hephaestus
Hera
Hermes
Hestia
Hod
Hoderi
Hoori
Horus
Hotei
Huitzilopochtli
Hsi-Wang-Mu
Hygeia
Inanna
Inti
Iris
Ishtar
Isis
Ixtab
Izanaki
Izanami
Jesus
Juno
Jupiter
Juturna
Kagutsuchi
Kartikeya
Khepri
Ki
Kingu
Kinich Ahau
Kishar
Krishna
Kukulcan
Lakshmi
Liza
Loki
Lugh
Luna
Magna Mater
Maia
Marduk
Mars
Medb
Mercury
Mimir
Minerva
Mithras
Morrigan
Mot
Mummu
Muses
Nammu
Nanna
Nanna (Norse)
Nanse
Neith
Nemesis
Nephthys
Neptune
Nergal
Ninazu
Ninhurzag
Nintu
Ninurta
Njord
Nut
Odin
Ohkuninushi
Ohyamatsumi
Orgelmir
Osiris
Ostara
Pan
Parvati
Phaethon
Phoebe
Phoebus Apollo
Pilumnus
Poseidon
Quetzalcoatl
Rama
Re
Rhea
Sabazius
Sarasvati
Selene
Shiva
Seshat
Seti (Set)
Shamash
Shapsu
Shen Yi
Shiva
Shu
Si-Wang-Mu
Sin
Sirona
Sol
Surya
Susanoh
Tawaret
Tefnut
Tezcatlipoca
Thanatos
Thor
Tiamat
Tlaloc
Tonatiuh
Toyo-Uke-Bime
Tyche
Tyr
Utu
Uzume
Venus
Vesta
Vishnu
Volturnus
Vulcan
Xipe
Xi Wang-mu
Xochipilli
Xochiquetzal
Yam
Yarikh
Yhwh
Ymir
Yu-huang
Yum Kimil
Zeus
You don't have to believe in any particular one. It is also possible to see all of these gods as renditions of the same thing. But you try going into a group of one religion and saying that. Try telling them all these gods are a product of a gene found in the brain, not actually something they can talk to, or look up to.
I've done that. The bruises have almost healed.
Showing posts with label atheist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label atheist. Show all posts
Monday, April 20, 2009
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Cold hard facts!
I love a good factual news story. I also enjoy News analysis, features, and editorial opinion from all over the English written world. As long as it is not tweaked into fiction by top-office intervention. I am a media junkie, having worked in film documentary production and TV news work for many years. The reason I moved? I became disillusioned about the media being used for honest information dissemination. As soon as I graduated in journalism, I got the hell out of news. I found the sanctuary of discovering and displaying artistic expression more fulfilling than being told we can't tell the cold hard facts of a real situation.
You wouldn't trust an tobacco industry report on the harmful effects of smoking;
You wouldn't trust an asbestos industry report on the harmful effects of asbestos;
You wouldn't trust a Uranium mining industry report on the effects of nuclear waste;
You wouldn't trust a diamond mining expert's views on the politics of Africa, I for one cannot understand why people ask for life-guidance from Christian priests who have meager understanding of a normal life in society and any political party that stops a scientist telling what he has found, is not to be trusted either.
The cold hard facts of Climate Change have been given to newsrooms for decades. I worked for Greenpeace as a volunteer when not working at TV networks. We were ignored. I wrote so many media releases and went on raids that exposed disgusting environmental destruction, but we were seen by the majority to be vandals ourselves.
The analogy of being the atheist in a crowd of theists is the same.
Some established media outlets are as useful to gather the cold hard facts of a situation, as a church is to gather scientific analysis on any given subject. I love the internet and its ability to let [almost] everyone have a voice. I read a lot of blogs about the atheist life. Makes me thankful that there are more people out there who wonder about what the cold hard facts are. We have to be able to ask the hard questions, voice our found facts, and uncover lies, deceit and evils, in power-halls and church halls.
As Carl Sagan said, "If we aren't able to ask skeptical questions, to interrogate those who tell us something is true, to be skeptical of those who are in authority, then we are up for grabs."
You wouldn't trust an tobacco industry report on the harmful effects of smoking;
You wouldn't trust an asbestos industry report on the harmful effects of asbestos;
You wouldn't trust a Uranium mining industry report on the effects of nuclear waste;
You wouldn't trust a diamond mining expert's views on the politics of Africa, I for one cannot understand why people ask for life-guidance from Christian priests who have meager understanding of a normal life in society and any political party that stops a scientist telling what he has found, is not to be trusted either.
The cold hard facts of Climate Change have been given to newsrooms for decades. I worked for Greenpeace as a volunteer when not working at TV networks. We were ignored. I wrote so many media releases and went on raids that exposed disgusting environmental destruction, but we were seen by the majority to be vandals ourselves.
The analogy of being the atheist in a crowd of theists is the same.
Some established media outlets are as useful to gather the cold hard facts of a situation, as a church is to gather scientific analysis on any given subject. I love the internet and its ability to let [almost] everyone have a voice. I read a lot of blogs about the atheist life. Makes me thankful that there are more people out there who wonder about what the cold hard facts are. We have to be able to ask the hard questions, voice our found facts, and uncover lies, deceit and evils, in power-halls and church halls.
As Carl Sagan said, "If we aren't able to ask skeptical questions, to interrogate those who tell us something is true, to be skeptical of those who are in authority, then we are up for grabs."
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Podcasts
One of my favorite podcasts at the moment is 'Point of Inquiry'.
I cycle to work, some 16kms each way, each day. Listening to many podcasts on my trial, not only keeps me informed, but also awake. Its a long way, and by Friday, I'm a little bit tired. MMMyeah, some days I pike it and I drive. Anyway, most days, I have a bit of dead-air to fill. I also subscribe to 'In Our Time' from BBC4, which covers immensely interesting subjects in great detail, with a panel of experts, 'The Science Show' from the Australian ABC. Now on podcast. Also ABC's 'Media Report', Rob Kaufman's 'Turn off your TV', and good old 'Vox Populi'.
Working in TV over 25 years, then newspapers, radio, and now Web, I know from bitter experience I cannot stand advertising, worse still is Radio advertising, so Podcasts are just brilliant for cutting to the meat of the program.
I cycle to work, some 16kms each way, each day. Listening to many podcasts on my trial, not only keeps me informed, but also awake. Its a long way, and by Friday, I'm a little bit tired. MMMyeah, some days I pike it and I drive. Anyway, most days, I have a bit of dead-air to fill. I also subscribe to 'In Our Time' from BBC4, which covers immensely interesting subjects in great detail, with a panel of experts, 'The Science Show' from the Australian ABC. Now on podcast. Also ABC's 'Media Report', Rob Kaufman's 'Turn off your TV', and good old 'Vox Populi'.
Working in TV over 25 years, then newspapers, radio, and now Web, I know from bitter experience I cannot stand advertising, worse still is Radio advertising, so Podcasts are just brilliant for cutting to the meat of the program.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Imagine
I know, I know,...
But some people have not actually listened to the words, and this is timely.
John Lennon - 'Imagine.'
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one.
But some people have not actually listened to the words, and this is timely.
John Lennon - 'Imagine.'
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Carl Sagan
What a driving force this guy was. Carl Sagan is my hero, plain and simple. Not because he was an atheist, though this is a advantage as well. I know I am not alone in these sentiments, but I'd like to dedicate this post to Carl Sagan.
Image courtesy: Reuters.
'Reflections on a Mote of Dust' Carl Sagan (1934-1996)
(Image from JPL/NASA).
'We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.
The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.
Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.'
Excerpted from a commencement address Carl Sagan delivered May 11, 1996.
Image courtesy: Reuters.
'Reflections on a Mote of Dust' Carl Sagan (1934-1996)
(Image from JPL/NASA).
'We succeeded in taking that picture [from deep space], and, if you look at it, you see a dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever lived, lived out their lives. The aggregate of all our joys and sufferings, thousands of confident religions, ideologies and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilizations, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every hopeful child, every mother and father, every inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every saint and sinner in the history of our species, lived there on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam.
The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of the dot on scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner of the dot. How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the universe, are challenged by this point of pale light.
Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity -- in all this vastness -- there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us. It's been said that astronomy is a humbling, and I might add, a character-building experience. To my mind, there is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly and compassionately with one another and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.'
Excerpted from a commencement address Carl Sagan delivered May 11, 1996.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Not God
Many times, over my 45 year or so life, I've desired an invisible friend. Someone who watched over my shoulder, guiding with whispers, bringing my good fortune and wisdoms. As anyone would, I thought the idea was pretty cool. I heard the odd hard advice come from realizing new solutions along the way, and understood, that voice, was me. Thats all.
Not God.
When I met people in far off lands who then helped me, and introduced me to others, who gave me work and a career path and even introduced me to other people; that was coincidence, networking and good fortune. Thats all.
Not God.
I thought it would be grand to be able to survive death, to stay conscious and come out the other side. I could meet all those long gone relatives and friends, kick on in some strange but glorious place where you could do anything. Hmm, rather like those places Enid Blyton wrote about in 'The Wishing Chair' and 'The Faraway Tree'. A nice dream but adults should wake up to themselves a little. It is fanciful fiction. Don't you think neurology, psychology, medical science would have a few areas of serious research into the splitting of the physical and spiritual at death if it was fact? In real life, when one dies, thats it. Thats all.
Not God.
Not God.
When I met people in far off lands who then helped me, and introduced me to others, who gave me work and a career path and even introduced me to other people; that was coincidence, networking and good fortune. Thats all.
Not God.
I thought it would be grand to be able to survive death, to stay conscious and come out the other side. I could meet all those long gone relatives and friends, kick on in some strange but glorious place where you could do anything. Hmm, rather like those places Enid Blyton wrote about in 'The Wishing Chair' and 'The Faraway Tree'. A nice dream but adults should wake up to themselves a little. It is fanciful fiction. Don't you think neurology, psychology, medical science would have a few areas of serious research into the splitting of the physical and spiritual at death if it was fact? In real life, when one dies, thats it. Thats all.
Not God.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Parental Guidance
OK here's a quandry.
I am an atheist, also a parent. My wife is 'spiritual', meaning she is kinda unsure, but 'fairly conscious of a larger power'. Our daughter is 10, up to asking questions, which I don't want to answer with my opinion, but to only encourage her own clear-thinking analysis. I want her to form her own opinion, based on the world around her. This is working, to some extent.
The school she attends is Anglican Christian, so she hears all the God stories. But she is already clear that she doesn't believe any of it. Nice work! At home, I've never heard my wife tell bible stories or anything like that, and that pleases me. But, how far should we go in negating stories she may begin to believe?
Advice please.
I am an atheist, also a parent. My wife is 'spiritual', meaning she is kinda unsure, but 'fairly conscious of a larger power'. Our daughter is 10, up to asking questions, which I don't want to answer with my opinion, but to only encourage her own clear-thinking analysis. I want her to form her own opinion, based on the world around her. This is working, to some extent.
The school she attends is Anglican Christian, so she hears all the God stories. But she is already clear that she doesn't believe any of it. Nice work! At home, I've never heard my wife tell bible stories or anything like that, and that pleases me. But, how far should we go in negating stories she may begin to believe?
Advice please.
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