My wife and I are huge fans of Penn and Teller's show "Bullshit."

On it, they once said, everybody's got a gris-gris. What is a gris-gris, you say?

Superstition.

Bullshit.

Kalisa said that her was dreams. We know from neuroscience that dreams may be as little as "screen-savers" for the mind. Mostly just random firing, and some memory consolidation. But because of therapy, Kalisa reflexively tries to analyze her dreams.

I make fun of her for this, but then I found my gris-gris.

Destiny.

There is no destiny. It is foolish to believe in destiny, it makes you lazy. Instead of destiny what actually exists is opportunity.

Opportunity is striking while the iron is hot.

Opportunity is searching for profit like a buzzard hovers for carrion.

Opportunity is real.

Destiny is false, most of what we interpret as destiny are mathematically predictable events with statistics. Carl Gustav Jung believed in synchronicity, that the universe would occasionally act as a guide to us through coincidences. What madness.

The universe does act in predictable ways, ways in which the mathematics of statistics has the final word.

Even the most amazing of parallel coincidences is predictable to the point of inevitability.

In Natalie Angier's wonderful book "The Canon" she talks about a professor who does a demonstration of the power of statistics.

I have been meaning to write an article on a few of the entries in the most recent BAR. No, not the Browning Automatic Rifle, I’m talking about the Biblical Archaeology Review. Although some of you would probably find the first more entertaining, the latter is really the more important and relevant thing to discuss, as far as I’m concerned. Especially in light of the guest appearance this Wednesday night on our show, Dr. Hector Avalos, and his fascinating book, The End of Biblical Studies.

I generally read through this periodical, not only because I find the articles compelling, but the Magazine as a whole attempts to break the chain of evangelism by presenting—and I mean it really tries hard—the most scientific articles it can find, or that have been submitted. Some are unbelievably inaccurate, and at times the Magazine editor, Hershel Shanks, will allow his Jewish-religious viewpoints to interfere with his choice of articles, and often his choice of words.

Evolutionists are evil

It starts out harmless enough...well almost.

How's that headline? Do I have everybody's attention now? Good. Because a headline like that should get your attention. Would anybody tolerate "Gay Bashing Week" or "Woman Bashing Week?" The very idea is ludicrous. Yet, Dinesh D'Souza can print an article entitled "Atheist Bashing Week" and hardly anybody bats an eyelash. There's certainly not public outrage and condemnation for such blatant bigotry. He was just joking, you say? Even in all of our stunts, which are regularly criticized by atheists (often quite vehemently), we've only dared to tell people that their god doesn't exist or encourage others to say so and post it to YouTube. Even the mind disorder controversy doesn't encourage physical harm or even allude to it. If we haven't had "Christian Bashing Week," you can bet it's because we find the notion repugnant, even in jest.

D'Souza's piece may have been tongue-in-cheek, but that is of little consequence to the typical reader who barely scans headlines and will be even subliminally influenced by this, much less those who don't have the reading comprehension to detect his almost imperceptible sarcasm. Could any of you imagine a "Muslim Bashing Week?" Even if a "Ha ha! Just kidding!" is added at the end, it is still extraordinarily offensive, and the fact that he isn't facing scorn for this piece is evidence that people are still permitted to discriminate against those evil godless heathens.

Here it is. Was 9-11 an inside job?

Listen to this episode

I found this video on  atheistmedia this morning and got incredibly excited about the LHC. I have read a few bits and pieces about the project, but Brian Cox is excellent at  breaking down complex ideas and translating them in layman's terms. The video is about 15 minutes long, and well worth the time. If the LHC delivers what it purports to, we are on the precipice of one of the greatest scientific discoveries of all time. Enjoy!

Once a month I'm going to do a summary like this one:

I don't know how many people are familiar with www.conservapedia.com , but it is a hilarious website. I especially like the fact, that almost every entry references the bible or God in some way. The connection of conservatism here is almost exclusively synonymous with Christian, which makes me wonder sometimes how conservative nonbelievers can be truly conservative, because most of their social ideas seem to hinge on God in some way.

Here are a few choice quotes and entries that are particularly comical.

Homosexuality

Homosexual_agenda

Professor_values

Common Era CONspiracy against Jesus

1. When referencing dates based on the approximate birth of Jesus, give appropriate credit for the basis of the date (B.C. or A.D.). "BCE" and "CE" are unacceptable substitutes because they deny the historical basis. See CE

Intelligent_Design

Examples of Intelligent Design Theory Used in Science

Sorry - this is a long one. For my next blog post, I'll be taking a break from Vox so I can kick somebody else's ass and all of you who keep telling me to drop the Vox project will shut up.  As to the length--I know it's taking absurdly long and I still have 13 chapters to go. I just wanted to do a critique that was so detailed that nobody would need to read the book to know what it says. I may have to go with the more concise plan, though, so I can finish this sometime, oh....before I die.

Vox Day seems to have a proclivity towards using odd anecdotal evidence gleaned from the writings of Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens in order to formulate his arguments against atheism, and he continues in the same vein in chapter three. In short order, we discover that “New Atheists” harbor outright hatred for religion and that we “science fetishists” believe that science “dictates” human behavior, rather than merely describing or explaining it.

Preachers

I just saw the film Marjoe, it totally changed my life. This movie is a Academy Award winning documentary about faith healers, word of faith preachers, and generally the huckstering and thievery that thrives in the charismatic, pentecostal, Assemblies of God, and other types of churches. The dirty world of the tent revival.

I lived for a time in this world of fantasy, and Wizards of Oz who wear the giant curtain on their sleeves. These preachers practice a kind of manipulation the likes of which makes one wonder if the story The Emperor's New Clothes was based on a true story.

I was born again at the age of 19 in the year 1998 in the month of October. I was lead to Jesus by begging for food in a moment of extreme poverty at the heights of the infamous 17th street Punk rock house in Lubbock, Texas. If you've never heard of the 17th street house hear it now, no working plumbing, booze, drugs, skinheads, knives, guns, violence, robbery, it was awesome. I was Peter Pan surrounded by drunken Lost Boys. But instead of finding Wendy to make love to, I found Jesus. What a goddamn waste.

I became a fanatic very quickly. Before I knew it I was speaking in tounges, prophesying and healing my friends of their illnesses with my healing hands as promised in the New Testament of the Holy Bible.

It was fun.