Of conspiracies, revolutions and coincidences.
Submitted by magilum on August 30, 2007 - 4:33am.I want to talk about some of the things I used to believe in when my universe was smaller. Some of my family had always been in the habit of visiting a new age shop on the westside. They sell statues, crystals, rocks, medalians, buttons, herbal tea, window stickers, prisms, and lots of books and magazines. One such book, "Behold, A Pale Horse," was lent to me by a cousin. She still displays it proudly, alongside a giant yellow book called "The Matrix." It was supposedly written by a former navy man, William Cooper, who emplored in the introduction, "I have no reason to lie to you," or some such. It was my first exposure to the most dark and rococo or conspiracy theories. The moon landing is a hoax, the government is holding aliens, the Trilateral Commission and the Illuminati are running the world, and the government plans to ignite Jupiter into a second sun. Last I'd heard, the author was involved in a shoot-out with police on lawn.
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Creationism is more trouble than it's worth.
Submitted by magilum on August 29, 2007 - 6:15pm.The Creation Science/Intelligent Design movements are, at their best, an imitation of science that fails to incorporate its defining characteristics in a way that could transform it into an actual science. The scientific method helps one overcome his/her subjectivity in interpreting data and generating hypotheses. The religiously-based pseudo-sciences begin and end with their prejudices. A scientist is forced to continually reevaluate his/her assumptions based on new data. Their religious counterparts start with a seed of the already implausible, and proceed to spin elaborate rationalizations around what is plainly the failure of their hypothesis.
Greydon Square Album Available!
Submitted by Anonymous on August 29, 2007 - 5:15pm.THE COMPTON EFFECT ALBUM
 #0050 RRS Newsletter for August 29, 2007Submitted by hellfiend666 on August 29, 2007 - 3:43am.
This post is a bit shorter than usual, but still some interesting stuff, to be sure. Thanks for reading, if you have any comments or suggestions you can reach me directly HERE. Or on Myspace HERE. Table of Contents
RRS Radio stream will be sporadic over next few daysJIST OF THIS POST: EXPECT THE STICKAM ROOM TO BE DOWN OFTEN OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. WE MIGHT EVEN MISS OUR FRIDAY NIGHT BROADCAST. DETAILS: Total expenses so far are around $3,000. If we make the enhancements to our sound (pro tools, new compatible mixer, pro audio card, and new mics) that we should make to step up our game, we'll be looking at about another $2,000. I am waiting to see how much our sound quality is enhanced when we try our new and improved computers, before I take that plunge. I should note, all of this was purchased with personal savings from before I started RRS, RRS doesn't generate enough income to make purchases like these (yet). I feel I'm investing in our future, I hope you folks stick around and enjoy it with us. Because of all these enhancements, parts coming on different days, major computer overhauls, and product switching, a total of 4 computers being worked on, and my lack of knowledge on some of the installation procedures... you can expect that the stream will be down quite a bit over the next few days. I hope to have all of the work done by Tuesday (Aug 28th) of this coming week and we'll be stronger and better than ever before. The RRS conference room will be up as usual. We have also made enhancements to our bandwidth, including two more enhancements on the way. This should max out the potential of audio and video being transmitted via the web. Once all of the upgrades are made, it will be reasonable to exclude our home as the source of any lag you receive while hanging out with us on stickam. If you happen to build computers for a living or have a very thorough knowledge of the trade (intel cpus), and would be willing to be our tech support if we have any issues, please feel free to reach out. I think I have it covered, but it would be great to know I can call someone for a quick tip if needed. (skype search: "Brian Sapient")
RRS Michigan social gathering at AlbertsI've decided the next meeting will simply be a social gathering at a nearby restaurant/bar called Alberts on the Alley on Thursday, August 30th. I'll be getting there around 6:00 pm. If your not familiar, it's at the corner of Ford Rd. and Middlebelt at 5651 Middlebelt Rd, Garden City, MI - (734) 525-5231. The food is good, and the drink and food prices are great! I'm hoping this will draw more of you reclusive bastards out so we can discuss and just get to know each other. Hope to see you all there, but please RSVP me at [email protected] so I know how many will be attending. I plan on getting everyone who attends up to speed on what the other RRS Local affiliates are up to lately, and what we can do to help their efforts.
Hope to see you there! Ohio Rational Responders Activist DiscussionCome and join us for coffee and activist discussion in the Barnes & Noble Cafe! Sorry this is so short notice guys - please come out if you can! This will be a bi-weekly event for those who are interested! Feel free to bring a friend! When:  Letter to God from a atheistSubmitted by Dalbert342 on August 28, 2007 - 10:08pm.[b]OK,guys..I am new here but have something too confes..I think the non-exsistant God must be a idiot...lets look at the proff,shall we? 1.Intelligent Design[what a freaking joke] According too the Intelligent Design theory,or puff-the-universe-is-here theory,as I call it..God is supposed to have created Earth just as he wanted God,if you are watching this..you are a freaking moron.First,you create Earth in the most fucked up position of all in the solar system..where life goes bye-bye every 200 million years or so,and pure hardworking nature has too start over everytime,damn...thats just a move you can expect from a jerk like you,dear asshole in the sky Are you high?Submitted by magilum on August 28, 2007 - 6:30pm.Here's another head-scratcher: "Higher Power." I've heard non-committal "spiritual" people refer to this, even quizzing me on whether I believe in one, with a straight face. Though not a typical conversation of the sort, a (former) friend made some kind of argument about energy. "When you fart, that's energy," he continued. I simply said I didn't believe in a "Higher Power." You're not escaping the logical problems of "god" by muddying the language. What is this "power" "higher" than? Is it hotter, bigger, smarter, heavier: what? There are innumerable things bigger, hotter, more energetic than us. Maybe we'll find something smarter someday. But what's it have to do with anything? Advocates of this "higher power" -- that's likely just a bastardization of whatever "god" they're too lazy to worship in earnest -- are of course supposing that they have some kind of access to this "energy," that it's relevant to them in some way. »
Christianity is a cult.Submitted by magilum on August 28, 2007 - 5:28pm.Most of my family is nominally Catholic. Only a few are hardcore Christians, and a few more make frequent vague references to religion. I've been been thinking about the word "god." It's a generic word, and in using it to refer to a specific mythological deity, it implies said deity has somehow risen to a level of legitimacy where it becomes synonymous with the generic word. In my head, I've been replacing all references to "god" with "Yahweh," or "Jehovah," or "Allah." That small shift in thinking has shown me, on an emotional level, how indistinct the Abrahamic faiths are from cults and obsolete mythologies. SiddharthaSubmitted by Hamandcheese on August 28, 2007 - 1:28am.These are my initial reactions upon finishing Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. Siddhartha response A His whole journey up to the end, is him suffering, and consciously rejecting (at least trying to) his self. When he finally finds enlightenment he is accepting his ignorance and character flaws, and lives like the rock -- not as indifferent, but as tolerant, loving, and accepting: The rock and the tree accept the spots where they are planted, as opposed to the sufferer, like the Samanas, who go through self deprivation in order to find the same revelation. This is the underlying irony of Siddhartha. Siddhartha's naive son does the opposite by running away from his father. The self is thus the default. It is what every man processes at birth, and is what the naive man tries to breach. »
BloggedSubmitted by Hamandcheese on August 26, 2007 - 8:09pm.Just an opening post to mark the beginning of this new blog. I'm writing this, mainly, to vent the frustration I have dealing with creationists, biblical literalism, and the "moral majority" in general. I feel ill with the knowledge that my country borders the country wherein reside innumerous Kent Hovinds, Michele Behes, and Ken Hams. So, in solitary protest, I'll post my thoughts and opinions here, where they can be recycled in the future for essays and school assignment. The next post immediately after this one will be one I wrote, in part, for this sites Essay Contest. Naturally, »
 The ProblemSubmitted by zwan94 on August 26, 2007 - 1:17pm.To get to the root of the matter... Xians know that they cannot back up their claims except with other faith-based claims. Now, I've seen this work well with other Xians, but not with atheists. The atheists I know use rational + logic formula to dissolve Xian arguements. Xians utilize the same formula to attempt to prove their claim. This has never, ever worked. Everytime I have seen a Xian use a logical process to support whatever he might be talking about, he/she gets their ass handed to them. I want Xians to know the only way to convince me of the supernatural will be to show me evidence. |
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