Thursday, January 17, 2008

Introduction

Introduction: please read this first


This series of articles is only intended to be about the people whom I specifically name. It is very easy for people to read articles that are critical of people, organizaions, and groups that they admire, agree with, or follow, and think that the criticism is about themselves, personally, since there is a shared belief. Be aware that criticism of people and organizations do not always neccesarily apply to everyone. Be aware that when I name a person, and criticize them, I am only talking about them -- not to anyone who has a belief or two in common with them.

For example, if I criticize a certain person (whom you may admire) for having said or written something that I believe is racist or reflects badly on them, do not assume that the same thing applies to you, simply because you admire them or may have a lot of beliefs in common with them. If I criticize a specific person for what is clearly written in one of their books or which they are recorded to have said, and you disagree with it, then you have no reason to be upset with my criticism. When I criticize a person or group of persons, I am only talking about those people, not about everyone who happens to follow or admire them. I try not to be so general as to say things like "All Christians are bad because of this..." or "Anyone who likes this person is just as bad as they are..."

Clearly we all admire certain people, especially if we feel that their influence has been very positive in our lives. Sometimes, we hear unsettling news about those people whom we admire, and our first reaction is to either to be skeptical of the news, or assume that whoever is bringing the news is attacking everyone who admires this person. Human beings are flawed and some of the most admirable people have a darker side that they try to hide from everyone. Sometimes, their secrets get out. It doesn't mean that all of their teachings are invalid, or that all of their followers are stupid or blind, or that everything you learned from them is wrong. It simply means that they are flawed; are we not all flawed? Do we not all say or write things that we later come to regret?

So please keep that in mind, and if you are the least bit skeptical of what I write here, by all means, check out the footenotes and links, and see for yourself if what I am saying is true or not. I will attempt to document as much as I can, and I encourage you -- whether you agree with me or not, to comment on what I write, and suggest corrections. If anything I write is shown to be in error, I will change it.

Introduction 2: What this is about


I am an atheist. I came to this belief after decades of being a Christian, and experiencing close personal interactions with religious people who I learned a lot from. Ironically, it was my reading the Bible from cover to cover, when I was in High School, that convinced me that atheism was the rational choice. When I read it, attending a Christian Bible-study group, it became clear to me that the people who wrote the Bible believed a lot of trully irrational things -- things which we know aren't true. Ancient Hebrews were afraid of menstruation, making women go through a series of ritual cleansings, and performing purification ceremonies on anything that they touched while having their periods. They believed that spraying animal blood around was a way to cleanse or purify; I found this no different from many pagan customs. I also wondered why as Christians, we knew that slavery was wrong, but the Bible clearly promotes it. On top of that, scandal after scandal in the Religious community, from Catholic priests molesting children to Jerry Falwell's sleazy takeover of the PTL club, caused me to wonder if these people were as honest as they claimed to be.

It was during the 1980s that I first noticed a lot of clear signs that the Christian Evangelical Fundamentalist movement, which we now refer to as the religious right, was saying a lot of things that were clearly either untrue, or which seemed disingenuous or deceptive. From Creationist authors deliberately misquoting scientists whose books I actually read, to Televangelists deliberately slandering liberal politicians with outrigt lies (Such as Jerry Falwell's broadcast and selling of a videotape that proclaimed that then President, Bill Clinton had over 60 people murdered -- an allegation which has been thoroughly debunked), and strange reversals of opinion (Many Evcangelicals were against the civil rights act back in the 50's and 60's, then strangely changed their opinions, even claimed that they always were in favor of black civil rights, in spite of their former statements.

It became clear through decades of incidents like that, and by reading much of their literature, watching their TV shows, and confronting them live in person that I was convinced that there was a serious problem with the leadership in the Evangelical community -- they either believed that the end justifies the means (That it's okay to lie and trick people, as long as the end result is that they get saved), or they were terrible hypocrites, or worse. So this blog will attempt to provide support for my opinions, and expose these "liars for Christ" for what they are.

Again, if you are simply a curious Christian, this is not about you. This is about people whom you may know about from their media appearances, or from their fame, or whose books you may have read. That these people are liars, cheaters, thieves, and propaganda artists, doesn't, in any way shape or form imply that Christianity, or Evangelical Fundamentalism is wrong or bad. It simply is saying that the individuals being criticized are. I invite your opinions and ojections, because I expect to get some. They are helpful, because they help me better write in a way that is less likely to be misconstrued. Sensitive topics are always difficult to write about, without someone getting offended by something that was not written clearly or precisely enough.

Thanks!

David W. Irish

17 comments:

CapnOAwesome said...

Even as an Ignostic, I can see you are pretty intolerant. Don't worry, this is the fist post I'll address on my blog, devoted to tearing your arguments a new one.

CapnOAwesome said...

The silence is awe-inspiring....

David W. Irish said...

CapnOAwesome said...
"The silence is awe-inspiring."

What -- like I'm waiting there at my computer for you to make a post, so I can respond instantly?

Hey, dumbass -- only 5 hours passed between the time yourt posted your first post and the time you posted the second one. During that time, I was not at a computer -- because I have a life and am not some internet addict who pretty much lives online. You'll be lucky if I answer any post of your within a 48-hour period. Unlike you, I actually have a life that involves being away from a computer -- sometimes for a week or more.

GamingAsshole said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
GamingAsshole said...

Hey Psycho Dave, I've watched this guys video blog, and he even admits to being an internet addict. He's going to expect responses in 20 minutes tops.

I have family members who have almost destroyed their lives by becoming addicted to the internet. They particularly quick responses to any electronic message, no matter what the circumstances. Their reasoning is, "Well, it gets there in a second, so they should respond with the same amount of speed." If someone did not respond to an e-mail or some other form of message in five minutes, they would believe the recipient was avoiding them and secretry held contempt for them. No joke.

David W. Irish said...

Gaming Asshole wrote:
"Hey Psycho Dave, I've watched this guys video blog, and he even admits to being an internet addict. He's going to expect responses in 20 minutes tops."

I've seen his videos too, and my impression of him got lower with each one! This guy reminds me of a friend of mine from Arizona who literally LIVED online, and lost job after job because of his addiction to trolling.

"I have family members who have almost destroyed their lives by becoming addicted to the internet. They particularly quick responses to any electronic message, no matter what the circumstances. Their reasoning is, "Well, it gets there in a second, so they should respond with the same amount of speed." If someone did not respond to an e-mail or some other form of message in five minutes, they would believe the recipient was avoiding them and secretry held contempt for them. No joke."

I'm sure he's similar, but I personally think he's just a trolling addict, just looking for attention.

CapnOAwesome said...

But I have a job, how could I be a trolling addict? Seriously numbskull bitch dave, think.

CapnOAwesome said...

Excuse me gamingasswipe, but I do not expect messages back that fast. Why are you guys attempting to gangrape me?

David W. Irish said...

Capnasshole wrote:

"But I have a job"

What is it -- sphincter inspector at an asshole factory?

Capnasshole wrote:
"how could I be a trolling addict?"

Well, let's see... You're trolling all the time... You got all bent out of shape when I didn't reply to your message within a few hours... Go figure, Einstein.

Capnasshole wrote:
"Seriously numbskull bitch dave, think."

Writing like that must have gotten you good grades in school... The "special school".

Capnasshole wrote:
"Excuse me gamingasswipe, but I do not expect messages back that fast. Why are you guys attempting to gangrape me?"

Uh -- sorry Capnasswipe, but you're the one who's fucking himself. We're not attempting anything, really. You're doing all the work for us, making a dildo out of yourself. You really should stop your self-masturbatory grandstanding. It's just really... sad.

GamingAsshole said...

Hey Psycho Dave, I decided to do a lot more research on capnoawesome or this dildo as you put it, and found a lot of conflicting information, so much it makes me think he's either an extreme schizophrenic or just a plain trolling liar (I assume the latter).

I recently watched this video of his:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3nB4IG4ks84

And by golly, I was surprised to find that it was a rational, well thought out video that I mostly agreed with. This does not match the character capnoawesome is playing with us. Is just simply lying? Well, I found that he's no stranger to outside lies:

"If you don't believe in evolution, you can't be president because you are too fucking stupid. End of story. Also I talk about a lot of other stuff in this video. "

(Video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=wqUZ5xsn1Mw)

That's a quote from a description of a video of his where he plain says he will never support any presidential candidate that does not accept evolution. Right after the description, he writes this:

Ron Paul Rally: 7:30 PM PT
Westin, 1900 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA

Ironic, isn't it? Ron Paul has repeatedly said, before and after this video was made that he does not accept Evolution, and that "it's just a theory." Has Capnoawesome renounced his support for Ron Paul? Nope.

I also found out that he says he wishes the US Senate was more like Pat Buchanan, which makes him an even more dopey liar (although it gives more credence to the idea that he's a racist).

That's jut my two cents on Private Douche master. Hope you enjoy the nickname I gave you capn!

GamingAsshole said...

Spelling corrections:

*Is he just simply lying? Well, I found that he's no stranger to outright lies:

GamingAsshole said...

Psycho Dave said:

"What is it -- sphincter inspector at an asshole factory?"

Holy shit, Psycho Dave that was really funny! You should go back to writing satrical pages of religion on your website. They would really rock.

David W. Irish said...

That's practically why I'm not going to pay attention to the asswipe anymore. He's basically acting like a troller -- more concerned with being outrageous and getting reactions than he is in having any actual discussion. I came to the conclusion, after our exchanges plus seeing his videos, and reading his newsgroup postings, that he will say anything, including contradicting himself, if it will get a reaction from you.

In his first post, he claimed he wasn't a racist, then by the last post, he said that he didn't like Jews, and that blacks should have just toughed out all the discrimination and "taken it like men", which essentially are the words of a white supremacist. But somehow, claiming that he doesn't like Israel because they are Jews is not a racist statement in his opinion.

That's like a pedophile claiming that he's not a pedophile because he only likes to have sex with consenting boys between 12 and 16, and that he is merely a homosexual, and you're discriminating against him and the boys he has sex with.

I realized that no matter what, he was just going to keep going an going, and he would never provide proof of his assertions nor acknowledge that he was mistaken -- his goal was to simply wreak havoc and see how long he could keep the discussion going.

The bottom line is that he simply wants attention. He wants to push people's buttons, and see how far he can go before they explode. I've seen dozens of trolls just like him. They are a waste of time.

CapnOAwesome said...

Hey numbskull bitch dave, you shouldn't argue with people when you have NO FACTS.

Your accusations mean shit.

See you next argument :).

David W. Irish said...

Hey numb skullbitch imposter, I don't believe you are the same captain whose videos are on youtube. I believe you are impersonating him, and that you are also misrepresenting his beliefs.

There are 2 ways for you to prove that you are not an imposter.

(1) Reply to the message I sent to your Youtube email address.

(2) Make a video on your youtube site mentioning my name and this blog

ITs All About Jesus !!!! said...

@ the Atheist,

I have news for you Shipmate. You were never a "REAL" Christian. Christians do not forsake Jesus Christ in this way and BAD MOUTH the "hand" that has fed them thru the years, and SACRIFICED His body for your sake and mine.

Your problem is that you NEVER realized "ALL HAVE SINNED" and you need Jesus Christ to be SAVED on Judgment Day. Your self righteous
like the Pharisees.

Do you remember this excerpt from the Scripture ?

"Depart from Me! I NEVER KNEW YOU!"

I will ASK to come and Visit you in HELL. You disgust me!

GamingAsshole said...

Who is this directed too?