Do people really believe you can't celeibrate Christmas without Jesus?

I live in an area of the country that has more churches then it does gas stations. Most if not all of these churches have signs saying how Jesus is the reason for the season. I have for the last few years read a few sites with the history of Christmas and have to say that the only reason Jesus is even involved is the church was attempting to rid the world of pagan rituals. I found how many of the traditions aren't based on any christian rites but come from pagan rites. http://www.holidays.net/christmas/story.htm In the USA it wasn't until the mid 1800's that what we see as Christmas took form here in this country. http://www.thehistoryofchristmas.com/ch/in_america.htm

I think if Jesus was actually important to christians for Christmas they wouldn't be out there spending small fortunes on gifts that tend to end up on the shelves unused after a few weeks or so. I have no idea how much is spent on Christmas gifts each year here in the USA but figure it is in the high millions if not over a billion. If all the people who celebrated Christmas would take just half the money they spend on unneeded gifts and give it to actual charities, churches aren't charities to me, how many people would be helped around the world? I have always understood that Jesus was all about love and helping those less fortunate. People, at this time of year, give a little to help get gifts and food for those less fortunate but never seem to have enough end the problems. I don't remember anything in the bible about giving those not in need of help expensive gifts and ignoring the ones needing help paying electric and other utilities. I do agree that there are people out here that will abuse any help they get but most people aren't that way. There are also people that need to have hard times to get it though their heads that they need to reset their priorities. I was talking with my brother-in-law during Thanksgiving and he give me a good example of someone that needed to rethink how he was spending money. We just got the lottery here in this state and one of the guys my bro-in-law supervises came to him wanting to borrow some money for animal food because he was broke. He was asked what had happened to his money and he said that he had been playing the lottery and had a streak of bad luck. This type of person doesn't need help but needs to have it rough for a short time.

Churches aren't charities, they are just distribution centers for people that give them stuff to give away. I know that there are some that do put some small amounts of money into their communities but most wouldn't rate very high on groups that rate charities. Most of the churches I have noticed never use the money they get from their members to help others. The items they give out usually come from individuals and companies but the churches take credit for it as charity they are doing.

What does it mean to be openminded?

What does it mean to you when someone says they are open minded? I believe anyone that claims to be open minded must be willing to throw everything the know and believe out the window. Only when someone is willing to throw all of that away and rearrange his/her thinking to what has been shown to be the actual facts should they use the term open minded.

I have seen many times where a person will claim to be open minded but when you ask them about getting rid of their current beliefs, they always stop in their tracks. Only people who have allowed themselves to think for themselves tend to fully understand what it means.

My dog

Just trying something.

Another video

This is just to funny.

Funny video.

I saw this video on http://unreasonablefaith.com/ and it is so funny to me and shows how lacking religion actually is.

Why support churches?

Why do people think that churches are a charity? This is one reason I know that religions are not about what they claim to be. I have been checking out what some people are paid to lead a church and find it amazing that people think it is in line with their so called man-god. I think I understand why but know most people within the religions will always deny it. They are so into money and power that they have to make their religion seem it is how their god shows them favor. If they were really all about doing good for others they wouldn't spend billions every year on building churches and salaries for those in positions of power. They would build structures that would accommodate their needs and the rest of the money would be used to improve living conditions of the people within the community. Until the people within religions really start caring about others outside their beliefs they will continue to breed haters and will lose their power. I am glad they will never figure this out and am hoping that they will become just a side note in what not to be.

Is she in the right?

I heard this story on the radio today and decided to see if it was true. The question I have was she in the right to do this. http://www.neoskosmos.com/news/en/Crete-penis-woman-burns-penis-Malia-woman-burns-tourist-in-Crete

Guys cutting their penises off

I have decided to post a few links to some stupid things people do. This is going to be a post of people who have cut their own penises off for different reasons.

#1 http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/13/1058034876991.html This guy seemed to be hungry.

#2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penis_removal This is a history of penis removal but because it is wiki there could be errors.

I was hoping there would be more stories but was only able to find a few.

What causes faith and doubt?

I very much doubt I can answer this question but do have a few ideas about it. I am 45 years old and can say I have never had much faith in others or religions. That isn't to say I don't trust people, I do trust and usually give it to easily. Why do people have faith in something they have no real proof of other then what they create from within themselves. They will deny what others have done for them just to give credit to what they have faith in. I was reading a blog and it was about how people think praying and having faith makes the special. It was actually asking why would their god answer their pray while denying that same answer to others. Did they think they were special and the ones denied were less faithful? Faith has probably done more harm then good.

Everyone has doubt in all things. The amount varies but without doubt we would still be stuck in the stone age. Think about it and you might get it. I will expand on this in another post.

Questions

I'm not really sure what this will be about nor am I concerned. This last weekend started pretty good but went down hill later. I am half owner of a boat and we were trying to get this hose hooked up but couldn't ever get the snap ring into place. A few phone calls later we found it will cost between 150-350 dollars to fix it. I figure we will end up doing it our selves but that will take time since we all work and not well versed in boat mechanics.

I have been reading a lot of blogs and find many of them helpful in being able to defend myself from the more religious of people. I don't know if it is good or not that I haven't had any real contact with someone I would say is to extreme in religion. The last person I had any contact with quit talking with me about religion because I always questioned his beliefs. He was probably the third or fourth person in the last 5 years that has told me I ask to many questions. I don't feel I ask enough and that I should be doing more asking. What causes people to think there are questions you shouldn't ask of them?

I think it is fear that causes people to avoid being around others that question their beliefs. There are times I get frustrated at the many questions people ask on other blogs but I don't run from them. I answer the ones I can and if it is an interesting question I will research it to find an answer. I do at times not respond to questions but those are ones that have been asked several times and answers have been given. It isn't my problem that the answer is what they want. If they really want an answer they should find it on their own until they are sure they have the correct one. That doesn't mean that they have the correct answer but one they can live with.

Should I be more forgiving to people who are christian? There is a post on http://www.atheistrev.com/2009/06/keeping-your-cool-when-confronted-by.html which will lead you to a story at rational moms website. I left a comment on it but have been thinking some about this. I am leaning more to the being left forgiving. Why should I be nice to someone who has no respect for me or my views. Someone that thinks they can impose on me because of their beliefs only deserves as much respect as they are showing me. I am lucky really, I haven't been confronted lately so it is kind of mute at this time.

Morals

I have been seeing other blogs talking about morals lately. I think one of the main problems with trying to explain morals, is everyone sees differently how we came about them. There are people that say all of our morals come from a deity and others say our morals have evolved. I don't believe either of these views are correct. I see how morals have changed for those claiming they come from a deity. The people claiming they have evolved seem to forget that earlier societies had some morals which was better for humankind but those morals are no longer there. I see morals developing from early childhood and being instilled each day for life.

How have some of the morals of those claiming they are given to us by a deity. Murder is a big one for most theist but when we study history we find that it is ok and not really as big a wrong as most claim it is. How many times have those in power used murder as a means of quieting others. If you think it is ok to kill to prevent others from hearing different views how can you say murder is wrong? A recent event that has cause some stir is the torture conducted by members of our government. Many of those with a fundie view of the world support it. I wonder what they would say if members of their churches were to be tortured? Would they claim it is ok if it is done because there is a chance good information might come from it?

What morals have gone to the wayside? Most of the morals that have went to the wayside aren't as important but still show how some have devolved. It use to be very common for people of youth to aid the elderly without having to be pushed into it. Now it is rare to see people helping each other without someone pushing for it. Look at how a stranded motorist will have to sit for long periods of time before someone stops to offer aid.

I see morals coming from society more then anything else. If you look at all the different societies you see they have similar morals but with small differences. In the more advanced societies you actually have some very manipulative type morals which aren't in the best interest of most within society. Look at how churches and cults are always trying to show mixing with those not of the group is wrong. I see this as a moral which is used to manipulate the members to avoid seeing things from a different view point.

Memories

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_of_the_Lost_(1974_TV_series) Today I turned my TV to the Scifi channel and noticed this show was on. I was around 10 years old when it first aired and I loved it. I made sure I watched it every Saturday morning and figure I had the hots for Holly. Yeah the special effects were terrible but when it was actually made they were the best they could get for the price they paid. I doubt they had a big effects budget since it was a Saturday morning kids show. I noticed while watching it today they used the dinosaur scenes over and over. It has actually been fun watching the show.

Intense Debate commentts added

I am doing this just to see if the new comment add on is working.

Should I be more vocal.

I have been reading a few of the blogs I like to follow and need to ask myself should I become more vocal locally here. As a single person I don't feel the benefits would out weigh the trouble. I have started to try and find others with similar views to get together with. I am thinking about being more active in the local government and feel that could be a step in the right direction. I am starting to look more into the laws and policy's before I go more into it. I don't think there is much that is done that truly affects me directly because of my beliefs. That could be because I avoid getting into situations where it could create problems.

I am hoping that I can find people who are around here that can help in bringing to peoples attention that their beliefs aren't set in stone.

To much time off.

I hate when it is to wet to work and figure at times others that don't even know me do also. When I am not working I spend a lot of time online usually making comments at other blogs. Since I am not the most educated person on any subject, I figure some just avoid my comments. I don't mind that because I am mainly making the comments to help me guide myself to a reasonable line of thinking.

I saw a comment by an atheist today that made me start thinking about what it means to convert others. People will make comments claiming they aren't trying to convert others but isn't converting others the main reason we discuss differences we have. I know sometimes these discussions go no where, while others times it leads to compromise. People may not think they are trying to convert people but isn't that what we are all trying to do from time to time. Yes there are times that we aren't really pushing what we believe on others like we are trying to convert them. If you are trying to get someone to change their view, even when it is just an opinion it is still a form of converting.

I am still working on the questions of morals and I feel people need to quit thinking all of this is new. People though out history have been having this discussion. Why do people change their morals? It varies for everyone but figure most change due to pressure from others. Some of the pressure can come from their religion, friends, family, and major events in their life.

Religion will force views that can go against what society sees as morally right or wrong. It doesn't happen this way often since the majority of society has a religious belief. Religion also causes there to be a wall between those with opposing religions. It has been known to create those walls between family and friends. I see any religion that places itself before family and friends as a weakness. If the only way you can maintain a belief in a religion is to put a wall between yourself and others then you are hiding from life.

Friends are one of the biggest influence for most peoples morals after they hit around 14 or 15. Families will still have an influence but many times the friends will use that as a means of showing how the family is holding them back. Friends, like any other influence, can be positive or negative. Most people call it peer pressure but it is still part of morals building.

Families are the first major influence for morals yet many times it can be in conflict with friends and society. How does family influence the morals? I see it mainly in their actions and what they allow their children to do. Since tv has become a big part of family life, what they view will also have some influence. Of course there is plenty of negative influence to go around but as long as the family insures that they know it isn't always the same in real life.

Major events can completely change not just the morals but the way people will live.

Should we judge a group by a small number of the members?

There are many times that people will say in comments on the other blogs I follow that this or that person wasn't a true christian. I think that we can base a lot of what we think of the whole group by this small number. I'm not talking about the ones that use the group they are in to hide their immoral activities but on the ones saying who is and isn't true to the group. What they show me is that to them, they must do everything they can to paint a picture of what christianity should be not what it is. Most of the christians I know only apply their beliefs when it is to their advantage or their groups advantage. One of the ways I point this out is to ask them if other forms of christianity are true christians. A few will say yes but most say that their form of christianity is the only true form of it. I then bring up if that is true then the numbers they claim to support their view that the USA is a christian nation are wrong. If you remove all the people they claim aren't true christians you end up with less then 23% of americans are actually christian. By their logic they should be saying we are a nation based on something other then christian beliefs. The 23% is because that is about what the catholic numbers are. When you break it down by denomination you find most are under 10%.

My early morning visitor

I had this early morning visitor and have found a good home for him. I figure he was washed out of his home due to all the rain we have gotten lately. If you listen you can hear him over the tv and the dog I was holding back from messing with it.

I have been talking about morals lately and I wonder if this is one of those morals. If I had seen this raccoon in the wild by himself I doubt I would have went to the effort to find him a home. Since it came to my door I feel I should do what I can to give him a chance to live on. It probably helps that he is young and I would probably do the same thing for most baby animals.

I have a cat that came to me in about the same way. He showed up on my window sill early one morning and have taken care of him since. That is where I got his name of Winsill.

Morals

It hit me the other day while commenting on another blog that the morals of man weren't given to him as most christians claim. If you read the story in Genesis and believe it is the truth then you have to believe that we only have morals because our ancestors stole them. If this is true then all that people claim about their god must mean nothing. It means that man was able to go against the will of god and that their god didn't have the power to end their lives as he claimed.

When Eve took the bite of the fruit, did she immediately acquire the knowledge of good and evil? If she did, does that mean she was doing good or evil getting Adam to eat of it? I see this as an example of how little people think about what they believe when it comes to religion. Like most stories I have heard from the bible, upon looking into them they fall apart. I see this as the main reason religion says not to examine it. I have never looked into the muslim religion heavily and am not planning to but figure that if you look into it closely it also will fall apart. I could be wrong about all of this and am willing to examine anything presented.

I see people always claiming different things about where and how we got morals. When you examine the different ways people claim we get our morals it can be very confusing. Myself I believe our morals aren't set in stone and change as society and individuals change. Christians claim that morals are an absolute and they never change. If this is true then most of the people of the world don't live by good morals. Many of what were good morals in the bible are now considered morally wrong. If they are absolutes as claimed then they should still be morally good now. Some of the things I see as morally good then but not now, slavery, child brides, forms of hate and others. Yes all of these are still ok in parts of the world but for the most part they are seen as morally wrong now.

Another Church sign.

This church sign makes no real sense if you truly believe in christianty. If you believe in an all knowing god, then if you are looking busy don't you think he would know you are faking it.

What are people real morals?

I have been doing a lot of thinking about the above question. Are morals based oh how we act due to the controls placed on us or are they based on what we would do if the controls aren't there? The types of control I am talking about are those imposed by society and groups you belong to. If you knew there was no chance at all of being caught would you still not do something? I believe that most people have things they would do if it wasn't either illegal or against group norms. I have no facts about this and very much doubt that if you did a survey you would get truthful answers. Another area to see someones true morals is to watch them after they have 3 or 4 beers. If you let them get more then 3 or 4 beers you will find the morals of those around them drinking less. Usually after 4 beers it is much easier to get people to do things they go against but that is more due to the fact that they are no longer thinking though things. I always wonder what I would do if I knew I wouldn't get caught, I like to think I would take the high road but know emotions can easily cause actions that go against what is best. Lets look at how morals have changed in the past many years. When the attacks of 9/11 happened, shortly after the republicans and religious right try to make it morally wrong to question the actions of the President. If you look at those groups now they say it is best morally to question the actions of the President. They have to some extent even called for revolution against the current leadership but I doubt they mean an armed revolution. There are probably a small number of groups that want armed revolution and they always seem to come out when there is leadership that believes talking works as good as violence works. I do believe there are times violence is the only way you will solve some select problems. The problem with most conservatives, the ones that see violence as the first answer, is they seldom think about how the violence they support is hurting more then helping. I see many that turn to violence as the answer have never actually looked at history to see where violence has seldom been the best answer. Yes I know this is just rabbling but my hopes are if someone else does read this they will get ideas for post of their own which will be better worded and I can comment on it to clearify my position there.

Is there an external good and evil?

Why do people believe there is some great external good and  evil? Since I am not educated like most of the writers I read, my answers to questions like this tend to have holes in them. Unlike those educated in the fields involved with the above question I try to find simple explanations. I also think to many people want to use evidence to much. Evidence only works if the person you are talking to wants the evidence to work. To change someones mind you need more then just evidence. Most people who believe in an external good and evil does so from what they believe and claim their evidence is stuff like natural disasters and when things go good for them.

The way I see it, to believe in an external good and evil, you must also believe we don't really control any part of our lives. Wehn you believe that these two forces are fighting over you everlasting soul doesn't that mean that every thing you think has to come from them. I know chrisitans will claim there is free will. Free will doesn't really fit with there beginning some great plan by an external good. I have been told that we have a choose but that how we will chose is already known. The way I see this statement is I have only one choose even though there might be several thousand to make. 

What does this sign really mean.

I saw this sign at a local church and finally remembered to take a picture today. I don't really understand why a perfect god would need glory. Actually I wonder why a god that is suppose to be perfect would creat something anyway. If he is perfect why would he need or want anything? 

Burned myself good today

This isn't the first time I have burned myself but it has been a while. The way I did it was one of the doors on the truck I drive was stuck. I got out to help get it open from the outside. When I pulled on the door it started coming open and my hand slipped off. Because of the motion my arm got against exhaust pipe which has no heat shield. The tempature of exhaust pipes on an 18 wheeler tend to range from 200-500 degrees depending on what the truck is doing at the time. I have a temp gauge for my exhaust and it ranges from as little as 300-1200 degrees. If it gets much above 1200 degrees it can start melting stuff. 

My beliefs

I am non-relegious but don't see myself as an atheist. I know that some people will say what is the difference. That is a good question and to tell the truth I can't really say for sure. In my earlier post I stated that using the right defintion, you can say atheism is a religion. I might call myself non-religios simply because I don't want the hate shown to me that most atheist receive. 

Why don't I believe in some god? There are a few reasons and they are based on both evidence and feelings. I can't say any one reason is more important then any other. I think the one that I use the most is how much hate you see coming from most religions. Allt the moderates of different religions will say their religion is peaceful but then will turn around and bash those that are different then them. The moderates will backhandly support the more exetreme elements of the religion. The way they do this is by not confronting them on the areas of where the exetremist go overbroad. They also help finically but probably don't even know they are. 

Atheism: Is it a religion.

I am going to try and explain this as well as I can just hope it makes sense. When I think about what I want to say it seems to work good but when I type it, it comes out wrong. 

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/religion

I have posted the link to the definition since it is pretty long and I try to keep my post somewhat short. If you look at the 6th definition of religion you could say it is for some atheist. The problem is that it is to easy with these definitions to make anything a religion. 

When someone that is a theist says atheism is a religion, I very much doubt they are using #6 when they say it.  I figure they are using either #1 or #2, when they use one of those they are wrong in their use of the word. When the theist does call atheism a religion they are usually doing it more in defense of their beliefs then trying to prove anything. They are wanting to see everyone as they themselves are. They have to believe they are right or their world will fall apart. 

Shopping Cart

This shopping cart has been in the storm drain for two or three weeks. It was sitting in the yard of a house near by but when it was moved by some kids. The way they have things set up on it, they have been using it to ride around in. I have been thinking the rain we have gotten would have washed it down the drain but it is still around. I figure since spring is on the way, we should be getting some good storms soon. I will try to keep anyone reading this updated on the cart. I know if you are reading this your life is as slow as mine is. 

Yesterday I said something about my dog and here he is. I was told when I got him almost three years ago he is part beagle and bassetthound. All I know is he is pretty good for the most part until the neighbors let their dogs out. He then will go nuts here in the aprt until I take him out or the other dogs go in. His name is Bacon and no I have no real reason for calling him that other then few others are named it. 

I really want to write about other things but until I get a little better at putting my thought down in a blog will have to hold off. 

I have decided I will try posting a picture every day on here and say something about it. This is the backyard where I live. It is a little wet here today and since it is just hanging here at the aprt. The little fence thing you see is there so I can open my door and not let my dog run wild. I do live in town so have some rules I have to live by with my dog. 

How do you make greed end?

I ,like many other Americans, am now wondering what the future holds for me financially. I think to many people are ignoring the main cause of the financial diaster. It isn't that regulations or laws being repelled were the main cause as everyone seems to want us to believe. It is that simple thing called greed. I would love to make more money then I do right now but I am not going to try to cheat, steal or lie to get it. Is my greed under control? I like to believe it is now but 15 or 20 years ago I doubt it was. 

      I believe the answer is to make greed what it is. Greed in my opinion is another of those human actions that can be controlled and has to be controlled. I know we all for the most part believe we would love to rich beyond our dreams but whem I talk to most people who have retired it seems different. They like most people want to remain active not because they are set with enough money but because they can't remain idle. I believe to end greed as it is now anything considered a luxury should be heavily taxed. That includes large salaries and benefits. What I would like is a list of items readers would consider luxury items.

   Some of the examples I go with are automobiles valued at over 25,000 or so. Homes larger then around 1500-1800 sqaure feet. Any type of designer clothes or jewelry. Now I know some people will say they need a bigger home because of a big family and I agree but for the average family that is a good size home. The car thing would also have some play since many businesses need special types of vehicles.  

I wish I could make what I write.

I really wish I could put words down as good as they seem to sound in my head. I also have the same problem when I try putting into words what I want to say on select subjects. When doing either I will usually forget a few key points I am wanting to make and when these are pointed out it seems I am trying to BS my way out of a hole. It would be helpful when talking about a subject to have notes handy but with most of my friendly talks I never know what subjects will come up. Now when I am expecting to be discussing a subject it is easy to have a few notes and even go over what I plan to say beforehand. I know when I am thinking about it most of what i work on comes out ok until I try saying or writing it. So if anyone has some good points for this without actually attending classes for it, not enough money for that, please say in comments.