What to thank when things go right

This is a tough one for rational humans. Religious fools thank god for everything, of course. But they're not alone in this impulse. It seems all humans feel thankful when things go well. Even we evil atheists feel this emotion now and then.

Perhaps we've been trained to do this by a society that is so heavily influenced by religious nitwits. But on the other hand, it could be part of our evolutionary heritage. Maybe animals tend to be thankful. Seems to me I've seen some mighty thankful animals in my day. I don't think we've got the market cornered on this one.

So what is a rational atheist to do with all the damn thankfulness she feels? Who or what should she thank when good fortune comes her way? Well, let's see . . . she could choose to remain trapped within this "thankfulness" meme and look around for something or someone to thank. Or she could step outside the boundaries and merely be thankful. Why does there have to be an object or agent involved in thankfulness? We are thankful; period. That pretty much does it for me. No need to whip up some spooky being and kneel on thumbtacks in front of a statue of it.

Yet I must confess that at rare moments, even I want to thank something. So what I do is thank the universe.

I try to envision everything that exists, and I tip my hat to it. But I don't thank it for being benevolent; the universe is not some kind, caring creature that watches out for us. On the contrary -- it's a harsh and violent place with not a whit of kindness in its nature.

I thank the random events that gave us a sun that hasn't gone nova (yet). I thank the vagaries of chance that have allowed us to escape extinction for so long. I thank luck for enabling life to thrive on this lovely planet that's not too warm and not too cold. And I feel intensely grateful to be here, to be allowed to exist. This last item is the greatest prize of them all.

Works for me. How do you handle thankfulness in your life? What do you do with it?

Religion is selfish

Religious people are so selfish that they are ghastly to look upon. They are abominations.

Think about it. It's all about them and their "salvation", isn't it? Nothing else in the universe matters except that they persist like the most virulent virus, all the way into eternity. Consider how repulsively self-important this endeavor is.

And all the people who don't believe in their little cult? They can go to hell, literally. So the religious not only get to go to heaven, they also get the thrill of knowing that everyone else will burn in agony for all eternity. Kids, too! Anyone can be thrown into hell. It's an equal opportunity kind of place. So it's a win-win thing for the religious -- splendor for them; suffering for eternity for everyone else. Oh, and their god is "love". Sweet, huh?

No, it isn't. It's sickening. These religious fools think the entire universe -- and the multiverse, should it exist -- revolves around them. Nothing matters except that they snag the grand prize. Reality is just a big mirror for these folks -- there's nothing but them and their goddamned salvation.

And when they finally do claw their way into heaven, they will live forever, alongside other, brain-dead beings just like them, folks who followed the same, pinhead path and never allowed one new idea to enter their brains. And for this selfish, dimwitted philosophy, they demand our respect -- and eternity.

Religious people are disgusting.

Nutters everywhere

Two of MSNBC's main headlines today:

"God was behind Big Bang, Pope says"
"Experts: Mass bird deaths are not apocalyptic"

Phew, huh? Thank goodness god exploded the universe into being and he's not trying to kill us all right now, huh? I'm so relieved!

Nutters. We are living in a world of blubbering idiots. I can't wait to see how "apocalyptic" they try to make things before the day of doom: May 21st. Now don't forget: dress properly for the Special Day of the End Times. I guess a totally enclosed, fireproof suit would be the best thing to wear.

Seriously, these are two of the six main headlines today on an actual American media web site. Not World Nut Daily, but MSNBC! Like we need to "know" this stuff. What a world.

There ain't no god, people. Wake up!

They just want their Cracker Jack prize

Religious people are full of talk, and every bit of it is gibberish. They say we must do this or we can't do that. They scream about how they are the only ones who know the rules of morality (while all the while acting immoral). So what's the story?

It's only about one thing. These are the most selfish people who ever lived, and all they really want is their Cracker Jack prize -- eternal life. Woot! And that's all it's about. Grabby, grabby gimmee. That's the entire story.

There's an article today in Associated Press about christian fools who believe May 21 will be the End of Days. (Take a moment to laugh; I'll wait.)

They quoted one dingbat woman who said:

"A lot of people might think, 'The end's coming, let's go party,'" said Exley, a veteran of two deployments in Iraq. "But we're commanded by God to warn people. I wish I could just be like everybody else, but it's so much better to know that when the end comes, you'll be safe."

That's all it's about folks: gettin' their damn Cracker Jack prize. They want it and they'll crab and push and scream to get there. Of course, the delicious thing is that they never will.

When you die, you die. But christians are too scared to face this undeniable fact of life: it ends at some point.

Never think of these pigs as pious or earnest or good or caring. They are only rushing down the stairway of the World Trade Center, shoving everyone else aside. They're going to get out and the hell with everyone else. They're going to be saved!

Cretins, pigs and cowards. That's all they are. And if you don't believe me, just imagine what would happen to christianity if god took away the Cracker Jack prize. Would there be such a thing as christianity if there wasn't a brass ring for the "faithful" to snag, if they couldn't hope to live forever?

I doubt it. Besides, I think a major component of these people's "religious joy" is the filthy hope that the rest of us will burn in hell while they enjoy their Cracker Jack prize for all time.

NOM says gay marriage perfectly fine

This morning Joe.My.God posted excerpts from the blog of the officially-recognized hate group, NOM (National Organization for Marriage). The following quote is from Terry Duke, dean of the Tennessee Bible College.

"There are two basic ways of looking at marriage. Either humans invented marriage or God created it. If marriage is a human arrangement, then a society may alter it at will or do away with it altogether. But if marriage is a divine institution, then only God has the right to say what it is and who has the moral right to be in it." [My emphasis.]

There you go: marriage between two men or two women is perfectly fine -- and you got that straight from the horse's ass mouth.