Belief in hell depresses people

Given that religious people are always talking about hell-fire, you'd be forgiven for thinking that they enjoy the idea, maybe even rejoice over the existence of a hell. Apparently not.

After controlling for variables like age, income, education level, religious attendance, and sex, the two researchers again found that belief in Hell was associated with unhappiness while belief in Heaven was associated with happiness.

So why do they do it? Why do they insist on this ill belief in a punitive afterlife that never ends?

“[T]he belief in Hell, and religious malevolence more generally, may contribute to the encouragement of rule following, through the deterrence value of supernatural punishment, but may do so at the cost of well-being,” Shariff and Aknin wrote.

“This creates an intriguing trade-off between the interests of the group, which benefit from the ethical behavior of the group’s members, and the interest of the individual, who shoulders the emotional costs of a society that follows norms out of fear.”

"He was a god-fearin' man." I often hear that said when some religious git dies. To me, it seems like a negative comment about a person who was too fearful to live his life. But religious people see "fear of god" as a plus. Well, too bad. The votes are in. Rather than being healthy, belief in hell is a horrifying notion that takes a toll on believers. Who would have thought the prospect of being burned for all eternity was negative?

I'm sick of religious nitwits telling atheists and gay people that they're going to hell. So it's refreshing to learn that this belief harms them. But in truth, the believers are already in the only hell they'll ever know.

Ditch religion, reclaim your life. Works for me.

Jesus visits Phoenix

There's been a new, incredibly stupid Jesus-sighting. I suggest you kneel as you read the following excerpts from a highly ignorable story. Apparently right now, this very second, Jesus is appearing as a stain on a tile floor at the Phoenix airport. Hallelujah!

The smudge — dubbed the "Tile Jesus" of Terminal 3 — is seeing worshipers flocking in their hundreds to catch a glimpse.

"It's definitely Our Lord Jesus Christ," said unemployed dental hygienist Becky Martin, who's visited the site every day for the last two weeks.

"He appears to us from time to time in ordinary places, to remind us He is here with us always, being our spiritual guide," she added to the Phoenix New Times.

Highly uplifting. Truly.

Religious fools will go wild

So there wasn't one meteor/asteroid event yesterday, there were two. You already know that. But you're wrong, Blanche, you're wrong. There were three.

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba apparently experienced a phenomenon similar to the meteorite that detonated over Russia this week, island media reported, with startled residents describing a bright light in the sky and a loud explosion that shook windows and walls. 

This happened on Tuesday evening. Hoo boy! Are the religious loons gonna go nuts, or what? Three close passes, one of which almost hit. What could it mean? Is jeebus pranking us? Is he unhappy? I expect to see many priests saying stupid things today.

But why do they never say the obvious? The meteorite over Russia was god's way of warning Russians about the dangerous theocracy they're establishing. Jeebus was saying, "church and state don't mix!"

And the asteroid passing over Indonesia was god saying, "Muslim terrorism is an atrocity! Give up religion! Give up the idea of gods entirely!"

And as for Cuba, god is happy because travel to and from Cuba has resumed. This one was a form of celebratory fireworks. Now, let's see what the crazy priests have to say. Should be fun!

What a blow!

PARIS (AP) — French rescue services and police are evacuating hundreds of pilgrims from hotels threatened by floodwaters from a rain-swollen river in the Roman Catholic shrine town of Lourdes. 

Oh, the humanity! Just think of all the people who won't be healed this weekend. I can't believe jeebus let this happen.

Is this a metaphor?

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — A large forest fire that broke out at a remote monastic community where women have not been allowed for a thousand years spread Thursday to a nearby resort area, forcing the evacuation of a seaside vacation village and sending up a thick pall of smoke over the area.

The article also says:

It was not clear how the fire started Wednesday on the Mount Athos peninsula, a World Heritage site and self-ruled community of Orthodox monks that bans women — and even female animals — from entering.

When you have rules like that, stuff just bursts into flames. It's basic physics.

Our lady of the tree trunk

You really have to read this story in the Times. I roared laughing all the way through. Here's an excerpt:

Carmen Lopez, of Passaic, N.J., noticed the knot on July 5 while car-pooling to her job at a perfume factory in Edison, N.J. She brought it to the attention of two priests, the West New York police and finally the mayor.

“Here it’s perfectly clear,” she said in Spanish. “It’s the true one.

Ms. Lopez said that in 2003 she was one of thousands who saw a tree stump found in a Passaic junkyard that many believed also looked like Our Lady of Guadalupe (that shrine was vandalized in May of this year). Ms. Lopez added that the difference between the two is that the one in West New York is more vivid. 

Indeed. Go read the whole thing. You need a laugh.

More religious dimwittery

There's an AP story today about the guy who died while handling snakes for jeebus. I linked to Jerry Coyne's dry summary of the event in the post below. In the AP story, there's this gem from a witness:

"I don't think anyone necessarily expected it," she told the newspaper, "but they've dealt with it before so it's not such a huge shock, maybe." 

It's just a normal day at the office for these folks. Dimwits, one and all. Here's a quote from the guy who died:

"I know it's real; it is the power of God," Wolford told The Washington Post Magazine last year. If he hadn't started handling snakes after returning to his church, he said, "it'd be the same as denying the power and saying it was not real." 

Indeed. And now you're dead. That's what's real.

Airhead Christian wingnuts

There's an AP story tonight on public schools that offer bible classes (!!!) to students. Remember that tired old nonsense about separation of church and state? Apparently it's not too important any more.

The great thing is that the brain-dead schools that offered these classes are canceling them because of the economy. Hooray! Anyway, the reason I'm writing about it is to share two funny excerpts:

"Some parents say they wish their districts had the Bible classes because children need to know how influential the text has been on literature and pop culture."

Huge effects on pop culture. It's odd how I can't even think of one. This was followed by a quote from a Christian wingnut parent:

"Whether you believe in God or not, it's still the word of God and kids need to have that experience."

Like I said the other day, these people haven't taken their brains out for a test drive, never mind used them on a regular basis. It's like they have cotton-candy inside their skulls. Phew.

The Stone's vapid viewpoint

The New York Times has a regular "philosophy" column these days. It's called The Stone, and I haven't seen one lick of sense in any of these columns.

Today's vapid entry, for instance, focuses on this idea:

Atheists, he maintains, need to undertake the positive project of showing how their worldview can take over what he calls the ethical “functions” of theism.

And then it goes on and on about this idiotic notion. Of course we atheists don't have to show how our "worldview" can "take over" the "ethical functions of theism". This is an inane point.

We have no need to "take over" any of the nonsensical realms dominated by religion. We simply know that there is no god. Period.

People are always trying to attach their harebrained notions to what atheism "needs to do". We don't need to do nuthin' -- except laugh at all the idiots who believe in gods.

Hint: whenever a writer poses a question for the "New Atheists", it's a clear sign that nonsense is ahead. Read further at your own risk. And by the way, there are some good philosophy blogs. (For instance, this one and this one.) I read a batch of philosophy blogs every day. The Stone isn't one of them.