Biology trumps spirituality

Here's another in an occasional series of "deconversion" stories. Though there are many more over at debunkingchristianity.com I only feature those that stir a responsive chord in me. This one is from a former Seventh-day Adventist and hits at the point that even learned Bible scholars can see the light eventually. As a Christian Scientist I had taken "the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life," and studied the Bible diligently, applying the unconventional interpretation that religion imposes on the texts. Gradually, over several years, several of the supporting concept of Christianity began to crumble. I could no longer believe in the doctrines of the virgin birth, the resurrection, or even the very existence of the person who is claimed to be the founder of Christianity. Eventually this led to my complete disbelief in the existence of any "supreme being" or individual "Creator" of the universe. Like "Evan" in the following account, the evidence of evolution became the universal acid that dissolved every supporting column of spiritual belief.

My departure from Christian Science, and all forms of "spirituality," came as a result of long and deep thought, observation and testing. After thirty years of immersion in a specific form of it, Christian Science, I believe my decision should not be taken lightly by those who continue to cling to spiritual beliefs. I am someone who has gone before you and worked it out. I encourage you to take on the adventure for yourself. I'm not saying it will lead you to bliss -- in fact, it will probably be difficult making the transformation - but you can rest in the conviction that your views are more truth-based than any religious or spiritual doctrine.

Here's an excerpt from Evan's story:

I was a believer in biblical inerrancy and a young-earth creationist just like all those around me. I was the best in my age group at Bible trivia (we called them Bible sword drills) to the point that our Sabbath School teachers would keep me from playing because it wasn't fair to the other kids.

In high school some of my friends were growing disillusioned with our church and I listened to their arguments but didn't find them compelling until I got to college. I wanted to go to medical school eventually, but I initially declared a major in Religion while taking all the science prerequisites needed for my premed aspirations. The second quarter of my freshman year, I took a class in Jesus and the Gospels. This was the first exposure I had had to higher literary criticism of the Bible and my exposure to the textual theories about the Gospels astonished me, and made me realize the all-too-human nature of the text. This also led me to investigate other German theories regarding the Bible including Graf/Wellhausen, which confirmed my concerns.

My study of religion abolished my faith in biblical inerrancy and I changed my major to biology.

I began to see strong evidence for evolution, even though all my professors were young earth creationists.

Full text at: http://debunkingchristianity.blogspot.com/2008/02/my-deconversion.html

Top 50 Dumbya sayings

• 50. "I promise you I will listen to what has been said here, even though I wasn't here." -at the President's Economic Forum in Waco, Texas, Aug. 13, 2002 
• 49. "We spent a lot of time talking about Africa, as we should. Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease." -Gothenburg, Sweden, June 14, 2001 
• 48. "You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test." -Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001 
• 47. "I am here to make an announcement that this Thursday, ticket counters and airplanes will fly out of Ronald Reagan Airport." --Washington, D.C., Oct. 3, 2001 
• 46. "Tribal sovereignty means that; it's sovereign. I mean, you're a -- you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities." --Washington, D.C., Aug. 6, 2004 (Watch video clip) 
• 45. "I couldn't imagine somebody like Osama bin Laden understanding the joy of Hanukkah." --at a White House menorah lighting ceremony, Washington, D.C., Dec. 10, 2001 
• 44. "You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror." --interview with CBS News' Katie Couric, Sept. 6, 2006 
• 43. "The same folks that are bombing innocent people in Iraq were the ones who attacked us in America on September the 11th." --Washington, D.C., July 12, 2007 
• 42. "I'm the commander -- see, I don't need to explain -- I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being president." --as quoted in Bob Woodward's Bush at War 
• 41. "F*ck Saddam. We're taking him out." --to three U.S. senators in March 2002, one year before the Iraq invasion, as quoted by Time magazine 
• 40. "Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualties." --discussing the Iraq war with Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson in 2003, as quoted by Robertson 
• 39. "I will not withdraw, even if Laura and Barney are the only ones supporting me." --talking to key Republicans about Iraq, as quoted by Bob Woodward 
• 38. "I hear there's rumors on the Internets that we're going to have a draft." --presidential debate, St. Louis, Mo., Oct. 8, 2004 
• 37. "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family." --Greater Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 27, 2000 (Listen to audio clip) 
• 36. "Do you have blacks, too?" --to Brazilian President Fernando Cardoso, Washington, D.C., Nov. 8, 2001 
•  35. "This foreign policy stuff is a little frustrating." --as quoted by the New York Daily News, April 23, 2002 
•  34. "My plan reduces the national debt, and fast. So fast, in fact, that economists worry that we're going to run out of debt to retire." --radio address, Feb. 24, 2001 
• 33. "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." --on "Good Morning America," Sept. 1, 2005, six days after repeated warnings from experts about the scope of damage expected from Hurricane Katrina 
• 32. "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." --Saginaw, Mich., Sept. 29, 2000 31. "I would say the best moment of all was when I caught a 7.5 pound largemouth bass in my lake." --on his best moment in office, interview with the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, May 7, 2006 
• 30. "They misunderestimated me." --Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000 
• 29. "Because the -- all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those -- changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be -- or closer delivered to what has been promised. Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled." --explaining his plan to save Social Security, Tampa, Fla., Feb. 4, 2005 
• 28. "For every fatal shooting, there were roughly three non-fatal shootings. And, folks, this is unacceptable in America. It's just unacceptable. And we're going to do something about it." --Philadelphia, Penn., May 14, 2001 
• 27. "This is an impressive crowd -- the haves and the have mores. Some people call you the elite -- I call you my base." --at the 2000 Al Smith dinner 
• 26. "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream." --LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000 
• 25. "I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe -- I believe what I believe is right." --Rome, Italy, July 22, 2001 
• 24. "See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda." --Greece, N.Y., May 24, 2005 
• 23. "People say, how can I help on this war against terror? How can I fight evil? You can do so by mentoring a child; by going into a shut-in's house and say I love you." --Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2002 
• 22. "I wish you'd have given me this written question ahead of time so I could plan for it...I'm sure something will pop into my head here in the midst of this press conference, with all the pressure of trying to come up with answer, but it hadn't yet...I don't want to sound like I have made no mistakes. I'm confident I have. I just haven't -- you just put me under the spot here, and maybe I'm not as quick on my feet as I should be in coming up with one." --after being asked to name the biggest mistake he had made, Washington, D.C., April 3, 2004 
• 21. "You forgot Poland." --to Sen. John Kerry during the first presidential debate, after Kerry failed to mention Poland's contributions to the Iraq war coalition, Miami, Fla., Sept. 30, 2004 
• 20. "We've got a lot of rebuilding to do. First, we're going to save lives and stabilize the situation. And then we're going to help these communities rebuild. The good news is -- and it's hard for some to see it now -- that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house -- he's lost his entire house -- there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch." (Laughter) --touring hurricane damage, Mobile, Ala., Sept. 2, 2005 
• 19. "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." --State of the Union Address, Jan. 28, 2003, making a claim that administration officials knew at the time to be false 
• 18. "The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." --Washington, D.C., Sept. 13, 2001 
• 17. "I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority." --Washington, D.C., March 13, 2002 
• 16. "Can we win? I don't think you can win it." --after being asked whether the war on terror was winnable, "Today" show interview, Aug. 30, 2004 15. "I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace." --Washington, D.C. June 18, 2002 
• 14. "I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn't do my job." --to a group of Amish he met with privately, July 9, 2004 
• 13. "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed." --speaking underneath a "Mission Accomplished" banner aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, May 1, 2003 
• 12. "We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories ... And we'll find more weapons as time goes on. But for those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong, we found them." --Washington, D.C., May 30, 2003 
• 11. "Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere!" --joking about his administration's failure to find WMDs in Iraq as he narrated a comic slideshow during the Radio & TV Correspondents' Association dinner, Washington, D.C., March 24, 2004 (Read more) 
• 10. "Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?" --Florence, South Carolina, Jan. 11, 2000 
• 9. "As yesterday's positive report card shows, childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured." --on the No Child Left Behind Act, Washington, D.C., Sept. 26, 2007 (Watch video clip) 
• 8. "If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." --Washington, D.C., Dec. 19, 2000 (Listen to audio clip) 
• 7. "I'm the decider, and I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the Secretary of Defense." --Washington, D.C. April 18, 2006 (Read more; listen to audio clip; watch video clip) 
• 6. "There's an old saying in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee -- that says, fool me once, shame on --shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again." --Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002 (Watch video clip) 
• 5. "Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." --Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004 
• 4. "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." --Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004 (Watch video clip) 
• 3. "You work three jobs? ... Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that." --to a divorced mother of three, Omaha, Nebraska, Feb. 4, 2005 (Listen to audio clip) 
• 2. "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." --to FEMA director Michael Brown, who resigned 10 days later amid criticism over his handling of the Hurricane Katrina debacle, Mobile, Ala., Sept. 2, 2005 (Listen to audio clip; watch video clip) 
• 1. "My answer is bring them on." --on Iraqi insurgents attacking U.S. forces, Washington, D.C., July 3, 2003

Almost laughable: What the Republicans have come to stand for

From a forwarded email. Too true to be funny:

To be a Republican you need to believe:

1. Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary
Clinton.

2. Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's
Daddy made war on him , a good guy when Cheney did business with him,
and a bad guy when Bush needed a 'we can't find Bin Laden' diversion.

3. Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is Communist, but trade
with China and Viet Nam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

4. The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our
highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq .

5. A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but
multinational drug corporations can make decisions affecting all
mankind without regulation.

6. The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in
speeches, while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

7. If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

8. A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our longtime allies,
then demand their cooperation and money.

9. Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy, but providing
health care to all Americans is socialism. HMO's and insurance
companies have the best interests of the public at heart.

10. Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but
creationism should be taught in schools.

11. A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable
offense, but a president lying to enlist support for a war in which
tens of thousands die is solid defense policy.

12. Government should limit itself to the powers named in the
Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the
Internet.

13. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a
conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers
for your recovery.

14. You support 'Executive Privilege' for every Republican ever born,
who will be born or who might be born (in perpetuity.)

15. Support hunters who shoot their friends and blame them for wearing
orange vests similar to those worn by the quail.

If you do or don't send this to at least 10 other people, we're likely
to be stuck with more Republicans in '08.

Friends don't let friends vote Republican.

Goodness without godness

I follow my friend Laura's blog because I'm interested in the evolution of her thought, not because I subscribe to the theological ideas she espouses. On occasion, she brings up a topic that elicits a response from me. In a recent post she references an article dealing with her question: Is America a Christian Nation? The following is my answer:

What does it mean to be a "Christian nation?" Is it any different from being an Islamist or Jewish or Hindu nation? When we state the name of a religion do we mean to include all its trappings such as church institutions, "commandments" or laws and the apparatus to enforce them? Does it mean that the "nation" uses a common "book" for its guide to doctrine and morals?

All of the above seems very limiting to me. If the question means: what are the values to which a nation subscribes, then the highest ideals of ALL of them would be included: such as respect for life, freedom of thought and expression, compassion, generosity, and the like. All of which, in the end, are really human values, the things that experience has shown work best to promote the progress and well being of the race.

But as soon as those values are tied up in the belief of some kind of deity, some kind of non-human authority, everything falls into confusion, rivalry, antagonism and a general reversal of those values. I'd rather a nation be "humanitarian" rather than religious in any sense. The Founders of the United States had the right idea for the most part. They extracted the best human values from religions and codified them as distinct from any "brand."

Unfortunately, many Christians have construed the few passing semi-theological allusions in the Declaration, Constitution and currency to assert that America was intended to be a nation that holds to the existence and authority of a supreme being who has anointed a church and its ministers to carry out its will. When such theocrats gain office (ahem) they can commit all sorts of atrocities because they have god on their side.

Let's get back to the original intent that there be SEPARATION on every level and in every way between the conduct of government and religious theories. We can be good without god.