Africa is a mortally wounded skull, and other stories

Have you ever wondered why Italy is shaped like a boot? This is just one of the many mysteries that I try to uncover as we search our heavenly Father’s creation and His written word. There are many other recognizable shapes as well that we will look at, especially animals. I hope you’ll enjoy them.

So begins God’s Geography, where the shape of each and every continent is explained with reference to the Bible. Africa, for example

is the most obviously shaped continent on Earth. It’s shaped like a gigantic skull that is mortally wounded, and sporting a horn on its forehead.

Bet you hadn’t spotted that!

I’m hoping this is a fake – if so, very clever. But if not… Well, at least it’s a bit of entertainment. Discovered via Seaneen…

Atheist or agnostic? Or both?

Happy Blasphemy Day everyone! September 30th 2005 was the day the whole Muhammad cartoons controversy kicked off (here he is!), so since then there’s been the campaign to commemorate the day as a way of promoting, and protecting, free speech and the freedom to mock and insult religion without fear reprisal. So here’s to blasphemy!

Anyways, it leads to a regular rant I seem to have with people – the difference between being theistic and gnostic. [You may say the fact so many people disagree with me may suggest that I am wrong, though I prefer to see it as a difference in opinion that should be debated, sometimes with the aid of a large stick...]. I identify myself as an agnostic atheist – I don’t believe in god, but I don’t believe I can know this. What do I mean?

Most would say you’re either theistic, agnostic, or atheist. But technically, at least as far as language is concerned, that’s incorrect. Because there’s a difference between the two – it’s a epistemological question, the difference between belief and knowing.

The word “theism” implies a belief in a god. So those who believe a god exists are theists, those who don’t are atheists. If you’re an “agnostic” in the traditional sense of the term, you’re also by definition an atheist. You do not hold to a belief in a god as you do not accept the claims of theists. You hold a position of non-belief in god. So that is a-theism.

However that isn’t everything when it comes to views on deities. “Gnosticism” is the belief that a human being can possess knowledge about a god. It’s a term about the possibility of knowledge in regard to god claims, nothing to do with a statement of belief in the object itself. Agnostics are holding to the epistemological position that humans can’t actually know anything about something “supernatural” such as the god concept, it’s something beyond “nature” and what is testable. And in fact, many theists agree would agree with this viewpoint, that there’s no way for a human to know anything about a god, only whether they believe or not. They would be an agnostic theist.

A biggy here is the celestial teapot of Bertrand Russell:

If I were to suggest that between the Earth and Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is too small to be revealed even by our most powerful telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my assertion cannot be disproved, it is an intolerable presumption on the part of human reason to doubt it, I should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If, however, the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday, and instilled into the minds of children at school, hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor in an earlier time

The point is, you can believe or not believe in the teapot (theism), but you also need to decide how well you know it’s either there or not there (gnosticism). Most would say they were didn’t believe, but (when pushed), would probably admit that they couldn’t know if it was there or not – it’s unobservable! So why not apply these same two criteria to god?

Texting and driving

This has been doing the rounds recently. Watch it, and think about it.

Watched it? Now go back and watch the whole thing. Not just the crash, but the whole lot. Because what comes after the accident is far more heart wrenching.

I try not to be a dick when I’m driving. It’s not just me I put at risk if I am. It’s not just the people in the car with me. It’s also the other road users who’re put at risk if I am. Innocent bystanders to my being a prick on the road are just as, if not more ,likely to be affected.

So please, don’t use your phone and drive. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t be a dickhead and drive. We’re all on the road because we want to get somewhere, and it’d be great if we could all get there alive.

The ever brilliant Jesus and Mo

I’m in far too foul a mood to write anything insightful or even anything other than an incoherent rant about how much I hate the world, so instead, I link to the always amazing Jesus and Mo comic’s commentary on the new Irish blasphemy law (otherwise known as “welcome back to the Middle Ages, guys”).

Jesus and Mo (click for original comic)

A miracle cure!

If there’s one thing in the media almost as annoying as “Who killed Michael Jackson?” stories, it’s “We’re all going to die of a mild strain of flu that people are confusing for colds because its just that mild” stories. But it’s all going to be ok, because I’ve discovered a treatment. Now one of these is cheap, rediculously easy to get hold of, won’t go out of date in the autum, has a proven track record, doesn’t need a specific website to manage the as-yet unknown side effects, and will sort out your symptoms. The other might, if you’re lucky, reduce your symptoms by a day.

One of thse works. It's not the one on the left.

Now which one should you be stockpiling, just in case?

Lies, damn lies, and statistics

For once, I’m impressed by an article in the BBC News “Magazine“. And no, I’m not talking about porn for blind people (though that is pretty awesome, although possibly quite embarrassing and painful if actually acted out)…

Imagine you’ve invented a machine to detect terrorists. It’s good, about 90% accurate. You sit back with pride and think of the terrorists trembling… You’re in the Houses of Parliament demonstrating the device to MPs when you receive urgent information from MI5 that a potential attacker is in the building. Security teams seal every exit and all 3,000 people inside are rounded up to be tested.

The first 30 pass. Then, dramatically, a man in a mac fails. Police pounce, guns point.  How sure are you that this person is a terrorist? (Michael Blastland)

You may find the result surprising - it’s about 0.3%.

A good knowledge of statistics like this is important, but sadly lacking in the general population. From the stunningly unreliable polygraph tests on Jezza’s human bear bating showto pulled-out-the-ass stats in the media, “the public” are being lead astray and fed false information constantly. To avoid being confused, or worse, deliberately mislead and sucked into someone else’s agenda, you’ve got to see through the “probabilities” and “percentages” being banded around and figure out what they really mean.

So if you don’t know why you’re only 0.3% sure you’ve got your terrorist? Go read the article.

Perspective, anyone?

So, apparently someone famous died last night*. I’m not sure which I’m more impressed by – the fact Wikipedia had already updated with his death before the BBC News had even reported it, or the speed with which the jokes hit Twitter.

But seriously guys, he was only a pop singer. Ok, so he was a rather famous one, who despite his eccentricities made quite a contribution to music. But this behaviour: the wailing in the streets, the desperation to be near his place of death, the panic and mass hysteria – is it really necessary, let alone proportionate?

Believe it or not, other things did happen yesterday. Things that actually impact people, that might make more of a difference to the world. Corus cut 2000 jobs – big impact on the local economy. China started censoring Google again – massive issues for the Chinese and the openness of the web. Evidence was found for water on Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons – a huge leap in the search for extraterrestrial life. The protests in Iran are ongoing. The oil refinery strikes continue. The list goes on… And these are just the big headlines, things still happened on a smaller scale that made far more of a difference to more people than the death of “Wacko Jacko”.

So guys, feel free to be upset that Michael Jackson has died, but wonder whether all this effort that you’re putting in mourning the loss of this one guy is really proportional to the effect on the world this event has, and maybe take a moment to think of all the other people suffering far worse.

*Oh, and “died of a cardiac arrest”? Grrrrr….

It’s a miracle!

“Chase survived in part because hundreds of people prayed to Father Emil Kapaun to intercede on his behalf. It was absolutely a miracle.”…  Prompted in part by what the Kear family has said publicly, and partly by a preliminary investigation begun by the Catholic Diocese of Wichita, a Vatican investigator named Andrea Ambrosi will arrive from Italy in Wichita on Friday.

He will investigate on behalf of the church in Rome whether 20-year-old Chase Kear’s survival qualifies as a miracle; whether he survived a severe head injury last year in part because his family and hundreds of friends successfully prayed thousands of prayers to the soul of Father Emil Kapaun, a U.S. Army chaplain from Pilsen, Kan., who died a hero in the Korean War. (Wtchita Eagle)

Erm, what? Let’s review…

Chase Kear fell on his head while pole-vaulting, and was knocked clean out. 911 was called immediately, and rapidly evaced to hospital. This, to me seems like the appropriate first steps in saving Chase’s life. No, apparently, what started him on the road to recovery was his family praying, not to God, but to a dead chaplin.

By the time a helicopter delivered him to Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis Campus, his family was already frantically praying as they watched the helicopter land… And she was calling Sacred Heart Church in Colwich, asking people there to get everyone in the church praying to Father Kapaun for help.

The pressure in Chase’s brain was relieved by removing a section of his skull, and an agressive antibiotic treatment was started to prevent infection in the hole left. It was touch and go, as it always is with traumatic brain injuries, but weeks later Chase walked out of the hospital.

“There is no doubt in anyone’s mind in our family that Father Kapaun helped save our son,” Paula Kear said of Chase, who is making a full recovery. “We were told at least three or four times in those first two days that Chase wasn’t going to make it.

Of course, that’s exactly what happened. Nothing to do with the excellent care and assessment by the first on-scene, the skill of the helimed crew and ER doctors, the surgeons and anaethetists who handled his swollen brain, and the nursing staff who oversaw his recovery. It was only through the power of prayer that he survived? That power of prayer which has on multiple occasions been shown to not have an effect on recovery.

Sure, the doctors said it was “a miracle”. But this is a different definition of the word, one which means unexpected, against the odds. Not due to divine intervention. Just because you don’t understand how something worked doesn’t mean that God needs to, or was, involved. Personally, I say if you want to claim this, then prove that your prayers did the job? Because my money is on the skill and hard work of the medical staff, and they’re the ones who should be getting the credit.

Don’t say He didn’t warn you

Via Ninja Medic, we bring you WARNINGFROMGOD.COM

This letter will stand in the historical records as both an offer of assistance and a request for help from God the Almighty. The United States of America is being offered a chance to be allied with Our Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, and to go to war with our enemies. Do not regard this proposal as a hoax or a contrived story, there will be someone there with access to a classified archive that will be able to verify my story and identity. Please read this letter in its entirety, your life and the lives of your loved ones may depend on it, your soul and your future in the Universe may depend on it. This is the most important letter you will ever read. This letter is also a deadly serious warning and millions upon millions of people may end up being bulldozed into mass graves if our nation does not stand up and fight our enemies. This letter is filled with many warnings and for those of you who choose not to read it or heed them, the most important message I can give you is not to curse God in your last moments as you find yourself and your children dying in a terrible way. Ask for forgiveness of your sins and endure it as best you can in prayer. You must never curse God or call him a coward under any circumstances. God gave me these warnings and I pass them on to you. God the Almighty is not the one who betrayed you. (Shawn Riddick)

I can’t decide if this is for real or not. If it’s comedy, which I sincerely hope, then someone has gone through a lot of effort to make it so convincing, including the picture of the great American meathead in front of his truck. If it’s not, then I want to cry at the stupidity and ignorance of people who actually believe this shit.

Unfortunately, evidence points to the latter of those two options. A quick look at the source suggests that this was made in Microsoft Office – noone who was going to write a parody of this calibre would use Word to write a webpage. The number of Bible references seems right for a “serious” nutjob,  as a few sweeping statements are used rather than actually citing individual passages for each of the racist, sexist and homophobic points raised. And just the overall writing style has the Timecubeish vibe of someone who’s escaped the detection of the mental health system. A whois on the domain yields little information in either way.

In which case, the whole thing upsets me greatly (and provides further amunition for my “people shouldn’t be allowed on the internet until they pass a strict IQ, common sense and computing ability test”). Why in this modern age are there still people out there who believe this stuff so strongle? I don’t know – for starters, try all the arguments over teaching evolution vs creationism intelligent design; mandatory prayer in schools; the dumming down of science education.

It’s not that I take issues with the teaching of religion in schools. It’s the overtly Christian side that I hate, that and the fact it’s confusing a belief structure with evidence based teaching. Tell kids about religion, please do – it can be a great thing! But teach them about all the different religions equally, how they can all be friends and get along, and most importantly keep it away from science.

Darth Ratzinger at it again

Christ (intended) the Pope is pissing me off at the moment. The Catholic stance on contraception is annoying at the best of times, but I can see where it’s all coming from. Have lots of babies, who are Catholic from the moment of conception. The best way for the Catholic meme to propagate, given the clergy aren’t supposed to. It sure as hell isn’t a good idea, but it’s explainable.

But Benedict XVI is really pushing my patience. I’ve tried to avoid ranting, I really have, but he just refuses to engage brain and it’s putting millions of lives, current and unborn, at risk.

Spot the difference

For those of you who’ve missed it, his message at the moment. “Science” (probably the same style of science as intelligent design) has shown that condoms have tiny holes in, which although stopping sperm, allow the HIV virus through. Apparently the WHO back this up. The WHO say WTF? The answer, according to his holiness, is that people should be abstinent and monogamous. I know he’s not really in touch with the people, but that’s not how humans work. Or any other ape for that matter… Oh yeah, wait…

Now I’m not that (relatively) bothered if you don’t want people to use condoms, or any other mode of contaception for that matter. It’s a fucking stupid idea, but at least be honest, every sperm is sacred and all that. But claiming that condoms worsen the AIDs epidemic in Africa is a blatent lie. And one which leaves me fuming.