Thoughts of a Freethinker

I wonder if the changing tastes in conversation and reading preference I am experiencing in old age are the same as those experienced by other old people. I recall decades ago visiting a long-time friend in a retirement development Florida. His career had been studying social values, beliefs and practices of various groups in society, a sociologist.  He said it pleasantly surprised him in the hours whiled away beside the pool that no one brought up "how important I used to be." Former doctors, lawyers, professors, brick layers and auto mechanics treated each other as equals.  In the building where I live now there are both retired and young people. Some of the retired play the "how important I used to be" card and others never do. What I have come to enjoy reading is writing done by retired people who wonder if their former passions and accomplishments were as significant as they once thought they were. The link author traveled as a youth and became a travel writer....

I was not aware of all the powers a President has to keep abortions of various kinds available. This President has done some gutsy things. I'm hoping he does a few more giving women their rights. The most radical in the list would be to set up clinics that provide abortions on Federal property. There are various categories of these properties and some are out of reach to state governments. I doubt this would happen. The most logical, and I think most supported by the public, would be to enforce the free flow of interstate commerce. That anti women governors and legislators will try to stop abortion pills from arriving by mail is a given. That the principle of interstate commerce is part of our nation's history is also a given.   The link points out other things the Federal Government could do mostly through executive orders. I could strengthen telemedicine. With the ubiquitous cell phone, options for telemedicine have become available that were not just a few years ago. It can...

A while back a philosopher said humans lack the strength to be weak. That failing is beginning to catch up with us. Climate change is not proceeding on a linear path, it is accelerating. Our reaction is to do almost nothing. The strength we human need is to accept that we cannot dominate natural forces in order to have the comforts we want. We need the strength of reject the false promises of unending abundance through prosperity and technology.  Here in the Middle West we are dealing with flooding from large rain and snow events. These, with insurance, makes climate change at least somewhat manageable. Less manageable and so expensive it's hard to conceive is the migration. Cities in the U.S. along bodies of water will need to evacuate just as Fargo and Grand Forks have done on a tiny scale. Perhaps a few hundred have moved elsewhere. It looks like the numbers nationwide will be millions. This migration will be funded with public money, there is no other choice. Those of us living...

The problem of falling numbers in the Abrahamitic religions goes back to when the Bible was written. Different stories and myths that did not mesh with each other were cobbled together. The ground was laid for permanent hatred that exists yet to this day. The issue today is who is responsible for a decline of Christians in the Middle East? One could posit several answers. It might be Christians should have long ago left or adopted the ruling state religion, Islam. Another is they are declining because of vicious attacks from Muslims and Hindus. One pitched recently by the Archbishop of Canterberry is the Jews are to blame. He said the Zionists are crowding out other settlers including Christians. We all know the tall tale in the Bible about Jews shouting to Pilat he should kill Jesus. The story was made to sound as if the Jews killed Jesus. I would guess millions of Christians take this story literally and hate today's Jews because of it. That there is no evidence such a thing eve...

I've never heard a good defense of the Bible translation claiming Mary was a virgin. The more accurate translation, in my reading, says Mary was a "young woman." But it matters not what was written in those ancient times or what succeeding scribes may have changed to fit their own preferences. What we know is this: Many men who preach and write about Christianity prefer a "Mary" who is the kind of woman they themselves prefer, young and a virgin. So, the important traits of "Mary" became her youth and virginity. Pox on anyone who says she was middle aged and had older children. These preferred traits assigned to Mary became the hammer men have used against women ever since. Why was Mary "sin-free?" Because she became pregnant without sex. Thus, sex is sin. That is it's a sin for women, not for men. The sin of women having sex has spilled right over into a host of issues. Women must dress and act in certain ways so they do not arouse sexua...

Surveys continue to show a decline in Christianity in the U.S. and Europe. Seldom is there a broad review of what is happening or an explanation of the trajectory. Here is a Ted Talk where a social science professor from the University of Essex who specializes in social science data explains clearly and simply what is happening. He sees the inevitability of loss, not only of Christianity, but of all religion. The loss is taking place roughly at the same rate as deaths. Mostly, each death is that of a religious person and each birth is a person who will not be religious. The old admonition that religious people should not practice birth control because babies of religious parents will be religious does not affect the trajectory. Past generations were born into cultures that were religious. New generations increasingly are not. As the link confirms, cultures determine religion. Religions today and since recorded history have told followers their truths are timeless. Yet we learn, even in...

Since recorded history there have been many invisible gods. There also have been many humans considered by other humans to be a god. The tales of this are entertaining. They would also be educational if people who believe in a god could see themselves in others who believe in another (fake) god. Unfortunately, most worshipers of a god they consider to be the only legitimate god do not see that others use the same reasoning for some other god. The long link from the New York Times  discusses the many humans who were thought to be gods. This was especially popular in the early days of world exploration by ship. From far across the horizon, where the god was supposed to live, came this ship carrying white men. Surely their white skin and other worldly ship is the one they had been waiting for.  Captain Cook arrived in Hawaii in 1778 during a religious festival. The festival was to honor a god who would bring prosperity to the native people. The god was to arrive on a ship. At the...

Sometimes prominent people say things so funny you spit out your coffee. That happened to me today. Richard Land is a retired President of a big Southern Baptist Seminary. He was always in the Christian news while holding this high position. Now he publishes his views wherever he can. Land is the perfect representative of the "Old White Men" version of Christianity, both Protestant and Catholic. He condemns any new approach to sexuality or critical commentary of the Bible. Today he published an article to put down anyone who might have doubts about whether the story of Jesus' virgin birth in a manager ever happened. He points to the consensus that the first written material of the New Testament was written about 80 A.D. That is 50 years after the supposed Resurrection. He writes 50 years is but a blink of the eye. He envisions lots of people must have been present at the events in the New Testament, the birth and death tales, and that is why we know they are true. His sen...

Exchanging comments on this blog recently got me to thinking how clever some Catholic clergy are at diverting attention away from their weakness to a direction that takes them off the hook. One of them is Hitler. We all agree Hitler was one of the most terrible dictators in modern history. There is an ongoing effort to assign him to some modern group. It's common to say, "He is like Hitler," or "They are like the Nazis." Catholics have a public relations problem with Hitler because he was born and baptized a Catholic. At various points in time, he self-identified as a Catholic. At an important time in his history Catholic officials said Hitler was one of them. All this does not mean he took Catholicism, or any other religious view, seriously. But, the problem remains for Catholic leadership. What can Catholics do about this? It is to engage in political misdirection by claiming Hitler was an atheist. I envision a fictitious meeting of leading Catholic clergy to ...

A priest in Illinois likes it a Jesus-birth display is in the State Capitol. He wants the display of another religion, Satanism, removed. What kind of education does this fellow have? In the past few years there has been a national effort to display the manager scene in every state capitol in the U.S. The material for the scenes is sent to someone each state who has agreed to make an arrangement in his/her statehouse to set up the display. Perhaps this manager scene has been displayed in all or most state capitol buildings. Shortly after the manager scene project started, however, atheist groups began their own version of the display. The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent out a mockup of the manager scene, but it was a secular message poking a little fun at the manager scene. Then a Satanist group decided to get in on the fun and provided its image of Satan. Freethinkers had another. Now there are so many secular displays and the reserving space is done so early sometimes the manag...

Many traditional, especially older Christians, Protestant and Catholic, scoff at the notion their religion is that of the "old white man." The literature it is based on was written by old white men. Church clergy and leadership is the same. Now, it is starting to be noticed the figures venerated by the Catholic branch do not include African Americans.  I've read the path to becoming a saint is rigorous and factual. The candidate has to have performed a "miracle" or two.  Just reading "miracle" gives one the information needed to declare the whole thing hokum. People are starting to figure this out. The pattern is obvious. In Europe and the U.S. old white guys pick candidates for sainthood. Black Catholics are invisible Catholics. When 10,000 people have been names saints one would think a black U.S. Catholic would slip in there. Sorry, none. When one looks through the list of saints, nearly all black ones were from 1500 and before. I guess back then b...

A Professor, Johnathon Zimmerman, published a piece (may have a pay wall) on the local paper's editorial page praising coaches who encourage players to make their own choice about standing, sitting or leaving the basketball court for the National Anthem. The professor teaches humanities at the University of Pennsylvania and referred also to nearby Vilanova University.  He explained the policies of both coaches. It is to allow each player the opportunity to explain his personal reaction to standing for the Athem. The rule is that all players respect all other players' point of view on this. At Penn, only three players and the head coach stand for the Anthem. All other players and two assistant coaches sit. At Vilanova, as many as half the players leave the arena.  As Professor Zimmerman points out, nearly every university has on its promotional brochure the institution is all about personal growth. It may say it advocates critical thinking. No university says it encourages stud...

To understand why women have and will continue to have abortions, one needs to hear individual stories.  The link story is like many I have heard personally or read about. Pregnancy is both complicated and dangerous. Pregnancy is more dangerous than an abortion. Most pregnancies end happily. When there are complications there are often uncertainties. For example, in anti-abortion legislation there is an out that abortion is legal if it is done to save the life of the mother. That kind of language is in policies of Catholic hospitals as well. But what does it mean?  I don't claim to know a lot about pregnancy or threats to life, but there is a common theme in decisions about "abortion to save the life of the mother." It is ambiguity and uncertain in the diagnosis. For example, if the pregnancy is one that most likely, but not always, leads to risk of death to the mother does this mean an abortion is legal?  And, if it is likely, but not a certainty, the woman's vitals ...

Yet  another of these cases has shown up where some nit wit public school teacher or administrator thinks children under their control must stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. These are cases where a student objects to "under God" in the pledge and a teacher punishes the student. Atheists' attorneys seem to be making a living collecting money from school districts who are forced by judges to pay the legal for students who protect of their rights to freedom of religion. Any child can read the Constitution. Why can't their teachers and administrators? As many know, the phrase "under God" was not in the original version but was inserted during the anti-communist period after World War II. Communism has no Christianity, bad. The U.S. has Christianity, good.  Of course, putting "God" into the pledge was done to get votes. Now that organized Christianity is falling out of favor in the West and Putin talks up religion for his own political benefit ...

It seems like every new technology brings something new about religion. The service called Tic Toc  is no exception. There are young people producing videos calling themselves prophets and the wise who are gaining followers.  The link talked to young woman who has a following: Her beliefs are reminiscent of many others on the internet, people who speak of “bad vibes,” demonic spirits, or a cosmic calamity looming just over the horizon, one that the government may be trying to keep secret. At the alleged time of Jesus there were several itinerate preachers walking about local towns preaching of this or that. According to the Bible Jesus talked of sin and soon coming end of times. To me, this sounds similar to the "demonic spirits or cosmic calamity looming just over the horizon" the young woman is talking about. Time moves on but the appeal of some kind of end times and unseen super-duper god force is as popular today as it was when the Bible was written.   We all kno...

Over 20 years ago, one of our children was married in a ceremony conducted by a tarot card reader. This was in Duluth, MN. Maybe the practice of drawing a card and reading it gives people something they need. Others stressed out by weather, disease, lost love or politics go the church and listen to a priest/preacher. The messages of the priest/preacher and the tarot cards are nearly identical .   According to this source, tarot card sales and visits to readers increased by 50% in the past year. Let's assume we know what preachers told victims in the latest tornado damaged areas and compare it to what they would read if the bought a set of tarot cards instead of going to church.  In church, there would have been a generic message that went like this: "We are saddened by the loved ones who died in the storm. We feel the grief and hopelessness of those who lost their homes and do not know what the future holds for them. We know for certain God loves you and is guiding you to...

The Southern Baptist Convention hard to understand for outsiders. It is not a denomination in the same sense as Catholics, Lutherans, etc., with a governing body and bureaucratic structure underneath. It is, as the name states, a long running convention of affiliated churches. At the annual actual convention resolutions and policies as well as leaders are voted on. When different waves of people show up votes can be different and the entire denomination goes in new directions. For years this Convention approved women going to seminary and some were approved as clergy. Then there was a palace cue where large numbers of conservatives showed up and passed a series of bills putting women down. About 30% of seminary students were women who were expecting to serve in Southern Baptist churches. Most of them packed up and left. Some, however, graduated. The link is review of interview with about three dozen such women. They went on to be successful preachers in other denominations, college pro...

  A nationally known Christian columnist pointed out how the Christian political right has had its religious values swamped by its own culture. As Anthropology 101 will explain, we are born into a culture neither we nor our parents created. It is just here. Christian conservatives talk endlessly about the "culture." When they use the word they are referring to their enemies, people who do not conform to their Christian beliefs, do not get married, flaunt their secularism and believe in liberal causes.  They do not discuss their own version of culture. They themselves live in a culture of victimization, "Everyone gets a break but us." White males without college degrees make up a sizable portion of this group. They have watched black people and women move up while they themselves have not. Along comes Trump and tells them they have a legitimate grievance--they should not put up with others out working and out earning them.  When it comes to Christianity, the link lis...

Vigilante justice has been approved against abortion in Texas. One of the old rules in politics is when you think of a new idea, don't be surprised if you opposition turns the same idea on you. When six-gun Texas thought they had outsmarted liberal abortion rights advocates by using citizen vigilantes to enforce anti women laws it may never have occurred to them the same technique could be used on they themselves. The Governor of Texas is proposing just that. Conservatives want to carry guns everywhere. Why not a  liberal version of vigilante law against those who carry guns? While of course this has not been put into place yet and it will be complicated, the idea is for ordinary citizens to turn in Texans (and others) who carry their guns into California. Then, California would pay the person reporting the violation a bounty fee and cover all their legal defense.  There is no end really to the concept of vigilante enforcement. Just as white Klan members hung black men in the ...

The Governor of California has proposed his state pay travel and abortion expenses for low-income women who live in abortion prohibition states. This would make it possible for a low-income woman in Texas to board a plane, fly to California for an abortion and fly home expenses paid. What better publicity for a state than to announce it considers women intelligent assets rather than mere baby factories. I could see other states not wanting to be left out as states who treat women fairly. The trend of dividing states into red and blue seems likely to increase. There are states that want to be identified as "Mississippi North" and others that do not. Those that do not will follow California's lead and increase abortion access. Race and gender issues may well follow.  In the Midwest, Minnesota and Illinois certainly will remain abortion welcoming states. Others like Iowa where I live may be off and on. In the Southwest there are some states with modern political majorities a...

When an ordained Methodist preacher appeared behind the pulpit in drag it caused quite a stir. He/she was later dismissed as the pastor of that church. I've read that sexuality is much more central to U.S. society than it is in other countries around the world. As a result, the major religion, Christianity, is also more sex focused than Christianity elsewhere. It would not be surprising, then, if a branch of Christians who have a non-orthodox view of sexuality made gender central to their own version of Christianity. It turns out the appearance of a drag preacher was not simply a publicity stunt but a teaching moment for the perspective of gender held by a committed Christian but non-orthodox branch of the faith. This branch has its own body of writing and is fully capable of discussing theology. I must mention the link is not that of a member of Queer Theology but writes his understanding of it.  While orthodox theology concludes God made two genders, male and female, Queer Theolo...

The State of Iowa has been inundated with school board meetings demanded by angry parents. They are angry about books in public school libraries. The books discuss homosexuality and trans sex. Fortunately, parents and teens themselves put up resistance to the obsessed angry parents. It was delightful to read a school librarian's observation that, ".. banned books become more popular." This has been true since the beginning of books. Human nature is what it is. I recall an impassioned talk a porn bookstore in downtown Fargo. A born-again City Commissioner had learned of a national effort to zone porn out of busy areas of cities and allow them only in industrially zoned areas. He persuaded our governing body to pass such an ordinance. The existing porn store was grandfathered in but any new place had to be in industrial areas.  This new "strategy" of pushing porn stores into areas less visible has been a marketing bonanza to porn stores. Now, "Mr. Community ...

Catholics have spoken for many years of the shortage of priests. Now, polling of Protestant preachers reveals wide dissatisfaction with their careers. Many say they are considering leaving their churches and the ministry entirely. In polls preachers site poor pay, internal strife and lack of appreciation. Apparently, the temptation to leave is present among both women and men in the ministry.  When I was a young man, I knew well a couple of young preachers. Both talked of difficult church board members who demanded this and that. In our church in Fargo I know there were difficult board members. Once a preacher confided to my wife his sleepless nights due to an aggressive board member who insisted all volunteer Sunday School teachers hold certification from the state's Department of Education. He knew there would be a shortage of teachers. A crisis developed resolved, of course, by rejection of the requirement.    Preachers contemplating a career change also site wealthy c...

It's refreshing to see many Democrats taking a political risk to tell the truth. Everyone knows the National Prayer Breakfast is a Christian platform for pushing itself into the nation's laws. It has taken a while for some politicians to agree they should not endorse it by attending. It's been widely documented Russians have tried to use the National Prayer Breakfast to lobby for their own goals. All for more reason to keep it at arm's length. No doubt it is a good vote getter for Republican politicians from some areas but that does not mean it is in the national interest. The Prayer Breakfast is referred to by its promoters as a time when people of different political persuasions can unite in worship of the same God. What? We have elected people from many different religions and no religion in the U.S. Congress. That does not mention citizens of many religions and no religion in the general public. Saying it is a time to unit in prayer is all the more reason to discont...

Recently a very successful TV and mega church preacher who had railed against Covid vaccinations died of Covid. The organizations who carried his sermons and collected money from his fans are now silent about vaccinations.  I'm not aware of any atheist organization or cause where followers fork over billions of dollars to some bogus belief. Christianity, however, is full of them. One has to wonder why so many Christians are unable to smell dishonesty or see the longer-term consequences of foolish beliefs and behaviors. Readers may remember the conservative Christian view of homosexual people was gay people are child molesters. Plus, gay people are preoccupied with turning heterosexuals into homosexuals. In the several years since gay people have been more accepted than decades ago these old phony notions have all but disappeared. Liberal people did not, for the most part, hold these views. Both local and national celebrity preachers prospered by demonizing gay people. Those in the ...

I can't follow all the characters in the drama but the link suggests something like Jan. 6 in the Capitol is going on within the Catholic Church. It starts with the same principle, there are no authorities worthy of our respect except those we happen to admire. Those who invaded the Capitol had not respect for the building or those who serve in it. The same is true of a faction of the Catholic faith. They want this Pope gone and their own installed.  The rebels see a liberal conspiracy behind the change from Latin to local languages. A return to power would be a return to what they think of as "traditional" Catholic practices. Leaving behind these traditions is leaving behind what they see as the real church. It is thought about 11% of Catholics favor a radical reversal of modern worship practices. While I don't follow this much myself, critics of the right movement say the right is "relentless" in its criticism of the Pope. A couple of years ago there was a...

Over the years since I've been blogging here, I've predicted numerous times the inevitable result of an abortion prohibition will be the required recording by public authorities of all pregnant women. This will be necessary so when a pregnancy ends before a birth an investigation can be initiated and the woman prosecuted for abortion when police deem the crime was committed. Law enforcement, not the woman, will determine if a claim of miscarriage is valid. My prediction was scoffed at the abortion prohibition readers. We only need look at Poland today. It has abortion prohibition and is advocating a national registry of pregnant women accessible to vigilante groups. Many both inside abortion prohibition and outside do not understand the goal of abortion prohibition. It is not "saving babies." It is about punishing women for having sex. Registering pregnancies and putting women under control of government goes a long way toward the anti-women crusade. It can also be se...

If you want to write a best-selling book, get on the paid lecture circuit or become a celebrity, have an illness that brings you close to death. Then explain you were at the portal of heaven or talked to Jesus. You can fund your retirement. For hundreds, maybe thousands, of years people have told others of experiences like this. Every new one is just like all those past. One interesting twist is that atheists have pleasant near death experiences but neither God nor the heave portal show up. What seems to show up for everyone is something they expected to show up.  Science is now suggesting an explanation for these out of body experiences. There is a substance used by those wanting a "trip" or psychedelic experience that is abbreviated as DMT. Instead of using such people scientists recruited people who were given DMT under controlled circumstances. They then recorded what these people experienced in their minds. What they reported was nearly the same as what those who had nea...

As we speak the algae bloom in the Gulf of Mexico is growing. It and many other places are poisoned by the run off of nitrogen fertilizer. Fertilizer is over applied because for farmers it raises prospects of a good crop. High yields are needed not only to make payments on farmland and machinery but to feed the almost nine billion people on the planet. The warmer the planet the bigger the rain events. The bigger the rain events the more nitrogen washed into the gulf. The bigger the algae bloom the more the climate warms and the bigger the rain events. It is all unsustainable.  I don't think there is a state in the Middlewest that is doing much of anything about this. To eliminate nitrogen fertilizer would cause a huge upset in the prices of food. Farming practices and economics would experience a dramatic change. Enforcement would require a small army of new government employees. Neither party dares do anything about it so we just continue to a future doomsday.  Every time I b...

For years during the decline in Christian denominational numbers Mormon officials scoffed at the rest of Christianity. The narrative was, "Mormons are the only true Christians. God continues to reward us by increasing the number of Mormons." The hierarchy was happy to release detailed membership numbers from each country around the world during this period of growth. When the numbers started to flatten out they were no longer published. The link makes the projection actual numbers of Mormons has fallen in the last two or three years. That the Mormon church manipulates its numbers for propaganda purposes should be a lesson for all who follow management in the Christian faith. I wrote recently about how the numbers of Christians in China are bumped upwards according to more reliable sources. Higher numbers, the theory is, will bring in more donations. Who wants to donate to a hopeless cause? The Mormon business model is audacious to say the least. Young people are persuaded it ...

It is repeated often, especially by Catholics in the U.S., Christianity has a great future in China. The topic of religion in China is no doubt very complicated. Nevertheless, reading what is available in the press there are patterns. One thing that jumps out is Christian organizations, both Protestant and Catholic, want to raise money to evangelize China. To do that, they think they need to present an optimistic face about it. An authority on Christianity in China was quoted in Wikipedia saying there is a "Western bias" when reporting of Christian success there. He continues reporting relies on "considerable romanticism of Chinese Christians." I saw on a Christian site an estimate there are 97 million Christians in China. That is about 8% of the population. Several surveys have been reported, mostly from urban areas, showing Christians are from 2% to 4%. Catholics are consistently at about one half of a percentage point. Folk religions are more popular in rural are...