Sila Sahin vs Islam: Because women can't do with their bodies as they wish

I like to think humanity has reached a consensus in which we understand that each person is his/her own master and can take the decisions that seem better for their lives. But then, even with the politically correct multiculturalists trying to convince us of the contrary, religious hordes bring us back to reality, a reality almost taken from the dark ages.

Some days ago, Turkish actress Sila Sahin appeared naked on Playboy to break free from her "slavery" as a Muslim girl.

"What I want to say with these photos is, 'Girls, we don't have to live according to the rules imposed upon us,'" Sahin told Playboy.

However, the idea seems to only have reached a few, since her conservative Muslim family didn't take it very well. Furthermore, the Muslim community in Germany (where Sila lives and works as an actress) felt outraged that a young woman would want to break free from their customs.

Sila says ""For years I subordinated myself to various societal constraints. The Playboy photo shoot was a total act of liberation." After breaking those constraints, she was treated as a pariah by her family. Such a nice family and culture, right?

This is what happens when a group of people, inspired by their religion, bases its honor between its women's legs. Their bodies belong to anyone but them, and very frequently those who are supposed to help and support them, end up being part of the problem.

The muslim community's opinion goes from accusing her of "shaming Muslim womanhood" to branding her as a prostitute. Some even warn her to "be careful". And the Islamic Community of Germany has called for a boycott to her show,

She said: "I have always abided by what men say. As a result I developed an extreme desire for freedom. I feel like Che Guevara. I have to do everything I want, otherwise I feel like I may as well be dead."

Sila looks happy. Maybe it's just great acting, but it's pretty evident that what she did was becase she desired to. But when we talk about a religion that inspires a culture of repression and submission, those desires are subjected to anacronic laws and customs that nowadays, no matter how much liberals cringe, are pure bullshit.

Certainly there are many who practice the Muslim religion with respect for others and living good lives. But there are others who, in the name of that same religion, commit the worst atrocities. And both groups claim the others are the fake Muslims. Moreover, in places where Islam rules, human rights, especially women's and gays' are usually threatened. So we can't actually talk about just a group of people, but instead, entire societies in which the status quo keeps women one step backwards.

By getting naked, Sila doesn't harm anyone, only to those who just like to feel offended when something doesn't go according to their whims. It's pretty much like the spoiled child that cry when its parents don't do as it wishes, and in this case, Islam is the child and multiculturalism is its loving but misguided and irresponsible parent. If we criticized Islam as much as we do with Christianity, the reality would be different.

Finally, if you want to see for yourself Sila's picture, you can visit my friend Shigure's blog. You won't be disappointed.

Muslim family values: Beat up your famous sister/daughter for dating a non-muslim

I know there is family violence everywhere, no matter place or economic status. But in this case you will notice that main reason has been the zealotry the Muslim faith inspires

Harry Potter actress's brother admits attacking her

The brother of a Harry Potter films actress who assaulted her because her boyfriend was not Muslim has been warned he could be jailed.

Ashraf Azad, 28, was due to face trial at Manchester Crown Court for attacking his sister Afshan Azad, 22, who played Padma Patil in the hit films.

The court was told Miss Azad was assaulted and branded a "prostitute" after meeting a young Hindu man, a relationship which brought anger from her father and brother.

There might be some anger when a child starts dating someone of different faith or economic status, yes, everywhere. But to beat up the "disobedient" child? That takes that anger to a whole new level, to the animal level to be exact.

Moreover, this violence is inspired in the so-called "religion of peace". Moderate Muslims will tell you that "violence is condemned in the Koran", therefore, these are not real Muslims. Well, the same accusations can be made by those who use violence, even the taliban, that the "moderates" are not real muslims. So get your story right, forget about political correctness and look at Islam for what it is, a violent non-sensical zealotry-inspiring religion.

Reactions to Ratzinger's visit to England: Kicking the Pope's ass

I wonder what Raztinger thought while flying to England. Would he be expecting a lot of support after comparing atheists to nazis? Well, certainly that (added to to his record in favor of pedophiles) didn't seat well among the British.

Especially one of our favorites Brits, Richard Dawkins



I'm glad Dawkins understands it like I did. We both are happy that Ratzinger is worried about us, so much that the first thing he does is compare us to nazis. Dawkins explains this might well be to divert the sight from his own crimes.

Great Mr. Dawkins. You can read the whole speech here.

But it wasn't just Dawkins against the Pope. We are used to that. It was thousands of people expressing their disgust with Ratzinger














I'm glad that so many people notice how despicable is Ratzinger and his policies. That gives us hope for a better future.

If you want to see more, here is a very complete blogpost about the protest against the Pope

Another reaction worth mentioning is the one Hindus had, denouncing the Pope comparing atheists to nazis.

Brits to the Pope: "Fuck you Ratzinger!"

Just a couple of days ago the Pope landed in Britain and the first thing he did is compare atheists to nazis while trying to get some British sympathy by mentioning its fight against Nazi Germany. Well, Brits could see through that and didn't buy the hateful message from one of the most powerful bigots on Earth

Protest the Pope rally sees 10,000 march through London's streets


Crowd carries messages condemning papal stance on condoms, homosexuality, women's rights and child abuse scandal

Day three of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Britain and it was a day for protests and anti-papists under bright blue skies in central London. Around 10,000 people took to the capital's streets for a Protest the Pope rally and march against what the organizers called "papal intolerance" and to condemn the state funding of the visit.

More than 10,000 people. That's a huge number. And those are just the ones who came out from their homes and went to London. Imagine how many repudiate the Pope and what he represents but couldn't make it to the protest.

Ratzinger represents pedophilia, homophobia, intolerance, misogyny, disregard for life, ignorance and abuse of power. And his position as head of the Catholic Church extends that to the institution. The Catholic Church is no more (if it ever was) the moral guide that people in the West looked after.

I don't think anyone has really a problem so big with a group of people believing whatever they want that they would go out and protest against it in such a strong way. People are not angry about Catholic rites, or doctrine. They are angry at the intolerance based on that doctrine and how it acts and influences on the world and on our lives.

Moreover, I would dare to say that Ratzinger's comments comparing atheists to nazis had something to do with the numbers in this protest. How dares the Pope, someone with such a record on intolerance, accuse another group of nazis with a straight face?

You need cynicism the size of the Saint Peter's Basilica to do that.



I would shake the hand of all and every person in that rally.

On another less amusing note, six people have been arrested for plotting to kill the Pope. First thing I though was "I really hope they are not atheists". Turns out they are Muslims.

I really don't want to see the Pope dead (although I would lie if I said that his death would sadden me). I would just like to see him changing his views or losing enough power so that they can't harm anyone. One day, hopefully, one day.

A Scared Pope: Ratzinger's Reductio ad Hitlerium

If someone must know how disgusting it is to be accused of being a Nazi, that person must be Joseph Ratzinger. He did join the Hitler youth, but did so because he had no option. The young Ratzinger despised what the nazis did and eventually deserted.

However, here is the Pope, comparing atheists to nazis

Row after Pope's remarks on atheism and Nazis


The pope urged the UK to guard against "aggressive forms of secularism".

He said: "Even in our own lifetimes we can recall how Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society and denied our common humanity to many, especially the Jews, who were thought unfit to live.

"As we reflect on the sobering lessons of atheist extremism of the 20th century, let us never forget how the exclusion of God, religion and virtue from public life leads ultimately to a truncated vision of man and of society and thus a reductive vision of a person and his destiny."

Despite the initial outrage and indignation, many other things come to my head

First, that someone who is arguably the most powerful person in the world, someone who preaches homophobia and inequality, someone who prefers to see people dying from AIDS instead of using condoms, someone who protects child abusers, is angry at us, is a sign that we must be doing something right.

Second, notice that Ratzinger is so desperate and scared that he doesn't elaborate an intricate argument to accuse atheists of being nazis. His argument consists in that nazis wanted to take God out of our society, just like atheists and their "aggressive secularism". That's it. A supposedly educated person can't go further than just compare a group of people to the worst in the world's mind. Just look at the internet. What happens when someone is desperate to insult, discredit or has no argument against his opponent? Reductio ad Hitlerium

Third: Ratzinger is desperate to be seen as the polar opposite to evil. Why? Because he is being seen as evil right now. His protective attitudes towards priests and catholic officials who sexually abused children for decades have taken away much of the Catholic Church's credibility as a moral guide. His power is going down.

Fourth: That his power is going down might be the Catholic Church's own fault, but it's been mainly non-believers in a secular society that have told the world of the atrocities committed by the Catholic Church. Even though it's catholic children who have been abused, Catholics in general seemed pretty dyspeptic about it for decades. It's been critics of the church, such as atheists, who have made this known.

Fifth: Ratzinger is either a huge ignorant or a huge liar. The nazis did not committed their horrible crimes based on their lack of faith. Hitler himself seemed to get along pretty well with Christianity.



And what phrase do nazis like to quote?



And if there is still any doubt, check out the words from the Fuhrer himself

"I am now as before a Catholic and will always remain so." - Hitler to General Gerhard Engel, 1941

"Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord." - Mein Kampf

"And the founder of Christianity made no secret indeed of his estimation of the Jewish people. When He found it necessary, He drove those enemies of the human race out of the Temple of God; because then, as always, they used religion as a means of advancing their commercial interests. But at that time Christ was nailed to the Cross for his attitude towards the Jews; whereas our modern Christians enter into party politics and when elections are being held they debase themselves to beg for Jewish votes. They even enter into political intrigues with the atheistic Jewish parties against the interests of their own Christian nation." - Mein Kampf

Yet, let us remember that Nazism was not based on religion or lack of it. If anything, it had some pagan elements that favored the idea of Aryan supremacy. The Third Reich persecuted religious institutions withing Germany, as well as free-thinking or atheist groups. In other words, nothing had to distract the attention from Hitler and the Reich.

Ratzinger's cynicism is outrageous, but we have to understand his position. He is losing power and will do anything to keep it. Secularism gives its righteous place to all religions, a place in the people's mind and away from public policy if religious beliefs are unscientific or discriminatory. So, we are in the good path. Let's keep doing it.

With that ideal, I'll leave you with the Penn & Teller documentary about the Vatican. It's always good to remember it.

Ratzinger's empire strikes back

It’s been already almost a week since Stephen Hawking declared that God wasn’t necessary for the existence of the universe. Predictably this caused weeping and gnashing of teeth among believers, who saw their beliefs and their God being beaten by one of science's heavy weights.
As expected, religious leaders from around the world came out to defend their “creator” from being stripped of such title by one of the most important physicists in the world

The most remarkable declarations are as follow:

“Belief in God is not about plugging a gap in explaining how one thing relates to another within the Universe" - Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury

"Science is about explanation. Religion is about interpretation. The Bible simply isn't interested in how the Universe came into being" - Lord Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth

But the most important mention about this issue comes from Ratzinger himself in his letter to the World Youth Day Madrid 2011 (a text that was kind of hard to find in English)

Indeed, there is a strong current of secularist thought that aims to make God marginal in the lives of people and society by proposing and attempting to create a "paradise" without him. Yet experience tells us that a world without God becomes a "hell": filled with selfishness, broken families, hatred between individuals and nations, and a great deficit of love, joy and hope.

It's going to be hard to find such cynicism in so few words written by someone else. Ratzinger accuses secularism of creating a godless "hell" filled with selfishness and hatred. Yet, the Catholic Church has been one of the greatest sources of selfishness, where all the power is concentrated in a group of people, and where the money is served not to help those in need, but to save priests who have sexually abused kids. The Catholic Church has, and still inspires hatred towards homosexuals, by denying them the same rights heterosexuals have, or by comparing women's ordination as priests to child sexual abuse.

But there is more

On the other hand, wherever individuals and nations accept God's presence, worship him in truth and listen to his voice, then the civilization of love is being built, a civilization in which the dignity of all is respected, and communion increases, with all its benefits.

You don't need to thing a lot to notice that when Ratzinger wants nations to listen to God's voice, he actually wants nations to listen to his voice. God isn't coming down to talk to us, or to explain to us how the Bible should be interpreted. In such society dignity for everyone will never be achieved, since the Catholic Church refuses to acknowledge the same rights for women and gays.

Finally

Yet some Christians allow themselves to be seduced by secularism or attracted by religious currents that draw them away from faith in Jesus Christ. There are others who, while not yielding to these enticements, have simply allowed their faith to grow cold, with inevitable negative effects on their moral lives.

Ratzinger obviously dislikes those who refuse to be mindless sheep. But there are some who, while retaining their identity as catholics, look for a better world based on science and human rights for everyone. Naturally, this concept is seen as negative by Ratzinger

Ratzinger's arrogance and disdain for science when it contradicts his beliefs are astonishing. This comes just months after the sexual abuse scandals in which the Catholic Church has been involved, with some cases still surfacing during these days.

It's no wonder that neither the British, nor the Scotish want to pay for Ratzinger's visits to their countries. After the irresponsible way in which the Catholic leader has handled the child sex abuse cases in those countries, it's understandable that the public don't want to fund his visit. No one likes a pedophiles enabler in their country. At least no rational and moral person.

I Will Survive... in Auschwitz?

I didn't think about writing this, but I just had to. You all must know the "I will survive" song and how Jesus starred in it, right? Well, another version of the song now has an Auschwitz survivor and his family dancing in the then concentration camp.



The song is hilarious, the editing and dancing is so-so. But what amazes me is that the 89 year-old man keeps such humor to dance on the place he once thought would be his tomb.

Of course, not everyone was happy

Anger after Australian Jew films video of her family singing 'I Will Survive' on a trip to Auschwitz

Kamil Cwiok, 86, was just a child when he and his family were rounded up by the Nazis. Most of his family died in the gas chambers at Auschwitz.

He said: 'I don't see how this video is a mark of respect for the millions who didn't survive, nor for those who did.

'It seems to trivialise the horrors that were committed there.'

I think that the man has earned his way to express his feelings towards the concentration camp. It would be outrageous if someone who hasn't seen and lived the horrors there made fun of it. But that man seemed happy to do it. He can do it. He can have fun and dance over the horrors of past time. Kudos for him.

Northern Ireland has retards too

So you thought the United States was the only country with a big chunk of its population stupid enough to disregard scientific facts in order to legitimize their beloved myths?

Well, think again:

Northern Ireland minister calls on Ulster Museum to promote creationism

Northern Ireland's born-again Christian culture minister has called on the Ulster Museum to put on exhibits reflecting the view that the world was made by God only several thousand years ago.

Nelson McCausland, who believes that Ulster Protestants are one of the lost tribes of Israel, has written to the museum's board of trustees urging them to reflect creationist and intelligent design theories of the universe's origins.

I come from a very poor South-American country which education is not great, so I may consider that the number in my country might not be different. But here we a re talking about the United States of America, the land of the free and the brave. I guess it doesn't say "of the well educated."

Norther Ireland, being part of the United Kingdom, doesn't sound like a poor country with serious education problems. Yet, it manages to have idiots like McCausland trying to push his myth-based ideas in public. Is this a joke? Is this guy a "culture minister"?

Really, I have no problems with whatever you want to believe. Praise to whoever you want, wear whatever you want (unless it's a matter of public security), put whatever you want around your neck, stop eating whatever you want. Really. But pushing beliefs that have no scientific support in public policy is total stupidity. Are these people THAT willing to believe in their myths so that they can get to compromise public education?

Nice painting. Really. It belongs in a church, or in an art gallery, or maybe in an art museum. But NEVER in am exhibition about natural history, contrasting it to evolution.

Imagine I come to you and tell you that men came out from the Titicaca Lake (located between Peru and Bolivia). That Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo (man and woman) came out from the lake and were sent by their father, the Sun God to found an empire. Imagine I tell you I truly believe this, as a fact.

It's exactly the same sensation I get when someone tells me that "God created man in six days, just thousands of years ago". Pure bullshit.

Bible-supported assholery

I was thinking in going to sleep without writing anything, but there was so much material that I couldn't do that.

Humanity has been full of assholes since its beginning. However, lately, many of these have had their assholery based in the Bible. Yeah, the bible, said to be the perfect, the word of God, pure truth, etc, etc, etc. Here, some examples:

Militia Members Charged in Cop-Killing Plot

Nine suspects tied to a Christian militia in the Midwest are charged with conspiring to kill police officers, then attack a funeral in the hopes of killing more law enforcement personnel, federal prosecutors said Monday.

On its Web site, Hutaree quotes several Bible passages and states: "We believe that one day, as prophecy says, there will be an Anti-Christ. ... Jesus wanted us to be ready to defend ourselves using the sword and stay alive using equipment."

When we talk about Christian assholes, the first image that pops in our minds are usually Pat Robertson, or the Westboro Baptist Church. But these two, while hateful and proud of it, wouldn't go out an kill anybody (that is left to the idiots influenced by them). But this Christian militia actually was planning to kill people, policemen, nonetheless. Policemen have to face terrible situations everyday, and also are targeted by these christian wackos. Furthermore, they say Jesus wanted that; if that's so, then fuck Jesus.


Another example:

Veteran Dallas County jail guard fired over comments

In October, he interrupted a private conversation among jail staff and "interjected his own opinions," telling them all gays should be annihilated, sheriff's reports show. He also said that whites were the superior race and that he supported slavery, reports show.

Johnson said the Bible supported his opinions, reports show.

That counts him as a bigot and a religious zealot.

"I believe that all dinosaurs were born of Satanic angel who has sex with woman and the animal kingdom that created ungodly reptilian creatures none of these were on the Ark," Johnson said.

Oh, and also an idiot.

I'm no fan of persecuting people for their manner of thinking, or prohibiting them their right to free speech (actually the same that unfortunately is used by the Westboro Baptist Church to mock soldier's funerals). But I'm sure these kind of remarks, coming out of nowhere, go against any workplace guidelines regarding "hostile work environment". I have gay friends and would really be pissed if someone said that they deserve to die, just because they are gay. It would be the same case as if the victims were black or hispanic.

By the way, I don't question the fact that this guy is wrong about the Bible. I can find some hatred against gays and support for slavery. Of course, just because it is in the bible doesn't make it right. Finally, the dinosaurs part is just pure stupidity.

And finally, because the catholics really like to appear on this blog:

NY archbishop defends pope against sex abuse furor

New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan was greeted with applause after finishing Palm Sunday Mass by defending Pope Benedict XVI against suggestions he aided coverups of reports of child abuse.

The leader of the nation’s second-largest diocese urged his congregation to pray for the pope, saying he was suffering some of the same unjust accusations once faced by Jesus.

Exactly, exactly, because Jesus' apostles also used to rape children and them making them swear that, if they loved Jesus, they would say nothing about it. And Jesus, being all-powerful, all-knowing motherloving Jesus, said nothing either. Makes perfect sense.

But that Newyorker isn't the only one. We had the fucking Pope talking about the issue too.

Pope will 'not be intimidated by petty gossip' over sex abuse scandals

Pope Benedict XVI began Holy Week on Sunday by suggesting in his Palm Sunday address that the Catholic Church would "not be intimidated" by the sex abuse scandals sweeping it.

In a clear indication that the Vatican continues to insist the stream of abuse revelations are part of a conspiracy the Pope said: "From God comes the courage not to be intimidated by petty gossip."

There you have it. It's from God. From God the Pope gets the energy and cynicism to say "Your complaints, your suffering, your tears and your pain are irrelevant to me. Go fuck you. After we fucked you."

Finally, I have no funny picture for this post, but instead got a video:



In an ideal world, the President of the United States would have the balls to do that.

Gay sex in the Vatican, gay marriage in DC

This is making me think that catholics in power like gay sex. It hasn't been more than two days since a conservative, anti-gay legislator was found coming out from a gay bar. Yet, we have news from another scandal involving gay sex. This time it's not just a catholic legislator, but people from The Vatican.

Vatican chorister sacked for allegedly procuring male prostitutes for papal gentleman-in-waiting

The Vatican was today rocked by a sex scandal reaching into Pope Benedict's household after a chorister was sacked for allegedly procuring male prostitutes for a papal gentleman-in-waiting.

Angelo Balducci, a Gentleman of His Holiness, was caught by police on a wiretap allegedly negotiating with Thomas Chinedu Ehiem, a 29-year-old Vatican chorister, over the specific physical details of men he wanted brought to him. Transcripts in the possession of the Guardian suggest that numerous men may have been procured for Balducci, at least one of whom was studying for the priesthood.

A Gentleman of "his holiness"... and that is...

ceremonial ushers of the papal household. In the words of a 1968 ordinance, they are expected to "distinguish themselves for the good of souls and the glory of the name of the Lord".

The Lord must be thrilled. Especially since his church, the Catholic church (according to the catholics) states in its catechism that:

homosexual acts "are intrinsically disordered" and "Under no circumstances can they be approved."

Meanwhile, in Washington DC, gay marriage is legal. Gays go and get in line to get married, a right they should have because they are citizens, just like anyone, and because by getting married they get lots of benefits that any other kind of partnership can't get. DC got what California, thanks to the bible-thumping bigots, could not get: Equality.

El Doceavo Día Antes de Navidad

En el Doceavo Día Antes de Navidad, la religión nos dio...

El Vaticano defiende el estatus del Papa durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial.


La iglesia católica quería beatificar a Pio XII. ¿Que quién es? Este tipo fue papa durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, aquel que se llevaba bastante bien con Hitler.




De acuerdo a la iglesia católica "el proceso de beatificación evaluó la "vida cristiana" de Pio, quien reinó desde 1939 a 1958, y no "el impacto histórico de sus decisiones operativas".

O sea, puedes ser indiferente a ver judíos siendo encarcelados y asesinados y aun ser elegible para ser un modelo de "vida cristiana"

Creo que eso lo resume bastante bien, ¿no?

Algunos líderes judíos protestaron, pero la iglesia católica declaró que esta decisión "de ninguna forma debe ser vista como un acto de hostilidad hacia la comunidad Judía, y se espera que no sea considerado un obstáculo en el camino del diálogo entre el judaísmo y la iglesia católica"

Yo difiero. A mí me parece un acto de hostilidad hacia la inteligencia humana. Habiendo tantos Papas muertos ¿Por qué este? Era una mancha en la historia del Vaticano de este siglo y tal vez habría sido incorrecto juzgar a todos los Papas por los errores de este. ¿Peor beatificarlo?

Increíble. Pero de eso se trata la fe, ¿no es cierto? El creer lo increíble, aun cuando es insensato, autoritario y estúpido

En fin, estos son sus 12 días antes de la navidad. Espero los hayan disfrutado. En menos de una hora será Navidad en esta parte del mundo. Y si la celebran, siempre recuerden los verdaderos orígenes de esta.


Felices Fiestas

The Twelfth before Christmas

For the 12th Day Before Christmas, religion gave to me...

Vatican Defends Status of WWII Pope

So, the catholic church wanted to start the beatification process for Pius XII. Who was that guy? He was the Pope during WWII, the same who was in very good terms with Hitler.




According to the catholic church "the beatification process evaluated the “Christian life” of Pius, who reigned from 1939 to 1958, and not “the historical impact of all his operative decisions."

So, you may see nothing wrong in rounding and killing jews and still be chosen as a model of "Christian Life".

That pretty much sums it up.

Some Jewish leaders protested, but the catholic church declared that this decision “is in no way to be read as a hostile act towards the Jewish people, and it is to be hoped that it will not be considered as an obstacle on the path of dialogue between Judaism and the Catholic Church.”

I beg to differ. I see this as a hostile act towards human intelligence. There are many other dead Popes, why this one? It was a dark spot in the Vatican's history and it would have been wrong to blame the whole church for this pope's action. But to give him beatitude status?

Unbelievable. But that's what faith is about, right? To believe the unbelievable, even when it is also nonsensical, undemocratic and stupid.



So, these were your 12 days before Christmas. I hope you enjoyed them. It will be Christmas in an hour (most of the world already has Christmas). But remember, if you celebrate Christmas, you ought to know the real origins.

Happy Holidays.

The Ninth Day Before Christmas

For the 9th day Before Christmas, religion gave to me...

Priest advises congregation to shoplift rather than turn to 'mugging or prostitution'

I was tempted to just present the title without the "rather...", but even with the clarification it's still an eyebrow raiser. A priest, telling us to steal? Even if it is as he says, from big stores, it still something an intelligent person would not suggest. Yes, mugging is wrong, yes, prostitution is shameful (to some, there are others who might enjoy the money while enjoying having sex). But stealing is most likely to get you in jail and with a big fine.

I wonder what the reaction would be to "I stole it because the priest said it was ok".

This might be the case of just one crazy priest, but it is interesting how he explains that this advise does not goes against the "thou shall not steal" commandment. He says that God's love for the poor is bigger than his concern about his own commandments. I wonder how he knows. I wonder if God himself/herself/itself came down to tell him so. And in the same way many other church leaders give their own interpretation about what god supposedly wants, which of course, coincides with their own views. Whether it is hatred against gays, disregard for women's rights or contempt for science, it is not uncommon to see church leaders talking, god's name is always used, and those who use it are always regarded as respectable men and women in our society.

The Fourth Day Before Christmas

For the 4th day Before Christmas, religion gave to me...


Priest gets three years for sexual assault

Paedophile priest Fr Thomas Naughton has been sentenced to three years' imprisonment following his conviction on charges of sexual assault.

Should it be of any surprise that it's not hard to find priests being sentenced for sex crimes two days in a row?

...the victim said he was abused about 70 times by the priest and had attempted suicide twice. He said he was extremely paranoid, was afraid to get close to people and was being treated for a sex addiction that he blamed on the abuse. In July 1998, the priest was sentenced to three years for abusing four young altar boys.

This is why I feel a mix of laughter and outrage when a catholic leader demands respect for the catholic church or when the pope criticizes gays or other lifestyles he doesn't like.

The Second Day Before Christmas

For the 2nd Day Before Christmas, religion gave to me…


Bishop admires Taliban for their faith and loyalty

“The Taliban can perhaps be admired for their conviction to their faith and their sense of loyalty to each other.”

How religiously stupid can a bishop, not just a person, but a bishop, a catholic leader, be? Is this what it takes to be admired by religious leaders? Blind faith? Being so convinced of one’s faith that a person can blow himself away, beat women, kill “infidels” and, in few words, be a fundamentalist? Is it any wonder that this is what religions ultimately want, total conviction to the faith? Of course not, this has always been the objective. It’s just that now the evidence that points out how nonsensical faith in sacred texts can be, is so overwhelming that it’s harder to be a blind believer than it was before.

Fortunately the bishop noticed his error and quickly apologized. Yet, I wonder if he apologized because he really noticed that he was admiring mindless religious zombies, or because of the pressure around and the feeling that he was going against the armed forces from his country. What do you think?


Catholics, catholics… why is so easy for them to talk nonsense or be in the eye of the storm, but then demand respect? Whether it’s the Pope, a bishop or a group of peasants who saw the virgin in bird droppings, it’s so hard not to ridicule them.



Former priest gets 90 days jail for sex charge

A former priest has been sentenced to 90 days in prison and three years probation for his guilty plea to a sex charge alleging he had sexual contact with a teenage boy 12 years ago.

There is something really wrong here. Only three months? This guy should be in jail for a much longer time, not just three months, especially after waiting for so long. Unfortunately there aren’t many details about the story and it’s not correct to figure them out. Yet, is it of any surprise that a catholic priest was the accused?

Seriously, I try not to generalize or show disrespect to the catholic faith. But stuff like these make it very hard to do.

Happy Blasphemy Day!

Yes. Today is Blasphemy Day International.

What does that mean? First of all it’s not about pissing off believers just for the sake of it. It’s more about reminding us that nothing is out of the limits of criticism. If that were the case, we would easily have “crime thoughts” by doubting what others cling to.

How is this idea born? A day like today in 2005 a Danish newspaper published a cartoon of Mohammed that angered muslims around the world. The disgust might be understood since for Muslims depicting the prophet is a big offense. The problem is when they try to make that concept applicable to others. And it gets worse when that disgust comes with destruction. Certainly, rational adults don’t destroy things when they get angry.

But this idea is not only to focus on cartoons and the right newspapers have to publish them. The idea is to spread the idea that everything can be questioned with a good argument. Politicians are questioned, directors are criticized and policies get discussed. So must be religious beliefs that affect others. The idea behind the cartoon was to depict the relationship between Islamic beliefs and violence, which was proven by the behavior of Mohammed’s followers. Christianity also has its own share of intolerance, as in the case of Ireland passing laws against blasphemy, which might result as a threat to everyone who dares making fun or even questioning such beliefs. Even comedy might be banned under those laws, for it would empower believers to feel “offended” at anything they don’t like.

So, for the sake of the freedom to question and laugh at nonsensical beliefs, I present you with a couple of videos that, while funny, make a very interesting point.



Steve Carrel and Stephen Colbert present us why nonbelievers often laugh at believers who think they are right and everybody else who beliefs something different is not. We are not talking about a scientific theory, or a particular taste. It's just "my imaginary friend is better than your imaginary friend."

But if we talk about "major league" disrespect and blasphemy...



If there is a god, he/she must be laughing his ass off with this guy sitting at his right, showing him/her what his/her followers did down here.

And finally, a random cartoon from Jesus and Mo.

The Right Vandalism

I’m not very knowledgeable of art, specially when it comes to paintings or different forms of “modern art” particularly when it comes to something or some action that supposedly represents something, which may include empty paintings, “artists" who leave the water tap running and gerbils that chew on encyclopedias.

The art of these action is invisible to my eyes, maybe because I’m not very literate when it comes to art, or maybe because these are just non-senses. But when something religious is involved, the controversy is increased tenfold. Like in the case of this “artistic expression”.

Anger after Bible defaced in British gallery

Christians voiced anger and dismay on Tuesday (local time) after a Bible, which was part of an exhibition inviting viewers to add their reflections, was defaced with offensive, foul-mouthed scrawl.

Glasgow's Gallery of Modern Art has decided to put the Bible in a glass case after the exhibit - called Untitled 2009 and part of a show entitled Made In God's Image - was vandalised.

Artist Jane Clarke, a minister at the Metropolitan Community Church, asked visitors to annotate the Bible with stories and reflections, as a way of making it more inclusive.

But visitors to the gallery took the invitation a bit further than she had anticipated.

First of all, I don’t see how this idea is artistic. It would be better as part of a protest against religious discrimination in general (in which case, a Koran should have been included). But as part of an artistic exhibition? Second, it was obvious that the church was going to complain about it. What wasn’t very obvious was that the Pope was going to take the issue into account.

Pope condemns Bible 'vandalism' exhibition

The adviser to the head of the Catholic Church said the project was "disgusting and offensive".

Even though I see different religions as superstitious nonsense that should be acknowledged as that, I don’t think as correct protesting by insulting symbols just to piss off believers. Of course, many times religions are so ridiculous it’s hard not to laugh at them.

But, in based on what does the pope qualifies the exhibition as “disgusting”? Some comments justify that reaction, such as

Some remarks were simply offensive, with one person writing "---- the Bible".

I assume thos spaces mean “fuck”, Other writings just are joking:

"Mick Jagger and David Bowie belong in here,"

But some others are right or at least have a point to take into consideration

I am Bi, Female & Proud. I want no god who is disappointed in this


“This is all sexist pish, so disregard it all


the biggest lie in human history

That bisexual and proud woman expresses clearly her rejection against a god that is presented as “disappointed” for her being who she is, even though that God, if it exists, is the one who created her that way. The sexism in the bible is undeniable, but that doesn’t mean everything is wrong; we have to acknowledge there are some pieces worth reading, few, but there are. Regarding the biggest lie, certainly, as all myths with which the old civilizations have wanted to explain its origins, it’s a lie, or at least, a very decorated and manipulated reality.

But I don’t think the Vatican limited its comments to the offensive phrases. The behavior that the Catholic Church (and many other Christian denominations) has shown to us usually takes criticism as an offense, especially when its symbols are taken. Vandalizing the bible, which supposedly is the word of god, is unacceptable for the believer, who sees his or her beliefs “insulted”. But these are the same beliefs that “vandalize” the rights and dignity of women, homosexuals, people of different faith, poor people exposed to illnesses, nonbelievers, among others. Apparently, for the catholic church, that is the correct vandalism

Doom’s witnesses

Among all the nonsense with which religions amuse us, there is one that usually draws my attention and is usually found in a strong controversy, is the Jehovah’s Witnesses refusal to blood transfusions. It’s interesting that, instead of doing as other denominations do, “kill” the person little by little, this one is a belief that can kill a person right away.

Jehovah’s Witness who refused blood transfusion because of her religion dies

She was intervened few moments after suffering a car accident, but died because of blood loss since her religion prohibits blood transfusions

The header and following paragraph are to certain point ridiculous. I find it unconceivable that a person dies even though she had the opportunity to receive medical care on time.

My opinion is certainly divided. In one hand it saddens me to see that a person dies even though she had the opportunity to be saved by the advancement of medical procedures. On the other hand, there is a part of me, a very politically incorrect part, that wants to enjoy the death of a fanatical person who is retarded enough to kill herself, which means one less contribution to a church, and a few less doors knocked. And also, there is the indifference to see a person who died happy of dying the way she wanted.

As usual with abrahamic religions, the Jehovah’s witnesses also dislike gay people. The Sodom and Gomorrah story is frequently cited to justify such bigotry (of course, nothing is said about Lot’s offering of giving his daughters to an angry mob to be correctly gang-raped). Even though they don’t stage protests, since the Jehovah’s Witness church is a pretty solvent institution, which makes it a powerful lobby when it comes to collect signatures and ask for laws that discriminate against gays.

Less outrageous is the fact that they give priority to evangelization instead of education, which is why they have time to go around knocking on doors. However, the good side is that few of them will be able to talk about biology or cosmology when trying to convince people of accepting God in their lives.

It’s also worth mentioning that Jehovah’s witnesses don’t celebrate birthdays, Christmas or Halloween, so don’t even bother inviting them to your party. Some won’t even sign a card, so it wouldn’t be rare to find a friend or relative missing in a celebration. It surprised me that they don’t celebrate Christmas, but after doing some research, I found out that they don’t like Christmas because of its pagan origins. At least they got that right.

There are also the common nonsenses which, while not critical, are annoying to find in the XXI century, such as denial of evolution, demonization of sexuality, prohibition of smoking and drinking, authority of the husband over the wife and finding Satan everywhere.

Going back to the blood transfusion issue, while my opinion is divided when a person dies, it’s certainly defined when the victim is a minor. In this case, it would be outrageous to see a kid dying because his or her parents don’t want to allow a blood transfusion. Fortunately, hospitals have the power to take custody of the kid and make a transfusion.

Anyway, I’m sure I’m leaving behind many issues about this sect, but I think I covered the most controversial issue of this group: the refusal of a medical method that in many cases it’s vital to save a person’s life.