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By Neece, on January 22, 2010, at 9:41 pm
 I am reading several books right now (I have them all listed in the left sidebar). One is called The God Virus and I just started it the other day. On page 18, Darrel W. Ray describes an experiment. I think I’ve heard of it before, but I thought I’d share it with you because it shows how religion attacks the critical thinking skills of the mind. As Mr. Ray says, it leaves the skill intact for other religions but disables critical thinking about one’s own religion. It really is like a virus of the mind.
Here’s the experiment as explained in the book:
You have a serious conversation with a deeply christian friend. Your friend is intelligent, well educated and knowledgeable. You agree to record the session. The topic is islam. During the session, you discuss that mohammed was a self-appointed prophet and that he claimed [...]
By Neece, on January 14, 2010, at 1:40 am
 The other day I wrote about a woman named Ruth who emailed me asking for some advice. Ruth’s sister Esther (not their real names for their privacy) had been introduced to The Secret by her husband and now avoided Ruth because she said she is toxic. The first post is called The Secret Divides and I gave my initial opinion, then asked Ruth for some clarification, as well as asked you for your take on the situation.
Ruth said the following:
My sister and I are 5 years apart, she is in her late 30s I am in my early 30s. We live on opposite sides of the country.
[Esther and I] talked on Christmas – but only if I agreed to be play nice. We did exchange gifts. As long as I am willing to play along, she will speak to me – [...]
By Neece, on January 10, 2010, at 5:05 pm
 As you may know, I make no bones in saying books like The Secret and their ilk are complete bullshit. I wrote about it awhile ago – The Law of Attraction, and the Secret, are Bullshit. Beyond the bullshit I have found them to be harmful if swallowed. If you believe what the book says, you will have a distorted worldview. This can be extremely detrimental to your own thought processes, and as you will see below, can also skew how you look at someone who is in an unfortunate situation.
For example, let’s say you believe that your thoughts dictate what will come to you. Then someone steals your wallet while you’re at the grocery store. According to The Secret, you brought that negative event to you by worrying and thinking negative thoughts. Because you were afraid of having your wallet stolen, you worried about it [...]
By Neece, on August 15, 2009, at 9:42 pm
 Janet Moses was 22, a mother of two, and was surrounded by people who “loved” her when she died a horrible torturous death. Her family was trying to exorcise the demon they thought she had. 5 of her family were convicted of manslaughter. Their sentence was for community service, and 4 of them have to take a Maori culture course.
That’s right, they tortured and killed their relative and received community service.
Justice France acknowledged some might not see the sentences as adequate but his reasons included:
- They were trying to save, not harm, her.
- Sleep deprivation greatly affected rational judgment.
- High level of co-operation with police afterwards.
- No-one suffered more from the death than the offenders and their family.
So, if you suffer when you’re drowning your sister for two days, make sure you don’t get any sleep, and proclaim that you’re [...]
By Neece, on August 8, 2009, at 4:20 am
 Apparently Abraham is the role model for how far god can push the faithful. Only in real cases, sometimes someone innocent actually dies. It seems that parents kill their children through denial of medical attention all too frequently these days. Often I don’t blog about these sad stories because I am so enraged I don’t feel I can do it without copious amounts of profanity and vitriol.
We have all heard about the Neumanns. They were both convicted of 2nd degree reckless homicide in the death of their 11 year old daughter Madeline. She had diabetes but it was undiagnosed. She died a horrible death at home, surrounded by praying sheeple who refused to call an ambulance until she stopped breathing. Doctors testified that Madeline could have been saved if she had received simple medical care like insulin and fluids before she stopped breathing.
The mother said that she [...]
By Neece, on May 31, 2009, at 4:34 pm
Hey everyone. A bit ago, I posted Here We Go Again which was from a comment from a christian named Ash. I heard from him again. This is the opening of his email:
I’m not too interested in argument, since I’m sure we’ll get to a point where everything becomes circular. I’m wondering if we could share our personal experiences and philosophies and discuss their effects on our differing beliefs. For example, the church I attended until I was 13 never talked about “burning in hell,” but focused more on New Testament teachings. Fear of hell has never been a big reason for me to believe in God.
I also remember asking a lot of questions. After reading one of those Kid’s encyclopedia for science books I asked my youth pastor how God could have created man when man evolved from monkeys. He said that nobody can [...]
By Neece, on May 26, 2009, at 4:39 am
 So, I got an email from a nice man yesterday. He read my de-conversion story and told me something I have never been told before, at least not this way. He told me I need to reconsider and have a child! Now, I’m 40, so I really don’t see that happening for a myriad of reasons, but the sentiment was so honest and forthright that I was taken aback.
This nice man found HDC and my story and just thought that atheists like me and my husband should have more children. You know, he’s right, in a way. I mean, if you can do it, and you’re a freethinking atheist, then yes, you should consider having a kid or two. Like he said, it would bring a bit more sanity into the world.
Unfortunately people who are more educated, intelligent and rational might think it’s a bad idea. [...]
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I am reading several books right now (I have them all listed in the left sidebar). One is called The God Virus and I just started it the other day. On page 18, Darrel W. Ray describes an experiment. I think I’ve heard of it before, but I thought I’d share it with you because it shows how religion attacks the critical thinking skills of the mind. As Mr. Ray says, it leaves the skill intact for other religions but disables critical thinking about one’s own religion. It really is like a virus of the mind.
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