Is Homosexuality a Choice? August 15, 2008
Posted by atheismandhappiness in Homosexuality, Humanity, Naturalism, Religion.Tags: Choice, Debate, Hereditary, Homosexuality, Naturalism, Religion
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Is being gay a choice, or is it hereditary?
I’ve noticed that in the last couple years the overwhelming majority of those around me have given up on this issue. “Who knows,” they say. The truth is, strong opposition to an issue is almost always led by some individual or group with a personal agenda. In this case, that opposition stems from the abrahamic religions.
Let’s get one thing straight immediately: Being gay isn’t a choice. Did you choose to be straight or were you naturally attracted to the opposite sex? Test it yourself: Try to turn gay. If it really is a choice, you can always choose to change back. Really, what husband chooses to destroy his career, hurt his kids and wife, and often even make himself an outcast among his peers? Look at the rich, powerful people in America who have given up everything because they couldn’t suppress parts of themselves any longer just to look ‘normal.’ There isn’t a single shred of evidence that shows homosexuality is a chosen lifestyle.
But homosexuality isn’t hereditary, either. Do the math. The genes wouldn’t carry over to many children for obvious reasons, would they? The social situation we are living in currently wasn’t the case 5,000 years ago.
The solution, then, is that events - and possibly also chemicals - experienced in a person’s life shape what their preferences become. This begins immediately - there are studies that show that even the hormones present in the womb may affect the child later in life. This change occurs over time both consciously and subconsciously, and it cannot be “helped.”
So who would say otherwise? You guessed it – those who want to defend and protect their religion.
If being gay is hereditary or cannot be prevented, then God makes people that way on purpose, and then punishes them for something in which they had no choice. Yahweh creates an ‘abomination’ by his own definition, and then punishes it for being an ‘abomination’. Is this loving? Just? Merciful? Wise?
To get around this, believers in the abrahamic religions will continue to argue that homosexuality is a choice until they have fully lost the social battle and begin to lose conversion rates because of it. Then they will “reinterpret.”
Apollonius Of Tyana: The Great Healer August 15, 2008
Posted by atheismandhappiness in Atheism, Religion.Tags: Ancient, Apollonius, Atheism, False, Jesus, Messiah, Miracle, Religion
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Thousands of years ago, a charismatic teacher and miracle worker roamed the lands of a country now called Turkey. Followed by numerous disciples of varying trades, this teacher went from town to town, performing miracles and curing disease wherever he went. He met with many important officials – Titus, Vespasian, and Domitian to name a few – and attempted to aid them with a few choice kernels of wisdom.
These sayings were often very generic, and even silly at times: “although the soul wants to ascend to heaven, mountaineering does not bring it closer to God.” However, word of his healing of the sick, raising of the dead, seeing of the future, and other such miracles gained him a wide following.
Apollonius’ birth was marked by several phenomenal events. Probably the most believable of these occurred at his birth itself: Just before being born, Apollonius’ mother wondered through a field late one night before falling asleep in the grass. Some wondering swans, having just flown a long way, landed nearby, and by their cries and beating of wings, awoke her with such a start that Apollonius was born. These swans had foreseen the birth of a king and had come to witness it. Estimates place the birth of Apollonius to have occurred about 3 years prior to the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.
Some time into his 80s, Apollonius simply dissapeared. Some accounts state that he simply left his house and never returned. Others say that he dissapeared while spending a night at meditation in a temple. Others still believe that he simply dissapeared while on his own deathbed. No one knows of the Tomb of Apollonius, if one exists, or where it might be located. After his death, many writers wrote about his life and of the fantastic miracles he accomplished during his travels.
“I shall continue to speak with you as though you were present,” Apollonius is said to have told his disciples the last time he was with them.
The Cons of Religion July 26, 2008
Posted by atheismandhappiness in Humanity, Religion.Tags: Gandhi, Humanity, Intolerance, Religion, War
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“The most henious and the must cruel crimes of which history has record have been committed under the cover of religion or equally noble motives.” Mohandas K. Gandhi
The guy has a point. But beyond the crusades, Jihads, fanatical sect violence, the inquisition, and faith-driven terrorist attacks, religion causes most of the day to day prejudice in the world. Though the countless bloody wars that have been fought for imaginary friends may seem to be a thing of the past, people today are still dying for this shit.
When you take what guys in hats and robes tell you blindly as fact, you become severly restricted in free thinking and even in personality growth. These guys in hats, by the way, being the religious leaders who compete with one another like businessmen in a common market, trying to sell their product as the most genuine. The second you subscribe to one of these products, you rebuke the others, further dividing humanity. Why does god have to be so discriminatory? There is even division within each religion between those who interpret scripture differently or who practice with varying degrees of strictness.
I also believe religion slows down humanity as a whole, the most obvious reason for this being that some of those who died in the name of religion probably had a lot to contribute to society. But with democracy so widespread in the world, a large religious majority has an effect even on those who take no part in it. Stem cell research and other fields of study have been slowed drastically because of the opposition from believers. The evolution theory has been downplayed and hidden from children in favor of a fundamentalist teaching in places. The Catholic church, being such a large body, makes itself a lagging factor on all of humanity by taking a longer time to adjust towards tolerance than everyone else. Examples of this include racism, religious tolerance, and sexism (You have to have a penis to be a priest? Hmm?). You can see this same transition in effect today with the strong anti-homosexuality stance held by the church.
Make no mistake, I have nothing against people of religion. As people, you are just as interesting and varying as anyone else. However, I do take issues with what you believe in because in many cases which are stated above, you make it my business to do so.
Top Ten Religions July 25, 2008
Posted by atheismandhappiness in Religion.Tags: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Religion
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Apparently, a third of the world is now Christian. Followed by Islam (20.1%), Hinduism (13.3%), and Buddhism (5.9%).
A few things are really suprising with this list. First, whoa, one in three people are Christians. But second, whoa, one in five people are muslims.
You might be thinking Judaism is next after Buddhism on this list. It’s not. Sikhism is. Once a frontrunner in the race for souls, god’s people have seemingly not shown the endurance necessary to outpace some of the younger religions. Here’s the complete list (Numbers are estimated, of course):
Religion Members Percentage
Christianity 2.1 billion 33.0%
Islam 1.3 billion 20.1
Hinduism 851 million 13.3
Buddhism 375 million 5.9
Sikhism 25 million 0.4
Judaism 15 million 0.2%
Baha’ism 7.5 million 0.1
Confucianism 6.4 million 0.1
Jainism 4.5 million 0.1
Shintoism 2.8 million 0.0
In my ignorance, I didn’t even know what Baha’ism was until I saw this list and looked it up, and I must say that it looks like a pretty solid religion, if that’s what you’re into. I could definately see myself becoming a Baha’ist (?) before most of the religions on this list, with the exception possibly of Buddhism (Rebirth(Sorry Ichxian!) sounds pretty cool).
As for the movers on the list, Islam is growing the fastest, followed by Baha’ism, Sikhism, Jainism, Hinduism, and then Christianity. (Percentage growths)
