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.
Communion is Bullshit July 31, 2008
Posted by atheismandhappiness in Atheism, Religion.Tags: Atheism, Christianity, Communion, Idiocy, Jesus, Sacraments
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Hebrews 10:10: “We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
John 19:30: “It is finished.”
Why is a sacrifice still going on that was supposed to have ended 2,000 years ago? According to the parishes where I live, and my personal upbringing, Catholics do believe that the sacrifice actually takes place in communion – that the host is actually god. So why torture god by dividing him, mashing him between your teeth, and boiling him in your digestive system when it isn’t needed? As a sign of respect? Possibly. But there are other ways of showing respect.
Where do you get the authority to sacrifice your own god on a weekly basis without reason? I also just don’t understand why you would eat your god – or even why you would need a ritual to do it when god is supposedly already in all things.
Is it to remember? The Crucifixion is remembered through statues of Jesus hanging from crosses, not through a reenactment. You might think this a rediculous comparison, but to be honest they amount to the same: the ruin of the body of Jesus.
It interests me to think about how Communion came about. It sure makes for a strong reason to make sure people come back every week. Since, of course, they don’t have the authority to break their own bread or remember on their own.
Agnosticism and Atheism are not Mutually Exclusive July 30, 2008
Posted by atheismandhappiness in Agnosticism, Atheism.Tags: Agnostic, Argument, Atheist, Belief, Logic
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Recently I have read several blogs criticizing Atheists based on a common logical argument. I’ve literally been reading this (though worded differently) everywhere:
Draw a circle on a piece of paper, placing a single dot in the center that represents you. Everything you can possibly understand is illustrated by the circle. How can you claim to know about what is outside of the circle? In other words, how can Atheists know that there isn’t a god without being all-knowing themselves?
A lot of bloggers cite this as the reason that they are “agnostic rather than atheistic.” This results from a misunderstanding of the terms.
Agnostic (Greek: α- a-, without + γνώσις gnōsis, knowledge) is a statement of knowledge. If you claim to be agnostic, you claim to be unable to prove whether or not a god or gods exist. You can be an agnostic theist, one who believes in a god but cannot prove its existence, or you can be an agnostic atheist, one who cannot prove or disprove gods, but does not believe in them.
In the same way that being agnostic is a statement of knowledge, atheism is a statement of belief. In answer to the question above, the atheist does not believe that there is circle at all, or rather that the circle emcompasses all that exists. While the theist would ask, “How can you prove that what is outside the circle doesn’t exist?” The Atheist would ask, “How can you prove that it does?”
Atheism and happiness 