Dante Doesn't Approve, But God's Cool With It

Today was a very long day--however, I would like to share this post (by a theist) that I came across on The Book of Faces.




My first point: so you knew everything about your friend's mom's eating/outdoor habits? And your friend's father's as well?
My second point: research suggests that replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats reduces one's risk of heart disease, among other health problems.
My final point: so gay marriage is a sin and transgender people are scary, but gluttony is just fine and dandy?

I see the overall point of the message--don't worry about what you do in life, because life is short. Just live. But some degree of self-discipline is necessary to live life to the fullest. I would rather eat what I know is a healthy diet for the most part and exercise than, well, not...because I don't want life to pass me by while I laze around and stuff my face. And I didn't need a god to tell me that. My own mind and thought process led me to this conclusion. Oh wait...

86 The Truth

All I have to say about tonight is: gotta love when people in positions of power lie and make changes that affect the "little people" in a detrimental fashion. It'll come back to haunt them, though.

God Is Love Is Jealousy Is You

The other day, I came across a post on The Book of Faces which read as follows:

"Okay I usually never do this... But this is something I am incredibly passionate about and I can't stand to see people spewing hate in the name of God. God LOVES, God IS LOVE! God calls us not to judge and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Not everyone has to agree with each other, but we do need to respect and love on each other. So please, if you're going to talk about God or the Bible, talk about how He loves and forgives and longs to have a relationship with everyone of us. Hate doesn't help anything, but love, true agape love, can bring peace that surpasses all understanding."

I agree with the point about mutual respect. However, one cannot assert that god is love. The bible even says: 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

In the bible, god states that he is a jealous and angry god, a statement which flies directly in the face of the bible's definition of love. If god did exist, it seems he exhibits a very human and fallible trait known as cognitive dissonance.

Work It Out

I'm taking a bit of a break from the blog tonight so that I can work out after a long day at...work! I hope everyone has a pleasant evening!

A Rey of Understanding

Today, I worked morning to night. After work, I came across this article via Upworthy about Daisy Ridley's experience with a disease that affects many women: endometriosis. This disease is caused by abnormal growth of the uterine lining (basically, it grows in places where it is not supposed to). It can cause excessively painful periods, fatigue, and nausea, to name a few symptoms--symptoms which are often dismissed by doctors as being "normal parts of life." Thank you Daisy for opening up about this struggle!

Gonna Veg

Today, I did a whole lot of stuff. And just now for dinner, I made this!

You might be surprised to learn that everything on this plate is vegetarian! For the "chicken," I cooked up some Gardein plant protein chicken strips.

I'm not a strict vegetarian. I will eat meat if it's certified humanely raised/organic/grass fed/wild caught. The way factory farms treat animals is horrid and inhumane.

However, I take issue with vegetarians who say it's "wrong to kill animals." Wild animals are free to do as they wish, but there is always the risk of being killed by another animal. It is simply the nature of things. That's just my thought for the day.

The Twilight Zone

I worked all day today, so the fiancé and I are relaxing and watching The Twilight Zone. Now more than ever, I feel life imitating art...especially with the current political climate in which we are.

It Gets Better When You Think About Thinking

Today, I came across a post on The Book of Faces.

As someone who has an anxiety disorder, I can tell you that religion will likely make the anxiety worse. Think about it: an all-powerful entity is watching you at all times, and if you do not accept him into your life you will be tortured for eternity. You are expected to praise him with all that you do and to be a "good Christian."

What's been helpful to me? Thinking about my thoughts and harmful thought patterns, breathing exercises, and getting enough vitamin D and exercise.

Strengthen the Pulse

I have no words for what happened today.

You can help support the LGBT community by clicking this link. You can pray, but tangible help is more prudent.

Sign Me!

Plan Z

Today, I worked a double and just now got around to eating dinner. However, I would like to share this link with you all: I will be doing more research on potential Green Party candidate Jill Stein as an alternative to our lovely options we have from the Republican and Democratic parties.

Additonally, I learned that "sore loser laws" contribute the the polarization of our political parties and are part of the reason for the lack of third parties with momentum.

You Can Swim Straight Into Hell, Thanks

The news lately surrounding the Stanford rapist disgusts me for so many reasons.

Oh, and evidently he lied to the judge about how much he had partied. See, this poor sap's sob story was: "Oh, I was just shattered by the party culture on campus...it was new to me..." No, actually, he partied and creeped all the time (kudos to USA Today for describing him as what he is, a rapist, and publishing a story looking into his past).

Unfortunately, since this anus is white, male, connected, and a swimmer, he is being granted leniency. And thanks to his father's attitude passed down to him, he probably still does not yet realize the ramifications of what he has done to the poor lady he violated. As a rape victim myself, I can tell you that experiencing that is like having your soul ripped out and replaced with darkness, hatred, and fear. It is a horrid feeling.

But there is some good here. Thanks to this story receiving so much coverage, we may actually get somewhere in regards to addressing the pervasiveness of rape culture and privilege. This anus will probably never be able to show his face anywhere ever again once he gets out of prison. And now the world can see that 1. Rapists look like normal people because they are, well normal people (just normal people who want to use other people for power) and 2. Transgender people aren't the issue. People like this are the issue. Fathers like his are the issue. 

Additionally, there is a petition to have the asshat of a judge recalled. Please take the time to sign it.

I Am

Today, I am feeling sick and trying to rest up and feel better--but I would like to share this meme (seen on Joshua Feuerstein's page) with you all.

I realize it's not intentional, but the meme seems to suggest that these beliefs are a delusion! Regardless, people should be proud of their own strength. 

Be Wary, I Sense a Disturbance

Last night, I moved some things from what will soon be my parents' old house to mine, and was exhausted when I arrived home. I did, however, find time for a discussion on the Book of Faces before I passed out.

The discussion had to do with GMOs. Some were asserting that they are not harmful. My stance is this--I cannot conclusively assert either way whether or not GMOs are harmful to human health. The research others were citing in support of GMO safety had no control measures whatsoever, and drew "We are 100% right" conclusions rather than stating "this suggests that GMOs are not harmful to humans."

That's the thing. So many people will assert: "Oh. GMOs are fine, you're ignoring the science!" No. I'm not ignoring it. I'm being critical of it after studying it--which is practice of good science.

Black Holes and Revelations

Today, I read an article in The New York Times about a shift in theories dealing with how black holes operate. Or perhaps more accurately, how they can be "read."

According to the article, it was once thought that any particles and the subsequent information about those particles would be lost forever, scrambled beyond recognition (save for particle charge, mass, etc.) before they were "spit out" again. However, physicists may have found a way to retrieve that information using "soft hair," their name for light particles shifting around on the surface of a black hole. When particles are pulled into the black hole, they shift around light particles trying to "escape" the immense gravitational pull. The article compares this shifting to the small notches in a record--the "shifts" can be read to retrieve information about what sort of particles were "sucked" into the black hole. 

A More Worthy Question

Today, I worked a double and I am exhausted. However, I would like to share this poignant meme with everyone here.

Float like a Butterfly, Sting like a Bee

Rest in peace, Muhammad Ali.

Architecture of Nature

Today, I read an article in The New York Times about a supposed "underwater city."

This "city" was actually created by ancient bacteria millions of years ago, as a result of methane gas erupting from the ocean floor. The bacteria fed on the gas and guided the formation of dolomite into structures resembling pillar bases.

Emergency

Unfortunately, I had a family emergency tonight and am unable to post anything besides, well, this. Thank you all and I will have a post tomorrow night!

Suppress This

Today, I happened upon a post on The Book of Faces by none other than Ken Ham.

He asks about the purpose of a "Reason Rally" for those of us who believe that we will one day simply cease to exist. It is my opinion that because this life is so brief relative to the age of the universe, we should savor what we have and band together to discover its truth--"truth" certainly not referring to thousand-year-old myth. We should not blindly accept "God's truth" out of fear.

As for us "borrowing" logic from the Christian worldview--just--no.