I am converted ... to Reason ... By Jim Schoch

A Darren Wilson Film (and here is the description)

"Hundreds raised from the dead. Manna appearing in the Pentagon. Gemstones falling from the sky. Teenagers healing perfect strangers on the street. This isn't old time religion. This is a new beginning. A spiritual revolution. This is the Finger of God.

Prepare to go on a dizzying journey around the world - from the streets of Northern California to the mud huts of Africa; from the underground church in China to the Gypsies in Eastern Europe - you will be challenged and encouraged by the extraordinary things God is doing in our world today. Born out of filmmaker Darren Wilson's personal journey of two years and hundreds of hours of footage, Finger of God will show you a world you never knew existed. A world of hope and courage. A world where God's fingerprints are found in the unlikeliest of places."

Ummmmmmmmm ... If reason is the enemy of faith then I truly have converted to the side of reason ...

My dad dropped by this DVD the other day when my son Aaron was home but I was gone ... we (Aaron, Tammy and I) all watched it ... In the 1990's I embraced the contents of this type of belief/ministry hook, line and sinker ... ummmmm ... can not say that is true any longer ... Let me rephrase the above description in my understanding with my own perspective ...

"Hundreds say they have been raised from the dead with no real proof but boy do they love the white rich missionaries cameras,food and attention ... Manna appearing in the Pentagon is an outright scam of crumbled dry crackers put out for the mindless masses to believe and called Manna just like is in the bible .... Gemstones falling from the sky which can not be tested as to their geological content/make up ... ummm yeah give me some ocean front property in Arizona and let me sell it to you too ... Obnoxious teenagers trying desperately to heal perfect strangers on the street who are liking the camera rolling and playing along ... especially the scene of the mentally unstable lady who "got healed" ... and the person who got a new kidney (tell me another one)... This is the re-enactment of the stories of old time religion that have been greatly embellished along the way and exaggerated to the point of keeping the cash cow going in hopes of seeing this cool stuff happen for real ... Oh the hype of a revival just around the corner ... This is just the beginning of another generation of being gullible for the express purpose of a false hope of chasing gold dust that magically appears along with gold teeth fillings again unsubstantiated by any dentist and those darn gemstones and Manna from Heaven? ... Oh for ^!#*'s sake ... A nothing but dashed hopes type of revolution is in progress here folks ... This is the Finger of Man at it's most crazy point of which I can no longer stomach or chase in wild hopes of seeing a miracle or healing ... please do not check your brain at the door if you are given this piece of hype that was produced in hopes of cashing in at 20 bucks a pop by Darren Wilson who just can't seem to make an honest living any other way ..."

... and yes I do admit that I (James A Schoch) being of sound mind and body willfully and voluntarily confess to being, converted by reason ... which is said to be the enemy of blind faith where one is applauded if they check their brain at the door ... thanks for letting me vent here :)

Lodi, CA and the FFRF

from Brian Worley

Lodi News-Sentinel on the council's prayer policy

I love Lodi, California! I lived there for quite some time and knew the religious community very well. So I wasn’t all that surprised to see that the town wasn’t so keen with the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s letter warning them about prayers in Jesus name.

Yes, that is the same town from the old Creedence Clearwater song “Lodi” with the most recognized refrain being “Oh, Lord! Stuck in Lodi again.”

I couldn’t forget my first day in town when I asked a cop for some directions. He asked me what I did, and I said “I was a minister.” He said “welcome to Lodi, we have 33 wineries and 33 churches…you will fit right in.” We both laughed. The town has quite a personality and is a bit stubborn. Just follow the link and you can see one of their first moves. They did some digging about FFRF’s financial records and put it in the paper!

This ought to be an interesting battle, the FFRF has disturbed a “buzzsaw.” Read the link and you will see Wiley Drake is already involved. When I lived in Lodi, they had one of the strongest John Birch Society chapters in the country. The Seventh Day Adventist churches there were some of the stronger ones in the country with some national figures having roots there. To boot, there are some factions that had some connections with Rushdoony before he died (Vallecito wasn’t that far away) and the theocrats that have eyes upon ruling the world! Oh, almost forgot that Cardinal Roger Mahony (now Archbishop of Los Angeles) came out of the nearby Stockton diocese.

Anyone see the “Deliver Us From Evil” movie? Elements from Stockton (10 miles away) and Lodi figure prominently in the storyline of perversion. If the FFRF prevails in a seeming little country town (as Drake calls it….actually 50K population) they will have added a nice feather to their cap!

Do we need another reason?

clicking the above title will take you to Philip Ball's article upon the website

I became a big fan of Philip Ball upon reading his previous post concerning science and the Templeton prize money. Few writers would have the courage to tackle the subject like Phillip Ball did! There is a link to the article upon the website page. In my estimation, the best writers get you to think. Oftentimes, when reading their work you might not know where they are going to go because they aren't dogmatic. They are simply excelling in their trade because they are probing your thought processes along the way. I marvel when others see this as being soft or compromising upon truth. I look upon those same writers/articles and think that those that have this "gift" will reach a broader audience due to the lack of an agenda and the security of their viewpoint.

This article is the un-edited version of the "How Much Reason Do You Want?" that was published by Nature and later was challenged by Sam Harris. You could also find it upon Philip's blog (the link is on the website and article page).The article caused quite a stir in the rabid atheists community. Phil's Homunculus Blog has the article with the comments (I will leave it upon the front page in the science section.) I appreciate Phillip's level head and think he handled the rabid atheists pretty well!

It all comes down to a matter of degree and what one overall feels about religion. Although I respect both men, but I would side more with Ball's approach moreso than Harris'. I am a little surprised to see Harris push the issue as strongly as he did, especially since some think that he is a little "sweet" to Eastern religion. Sam Harris's Faith in Eastern Spirituality and Muslim Torture by John Gorenfeld

I post the article here because it is "Main Street" material for the website and it probes a question that all skeptics probably should wrestle with. I know in the past that my views have evolved somewhat to where they are now. Anyway, I've said what I have said here in hope that you would take the time to read it!

My Chains Fell Off Part II

from Paul Benedict

Separation anxiety is a somewhat common experience for those that depart the faith. I found a sense of freedom but was very much in a world that I had not known before. The separation from the known to the unknown was very much akin to the Christian explanation of sanctification ... being positionally justified in Christ but still having to "work out with fear and trembling" that which had been accomplished by Grace! Happily, though, now I could work on what had been accomplished by reason.

I found that I was initially reticent about identifying with "worldly music"; the cinema; buying a Lottery ticket; giving place to expressing feelings about the Church; criticising the Bible, ideas about God, the devil et al. The shroud of evangelicalism's bogeyman did not slip off easily.

I discovered how ignorant I was of in situ situations: politics, social issues and everyday matters. Emerging from the cushioned capsule of religious propaganda, I had to face the realities of life without the spectacles of faith hampering my vision to see things as they were - rather than being the result of fallen sinful nature!

Being free to love and care for others without the obligation to use situations as "a means to and end - soul saving" enabled me to levels of greater respect and empathy. I was not the woodcarver who would have to fashion people to fit into a body of the Church (sic).

I was enabled to satisfy my voracious desire to read and do research outside the confines of having to omit and delete that which did not fit into religious paradigms - objectivity was enhanced.

Yes, indeed, my chains fell off!

Evangelicalism a bird's eye view

clicking the title above will bring you to the website article from Paul Benedict

Do we have a treat for everyone today or what? Let me say how much I appreciate Paul Benedict's contributions to the blog and the website. Paul has a lot of depth in him, and it is evidently clear when you read this his Chapter 1 from his "Evangelicalism: Another Hallucinogenic"

Paul had spent 35 years in the ministry and knows the Bible VERY well! There is so much MEAT within this first chapter that Paul has been kind enough to share with the readers of this website. This is his second chapter that he has consented to share with us...the first being his Chapter 11 on Ethics (you can find the link on either the front page or along with this article.)

The contents of this chapter will certainly be news to many that have never been exposed to Evangelicalism's history. Some of this might actually stun you and help you to be able to place some loose pieces of history's puzzle together!

I have read with great interest Paul's book, you can see the review that I wrote upon it with a link on the page! Nobody decent would expect an author to give away their work, but Paul has been very gracious. Chapter's 1 & 11 are upon the website now, I hope that you will be intrigued enough to find out what he says from Chapters 2-7 which are VERY INTERESTING! You can get a copy of the book from your favorite bookseller or simply click the book icon upon the website to order it from Amazon.com!

Least of all, it would be very nice to see those of you that have read and appreciate his work to take a few minutes, stop what you are doing and sit down and type out a short paragraph or two expressing what or how it helped you! Everyone realizes that times are tough nowadays, but kind expressions don't cost you a thing and a little encouragement goes a long way! I hope you enjoy the article.....and express it as well!

Brian

All Religions are Bunk

clicking the title above will take you to the website article by James Worrell

James Worrell is a lawyer from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma that retired as an FBI agent. He has been a life long atheist and a frequent contributor to the Ex-Minister website.

James is an excellent writer, note the links adjacent to this article for his other website posts. There is one article of his that is a wonderful episode of watching a lawyer come to the defense of bastards. The Bible stands no chance here, Worrell easily won the case! Now, if we could only get a judge to award damages to all of the "bastards" that the Bible has maligned!

Pastor reverts to sign language to keep the sheep in his pasture

See the Gainsville Sun story: Pastor Defends Church Sign; A Professor Reacts

from Brian with a special thanks to Larry C. for sending this in

They wouldn't want the sheep to look upon another pasture, would they? To prevent this, Pastor Terry Jones has a sign placed upon the church's lawn to warn the sheep that the devil is lurking around! The sign reads "Islam is of the Devil."

Could it be that Pastor Jones is threatened by Islam's tremendous growth? He wouldn't want any of his tithes and offerings going into the wrong hands would he? Why couldn't he just say this message from his own pulpit to his flock in attendance? Could it be that some of his sheep have already strayed and that he is a little bitter?

Stating the obvious: Muslim's have problems with expressions of free speech. Why not just ignore the sign? After all, isn't it still a free marketplace for religion in America?

Aren't these religious "cat fights" a spectacle to behold? I have a feeling that Pastor Jones might not like the dosage of the "wrath of a God" that he will now have to deal with (albeit from a different God!) Why cannot the faithful just enjoy their: 1) god in the sky 2)their piece of the religious pie? May the God of peace be with you! Jones will need it as he faces the wrath of Allah!

Please see the reaction that the sign drew with this link: Church's anti-Islam sign protested