Amazon.com screwed up! They have mixed the reviews from the bastardised Ray Comfort 150 Anniversary Edition of Origin of Species (see earlier post) with the actual 150th Anniversary Edition of Origin of Species. So, when people leave negative reviews for the Ray Comfort version, it also shows up on the “real” version as well. When you leave positive reviews for the actual Origin of  Species it shows up on the Ray Comfort version too. I started a discussion yesterday on each book explaining this on the Amazon.com website and sent an email to them.

Amazon.com did try to fix this last night, but it is messed up again today. What is worse, is the that when you do a search Origin of Species, the Ray Comfort version comes up first. The actual 150 Anniversary Edition does not even come up at all!

I need everyone to send an email to Amazon.com customer service and complain.  Do NOT leave a review – either positive or negative because it will go to both books. The more reviews that are left, the worse the problem gets. You see, both books have the exact same title and the same author (Darwin). You would think that Amazon.com would sort the books by their ISBN numbers rather than the titles, but apparently they are not that smart.

If you feel you must leave a review, make sure you clarify which book you are leaving it for.

The Ray Comfort “fake” Origin of Species is ISBN-13: 978-0882709192

The “real” Origin of Species is ISBN-13: 978-0451529060

Perhaps Comfort and Cameron planned this all along. Their own website goes to great lengths explaining how it is their plan to get their version of Origin of Species into as many schools as possible. Tricking people is the only way these slime-balls could ever get anyone to buy their drivel.

This needs to be fixed now. If Amazon.com gets overwhelmed with complaints perhaps they will try in earnest to fix it.

Below is a link to Amazon’s customer service page.

Amazon.com Customer Service

Murdering and torturing innocent children is nothing new to Christianity. Pope Innocent the IV encouraged it over 700 years ago. Thomas Aquinas later justified it by claiming that evil (heresy) must be destroyed in the name of Christ and condoned all of the murders during the Medieval Inquisition. Today that message is apparently being resurrected in Africa.

In cowardly acts that would do Christian mass-murders like Thomas Aquinas proud, pastors in Nigeria have murdered some one thousand children and tortured many more for allegedly being witches.

Evangelical Christianity is on the rise in Africa in general. And many evangelical pastors are preaching that children are witches and must be exorcised or brutally murdered. At least 15,000 children have been targeted in Nigeria alone.

Fortunately the United Nations Children’s Fund and others are making these facts known. Murdering innocent children is wrong period. But, murdering them for Christianity is just more proof of the horrors of religion. Let’s see, defame the profit (Mohammad) and Islam demands your head. Allow yourself to be called a witch and Christianity will burn you alive. Islam is a peaceful religion; aspire to be a good Christian. Somehow it just doesn’t sound right, does it?

Click the link below to read a Los Angels Times report on the subject.

Churches involved in torture, murder of thousands of African children denounced as witches

Creationist nut-job Kirk Cameron is promoting a 150Th Anniversary Edition of Darwin’s Origin of Species. Say what? You heard me. Actually, fellow whacked-out, scientifically challenged creation-mate Ray (Banana Boy) Comfort has published the new book. However, this is one version you do not what to read. The new book has a 50 page introduction by Comfort that basically says evolution is a lie. It goes on to talk about how evolution is responsible for Hitler’s actions and everything else that is bad in the world. I have not read the book yet, but I have been told that the actual text has been edited by the creationists, as well. Here is a link to the introduction.

On November 24, they will be giving away 1000 copies for free at the University of California Berkley. They are hoping that Christian groups will buy them (.99 in bulk) and distribute them. Here is a link to their webpage. There have already been calls to go out and purchase as many copies as possible and remove the first 50 pages. However, with the rest of the book in question, and the fact that we don’t want to give them any money, I would advise against this. Besides, they legally have the right to publish anything they want – the copyright has long expired.

What we need to do is inform everyone we know that this book represents a dishonest and duplicitous attempt to corrupt science and promote creationism. Evolution has destroyed outdated and ludicrous unfounded ideas like creationism, so the only thing for the creationists to do is to try and distort evolution. Do NOT let them get away with this. This is a deliberate attempt to sneak creationism into schools. Tell everyone you know!

Watch the video and cringe:

Award winning English author Philip Pullman is once again under attack by the Catholic Church. Pullman, a supporter of the British Humanist Association and the author of the engaging children’s trilogy, His Dark Materials, was viciously attacked by the Catholic Church when the first book of the trilogy, The Northern Lights, was made into a movie and released in the United States under the title The Golden Compass. The movie did not fair well in the United States because of the relentless bashing and boycotting from Catholics.  Now, Pullman’s newest book, which is scheduled for release early next year and titled The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, is already taking heat from the Catholic Church.

Pullman’s newest book posits the idea that Paul (Saul of Tarsus) created much of the myth of Christ. Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham, David McGough, has been very vocal and released the following statement:

“There is no evidence that Paul influenced the Gospels. No respectable scriptural scholar would have anything to do with [Pullman’s] theory.”
— Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham, David McGough

Pullman States:

“By the time the Gospels were written down, Paul had already begun to transform the story of Jesus into something altogether different and extraordinary and some of his version influenced what the Gospel writers put in theirs. Paul was a literary and imaginative genius who has had more influence on the world than anybody else, including Jesus. He had this great ability to persuade others and his rhetorical skills have been convincing people for 2,000 years.”
— Philip Pullman

Even though the Catholic Church pretends not to know much of their own history, most honest biblical scholars would agree that Paul basically invented Christianity. I don’t know what an “Auxiliary Bishop” is – perhaps a spare that isn’t very bright? But it is apparent that McGough is very much out of touch with the history of his own cult. There most definitely needs to be more books written on the true origins of Christianity.

Pullman’s publisher defends the book properly as a work that needs to be read:

“Philip Pullman has written a book of genuine importance, a radical and ingenious retelling of the life of Jesus that demystifies and illuminates this most famous and influential of stories. It strips Christianity bare, exposes the Gospels to a new light and succeeds brilliantly as a work of literature because it is convincing, thought-provoking, profoundly moving and beautifully nuanced throughout. The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ throws down a challenge and does what all great books do: make the reader ask questions.”
–Jamie Byng, Publisher, Canongate Books

Philip Pullman is a literary genius. He has provided tales of hope and joy for millions of readers the world over. It is horrible that here the United States free expression – especially good literature, is allowed to be subverted by an ignorant majority. Try explaining to a young child that one their favorite movies is not going to have a sequel and they will be kept hanging because foolish people protested the movie so much that it did not make enough money to justify making a sequel. I’ve explained to my seven-year-old daughter that she will never get to  see a sequel to The Golden Compass because  in the real world there is an evil entity just like Pullman’s Magisterium that has the power to prevent people from expressing themselves and living their lives to the fullest. It is called the Catholic Church.

Another year has passed since the tragic events which launched the United States in its current “war on Islam.” Once again people will gather together and pray. They will pray for peace to a god that was responsible for the pain, suffering and death they are remembering. Unfortunately most will not head the call of reason and take the correct action – abolish their god to the realm of bad memories.

Below is the post I published last year at this time. I don’t see anything to indicate that the national sentiment has changed so I feel it is still just as relevant today as it was a year ago.

Remembering 9/11 – Without the Prayer Please

As we remember those who lost their lives in the terrorists’ attacks of 2001, let us do so without prayer. For it was belief in a god that caused the tragedy in the first place. Here is a quick history lesson for those who have forgotten.

Seven years ago a bunch of educated, highly trained (they would have to be in order to fly the airplanes) brave men hijacked four airplanes and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. These men were not fanatics; they were devoted religious followers fulfilling their god’s plan. Their god may not be the mainstream god in the United States, but a god nevertheless. They were doing what they believed their god wanted them to do. Many other atheists have argued , and I fully concur, that only religion and faith in a deity could have motivated these people to commit such terrible acts. Their belief was so strong that they killed innocents and took their own lives in the name of their god. Killing in the name of a god has been, and continues to be a common practice (The Crusades, The Inquisition, Northern Ireland, Iraq, etc). And it is an acceptable practice (depending on whose side you are on).

The events of 9/11 were horribly tragic and my thoughts go out to the survivors of the innocent victims. But I also want to remind everyone that there is an important lesson to be learned from this. It was faith that killed these people. It was faith that motivated the religious faithful to kill. No matter how you look at it, praying is a ridiculous and counter-productive effort. If you believe in the existence of many gods, then the Islamic one is obviously more powerful and your prayers to the Judeo-Christian god accomplish nothing. If you believe there is only one god then you are praying to the very god that caused this catastrophe in the first place – WTF? Finally, if you doubt that any god could or would change the laws of physics and take action based on your futile supplication, you are obviously wasting your time. So why bother?

Rather than embracing the agent that is responsible for this tragic event, we should move on to question whether we, as a society, want to continue to support an enterprise (religion) that fosters this type of bloodshed. I say NO! Do not pray for the victims of 9/11, remember them the next time religion asks you to do something that causes harm to others. Let the unfortunate victims of 9/11 serve as a painful reminder of what true unquestioning faith is capable of achieving.

The passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy is a sad affair. But with the passing of any individual it is customary to look at their life. Senator Kennedy led one of the most productive lives any individual could aspire to lead. Yes, he had his issues. And yes, there are many that looked to him with contempt for the overt excesses he manifested in his personal life. But no one can deny the accomplishments that he achieved in the area of human rights for all Americans – and the world, for that matter.

In his 47-year-career as a senator, Kennedy authored over 2,500 pieces of legislation – many of those becoming some of our most important and cherished laws. Throughout his career, Kennedy was awarded many titles. He was even made and honorary Member of the British Empire (knighted) by Queen Elizabeth earlier this year – a testament to his broad reaching influence. He was a civil rights and health care leader with no equal. But what really set him apart was that he did all of this in spite of who he was.

Edward Kennedy was born into a life of privilege that most people will never even begin to comprehend. Yet, he spent the majority of his life fighting for those who were not so privileged. He was the voice of the poor and the oppressed. He was the hero of the working class. He was the last line of defense against the oppressive large industry or government powers that threatened to injure the average citizen. But more than that, it’s how he achieved what he did. He reached out to his enemies as well as his allies. People who opposed him also respected him immensely. Kennedy was a liberal Democrat. He was fierce and relentless and yet he has been hailed as the greatest senator of our time from friend and foe alike. His ability to work with those who held different world views is perhaps best represented by conservative Republican Orrin Hatch commenting on the passing of Kennedy:

“Today America lost a great elder statesman, a committed public servant, and leader of the Senate. And today I lost a treasured friend. Ted Kennedy was an iconic, larger than life United States senator whose influence cannot be overstated. Many have come before, and many will come after, but Ted Kennedy’s name will always be remembered as someone who lived and breathed the United States Senate and the work completed within its chamber.”
–Sen. Orrin Hatch, 8/25/09

That was said by an opponent. We could all learn an important lesson from Kennedy. Be strong and firm in your convictions but at the same time understand that you do not live in a vacuum. One must learn to work with others of opposing positions in order to get work done. As atheists we need to embrace the things we have in common with theists to work for the greater good of society. It does not mean we should ever back down or roll over – not by a long shot. But sometimes we need to give a little in order to gain a lot.

The wonderful state of Florida is presenting the nation with another “morals based’ political drama. For those who have been missing it due to the poor coverage, there is a 17 year-old girl from Ohio who ran away from her Muslim parents and took shelter with the reverend and his wife of  an Evangelical Christian church in Florida.

The teen, Rifqa Bary, claims that her father “must kill” her because she renounced Islam and was baptized without his permission. In Islam, if you turn away from “The Profit,” you are considered an apostate and the Koran says you must be put to death. The incident is also filled with many inconsistencies and uncorroborated statements. However, Florida Circuit Judge Daniel Dawson will make the decision of whether Rifqa will get to remain in Florida with here new friends or have to go back to Ohio. By the way, the church that Rifqa ran away to is the Global Revolution Church. She met the Reverend and his wife recently on Facebook.

The rule of law is perfectly clear. The Minor must be returned to the state where she resides. But there are circumstances. The teen claims her father did, in fact, threaten to kill her. And yes, there are several thousands of “honor killings’ every year carried out in the name of Allah. These killings are committed against those who leave Islam. There are also rumors that the girl has been physically abused. Now, on the other hand, the Muslim-turned-Christian girl is an honor student and a cheerleader in high school. One could speculate that if the father would consent to her being a cheerleader and wearing short skirts and such you think he might be okay with Christ. There is also no formal record of abuse and the father has repeatedly claimed that he would never hurt his daughter. Plus, we have new the Christian “friends” that she recently met on-line. Could they be coaching the teen on what do say (become one of us type thing).

The Christian – I mean Fox Network has been covering the story and pretty much painting the parents as evil and the child as this poor desperate girl running for her life. For the time being she is in a state-run foster center in Florida until the judge makes his ruling sometime in the next week. What’s going to happen? We’ll just have wait and see. One thing I predict is that the other networks will pick this up and it will grow out of proportion pretty fast. The best thing to happen would be for the girl to go back to her parents and lead a safe, normal life. Then we could blame all of this on Christian crusaders trying to turn people against Islam. Of course, she could also be killed. Then we could blame Islam for once again demonstrating it is indeed the bloody religion it ironically claims itself not to be. No matter how it turns out, the real issue will most likely never be addressed. Religious morality (immorality), in general, will probably escape unscathed again.

Innocent children were among the casualties that were purposefully burned to death in one of the worst massacres in recent memory. Muslims in Pakistan went on a rampage killing Christians in the village of Gojra. Over forty houses and a church were burned by angry Muslim mobs. The violence was over the alleged desecration of the Koran which is punishable by death in Pakistan. Christians are a minority in Pakistan making up less than three percent of the population.

Personally I feel for the families and friends of the victims. As a humanist I am appalled at such careless displays of violence. However, this is typical behavior for religious zealots from a historical point of view. Islam is once again showing the world that it is unquestionably the most violent, intolerant religion today. Killing people because they may have said something bad about or did something to a book! A book! A book of fiction about hatred and killing that is held in more esteem than human life itself. To the Christians in Pakistan I say, “Get out!  You are not welcome there. Pakistan is quite obviously a country populated by barbarians with absolutely no regard for human life. If you stay, the Muslims will probably kill you because you are different. Just like Christians did to everyone else for centuries. See, being persecuted for your beliefs – or lack of them, is not much fun is it?”  Imagine no religion…Hmm.

Good job Italy! In an almost unanimous vote, the Italian Drug Agency approved the use of the abortion drug RU-486. This is significant because the Vatican, which is located in Italy, has argued that the drug is a form of abortion and abortion and contraception are banned by the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church has lobbied heavily in Italy and the United Nations against the use of the drug which provides a safe alternative to an actual physically invasive abortion.

Italy’s decision is perfect example of a national government taking the correct course of action and looking out for the well being of its citizens even when that action contradicts leading religious dogma. This is the 21st century. All nations need to put past and harmful behavior based on unfounded and irrelevant religious traditions and superstitions behind them. Religious institutions have no business whatsoever trying to involve themselves in health care.

Italy legalized abortion in 1978 and also allows use of the morning-after pill. Abortion is legal in most European countries.

Last month a group of paleontologists toured the Creationist Museum in Kentucky (Palentologists visit Creationist Museum). All of them were offended, most were outraged, and one was even brought to tears. Well, what the hell did they expect? The truth? Wake Up! The museum not only preaches the asinine ideas of a flat, 6000 year-old-Earth where people walked hand in hand with dinosaurs; but also blames all of the suffering in today’s world on the science of evolutionary biology.

Hopefully this was a wake up call for the few scientists that did attend the tour. Scientists today MUST speak up and speak out against the rampant proliferation of ignorance and harmful religious dogma that threatens all aspects of our world today. Ignoring these lunatics will not cause them go away. Their medieval ideas need to be confronted and destroyed publicly at all costs. I realize that many scientists hold on to the idea that if they confront the ignorant creationists, flat-earthers, etc. they will be giving credence to the outlandish ideas. So, they choose to ignore them. Bad idea! While scientists ignore them, they gain power and followers.

Rational people everywhere must fight ignorance and deceptively false knowledge whenever it is encountered. Truth, real scientific truth, must be taught publicly again. Scientists can not bury their heads in a laboratory and ignore what is going on in the real world. We need people like Richard Feynman, and Carl Sagan now more than ever. When someone makes a stupid statement like, “6,000 years ago when the dinosaurs…” they need to be confronted right then on the spot and told there were no dinosaurs 6,000 years ago. Creationism and other ills of society need to be destroyed, not with silence, but with careful, lucid, correct explanations of how the universe really works. I blame the scientific community for their misguided political correctness; afraid of offending someone’s beliefs – if it’s nonsense, offend away!  Science is not about being nice. Science is about discovering the truth. If someone has a bad or false idea, tell them it’s bad or wrong. If they persist, they need to be reprimanded and discouraged from spreading their nonsense.

I have a new slogan I’m going to put on a t-shirt:

The universe is 13.7 billion years old
The earth is 4.6 billion years old
The earth is round
Humans are distant cousins of all other species alive today
When you die, you cease to exist

If you have a problem with any of the above facts, you are an idiot!