Instrumental Dimensions

Working in more than three spacial dimensions seems to be synonymous to a pilot flying on instruments. You can't see what's going on given the conditions, but the tools offer the best approximation a human mind can handle.

Magic Cross

Whenever I see someone wearing a cross I see two magic wands arranged to be perpendicular, nothing more. It's just an individual's way to express a belief in some form of magic being real.

Dumping Ignorance For Knowledge Of Less Control

It is ironic that the more I learn the less connected I feel. Maybe knowledge comes with the understanding that we have relatively less control and influence over things than we think when we’re more ignorant. Why can knowledge of less control mean less connectedness?

Passing The Buck To A God

Are beliefs also about placing responsibility on “the spirits” for what happens in order to pass responsibility or relieve guilt? Rituals and prayers that “ask” a god for something or to do something may be a way to do this. If the request fails, then it was the god’s decision, not the person’s. There is a famous thought experiment with the scenario of pushing someone in front of a train to die, but the act will save several others. We avoid that kind of choice altogether. We would rather do nothing and let a “god decide.” Accepting the idea that we can act means responsibility for acting or not acting, which comes with guilt when every choice is determined to be a failure.

Weightless Words

If someone needs the “right” context--setting, clothes, company, lighting, etc.--to give words the desired weight, the words themselves remain weightless when removed.

Rarely A Miracle

A miracle is not something that rarely happens. It is something that can’t happen otherwise.

"With It" Comes And Goes

When quoting someone or liking something very recent you’re “with it.” If it’s too old, even by a little bit, you’re “out of touch.” However, at some point those things become old enough where they become “intellectual” or “insightful” and acceptable to use once again.

Contaminated Joy

If another’s pain brings you joy, the evil which produces it is a contaminate that is still there when real joy tries to reappear, skewing its fulfillment possibilities from its true purpose.

Elusive Equilibrium

Capitalism means always being out of equilibrium.

No Credit For Quote Mining

Quote mining is not a class that can be taken as credit toward a degree.

Life Is A Given

Life is but one emergent property resulting from the condition of the cosmos simply existing.

A Better Distortion

No matter the version of any "revealed" religious text being used to try and get an improved view of reality, a better alternative would be the use of fun house mirrors.

Doing Evil To Do Good

How much of the "good" that religious people claim they do because of their beliefs wouldn't even be necessary if the evil things done in the name of their religion didn't happen in the first place?

More Powerful Than God

Within the assertion that non-believers refuse to see god's obvious existence isn't there the implication that we're more powerful than the god being asserted in overriding his obviousness? Otherwise, how could we accomplish such a feat?

Arrogant Non-Believers

For those who claim it's impolite, rude or inconsiderate to powerfully challenge believe in their god(s), they are asking to be treated like a child; that is the same "logic" they use to hold back destroying belief in the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. Would anyone call someone arrogant for asserting to an adult that these creatures don't exist?

Recovering From Metaphors

Those who try and teach things that can't be put into words use metaphors, parables, and analogies as approximations. But, for too many these are seen as exact equivalents, and with individual connotations that are automatically inserted they get them wrong without an ability to recover.

No Cash Gifts

For those who won't give money to homeless people directly, saying in defense of their position that they would give someone a sandwich but not cash because they will misspend it otherwise, do the same for your favorite charity. Don't sent them cash but ask what they need and buy that instead, a gift registry of sorts. The same logic that applies to one situation should apply to the other.

On Not Debating Believers

On not debating believers: It's the same reason you wouldn't ask a post-graduate student to debate a 6th grader--the advanced information can't be regressively translated to the lower level and make sense. Calculus can't be understood if your highest level of achievement is long division and you believe that's as good as it gets.

Handcuffs Of Belief

Ironically, breaking free from religion is like getting out of Chinese handcuffs...you have to relax in order to free yourself. Well, it's not a totally accurate analogy (none are, really), but I find it helps. The more energy that's put into someone's belief--sourced either from one's self or others--the harder it is to get out.

All the former believers I've spoken with seem to have become free by not trying to do so. They were hit with an 'ah ha' moment while not expecting it, or (like myself) just one day realized that all the silliness wasn't true after years of small things building up to an inescapable conclusion. Those "small things," however, aren't thrown at people; they were discoveries made by one's self or overheard.

It's sad, but the mind of belief is almost always cracked slowly and alone.

Public Government

Religious conservatives claim the rest of us are looking to take religion out of the “public square,” being sure to emphasis public, misdirecting the actual complaint against government meddling in religion. Yet, when it came to health care reform, use of the term “public option” was not allowed, pushing for “government takeover,” a flip-flop on the terms.