Barak Obama - Ignorance Revealed...

I wanted to take a few minutes to clear up some bull shit that I've been hearing around town. I don't really care where you stand as far as your political candidates that you want to support. That's not really the point of this post. The point of this post is the clear up the mis-conception about this man. Barak Obama is NOT a Muslim, and it's kinda dumb to assume that just because of his name! This is complete and utter bullshit and if you hear anyone say this rest assured that they are not only ignorant, but they are being extremely stupid, and they are talking out of their Ass! First off, His name is Barak Obama Jr. This should tell you something right off the bat.... If he did convert to Islam and chose his name, why would he choose to use Jr????? Second, he in fact attends Trinity United Church of Christ. Hey, but don't take my word for it.. check out his bio on his web site here.
There is no ground for making such an assumption just because his last name. I read his book "Dreams of my Father", and I am currently reading "The Audacity of Hope" just to become more familiar with this man. I have not yet decided who I'm going to vote for, but it sure is annoying to hear people making judgments on the man based solely on his last name. That's just stupid in my opinion and very narrow minded.
Sure he attended a Muslim school, but did you know that was because he was living in Indonesia? Did you also know that his mother during this time would wake him up at 3am to teach him other material to prepare him for schools in the US? I know not really relevant, but it's just as relevant as claiming his Name makes him a Muslim... Also, he only spent a few years in Indonesia then went back to Hawaii to finish school. It was actually his grandfather on his fathers side that had converted to Islam. His book does not cover much about his father's faith, mainly because he barley knew his father except for letter correspondences and maybe 2 personal encounters.
Look I have no problem with people forming or even voicing their opinions about people, but to claim facts simply based on his name?? Guess that's how are society is changing, guilty until proven otherwise... Why not get the facts straight or simply go read his book? Or even do 30 seconds worth of research to find information on the guy. Done ranting now.

Ignorance.. Is it really bliss?

I'm not sure if it's because I'm getting older, or if it's because I'm starting to actually listen to other people.... But... and don't get me wrong here, I think everyone is entitled to their opinion.. But some of this shit really gets annoying after awhile.

First let me explain what happen a few weeks ago with my father. We were discussing politics and such, mainly me expressing my thankfulness that Bush would soon be gone. That led to a very brief discussion about the war, and that led to the up coming elections. Now for me, I have not come to a conclusion yet as to who I'm going to vote for and I admit it , I have not done much research except for excerpts and news clippings. However, since I'm a registered Democrat I usually lean that way :) Anyway, I had asked good ole dad what he thought between Hillary and Obama. To my surprise he actually got pissed. Ranting that he would never vote for someone with a name like that! And that there was no way in hell a Muslim would be elected president! Ignorance warning Ignorance warning !! Then the other day the same bull shit happen with my brother-in-law except he was claiming that Barack picked that name, hinting that he was Muslim... Ignorance warning Ignorance warning !! My first thought was WTF?!? Where are these people getting this information?!?!? The pastor? Are they just Guessing?!?! Maybe I'm not watching enough TV, but I have not heard that shit! What I've heard is that this is a good fairly open minded christian man, born in Hawaii who's father died when he was young. As far as I know he was born with his Obama name. As I said though, I have not read much about him... This I plan of fixing. Yesterday I bought both his books: Dreams from My Father (supposed to be sort of a look into his personal life) and The Audacity of Hope . I read the first few pages and was surprised to see he is in favor of Evolution ;)

Guess my point is, Ignorance is NOT BLISS and it makes people look pretty damn stupid! When in doubt , say you don't know, maybe formulate some sort of opinion, but then go out and do some reading....

Woefully inadequate...

After following some recent blogs... It has revealed to me that I know nothing. I have no problems admitting that my intellect or education does not rival that of the great scientists of this world, nor does it seem that I posses the wonderful ability to articulate sound arguments when it comes to debating the matters of the existence/non-existence of a deity. Most of what I rely on that brought me to where I am today has been the experiences growing up, from reading books in an attempt to increase my understanding of the world, from the many conversations with others, and from simple observations.

A few of thoughts on a few matters:

Are all those that religious closed minded and ignorant?
Of course not. If that were true, it is very likely we would not be allowed the freedoms that we have today. From my experience with other people based on my observations only, it does seem that people in general are lazy. At least when it comes to understanding their own faith. It seems they want to believe in a god and after life because that is what everyone else does. It also appears that they simply don't want to have to "Think" or "Reason" or even ask questions. Most people that claim to be Christians (that I know) don't even read their own bible! They go to church on Sunday, and accept verbatim everything that preacher says.

Do I think it is simplest in the Christian faith or any faith for that matter to attribute that witch can not be answered to a deity?
Absolutely! Science provides more logical and reasonable answers to questions about things better than simply attributing it to a god. This in my opinion can be backed up with History. Before medical knowledge existed, when people got sick it was attributed to demons, bad behaviour, or some other form of a non-holy life. We look back on those times and consider those people to have been ignorant and some of the remedies to be superstitious. It would seem to me then, if this happen in the past, and since our knowledge is continually increasing about the world around us that this will happen again. With each step we gain in science, biology, archeology, etc we come closer to understanding the world around us from a different and new perspective.

Why do I deny the existence of the Judaic Christian God?
Because most things attributed to that god can be dismissed (again in my opinion). Example: Being raised in a Pentecostal Church there were things that happen that are difficult to explain. Anyway, most of the notable events occurred when the entire congregation was in unison. During these times you could literally feel something was there. For a long time I had no explanation for this simply because there was nothing else that could be compared to. Until I went to my first "Secular" concert many years later. During one of the performers songs the entire stadium was singing in harmony. At that moment is when I realized; that was the commonality! It wasn't that god was in our presents, it was because a group of people were all participating in something together as one... It truly is a remarkable feeling almost overwhelming. The goosebumps, that tingling sensation throughout your body, but most certainly did not qualify as god. At least not the god of the Christian faith, why the heck would he/she/it be participating in a "Secular" song that was not uplifting to him/her/it??

This post has already become larger than I anticipated, but just had to get some of these thoughts out. Just because I might not have a Harvard education, or posses a large vocabulary, or know all the correct ways to present ideas through arguments does not mean I can't continue to try. Typically, I do not seek out to covert people to atheism... Why? Because, I reject religion for the simple fact they must be right. By nature of the Christian faith, it is the only way! This seems ludicrous to me. If it truly is the only way, then you would think god would have provided a means for his message to be easily seen by all instead of through education from an Evangelist.. I mean damn what good is being all powerful if you are stuck using your own creation as a messenger? of witch you made imperfect so you would know they are going to screw something up. lol

My thoughts for today :)