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AtheistConnect: The Online Atheist Magazine

AtheistConnect: The Online Atheist Magazine AtheistConnect is a crowdsourced, online magazine. Visit www.AbsenceofClothing.com for more information, contact us if you would like to blog.

Visitors can sign up and immediately start writing for the magazine. We publish new articles daily in the areas of:
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We also have a religious section called "The Other Side." There will be a weekly article written by a Christian contributor as well as an "Ask an Atheist" section.

People who endorse conspiracy theories tend to be more religious, and this may be due to ideological overlap
04/29/2022
People who endorse conspiracy theories tend to be more religious, and this may be due to ideological overlap

People who endorse conspiracy theories tend to be more religious, and this may be due to ideological overlap

A large study published in the journal Political Psychology suggests that the link between conspiracy belief and religiosity is rooted in cognitive similarities between the two beliefs. The overall findings suggest that people with higher conspiracy belief also tend to be more religious, and this is...

04/19/2022
04/17/2022

HAPPY "GOOD" FRIDAY!
What does the Bible really say about Jesus? Well, that depends… lots of things.

Most readers combine, mix and match different verses from different gospels (which were written by different authors at different times for different audiences) to come up with their own Super Gospel – a completely new account of events that defy all laws of logic, time, and space. This is called HARMONIZATION – a fancy word for blasphemy.

Each author of the Gospels was writing their own Gospel – their accounts of the life and times of Jesus, through their eyes, intended for their audiences. Of course they’ll all see things a little differently, just like eyewitnesses to a crime – everybody has their own view of what happened. So, who is right? What is the truth?

To be clear – the Bible is full of thousands of contradictions and discrepancies – some are tiny; some are enormous. In “The Passion” narratives, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all have very different accounts of the last hours of Jesus’ life and his resurrection from the grave. To be clear – we aren’t talking about the little differences – we are talking about differences that have baffled scholars and theologians for centuries!

Who was Jesus? Was he crying out in confused agony, angry with God? Was he calm and consoling, reassuring his followers that this was all planned and that he was at peace? Much like a crime scene, regardless of how many witnesses there are, there can only be one truth. To me, these are some of the most important foundational questions we must ask of the Bible.
FUN BIBLE GAME:

Please remember – according to the doctrine of the trinity, Jesus was God Himself, in the flesh. Now, go back and re-read some of the Old Testament and imagine Jesus carrying out various acts that we usually attribute to some cranky “old” God. Or, try to re-imagine some of the verse where Jesus talks to God (like the one above), himself. Don’t blame me – the Bible tells us they are one and the same! The God of the Old Testament is the Jesus of the New Testament a mind-boggler so awkward that it is usually just ignored.
– Horus Gilgamesh

P.S. This illustration is from our first book, here: http://amzn.to/20PBFwf

04/17/2022

"HE IS RISEN!!!" If you’ve been to church on Easter in the last fifty years, you’ve probably heard the pastor call out, “He Is Risen!” The congregation has been well trained to answer with the cheerful pep-rally cry, “He Is Risen, Indeed!”

I’ve always been a little uncomfortable with chanting anything in a monotone voice, as it reminds me of zombies walking the streets with their eyes rolled back in their heads. What most Christians don’t realize is that the last three words of Mark’s original Gospel give a little different context to the “He Is Risen” chants…

“They were afraid.” Period. The End.

Most Biblical scholars agree – the traditionally known ending of the Gospel of Mark (16:9-20) found in most Bibles was a much later addition, a forgery or fake – not found in the earliest (most original, most authentic) manuscripts. Interestingly, this later add-on includes some of the most interesting and important passages of Mark – Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene and the two disciples, the announcement of the Great Commission, instructions for handling snakes, drinking poisons, casting out demons, and Christ’s ascension into heaven. That’s a LOT of content to pack into 11 short verses – conveniently added much later by a different author with a very different writing style and different agenda. (Please don’t take my word for it, check the footnotes of most Bibles for the notation of the addition.)

So, what does this mean? It is pretty easy to understand that the original author of the Gospel of Mark, like any author, was *very* intentional about the last three words he chose for his book. Next to the opening sentence being the “hook” of any piece of literature, the last sentence is extremely important – driving the final point home for the reader.

“Shocked and trembling, the women fled from the tomb! They told no one, because they were afraid!” It is fun to compare this original ending found in Mark 16:8 translation by translation using a service like BibleHub. (Can anybody guess where the NLT found their extra conversation-changing verbiage?)

Please take a moment to think about the last three words of the first gospel ever written. Think about how this story came to be “enhanced” in the later written Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John. It’s worth noting that it was in this first, earliest Gospel of Mark that we see a tortured, confused, and frightened Jesus crying out just before His death, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani – my god, my god – why have you forsaken me?” (Hardly the picture of the calm, determined, inspired Jesus who prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” which can only be found in the later re-telling in the Gospel of Luke 23:34.)

But, why were the women afraid? Before you lay down the standard party line of, “But, they weren’t afraid of Jesus, they were afraid of the angel in the tomb,” – I’d just encourage you to read your Bibles carefully. In fact, the actual Gospel of Mark never suggests there was an angel in Christ’s tomb at all – just, “a young man dressed in a white robe.” – Mark 16:5 (Of course, it doesn’t say that they were running from a zombie, either – but, for this meme, we simply re-used half of an illustration that is accompanied by a different verse in our first book, relating to the saints coming out of their tombs and walking the streets upon Christ’s death. Much like the authors of the Gospels, we have a little fun from time to time.)

While most modern Bibles are at least honest enough to annotate the discrepancy of the additional ending to Mark in their footnotes, doesn’t it make you wonder, why is the *truth* about the Bible is being hidden in the footnotes in the first place? This would lead most people to wonder if anything else ever got added, altered, or removed from the Bible? No angel in the tomb? The Great Commission was added later? What other stories are told in church every Sunday without any question or true understanding? Hmm…

Happy Easter, folks – watch your back! ;-)

[Remember: Don’t blame us, it is (or is not) in the Bible!
This full illustration featuring different verses and commentary can be found in our first book.]

Sam Harris | #278 - The Man Who Will Be King
04/13/2022
Sam Harris | #278 - The Man Who Will Be King

Sam Harris | #278 - The Man Who Will Be King

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks to Graeme Wood about Muhammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.

04/10/2022

They do tend to sugar coat most of it and outright ignore the freaky bits.
Then when someone who has read ALL of the bible (an atheist) points out the freaky bits, we’re the bad guys. Just for pointing out that it exists. 🤷🏻‍♀️

04/06/2022

The Founding Fathers had it right: the separation of church and state is key to a healthy democracy.

Follow Occupy Democrats for more.

04/04/2022
Study conspiracy theories with compassion
03/30/2022
Study conspiracy theories with compassion

Study conspiracy theories with compassion

The societal forces that drive people to join a belief system matter more than the specifics of what they believe.

03/25/2022

I would wipe my ass with it, but I wouldn't want to insult my ass like that.

03/23/2022

I talk about this phenomenon in Hi, I'm an Atheist (https://amzn.to/3LdUzst), and I show how the process of indoctrination works. Here's an excerpt from that:

"It is often difficult for a person who was raised in a religious tradition to deny the teachings they have known since childhood to such an extent that they no longer identify with them—and wish this to be known to others. It is even more difficult for someone to take an active stance against the ideologies or systems taught since childhood—not because the religious arguments are especially convincing or transcendent, but because of the indoctrination that inherently takes place within a religious tradition."

The book makes a great gift for believers and it is also available on Kindle (https://amzn.to/3L9H8cY) and Audible (https://amzn.to/3uivXrD). Thank you all! I appreciate all the support.

#findgod #religion #atheist #indoctrination #copingmechanism

Timeline photos
03/23/2022

Timeline photos

03/21/2022

These are the same sabotaging House Republicans attacking Biden over Russia and Ukraine.

03/01/2022

— Isaac Asimov

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Have you signed the Women's Declaration, as suggested recently by Richard Dawkins?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k-FOZEngF8&t=17s
A quote from Matthew from The Blasphemous Bible, a satirical rewrite of the KJV Bible. Available on Amazon, most book stores or direct from my publisher below. Follow my page at https://www.facebook.com/TheBlasphemousBible 27:1 Now it came to pass that the disciples preached to the masses, saying, "Upon the third day, those who guard the sepulcher of Christ will be struck down and Jesus will rise from his grave." 27:2 And the multitudes listened to him and believed him, saying, "Surely he was the son of God." 27:3 On the tenth day, people stopped listening. 27:4 On the fifth month, the disciples were mocked. 27:5 After one year, the guards placed at the entrance of the tomb were relieved, to pursue more important duties.
A quote from Exodus from The Blasphemous Bible, a satirical rewrite of the KJV Bible. Available through Amazon, most book stores or direct from my publisher below. A link to my page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/TheBlasphemousBible 1:24 But when they complained, they were beaten and told to be good slaves. 1:25 Just like they did to their slaves. 1:26 And they thought this unfair.
Shameless promotion: My new book, "Disproving God and 5 Adequate Reasons To Be an Atheist" is only $6.66 and I think you all will like it. So I'm asking my fellow atheists to consider checking it out, sharing the link, and maybe... hopefully writing a review on Amazon if you like it. I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
A quote from The Blasphemous Bible taken from Mark. The Blasphemous Bible, a satirical rewrite from the KJV Bible, can be purchased from Amazon, most book retailers or direct from my publisher below. A link to my page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/TheBlasphemousBible 16:11 And the disciples rejoiced. 16:12 All except Judas, who feared the wrath of the lord would come down upon him. 16:13 He took the thirty pieces of silver and bought a rope, which he used to hang himself. 16:14 And the remaining disciples rejoiced.
A quote from The Blasphemous Bible, a satirical rewrite of the King James Bible. Available through Amazon, most book stores or through my publisher below. Follow my page at https://www.facebook.com/TheBlasphemousBible 18:13 As Jesus spoke, the skies split apart and the earth trembled; a great hand came forth from the heavens and grasped Jesus, carrying him above the firmament for all to see. 18:14 The people rejoiced, saying, "The lord God has claimed his son and brings him back to his place in Zion." 18:15 God instead killed Jesus and left his body to burn in the stars of the heavens.
A quote from The Blasphemous Bible, a satirical rewrite of the KJV Bible. Available through most book stores, Amazon, eBay or direct through my publisher at the link below. Follow my page at https://www.facebook.com/TheBlasphemousBible 12:1 And there appeared in heaven a great wonder; a woman clothed in the light, with the moon as sandals and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. 12:2 She was the rarest of all God's creations; a woman which God did not hate.
A quote from The Blasphemous Bible, a satirical rewrite of the KJV Bible. Available through most book stores, Amazon, eBay or direct through my publisher at https://8thhousepublishing.com/books/non-fiction/389-blasphemous-bible A link to my page below. 1:8 And the fornication of the Israelite people moved on. 1:9 And the Israelites were a fruitful, h***y people. 1:10 Popping babies out of their loins as though they were a human Pez dispenser. https://www.facebook.com/TheBlasphemousBible
A quote from The Blasphemous Bible, a satirical rewrite of the KJV Bible. Available through most book stores, Amazon, eBay or direct through my publisher at https://8thhousepublishing.com/.../389-blasphemous-bible A link to my page below. 1:3 Anyways, in the times of Herod, the priest Zechariah was married to the woman Elisabeth, a descendent of the daughters of Aaron. 1:4 They were both righteous and holy people, who obeyed the lord and followed the laws of Moses. 1:5 So, of course, God f***s with them and makes her barren, so that she can't have any kids. https://www.facebook.com/TheBlasphemousBible
A quote from The Blasphemous Bible, a satirical rewrite of the KJV Bible. The Blasphemous Bible can be purchased through most book stores, Amazon, eBay or direct through my publisher at https://8thhousepublishing.com/books/non-fiction/389-blasphemous-bible A link to my page below. 1:1 The hallucinations of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning the fate of Judah and Jerusalem during the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. 1:2 Hear me, O children of Israel and give ear to my words, for the lord has spoken. He did scream in my ear the hatred he has for his children. 1:3 The oxen know his owner and the horse his stable, but the children of Israel forgot who is their God. 1:4 You are a sinful nation, stained with transgressions, iniquity and the seed of heathens; how your clothes are bathed in the children of foreign men. 1:5 You have provoked the wrath of the Holy one and his fury shall descend to the earth and consume all in great anger. https://www.facebook.com/TheBlasphemousBible
A quote from The Blasphemous Bible, a satirical rewrite of the KJV Bible. The Blasphemous Bible is available through most book stores, Amazon, eBay or direct through my publisher at https://8thhousepublishing.com/books/non-fiction/389-blasphemous-bible A link to my page below. 1:1 Now Mary was espoused to Joseph and before the two came together, she discovered that she was with child. 1:2 She worried, for Joseph was a jealous man, who would stone her if he found that Mary lied with anotherhttps://8thhousepublishing.com/books/non-fiction/389-blasphemous-bible man before lying with him. 1:3 So she came to Joseph and said, "I bring you good tidings of great joy. 1:4 An angel of the lord visited me in the night and told me that I shall carry the son of God, who will show us the path of salvation. 1:5 He shall be born of a virgin, so that all know he is the miracle child; and we shall name him Jesus, for he will cleanse us of all sins." 1:6 Now Joseph was a stupid man, who believed the words of his betrothed Mary; he was also a man of honour, who took her as a wife. 1:7 And he knew not the lust of Mary until after the firstborn child was born; and Jesus looked a lot like Jacob, the elder brother of Joseph. https://www.facebook.com/TheBlasphemousBible