Showing posts with label Conservative Catholics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Conservative Catholics. Show all posts

Friday, December 15, 2023

Intellectualism Is A 4-Letter Word To Republicans

  • Ignorance, or an aversion to reason, has allowed things like gun violence and racism to define American culture.
  • Anti-intellectual societies fall prey to tribalism and simplistic explanations, are emotionally immature, and often seek violent solutions.
  • Corporate interests encourage anti-intellectualism, conditioning Americans into conformity and passive acceptance of institutional dominance.
Click on the link below for more. Oh, this was published BEFORE Trump was elected. It's only gotten worse:

The exaltation of ignorance in America

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Christian Nationalism: The Death Of The USA?

"So, a high-ranking Republican speaks to a secretive Christian Nationalist conference…no big deal, right? Unless the person is 2nd in line for the Oval after the VP…are you hearing warning bells yet?"

Click on the link below for a concise but deep dive into the greatest threat to the representative democracy of the USA. The country is acting like the frogs in a slowly boiling pot!! Wake up and

VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHO!!:

Will the GOP’s Self-proclaimed “Moses” lead the destruction?

Ponder the courage of the Founding Fathers when they fought against religious factions that wanted another Christian theocracy based on THEIR brand of such.

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

There Is NO Equivalency Between The Two Major US Political Parties

Anyone who watches Rachel Maddow knows her political views. The same can be said about Lis Cheney. There is no better example of polar opposites in political views. However, they agree 100% on ONE important matter: DONALD TRUMP MUST NEVER RETURN AS POTUS!!

Click on the link below for one of the best exposes of the dangers of Trump and his cult to the future of US representative democracy:

He is not the lesser of two evils’: Cheney emphasizes the severity of Trump threat

Thursday, November 10, 2022

THE Major Danger Of Christianity In The USA?

"A federal court ruling allows a Kentucky photography business to openly discriminate against protected classes of citizens under the guise of religious freedom. Constitutional and civil rights attorney, Andrew Seidel, joins us to discuss how this is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the victories already proclaimed by a literal cabal of Christian Crusaders pulling the strings at the highest levels of U.S. power."

Click on the link below for a 40-minute video delving into this constitution-breaking movement within the US culture:


Sunday, January 17, 2021

"Pro Lifers": Attack The CAUSES Of Abortion

"The decision to have an abortion is typically motivated by multiple, diverse, and interrelated reasons. The themes of responsibility to others and resource limitations, such as financial constraints and lack of partner support, recurred throughout the study." (link)

"In most countries, the most frequently cited reasons for having an abortion were socioeconomic concerns or limiting childbearing." (link)

"THE RATE AT WHICH WOMEN are getting abortions has dropped across the developed world as access to effective contraception has increased, according to a new report, which also concludes that laws restricting abortions do not result in the procedure occurring less frequently, merely less safely." (link)
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The Anti-Choice side of the abortion issue focuses on the potential person within the body of the women and resists the efforts of those who are working to rid society of the causes of abortion. Why? The vast majority of those who are against abortion are conservative and very religious. Conservatives resist governmental efforts to improve the socio-economic status of those in need. (link)

IF YOU DISAGREE WITH THIS, NAME ONE HUMAN RIGHT WHERE CONSERVATIVES ARE IN THE VANGUARD.

MAGICAL THINKING IS A BRAIN POISON

Saturday, September 19, 2020

Has Magical Thinking Won?

The history of humanity has mostly been dominated by magical thinking (ignorance, superstition, dogma, and religion). Thus, science-based thinking essentially has only been around for about .25% of our existence (500 years of science out of 200,000 years). Science since its beginning has had to battle against these negative forces, of which the most prominent example has been religion. The Enlightenment and the US Constitution have been in the vanguard of opposing these forces. 

In the USA, a minority of its people (conservative Catholics, evangelical Protestants, and ultra-orthodox Jews) began to gain power exceeding their numbers after President Nixon's perfection of the Republican "Southern Strategy." These political forces have slowly been gaining power to the point of causing the election of Donald J Trump as President. In other words, this aggressive magical thinking minority has hijacked one of the two major political parties. Since Trump's election, this power continues to gain strength, in spite of his total depravity and lack of fitness for the office. The clearest example of this power has been the appointment of several conservative Federal judges throughout the USA and two Supreme Court Justices. Most of us science-based thinkers have been on pins and needles regarding Ruth Bader Ginsberg as a strong liberal Justice in a conservative-majority Supreme Court. In my opinion, yesterday, September 18, 2020, was another "date that will live in infamy." Yes, strong words. However, just ponder the effects of magical thinking that suddenly now, in the face of massive fires in the West and a pandemic, have a clear path to political dominance for decades, for example:

  • Evolution denial
  • Climate change denial
  • Medical science denial
  • Economic and social inequality
  • Theocratic authoritarian government
  • Going against the political norms of representative democracy: Gerrymandering; voter suppression; support of non-representative Electoral College; abuse of Senate protocol.
Only "We, The People" can fight this evil through activism and voting. Now is not the time to back down.



Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Black Lives Matter: The Truth

In my monitoring of conservative Christian media, there is a fairly consistent meme against Black Lives Matter: *it is trying to destroy the nuclear family. What is the truth? How about listening to what THEY are saying:

"Black Lives Matter began as a call to action in response to state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism. Our intention from the very beginning was to connect Black people from all over the world who have a shared desire for justice to act together in their communities. The impetus for that commitment was, and still is, the rampant and deliberate violence inflicted on us by the state.

"Enraged by the death of Trayvon Martin and the subsequent acquittal of his killer, George Zimmerman, and inspired by the 31-day takeover of the Florida State Capitol by POWER U and the Dream Defenders, we took to the streets. A year later, we set out together on the Black Lives Matter Freedom Ride to Ferguson, in search of justice for Mike Brown and all of those who have been torn apart by state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism. Forever changed, we returned home and began building the infrastructure for the Black Lives Matter Global Network, which, even in its infancy, has become a political home for many.

"Ferguson helped to catalyze a movement to which we’ve all helped give life. Organizers who call this network home have ousted anti-Black politicians, won critical legislation to benefit Black lives, and changed the terms of the debate on Blackness around the world. Through movement and relationship building, we have also helped catalyze other movements and shifted culture with an eye toward the dangerous impacts of anti-Blackness.

"These are the results of our collective efforts.

"The Black Lives Matter Global Network is as powerful as it is because of our membership, our partners, our supporters, our staff, and you. Our continued commitment to liberation for all Black people means we are continuing the work of our ancestors and fighting for our collective freedom because it is our duty.

"Every day, we recommit to healing ourselves and each other, and to co-creating alongside comrades, allies, and family a culture where each person feels seen, heard, and supported.

"We acknowledge, respect, and celebrate differences and commonalities.

"We work vigorously for freedom and justice for Black people and, by extension, all people.

"We intentionally build and nurture a beloved community that is bonded together through a beautiful struggle that is restorative, not depleting.

"We are unapologetically Black in our positioning. In affirming that Black Lives Matter, we need not qualify our position. To love and desire freedom and justice for ourselves is a prerequisite for wanting the same for others.

"We see ourselves as part of the global Black family, and we are aware of the different ways we are impacted or privileged as Black people who exist in different parts of the world.

"We are guided by the fact that all Black lives matter, regardless of actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, economic status, ability, disability, religious beliefs or disbeliefs, immigration status, or location.

"We make space for transgender brothers and sisters to participate and lead.

"We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence.

"We build a space that affirms Black women and is free from sexism, misogyny, and environments in which men are centered.

"We practice empathy. We engage comrades with the intent to learn about and connect with their contexts.

"We make our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children. We dismantle the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work “double shifts” so that they can mother in private even as they participate in public justice work.

"We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.

"We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise).

"We cultivate an intergenerational and communal network free from ageism. We believe that all people, regardless of age, show up with the capacity to lead and learn.

"We embody and practice justice, liberation, and peace in our engagements with one another."

https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/

Ponder the value of extended families (link) and the belief that the nuclear family was a mistake (link).

Final thoughts: every positive social movement will be attacked by conservatives; there will be some within such movements who will act inappropriately; forces against such movements will attempt to infiltrate them to perform violent acts to discredit them.

* Whatever happened to the 9th Commandment; "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor?"

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Addendum 2/3/2021: If you are interested in supporting Black-Owned businesses, this link may be helpful.

Addendum 6/8/2021: 10 reasons you should support BLM (link)

Monday, July 6, 2020

Catholic Apologist Rebutted

Bishop Robert Barron is a noted Catholic Evangelical, with a particular focus on atheism. He recently sponsored an Ad on Facebook offering a free download of his 22-page ebook entitled "Answering the Atheists." I downloaded it, edited it with some comments, and sent it back to him via email. Below is a synopsis of the content and essentially my responses (in red):
  • The Introduction included this sentence: "Today's atheists, in their condescending and often snarky dismissal of all transcendent truths, seem to be playing at atheism rather than seeing to the bottom of it."
  • My response: What ARE "transcendent truths?" There is objective truth only. 
  • He presented four "claims" that he thinks atheists make and then attempted to refute them.
  • Atheist Claim #1: There is no evidence for God.
  • His answer to Claim #1: There are plenty of "rational warrants" for belief in God.
  • My response: There is no objective evidence for any God. Reason/intuition/philosophy ("transcendence?") will never trump objective evidence (science) as the brain alone has flaws and only science can justify its assessments. All syllogisms used by Christian apologists have at least one false premise. The theist is making the claim, thus, is obligated to provide the objective evidence. Christianity makes claims on our objective reality, thus, science can evaluate the claims. Science has rejected them all. Why should religion get an exemption from this process?
  • Atheist Claim #2: What caused God? This is special pleading.
  • His answer to Claim #2: Nothing, as God is not contingent on anything else. It is the "First Cause."
  • My response: To say that God caused our reality is an argument from ignorance (God of the Gaps). Physics shows that an uncaused, eternal multiverse is at least as plausible as a God.
  • Atheist Claim #3: Science has disproved God.
  • His answer to Claim #3: This is Scientism (science is the only way of knowing). Other rational methods like philosophy transcend science.
  • My response: What you label pejoratively as "Scientism" is only talking about objective evidence. Of course, there are other ways of knowing. I have already addressed transcendence. No atheists I know make the positive claim that there is no God. We only say that we can't accept the claim because of the lack of objective evidence.
  • Atheist Claim #4: The Problem of Evil is a barrier to belief.
  • His answer to Claim #4: A finite mind cannot take in the workings of an infinite mind.
  • My response: You first have to show the evidence for an infinite mind. The Christian God supposedly is All-Good and we do not see evidence of such a reality, thus, it is falsified.
My assessment of this apologetic is that it is just another failed Christian apologetic. Only gullible, magical thinking atheists would fall for these arguments. Science-based thinkers, who are the atheists I know for the most part, would not be impressed, to say the least.


Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Beware Of Conservative Catholics

Most science-based thinkers know the danger of Evangelical Protestantism. However, one may not be as aware of the same type of dangers from Conservative Catholicism. This link is to a podcast featuring Tim Staples, who is the Director of Catholic Answers, the foremost Catholic Apologetics organization in the world. It, frankly, is an exposure of the worst of religious dogma and here was my comment to it:
  • At 49:30 you stated that you didn't think that the murder of George Floyd was racist. You obviously are ignorant of what is the culture in many, if not most, police departments in the USA.
  • Beginning at about 1:20 you simply went off the wall with criticism of the separation of church and state, freedom of the press, as well as praise for monarchal government, with the Pope calling the moral shots. You exposed conservative Catholicism as being as bad as Evangelical Protestantism.
  • May science-based thinking/skepticism/humanism win over magical thinking/gullibility/religious dogma.

Friday, April 24, 2020

"Can A Catholic Be A Socialist?"

The EWTN Catholic Network just put out a YouTube video highlighting a book entitled, "Can A Catholic be a Socialist?" with a subtitle of, "The Answer is no, and here's why." This troubles me for at least a few reasons. Below essentially was my comment on the video:

"Although the video interview with the authors did present a full spectrum of the meaning of the word, this book is straw-manning what most people believe about socialism. How the word 'socialism' is interpreted is largely determined by how the definition is presented to people (link). I believe that the percentage of US people who agree with the government controlling the means of production is very low, so why the provocative title?

"I am skeptical of a book like this being distributed in an election year from Catholic apologists, who are very supportive of Republicans. Why? listen to how Republicans define "socialism", watch how they downplay social justice activism against systemic inequity (using 'Social Justice Warrior' as a pejorative, for example), and emphasize individual responsibility without consideration of such injustice. I'm sure I don't have to repeat how the Bible talks about the need for justice."

Sunday, February 16, 2020

It's A Public Health Issue

While, on the surface, statistics for the results of homeschooling vs. public schools seem favorable to homeschooling (link), objectively looking at the social, economical, and demographic differences between the two seems to explain most of the results (link), (link).

"States need to recognize the importance of oversight, as unsupervised homeschooling is still prevalent in most states, which allows fundamentalist parents to raise generations of children who are mathematically, scientifically, and socially illiterate in an environment undoubtedly dangerous to their wellbeing."

With the growing influence of Evangelical and conservative Catholic Christians in society (While they are a minority, they are politically punching above their weight), the Homeschooling movement continues to grow like a brain disease (which indoctrination is).
Christian Homeschooling Still Failing Kids

Frankly, I would like to see a school requirement, NO MATTER THE SETTING, of education in critical thinking (i.e. science-based thinking/skepticism).

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Beware Of The Unholy Alliance

Imagine the difference in the USA's political scene if Evangelical Protestants and Conservative Catholics had not allied around abortion and the LGBTQ/Same-Sex Marriage issues. While the road to this strategic alliance has not always been smooth (link)(link)(link), there has been a "marriage-of-convenience" (link). These two radical religious blocks are essentially double the votes demographically of the "Nones."

Because of the above, progressives must get active and vocal about educating the rest of the US regarding the danger of these far-right religious dogmatists, especially the potential of legally overturning Roe v. Wade and Same-Sex Marriage laws. Talking points should include the long tradition of "Bodily Autonomy" (link)(link) and how science reveals the non-binary nature of sex/gender (link).

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Choose how you look at reality wisely. Yes, it is a binary choice.

Choose how you look at reality wisely. Yes, it is a binary choice.
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SCIENCE JUSTIFIES ITSELF

SCIENCE JUSTIFIES ITSELF
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