«The Reverend Marf»

This is what I believe to be the most epic thing I've done since starting this blog. It's all sorts of silly, epic, and to some I'd imagine offensive. I have officially renounced my atheism. If that sentence can even make sense. One can't really renounce a non-religion, can they?

I am now an officially ordained minister of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. I'm now The Reverend Cody Durkin. I've seen the noodly light of Pastafarianism. Note the raised gold seal. This is a legitimate document.

Click image to view full.

If that isn't the biggest slap in the face to the validity of religion, I don't know what is.

I can legally use Reverend in front of my name now. Seriously. I can also officiate wedding ceremonies. Laws do vary between states (even counties) in the US, and I haven't researched international laws. Weddings are such a business in Nevada (go Las Vegas!) that they have some unique requirements. However, in most other states including my resident state of Idaho, one only needs to be a judge, governor, mayor or an ordained minister of any denomination. [Idaho Code Section 32-303]

Any. Denomination.

FSM is a real, legitimate religion, as much as any other. The fact that many see this is as a satirical religion doesn’t change the fact that by any standard one can come up with, our religion is as legitimate as any other. And *that* is the point.

- http://www.venganza.org/join/

They'd have one hell of a First Amendment case on their hands if they tried to deny it.

What's that sound? Yeah, I didn't hear it either. I expected to hear the sound of the sanctity of marriage draining away, but I guess celebrities already drained that. The "we must protect the sanctity of marriage" people need to wake up to reality. Same-sex marriage is the least of their worries. I can now legally perform marriage ceremonies, that are recognized by the government, in the name of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Some religions oppose same-sex marriage. My religion supports it. The government has no right to deny my people their Noodle-given right to marry someone of the same sex any more than it can deny a man and a woman to get married under the Christian God. And *that* is my point.

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«Oh, So Much Truth»

So much truth about how atheism is viewed by society it hurts.

Double Standard


I'm sorry for the lack of posting. I'm just not feeling the whole daily blogging thing. I do acknowledge that I need to post more...

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«Concert Sheltered»

Sometimes I don't realize how sheltered of a life I've lived in Ketchikan. I was at another atheist meeting last night and the topic of music concerts came up. Everyone there was talking about their 4th and 5th concert they've seen. I've never been to one. They were surprised to hear this.

I was surprised that everyone else had been to one, let alone multiple concerts. It's the little things like that I've missed out on. It's the little things that cause me to have nothing interesting to talk to anyone about.

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«Atheist Grinch»

No, the video has nothing to do with a green guy.

Atheist Grinches?


At least the billboard was a step up from saying "There's probably no God, so be good for goodness' sake."

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«Aggressive Atheism»

Aggressive atheism


This Pat Condell guy is interesting. Not quite what I'd expect from someone his age. The older people get it seems, the more religious they get.

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«A Bed Made of Sleep»

There are some things that simply can't exist in any space or time. Absolute knowledge of the universe is not required to assert that some things can't exist.

Putting faith in its place

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«Dawkins Hate Mail»

Awww... I don't get funny hate mail to read. Caution: strong language in the video.

Hate E-mails with Richard Dawkins


Oh, the messages of loving Christians.

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«Atheist Meeting»

So last night I attended a meeting of blasphemers. As I understand it, the Idaho Atheists in Boise have been dormant for about 3 years for various reasons. Within the past month or so have they started to stir once more.

My recent activities in Minecraft do not require my full attention. So I've been listening to a lot of atheist videos on YouTube and such as I play. I have dual monitors and I can put the video on one monitor and play Minecraft on the other. As a result of this, I once again searched for atheists in Boise. This is how and why I found out about the "Meet An Atheist" event last night. It's going to be a monthly meeting, the second Tuesday of every month.

I think I'll try to attend future meetings. It was nice to be around like-minded people. Most of the time religion wasn't even the main topic, although the most memorable discussion last night was the Space Jesus statue in Utah. It was describing this statue of Jesus near the main Mormon temple in Utah, with a backdrop of the solar system. An ex-Mormon in the group was called over to the conversation. All the buildup was so he could pose the question "What the hell?!". I'm sure it was more hilarious in person than my description of it here.

There was a reporter there for the Boise State newspaper that wanted to know more about the gathering, and Idaho Atheists in general. There were maybe 10 or 12 of us in total gathered last night. The founder of the organization was there and she spoke with the reporter the most.

I personally did better than I expected I would. The meeting was in a pub, and the atmosphere was a little louder than I'm use to. I had difficulty hearing people some of the time. People formed small discussion circles of 2-4 and each had its own discussion going. Even though I was positioned in the middle of everyone, at times I felt like I was outside the discussion. That's no fault on their part, it's how I am. Just going at all was an improvement over what I usually would do.

Overall it was a positive experience. I look forward to doing it again, and perhaps even getting a little more involved in the future.

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«Can't Prove a Negative»

James Randi Lecture @ Caltech - Cant Prove a Negative


Obviously the video is fairly old, as James Randi references the World Trade Center as though it still exists. This video explains why the burden of proof is on the one making the claim. This is why the God believers must prove the existence of God, and I have no obligation as an atheist to disprove God.

Disbelief is the default position. Be it about Russell's Teapot, the Invisible Pink Unicorn, telepathy, or God.

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«Atheist Fears»

Yes, it's this guy again.

Atheist Fundamentalism?


If you don't want to listen to him ramble on, at least skip to time index 5:50 in the video and watch until time index 8:00. I've felt this fear, too. I still do in some situations.

I've been an atheist since I gained a vague understanding of the concept of God. I think I believed in Santa Claus longer because there was more evidence for him. I even saw Santa Claus in the mall, and there were presents from him under the Christmas tree. It wasn't until I noticed Santa's handwriting was the same as my mom's that I really questioned it. However, why would a child ever tell his parents that they've figured out the Santa thing? It could mean less presents¹!

Just like my non-belief in Santa Claus, I was afraid to reveal my Atheism. This God thing seemed even more important than Santa Claus, so what could the consequences of admitting non-belief of Him be?

I don't think I had a true "coming out" with my parents, at least not that I remember. They just sort-of figured it out on their own² and they are okay with it. I did have a lengthy discussion with my grandfather about it though... 2 discussions in fact. While my grandparents have accepted it, they're not happy about it.

Even to this day I don't announce my atheism to everybody, even when it would be appropriate. Before I moved from Ketchikan my mom got a new neighbor in the apartment below her. A man from West Africa. Usually I'm a hermit and avoid new neighbors, but I felt some need to show him my avoidance is not because he was black³. So I introduced myself, and made a very good first impression.

From then on he couldn't stop telling my mom about how much of a gentleman I am, and how kind I am. I found out he worked at a church, a preacher or pastor or something of the like. I didn't want to shatter his view of me. Even though it would have been an excellent time to make the point that atheists are good people, too.

As I was packing up to leave town, he said we should get together and pray before I leave. I told him "maybe" and went on my way. Now I feel a bit guilty that I mislead him.

I've read places where people that were both homosexual and atheist wrote it was tougher to admit their atheism than their homosexuality. While this is not true for everybody, atheism and homosexuality are from my point-of-view on the same level as each other as social stigmas.

Maybe that's why I'm such a proponent of gay rights. I might be way off in saying this, but I feel like I know what it's like to be gay. To be a member of society who is disowned because of one aspect of themselves, regardless of any other traits they may have. It is one reason I support gay rights, there are other reasons as well.

^1: I should note the consequences of not believing in the Tooth Fairy or Easter Bunny were not as severe, so I admitted my disbelief earlier for them.
^2: I have confirmed it many times since with my parents, and my dad reads my blog. Sometimes my grandfather does as well.
^3: That in itself could be a form of racism I suppose.

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«9/11 Mosque»

He's still yelling, but his last couple of videos have been better because they are directed by Cody Weber.

America: Mosque or Mausoleum?


My own thoughts on the subject are no different than TJ's (aka TheAmazingAtheist). I just have a softer voice...

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«Motivational Monday: Atheism (Bald)»

Such a good point. Seriously people, atheism is the absence of religion. Nonexistence is the default; it takes no faith. You (presumably) wouldn't believe any random whack-job claim without proof. Russel's Teapot comes to mind.

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«The Great Flood»

And people literally believe the Noah's Ark story?

Atheist Comedy - The Great Flood

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«"Better Place" is Degrading»

Let it be said here that if I should ever die without outlining it in an official will: I do not want any religious overtone at my funeral, memorial, or burial. I am an atheist. I live as an atheist, and I should die as one.

You are free to say a private prayer for yourself. But for my sake, please don't say a public prayer. It would be degrading to the life that I lived to say I'd be in a "better place" after I die. That's what I was thinking when it was said at the Kralus' memorial. It's strange how trivial things like that can stick in your mind.

I'd also like any and all usable body parts (organs and such) to be donated to people who need them, anything that is left should be donated to science or cremated.

There is one more thing I would like to ask you all as my friends: if I should ever be in a vegetative state and kept alive on life support, please

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«Amoral Agents of Satan»

Wait... Is that an ankh on her necklace?

Yes, I do see the hypocrisy in me posting this sort of thing. While not to that extreme, I am outspoken against religion. Superstitions, magical thinking, and false beliefs can and do have a detrimental impact on all of us; not just the believers.

See the rest of “Amoral Agents of Satan”»

«Atheism, Christianity and... Toast?»

Athesim

The belief that there was nothing and nothing happened to nothing and then nothing magically exploded for no reason, creating everything and then a bunch of everything magically rearranged itself for no reason what so ever into self-replicating bits which then turned into dinosaurs.

Makes perfect sense.

Christianity

The belief that some cosmic Jewish Zombie can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him that you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree.

Makes perfect sense.

Toast

The belief that some dead bits of plant things that grow in fields, and some clear liquid stuff, and some little dots which are alive somehow, and some other stuff, can somehow be magically zapped together to make some food, which can then be cut into bits, then put into a thing that magically zaps it again somehow to make it go different for absolutely no reason, and then you can eat it.

Makes perfect sense.

Strawman

An informal fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position. To "attack a straw man" is to create the illusion of having refuted a proposition by substituting a superficially similar yet weaker proposition and refuting it, without ever having actually refuted the original position.

That actually does make perfect sense.

See the rest of “Atheism, Christianity and... Toast?”»

«The Religion of Nothing»

It's not true that I believe in "nothing". I believe in the world I am presented with. I don't think I'm just a brain in a jar hooked up so some alternate reality Matrix. I believe this is the real world.

I suppose I believe this is reality for the same reason I'm an atheist. If I were a brain in a jar, there would have to have been someone that designed an elaborate alternate reality, found or created my brain, and hooked it up. There's still the issue of where the designer came from. It doesn't truly answer any questions; it only compounds one problem with another, far more complex one.

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«God Is Unnatural?»

God Is Unnatural, Like Homosexuality


His 5th point (around time index 5:05) gets a little fuzzy. At time index 6:52 he says we should be able to measure God's effect. That's not the case if He's always interfering. We wouldn't be able to tell the difference between His effect and what nature would do without it. His effect would become a quality of nature that we take for granted.

At time index 12:13 he makes an excellent point. If any one religion were actually correct, and miracles were something other than random chance¹, then they would only happen in favor of the one "true" religion.

^1: ...and magnets.

See the rest of “God Is Unnatural?”»

«Pirate Fish Leash»

This is by far the best graffiti I have ever seen in this town by a long-shot.

Click image to view full.

The Pirate Fish of course is a symbol of Pastafarianism, also knows as the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. I am honored that my town has been blessed by His Noodly Appendages.

There was also another sign that has the symbol of the IPU (Invisible Pink Unicorn).

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«Prayer vs. Work»

It's the truth...

Click image to view full.

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