Private Idaho

     Growing up in Idaho has been quite an unpleasant experience.  There is an old B52 song called “Private Idaho” meaning this place is a private hell.  Idaho can be a living hell for anyone who does not ascribe to the hardcore conservative Christian lunatic perspective.  To give a better interpretation of how extreme the close-minded Idahoans are; I was banned from a Facebook page for publicly displaying pictures of local trucks with confederate flags and labeling them as racist, bigots.  It appears that when you call out the bigotry and hate you are quickly silenced.  If they cannot silence you, they work the back avenues to intimidate your position at work, society, and with peers using threats you could lose your job, or friends will flee to avoid the intimidation.

 These are the same “Idahoans” who are strong Christian/Mormon/Baptist/Catholic….etc. who will hide behind the forgiveness factor of their religion and continue doing the same hateful things.  I want to make it clear not all ‘Idahoans’ are religious nut-bag, bigoted, hate-filled, cowards.  Unfortunately those people are the ones who feel that they are righteous in their championing the cause of hate whilst hiding behind their religious doctrine.  Something interesting noted growing up in Twin Falls, there are more bars than schools, more churches than bars and more hypocrites than humanists.

Creep Factor: 9000

I ended up working for the schools or working in the schools as a professional it becomes painfully obvious that the indoctrination begins at an early stage and is pushed onto the student for the duration of their educational experience.  The high school graduation rate of Idaho is 77.3%  we are ranked 41^st of 50.  In a 2015 report only 17% of student from southern Idaho are ready for college.  Idaho has established a goal of 60% but has not even made any discernible effort to change the outcome for any of the students.  It becomes very evident early on that Idaho desires to keep its students ill-informed and under-educated.  Thus keeping two lines moving in two directions:  One is from pre-school to prison and from graduation to garbage collector.  Idaho is ranked 13th for prison population per person spending in state.  Idaho has spent more money building prisons than has been applied to secondary education.  Freakishly real: Pre-school to prison is alive and well here.

If the system can keep them dumb and following in their parent’s footsteps then they are likely to stay ignorant of humanity and close-minded to the rest of civilization.  It was a huge culture shock to me when I went away to obtain my bachelor’s degree.  I was mixing with a group of people that I had much more commonality with than my hometown peers.  I met my first atheist (other than myself) and became close friends with people who were not of the same race as me.  This was devastating to my peers in my hometown.  They clearly stated that I should not be mixing my time with “the sub humans”.  This raw bigotry was right in my face.  They used biblical statements to support their position that races should not mix and that I would have more support if I stood with my own ‘type’.  The white bigots are strong in Idaho.  They feel safe here:

I have also noted that when a group of Mormon ‘young adults’ prepare for their missions that they go to a preparation camp prior to their departure.  Many of the Catholics will have their graduates blessed in a ceremony before departing for college.  All designed to reinforce the social safety net that these individuals can hide behind if they find themselves away from home, beliefs, and morals are being challenged.  It does not take much to become elevated in stature in a church or social club, let alone have any education that may benefit the circumstances.  The lesser educated you are the more preferred you are in religious events.  Even the churches admit that reason is faiths greatest enemy:

This is even more clearly established by the faith healers killing their own children in northern Idaho.  The fully indoctrinated representatives ->(Lee Heider ex.) of this state continue to do nothing to save children at the risk.  They fear the religious/financial backlash that will befall them if they do.  That may be why in this state you can now carry a concealed weapon (gun) without training or permit.  It is becoming the wild wild west.  This state is thick with ammosexuals.  Even mentioning 'gun sense' will get a strong reaction from the ammosexual  as though their children were being murdered... No just limiting your access to guns.  They don't care about kids dying from preventable diseases - Just think of the guns!

I refuse to be ignorant and follow the same path that my hometown peers are currently taking.  They are the reason and rationale why Idaho is my personal hell.  What makes it even worse is the fact that the state is governed by these right wing jut-jobs and they are fervent Trump supporters.  I fully admit that I am liberal in my social perspective, have no religious beliefs, will call a racist what they are to their faces at profound risk to my social life. 

If I was living in the Middle East I would have my head cleaved off.  Unfortunately many my home town are members of the Christian Taliban would likely be cheering them on in the beheading process.

Unnecessary Gods

I started a conversation with some Twitter participants yesterday with the comment that: Theists work diligently to define away a god’s omnipotence.   I may address this in a later blog with more detail.  This in turn led to a dialog regarding a statement that I raised regarding gods and religions being unnecessary, continuing on; also indicating that religious actions and resources collected by religious sects are also wasteful and misdirected. 

I was then asked the question, what is necessary?     My response was to indicate that the basic human needs are met (using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs) – there is really no need for humanity to neither accept nor embrace any religion.  Prayer has no effect on outcomes and is unnecessary.

I think there was some misunderstanding of the shape.  The shape of the hierarchy is a pyramid defined from the bottom up.  The bottom being the basis, or the foundation of human need being; Food, Water, Shelter, Sex - once those needs are met that can be built upon and establish the development of Safety and Security and the process goes on.  Maslow indicated that if primary needs are not met you will have difficulty, if not impossible, to get the higher order needs met.  This makes the persons who are lesser educated and in poverty highly vulnerable to cults, religions, and other con artists who work to obtain power and influence.

Religions were first formed for the need of making sense of the things that we as humans did not or could not understand.   Earth was a scary and unsafe place.  Religious/cultural leaders encouraged investment in an imaginary deity and huddling together sharing food, shelter, and meeting each other’s needs.  This was reinforcing the behavior of all parties and survival was enhanced.   As humanity becomes more informed and understands the dynamics of the space where we live, the need for religion to provide; Food, Warmth and Safety and Security are no longer necessary.   Many religions continue to use these as leveraging tools to keep their flocks attending or maintaining their commitment by controlling getting their parishioners needs met.

Given an entity (religion, church, or cult) is so influential as to use primary needs to control the actions of others; use of food, safety and security to elicit compliance to the dogma or tradition seems manipulative, unnecessary and bordering on criminal.    It is unneeded.  An argument that morals are delivered via religion is fallacious argument, morality is established by empathy and social reciprocity.  Religious morality is artificial and static imposed by sly hucksters.

Humanity will continue to exist without religion.  It becomes extremely wasteful of religions to construct building so that people can sit and listen to well-paid con men/women to convince them that the only way to survive death is to continue to come back and give them money, time and prayer.  If all that time, money and thought was invested in the development of a cure for some diseases or disabilities there would be far less suffering in the world.

Religion meets the needs of some persons.  Atheists (this atheist) do not need religion to feel safe and to have a productive life.  Defined: Atheism – A lack of belief, or faith in gods or deities.   It is not a religion.  There is no belief structure, commitment to any authority, and any exchange of funds or resources is typically done as an act of kindness and not a tithing to any deity or representative.  To define it as a religion is a projection of cognitive dissonance.

I am not my atheism.  I worship no man, deity, and do not waste my time praying or sitting in a church listening to someone lecture me on outdated, stagnant, and festering morality.

I Am Not My Atheism

Many persons take their religion so profoundly personal that when an atheist expresses something perceived as hateful or disrespectful the observation is that the attack is an individual one.  Nothing should be considered personal from a disrespectful attack on religion (any religion). 

Please keep in mind that if a practitioner of said religion is so enmeshed in the dogma, tradition, and belief structure they have difficulty separating where the religion ends and person begins there are internal issues of identity. 

I am not my atheism.  My atheism does not dictate my actions for me.  My current assessment of reality is that there is not enough, nor there is any credible evidence to support my belief in the existence of any god.  This does not discount my respect for any person that expresses an interest or belief structure that is invested in the existence of a god or gods.    My actions are never taken to directly insult nor infer insult to a person unless their actions have manifested a direct attack on me personally.

I have respect for the great majority of users on the internet.  Very few have gone out of their way to personally attack me or my lack of beliefs.  That is greatly appreciated.  I have also had a great deal of constructive conversations with persons who have had differing perceptions and beliefs.

Stated clearly and succinctly I have no respect for religion, all religions are in the same dubious pool.   My life experiences with three different sects of Christianity have given me nothing but a lifetime of broken promises, false hopes, and wasted prayers.   I do not hold any one person, or group of persons, responsible for this circumstance.   The blame lies squarely on the oversight and implementation of dogma, tradition, and edicts lay down by the authority of the religion. This is typically in a written form and known as holy scripture.

In my life (any and all) religion is function-less and devoid of any meaning.  It operates like a business to collect funds and then hides all its misconduct behind the idea that it must be respected because of its legal status as a religion.  It leaves a horrible feeling of mistrust in all of my dealings.

There are many in the community who work diligently to attack me and my secular friends for our lack of any belief.  There have been many who have stood upon their pulpit of love and acceptance to fabricate stories about persons who do not fit the religious standards casting us into hell and ‘rebuking’ us in the name of Jesus.    This two-faced and cowardly approach to dialog does not inspire confidence fostering a relationship between the secular (atheist) and the religious persons.  These double standards and unfair expectations of respect based on title and religion are irrelevant.  A religious practitioner should never expect anything more than respect from one human to another and no additional privilege or respect based on religious affiliation.

Atheists free from the threats locally will turn the internet to seek out persons of the same perception persuasion.  Doing this locally causes extreme reactions from religions for reasons that are veiled in ritual and dogma.  We are human and have feelings also.  We deeply love our families and have positive and lasting relationships with many people.  And we react strongly when we feel that we have been treated unfairly or in a fashion that is demeaning to us as human beings.

I advocate for atheism.  I operate under the principle that I have but one life to live and I have to make it count.  The only thing that will remain after my death is what actions I took, and I will be remembered for the legacy I leave.

I hold no resentments against anyone who does not feel the same way I do about religion.  The dialog is free of emotion and considered nondestructive until the attack is directed at a human being. 

Islam Hides behind Racism to Protect Cowardice

There appears to be a negative and hostile reaction when atheists/agnostics/humanists become disrespectful or speak in undesirable terms regarding Islam.  The respondents to these comments typically cry foul and indicate that the individual is being racist. 

This is a clear indicator that the person playing the racism card has either been indoctrinated into Islamic perspectives or is grossly under educated and socially retarded. 

Islam is: a monotheistic religion based from the Qu’ran on the teachings of Mohamed’s interpretation of how life should be conducted and the religion spread.  Race is: a systemic way of classifying humans based on many different physical and social features.  Racism is: the equating that one race of humans is of greater value than others based on perception.  

Using the racism card to deflect attention from the religion’s actions or to elicit negative responses to those who are detecting that the religious affiliates are acting in an exceptionally inappropriate fashion is cowardice.

For the sake of argument could we invoke the same argument of race to all religions: Wiccan, Sikh, Mormon, Christian, Jehovah’s Witnesses’, Buddhists, Taoists, and  Pastafarians.  Then what of those who express NO religion?   Does that equate to no race?  

What is being projected by Islam is an illusion of victim-hood, maintaining claims of racism because the perception their religious beliefs are being disrespected.  I have read the Qu’ran, and the Bible both are rife with racial, gender, and religious inequalities in such a profound fashion that both texts call for the death of those who do not ascribe to the teachings of their prophets.  

This spinelessness is not just applied by Islam.  Many if not all religious sects use this tool to manipulate the populous into believing they are the victims of some horrible onslaught from other (races, religions, or social groups).    The proud portrayal victim-hood leads many leaders of these sects to advocate for abhorrent actions by their followers as a way of getting their agenda heard.  This is equitable to the use of terrorism to get religious or political attention.

Islam has a very bloody, violent, and socially retarded history of destroying all that is not of the same faith or religious practice.  Some of the rituals of this religion are bloody violent and horrifying (Halal).   When humanity starts to progress socially, choosing to abandon the, unnecessary, perturbing and archaic religious practices or they fall out of social favor it is not racism it is social maturation.

Islam – not a victim of racism, but a highly manipulative, aggressive, and hostile religious/political sect that uses carefully calculated psychological tools to hide behind.

I am likely to get a death threat for disrespecting Islam.  All that does is solidify my disrespect for all religions, contributing to my being more vocal about their eventual extinction.

Refugees of an Imaginary War

I keep reading or hearing about this ‘War on Christianity/Christmas’ ’War on Religion’ ‘Assault on Religious Rights’ posed by the Right Wing Nut Jobs – or at a minimum the Teabagger ~ Patriots spewing their hate swill on Fox News.

Hate to break it to you but, there is no war.  One may feel as though their ‘right to religious freedom’ is under assault.  I cannot find evidence of this.  What I do find evidence of is; the privilege/power, and unfair advantage of the overtly religious is being questioned by the populous.  There is a steady decline in the populations identified as attached to religious institutions and an increase in those who identify themselves as non-religious (atheist).  The power brokers of these religious institutions are starting to panic, and in their efforts to maintain their flocks of sheep, they have fabricated a war.   

The ensuing panic has led to a propaganda campaign by those who still have an audience to play the victim card; ‘War is being waged on our religious beliefs.’  Terms are thrown out like, ‘patriot’, ‘Christian warriors’, ‘racially motivated (Islam)’ and ‘homosexual agenda’. 

This is nothing more than a strong effort to consolidate the base of voters, or sheep, to remain faithful and pressure the lawmakers to aid alignment of their power over the perceived enemy (Atheists).  From the pulpits come the threats to the families to keep a tight rein on their potential wanderers.  Both the Jehovah’s Witness and the Mormon sects have documented systems to maintain this fear via processes dealing with apostates (control).  Islam takes it to the extreme.

Fortunately the more intellectually involved and informed can see that these propaganda efforts are in the long run; eventually destructive.  These efforts to control from within, eliciting power struggles appears as dictatorial events within almost all of these faiths.  When people can get past the fear and the understanding that departure from these faiths is healthy, natural, and beneficial they step away. 

Religion is destined for extinction.  The function of religion to control and maintain order is no longer necessary.  People hold onto the vestigial components for comfort and they serve no purposeful function other than to calm the fear inspired by the sect leaders.    This war is of attrition the faithful are dying out and the children want no part of the diseased relationships managed by the leaders of the faiths.   I don’t seek out the youth to ‘turn them’ from their religion.  They come to me asking questions and I answer them with honesty, truth, and reason.  They are refugees of an imaginary war.

My efforts to catch those who question their participation in this co-dependent relationship with their religions takes the form of starting a local Atheist group both on Facebook, and helping @FreeAtheism with the Atheist Paper Route.   Fliers handed out when they come to my door, and left on the doorsteps of local churches.

Question Everything.