Separation of church and cash

With the weekly collection, it sure seems like God loves money. But what if you can't afford to give?

Q: I know we're supposed to give money to our church and to other worthy causes, but we're so deeply in debt that we can't even think about it right now. Will God forgive us for not doing this?

My advice... Don't give the church money if you can't afford to. Actually, don't give even if you can. In my eyes there are so much more worthy organizations that can and will do so much more good with those dollars. After-all, the vast majority of the money given every Sunday goes to church upkeep and paying staff, rather charitable activities.

A: I want to assure you that God is concerned about every part of our lives, including our money. Have you committed this problem to Him and prayerfully asked Him to give you the wisdom to overcome it?

Maybe I'm just being cynical, but this sounds to me like Billy is suggesting that the reason they are having money problems is because they aren't asking God for help. I guess victim-blaming is back in fashion again... But what good will asking God for help do? Does Billy not realize that belief in Christianity is strongest in the most impoverished parts of America? God isn't doing all those people any financial good, so why should we think it would be any different for our letter writer?

In spite of your financial difficulties, however, I hope you’ll find a way to give something to God’s work, even if it isn’t much right now.

In short, 'Pay up, God needs cash!'

Just as Jesus took a boy’s small lunch and multiplied it to feed 5,000 people, so God can take even our smallest gifts and use them in ways we could never imagine (see Matthew 14:17-19).

The Catholic church is the single richest institution in the entire world. In 2012 their estimated annual spending in America alone was $170 billion! That's higher than the worldwide revenue ($150 billion) for GM and Apple that very same year. The overall wealth of the church seems nearly impossible to calculate since religious institutions don't have to disclose finances like a normal company. But considering their vast financial wealth, various collections, property spread throughout the world, and even their own jeweler, the Catholic church is certainly not hurting for money.

So that leads me to ask, if Jesus can make a lot out of a little, then what's taking him so long? The Catholic church has so much money it makes Scrooge McDuck look impoverished. Considering that, Jesus should already have far more than enough wealth at his disposal for him to work his supposedly charitable magic with.

Not only will God use your gifts to bless others, but He’ll also teach you some important spiritual lessons through your giving. For example, you’ll begin to realize that your money isn’t really yours. Instead, God has entrusted it to you, and He wants you to use it wisely and unselfishly.

Seriously?! Your money isn't yours? That sounds more like the words I'd expect from a greedy banker. Is God the Federal Reserve now too? This is just a ridiculous statement. By and far, we work hard for our money. We earn it through work, so it most certainly is ours until we spend it. It's not like Jesus tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Hey dude, can you hold on to this roll of $20s for me for a couple days?"

The Bible says, “Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (1 Chronicles 29:14).

This comes from a verse talking about the gold, silver, iron and gemstones to be used in the palace. They are saying that while the gold is going to be used to honor God, it was he that actually made the gold. Gold is a natural resource that you could argue was created when God is said to have created the Earth. But on what day did God create US currency? Was it before or after the 'creeping things'? And where where all those dollars for the years and years before there was a United States?

Do all you can to get out of debt; perhaps a wise businessperson in your church or a local nonprofit agency can help you. Most of all, however, in the midst of your problems, may you discover the greatest gift that has ever been given to the human race: God’s gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ: loan shark?  Is he more the type to break your knee-caps if you default, or does he just hold you car title as collateral?


-Brain Hulk

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10 Questions For Every Atheist

It turns out Today Christian published an article of 10 Questions For Every Atheist... Well I'm an atheist, so lets answer away!

Some Questions Atheist Cannot Truly and Honestly REALLY Answer! Which leads to some interesting conclusions…

Wait... So before they ask the questions they insinuate that I won't be able to honestly answer them? I guess we'll see about that...

1. How Did You Become an Atheist?

Like many atheists, it was a mix of things along a slow road of transition. Part of it was learning science and history. And another aspect was looking into my faith more, and reading the Bible in order to defend my Christian beliefs. In short, the more I learned, the less I found myself believing.

2. What happens when we die?

The honest answer is that no one really knows. Many religions think they do, but they contradict one another. At present, all the data and evidence that we have suggests that nothing happens after we die. No Heaven, no Hell... Just death.

3. What if you’re wrong? And there is a Heaven? And there is a HELL!

And what if Christianity is wrong and all the Christians find themselves in the underworld of some competing religion? You see, this threat only works if you already believe in the theology of the questioner. A Christian certainly isn't concerned with Muslim hell, so why should Christian hell concern me? Also, why assume I would want to go to Christian Heaven anyway? Because if Heaven is anything like it's advertised, I'd gladly accept slipping into non-existence any day.

4. Without God, where do you get your morality from?

The same place we all actually do. Religions like to claim morality as their own, but none is needed for morality to arise. We have empathy, we've evolved as social creatures. Morality is very achievable naturally. And when it comes to morality, I think it's great that we aren't relying on the Bible... a book that commands genocide and condones slavery.

5. If there is no God, can we do what we want? Are we free to murder and rape? While good deeds are unrewarded?

For the same reasons I just mentioned. We have empathy. We have morals. These things are still wrong without a god. They harm others. And why bring up murder and rape? God is the most prolific murderer in the Bible, and commanded followers to murder. He also punishes rape victims for being raped, and commends a man for offering his daughters up for gang rape. As for good deeds going unrewarded... This is the same God that says that works will not get you into Heaven, but only belief. So who's not rewarding good deeds now? In fact, God will punish these do-gooders for all eternity! Plus, if the only reason a believer doesn't kill is because of their god, then I can easily claim moral superiority.


6. If there is no god, how does your life have any meaning?

Life has all the meaning that we give it. The things I do, my hobbies and interests, the people I love, those that care for me, my dreams... They all give meaning and purpose to my life. I don't need someone else telling me what to find meaningful when I'm already surrounded by things that fill my life with wonder and beauty.

7. Where did the universe come from?

We don't know 100% where everything came from. But all the evidence does tell us that this universe was born from the Big Bang. What came before (if anything) and if we are but part of a multiverse are both open questions. But as for this universe, the evidence is pretty clear.

8. What about miracles? What all the people who claim to have a connection with Jesus? What about those who claim to have seen saints or angels?

Really? Personal testimony? I suppose this is supposed to be persuasive, but it's not. Why should I believe the testimony of a Christian if they ignore the testimony of a Hindu? The simple fact is that there is no proof of miracles, that these people actually saw what they claim, or that the feeling they claim to be feeling is anything other than a trick of the mind or confirmation bias.

9. What’s your view of Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris?

In what regard?  When it comes to their atheistic works, I greatly respect and admire them. They certainly aren't perfect though. Some don't like the way they can sometimes come across, and I certainly don't agree with them on everything. Hitchens supported the war in Iraq (I think it was a huge mistake), and held some other opinions I don't agree with. Dawkins has been no stranger to causing drama on twitter. They aren't perfect, but as far as their atheism works go, they are/where full of brilliant thoughts, information and ideas.

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10. If there is no God, then why does every society have a religion?

As humans we have always sought answers. In our early days superstition reigned supreme. Big questions where presumed to be answered by all manner of deity. There is a long line of gods that were once believed in, and are now 'dead'. We see so many religions due to this hand-me-down belief. But how does there being so many religions help the Christian case? So many religions that contradict one another actually detracts from their claims, not add to them. They can't all be true.

Okay, so there where ten questions and ten easy answers... Your move, Christians!


-Brain Hulk

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Forgive no matter what?

Does God really love us and forgive us no matter what?

Q: Why does God offer to forgive us, no matter how bad we've been? I don't see why God even puts up with us, since we've rejected Him and broken every law He ever gave us. If I were God, I think I'd just do away with the human race. -- M.J.G.

Wow... I'm not even sure where to start with this. Let's just say that assuming God was real, the only answer that makes sense of the theology is that God is only interested in building an army of thought slaves that will kiss his ass for all eternity.

A: No matter what we've done or how rebellious we've been, God offers to forgive us for only one reason: He loves us. 

Unless we believe in a different god, no god, have never heard of him, remain unconvinced due to the
lack of evidence, etc... After all, nothing says love like killing nearly everything on Earth, and being quite simply the most immoral and most prolific murderer in the entire Bible.

It doesn't seem logical...

Nope, Christianity doesn't seem logical at all.

...and we don't deserve it...

And Christians like to say that the lives of atheists are empty, when I hear believer after believer that no human deserves love or forgiveness without God? With how little they subconsciously think of themselves, I think it's those believers leading sad empty lives.

...but it's still true: in spite of all our sins, He loves us. The Bible says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3).

A verse that in context only grants God's love to the Israelites and no one else.

How do we know this is true?

We don't!

You've already pointed out one reason: If He didn't love us, He surely would have destroyed us long ago!

Didn't he already try that once?

After all, if someone treated us as badly as we've treated God, we'd probably strike back at them and even try to destroy them.

How badly we've treated him? Sorry, but if someone didn't want to be, or simply wasn't a mindless slave to me, I wouldn't try to destroy them. Actually, I don't even want anyone to be my mindless slave. So what does it tell us about God that he does want them and gets super pissed if we aren't?

But God isn't like us; His love is infinite.

 *Some conditions may apply...

The Bible says, "For I am God and not a man ... I will not come in wrath" (Hosea 11:9, ESV).

How does one both be a genocidal monster and not come in wrath?

But the main reason we know God loves us is because of Jesus Christ. He was God in human flesh

 Yet to have even be slightly proven...

He came into this world for one reason: to make our forgiveness possible.

How powerless is your god if he can't forgive something he created without sacrificing himself to himself and then require you to accept this brutal and pointless human sacrifice for it to 'take'? Why not just forgive people? I can do it, you can do it, but God can't? This tells me that genuine forgiveness isn't what's on offer, but blackmail. "Here's my offer. Take it or else..."

He did this by becoming the final and complete sacrifice for our sins, through dying on the cross for us. As the Bible says, God "loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:10).

There is no proof the Jesus ever lived, let alone that he was crucified. Additionally, he didn't pay for any sins if he came back after three days and went to Heaven. The price of sin, just one sin, is supposed to be eternity in Hell. Jesus didn't stay in Hell forever, so he didn't pay for even one sin.


-Brain Hulk

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Begging for Christmas

Many of you have likely heard that Kirk Cameron has another poor excuse of a movie out. Saving Christmas is a film that's supposed counter the fact that much about the way we celebrate Christmas is actually stolen from the Pagans and has little to nothing to do with Christ. Yet in his movie Cameron decides to ignore history to instead lie and claim that everything about Christmas is about Jesus.

Somehow this is the actual movie poster and not that
of a parody mocking this movie!

Now, Kirk being wrong and deliberately dishonest is nothing new. But the issue that has come up is Cameron crying foul over ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. He is claiming that his film having a user
rating of 33% fresh is due to the work of hateful atheists giving the movie a bad rating out of spite without ever seeing the movie. And it is true that an atheist facebook group did post about bringing the score down. But why is that? Was is simply to spite Kirk and his movie? The answer is no.

You see, Saving Christmas was sitting with a user rating of almost 50% when Kirk went to facebook and asked his fan-base to 'storm the gates of Rotten Tomatoes' to rate the movie well to get a more favorable score. All of a sudden the score shot to 94% fresh. So Kirk asked his fans to rate his film. And considering that it only showed in 410 theaters nationwide, most of them never even saw the film either. So isn't Christians reviewing a movie that they didn't see bearing false witness?

This blatant plea to artificially skew the rating is what caused the atheist group to act. They decided to counter Kirk's false voting with their own and the film's rating now sits at 33%.

Granted, there were some tactics employed by both sides that have left the user rating an unreliable indication. But does that really matter? After all, all signs point to it being a terrible movie. I have not read a positive review on it from any review site. Even on rotten tomatoes, it has a dire 8% rating from actual critics, and an even worse 0% from the top critics that gave rated it.

If the pictures Kirk often posts don't say 'attention whore', I
don't know what does.

The reviews talk of how poorly the movie was made, how bad the acting was, and how the chief message is not only wrong, but annoying even to Christians. This is a fact that is further highlighted by the Christian blogs I've found that talk about how they also hated the movie, that it is factually wrong, and that Kirk is just making all Christians look bad and uninformed by pretending to speak for the whole religion.

So in the end we have Kirk badmouthing atheists for employing the exact same tactics that he did, and that his terrible movie is now has a bad user rating to match the abysmal rating that the professional critics had already given it. Would Kirk just please go away and stop being an annoying dishonest attention hound?


-Brain Hulk

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Christian physics

World Religion News ran a story where they touted a 'former atheist professor' who now believes in God after studying the Big Bang Theory. Okay, that sounds rather odd to me, but lets take a look at this 'huge revelation' that I must have missed somehow...

Physicists are typically viewed as very critical of religion because there seems to be a constant war going on between religion and science.

Wrong! Physicists are typically viewed as being critical of religion because religion doesn't stand up to scientific scrutiny. 

However, that does not always turn out to be the case. In New Orleans, a physics professor has dedicated his life to discovering the secrets of our universe – and through the process, has left his atheist beliefs for that of the Christian faith.

Left his atheist beliefs? That doesn't even make sense. Atheism at it's simplest is a lack of belief in gods. Sure you could argue that some atheists actively believe that there can't be a God, but that leaves us with only one possible 'belief'. Not the plurality of beliefs that is suggested. Atheism isn't another religion with a long list of tenets and rules. It's just the answer to one question, and one question only... Do you believe in God/any gods?

Tulane Professor Frank Tipler says that when he first started out his research, he was “the ultimate doubter,” always questioning the information that was given to him, and trying to find out the unbiased truth.

Okay, that sounds good and scientific so far. Everyone should seek the unbiased truth in everything.

However, when he started looking into the history of science as we know it today, he realized that a huge number of those that we consider scientists were also religious theologians. St. Thomas Aquinas is one great example that really inspired Professor Frank Tipler to look into Christianity more closely.

Umm... So what! What difference does it make that many scientists of the past where also believers or theologians? The reasons this could be are many. Perhaps they were both because they didn't know what we do now. Maybe it's because they didn't hold their faith to the same tough standard that they hold their science to (a problem that is seen to this day). There's the fact that being right or knowledgeable in one area of expertise doesn't automatically make you an expert in all areas. Yes, there where scientists that were also theologians, but if this combination is so supposedly revelatory, why is it that there are now so many fewer than there used to be?

Then there's the whole problem of correlation. Stephen Hawking is quite possibly the smartest person alive. Sadly he has a motor neuron disease that has worsened through the years and left him confined to his wheelchair and unable to speak without computer assistance. To suggest that theologians being scientists is in any way special or eye opening is akin to suggesting that Hawking having motor neuron disease shows that being inflicted by that ailment is needed to be so brilliant, or just to be a theoretical physicist or cosmologist. So I fail to see how scientists of old also holding these other beliefs should in any way impress or convert anyone to Christianity.

As he studied the Big Bang and studied Christianity, he came to a point where he believed completely that only God could have created something out of nothing – in essence, the Big Bang.

This is telling me that the person who supposedly spent his whole life studying the Big Bang did a pretty piss poor job. The Big Bang begins with the rapid expansion from a tiny point of infinite density. It does not say where that singularity came from or what, if anything, proceeded it. And the whole 'God creating something out of nothing' trope is getting so old. There's the question of where God came from, which has never been satisfactorily answered. There's the flawed assumption that anything was 'created out of nothing'. Then there's the question of how anything can be made out of nothing when there is no nothing, because there is a something (God)? If their scenario is true, and God creates anything, and he puts any of his magic into it, it's not 'out of nothing'. Ever heard of the conservation of energy?

Professor Frank Tipler is not the only person to have made this link before; recently, Pope Francis the leader of the Catholic Church released a statement that said that there was no inconsistency with believing in a God, and simultaneously believing in the Big Bang theory.

Correct, there's no reason a Christian can't also believe in the Big Bang theory... So long as they
believe that the account that the Bible gives for the creation of the universe is flat wrong. It's the old dance of religion finally accepting something because the evidence is so strong that they can't continue denying it any more. But on the topic of throwing out the biblical creation, if you are going to just discard God's biggest act of power in the whole damn book, how can any of it be considered accurate or reliable?

Professor Frank Tipler has now written a book entitled The Physics of Christianity, which includes the fact that he personally came to the realization that the laws of physics “gave me no choice but to be a Christian.”

It would be nice if they expanded on this some since I'm sure as hell not going to buy this book. But I am rather confused since the laws of physics actually give me the opposite impression that they apparently gave him.

He has now taking things a step further by trying to prove that singularity theory, an idea accepted by scientists, is actually made up of three singularities: a trinity. 

Which sounds like bad science. He's doing it backwards. Science doesn't just say "Hmm... maybe it was three singularities because father, son, holy ghost." And then try to pick and choose data to back that up and discard anything else. Good science doesn't start with the conclusion they want to try to prove, but a question. Experiments and research are then done. The data that comes out of that is then analyzed and followed to see what it can tell them. These results are checked and then undergo further testing until a likely conclusion is reached. A conclusion arrived at by following the data, and not a biased pursuit like Tipler is engaging in.

Sadly, some Christians will see this story and see it as a huge victory. But to someone that actually looks at it honestly, there is nothing noteworthy or worthy of any headlines here. If Christians consider it a feather in their cap to gain a follower making such basic mistakes, they can have him!


-Brain Hulk

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What about reincarnation?

A single never-ending afterlife or reincarnation... Which would be better, and is one any more likely than the other? I feel that the answers to both are very clear to me.

Q: Personally, I find reincarnation very attractive. The idea of an endless heaven doesn't appeal to me, but once I die I look forward to living again and again -- maybe on this earth, maybe somewhere else. Wouldn't that be exciting? -- S.N.

I stand firmly in the camp that feels that if there was some form of afterlife, reincarnation is by far the most appealing and exciting of the options available.

A: I know you've convinced yourself it would be exciting to live an endless series of lives, but would it really? 

I think so. It would certainly be better than the Christian alternative.

What if you returned to life in some impoverished, war-torn country, or in a place with no freedom, or even as an animal (as some believe happens)?

Why the hate at being reincarnated as an animal?  When I was a child I loved the notion of being reborn to live life as a cat or a squirrel. Running free through the wilderness or as someone's beloved pet. No responsibilities or need to worry about work, politics... A much more free (although shorter) life.

And yes, the down side of reincarnation is that your next life may be a less happy one. But the religions that teach reincarnation do not talk of it being random. Your next life is decided by how you live the previous one. So if you are good in life, your next life will be a reward for that life. But even if it were random, I'd snap your hand off for reincarnation over the Christian afterlife any day.

In reality, however, this will never happen because the Bible makes it clear that we live only once on this earth, and after we die we enter eternity and stand before God. We aren't here by chance; God put us here, and He placed us here for a reason: to live for Him, and to prepare our souls for eternity. The Bible says, "People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).

The problem here is that Billy is basing his answer on the Bible. A book that has been shown to be unreliable and just plain wrong time and time again. His answer has nothing to do with reality and is 100% biased. He can't even fathom the idea of considering a hypothetical question it seems. Oddly, this is a trait I've encountered a few times when debating with Christians...

Why is the thought that you might return to life again and again so attractive? One reason may be because you enjoy your life right now and wish it could go on and on.

What does one's current life have to do with it? Reincarnation is not reliving the same life over and over. But it is attractive for many reasons. There is living different lives and experiencing new things. There is the romantic aspect of finding your first love and experiencing your first kiss over and over. All the landmark firsts that bring life such joy can be yours again and again.

And since reincarnation can also include not being aware of you previous lives, that removes Billy's idea that people just want to relive their lives again even further. If simply continuing life as you know it is what you want, reincarnation is not the answer. But considering all the new things reincarnation can offer, and the chance to live those 'firsts' again, how is it so hard to understand what is attractive about reincarnation?

But listen: Our lives in heaven will be far greater and more delightful than anything we can imagine right now. Don't think heaven will be dull or boring -- because it won't!

Sorry, but I'm not buying it. Heaven has many problems... There's the fact that the Bible refers to it as never-ending worship, for starters. There's the fact that I couldn't be happy there knowing that moral monsters like Hitler could be in Heaven, while good people and loved ones are condemned to Hell. Knowing there are people suffering for no good reason would leave me unable to be happy and guilt-free in Heaven.

But even if you ignore all that, Heaven's grandest offering is it's greatest weakness... That it's forever! Imagine your favorite place or thing in the world; you're grandest desire. Now imagine being there or having it every single day. Eventually you will get used to it and become bored. And once that happens you face forever in all encompassing never-ending boredom. Perhaps you will go through a few different dreams. Love them, live them, eventually lose interest in them and move on. Even if you do that, you will still face the same end result of maddening eternal boredom is the inescapable end product of any afterlife that never ends.

I can't help but wonder, however, if your real reason you feel as you do is because you know you've failed to be as good as you might have been, and hope somehow to make up for this in another life.

It's as if Billy doesn't have but only the slightest understanding of what he's talking about... so par for the course then.  Reincarnation doesn't give you a chance to live that life differently. Sure, your actions in this life help decide your next, but that's a reward or punishment, not a do-over.

And has Billy never taken a moment to look at the religions that believe in reincarnation. They aren't perfect by any means, but as far as religions go, they are the most peaceful and nonconfrontational of the religions. Far better than Christianity and Christians in that regard. I don't actually believe in reincarnation, but given my preference I'd be a peaceful Buddhist rather than a proselytizing Christian any day.

But Christ came to cleanse us of all our sins -- and He wants to cleanse yours, as well. Don't be deceived, but put your life into Christ's hands -- now, and forever.

 And still, Billy fails to even consider that he's the one being deceived and the one striving for an afterlife that is far from glamorous, and ultimately rather dire.


-Brain Hulk

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