'Kiss My Hand' - The Pope in Africa

The Pope visited Africa. How deeply saddened I am that this crazy institution, the Roman Catholic church, has felt the need to visit several countries to, basically, drum up business. A PR stunt that will work. It will have the desired effect of calling the masses to believe in a corrupt, evil, mega-rich institution with dodgy books being waved around as tenets the masses should live by. And the money rolls in. The poor who can least afford to give away money are told and believe that a god will help the poor who give to one of the richest institutions on this planet.
It would be hilarious if it wasn't so tragic, if the consequences didn't last through generations.

They are criminals. They know what they do and they no more believe in a god than they do in fairies. These mind-control freaks are not to be bowed down to, nor should they have their hands kissed. I assume you wouldn't hold a member of the Cosa Nostra in high esteem, so how are these shysters any different?

Not many people know how the Popes are selected. I guess most people believe that a group of people receive a message from 'god' that Mr Blah-Blah should be the next Pope and then - voila- a name is revealed to the world and is then crowned in a blaze of publicity. Well, actually, it is slightly more complicated than that as there are power struggles behind the scene. People jostling to have their names picked out of the celestial ballot box. Arse-licky people sharpen their finest 'sucking up' tools and get to work on their goal of the top job, often years in advance.

'Oh, those atheists, such ungodly people, seem to be causing a bit of a stir amongst the people in the so-called developed countries. Proclaiming what we already know - that there is no god, but it just won't do. We cannot have them leading the flocks away from us. What can we do to ensure our institution is shored up for the next few centuries? Africa. Africa? Wait a minute...(deep in thought). Good thinking, Batman! Good thinking! When do we set off?'

I'm not taken in and I surely hope you aren't.

Religion and Child Abuse

Some people have taken issue with me due to my belief that teaching your child, indoctrinating your child into your religious belief system, is abuse.

Let me make it clear:

if you are part of a religious organisation or even if you believe in 'the Flying Teapot' the onus is on you to ensure that your child is brought up aware of the following:

1. Alternative views;

2. The pros and cons of your belief;

3. Critical thinking skills and how to apply them.

Now considering the above 3 points: How many people can honestly say that they have guardianship of a child, are believers in god/gods/universal spirits/or some such and have applied all of the above points throughout that child's life? Very few.

The damage inflicted on children exposed to irrational thinking lead to all the negative -isms we experience today.

Being a parent is one of the most difficult jobs there is. Not enough credit is given to those who care for and raise babies into adulthood. A child looks up to their parent or guardian for guidance, love, support and is hardwired to believe what the parent/guardian says is true. If you then follow belief systems based on fallacy which does not and will not stand up to critical analysis, then this is what the child will believe.

No one is born a 'believer' - we are like sponges at birth, ready to absorb all the influences and experiences around us. We are naturally curious about this strange environment we find ourselves in called 'the world'. Nature and nurture have a major impact on how we perceive the now and the future. If our parents enable us to explore and engage with the world critically we are not weighed down by excess baggage, which includes theism and all forms of the supernatural.

In the black communities I have experienced, religion is embedded within the cultures. Black people are not a homogenous group but disparate populations, varying in size from minute to gigantic, even so religion has become a deeply ingrained part of 'black life'. If you reject religion in its various forms then you are seen as outside of 'the black experience'. I have been accused of not 'being black enough' (whatever that means!). I am considered a pariah and often times black people have offered to pray for me to help me to see the light.

Why are these belief systems so much a part of the black experience? Anecdotal evidence suggests: slavery, control and systematic abuse, social cohesion, peer pressure, lack of quality scientific education and so on. None of these are exclusive to the black community - not even slavery.

I don't object to theists. My concern is the impact that theism has on the scientific and social advancements of human beings, the damage inflicted on those who have been conditioned to view alternative views as representing 'the devil' or some other negative entity - consequently these ideas are passed on, like a virus, to our children.

If we are concerned about providing future generations with tools to action the progressive changes which are sorely needed, then how can we inflict this form of abuse on them?

Black Female Atheists

As promised I am conducting some research regarding black atheists and thought I would salute the first person who had a video worth watching. It proves there are women who happen to be black who are thinking for themselves and throwing off the shackles called theism. This woman was raised a Jehovah's Witness and after years of indoctrination was able to free her mind.

If you are a theist you could too. My aim is to make this blog a haven for all people who are freethinkers/atheists. Religion has become part of the social fabric of most black communities and it is wrong. But this site is not for black people, nor is it particularly about black people. I have a worldview that includes all - I just don't want to be part of the system that causes atheists to remain in the closet for fear of losing their job, their livelihoods, their support systems and I stand ready for all the verbal attacks coming from the mouths/pens of theists. If I don't speak up to highlight the horrors visited on humanity in the name of supernatural who will? I refuse to see 'racism' as the focal problem. It goes deeper than that. When you have a system which uses fake texts to subjugate people, when those same texts are misogynistic and racist amongst another thing and then the very people who cry foul about how 'people of colour' are treated 'praise the Lord' you know humans are in bad shape. All people.

I'm immensely pleased that black atheists are becoming more visible. I am pleased that I am one of them.