Godless Rachel

I have heard many times from Christians that free will was given to us by god. We can choose to do things, but there are consequences. Apparently double consequences. And if there was a god he would be guilty of double Jeopardy, people being punished twice for the same crime. This isn't that debate, mostly because it is bogus, but because there is more challenges here to free will than those who subscribe to it can answer. When it comes to free will, what this assigns any one person, is that they have complete charge and control over their lives, and nothing is predetermined. It means every day is a new start, you can make choices and though they may have consequences either direction, you can somehow make them in a way different from what you know. This is wrong. You were not aware of the moment that one egg and one sperm combined to make you, but it did. Nine months later you were born to circumstances you had no control over. Before you could define yourself, your parents,...

When Charles Darwin set off on a five year journey of exploration, he could have never imagined how it would turn out. Many people think of the Galapagos islands when they think of his findings, but there was so much more to his entire journey, and his ultimate conclusion of Natural Selection. While he is most famous for his finches, Darwin had many more examples of evolution, and a better understanding than many people living today. In total it took Darwin 20 years of researching, exploring, and understanding to come to the conclusion that natural selection was the force of change among species. After consulting with many specialists, and even dissecting animals, he noted how curiously similar species are, and yet small to large differences made them incompatible for breeding. Speciation can take long or short periods. What we think of as long or short, with our life span of approximately 80 is nothing on the time clock of the planet. For instance, dinosaurs lived here on this pl...

Let me open by stipulating that I really think it is the pedantic notion of insulting, and verbally assaulting someone which inspires the use of the term privilege. Like aggressively silencing someone because they are not the right color, or gender, or race to address any situation. It is the dismissal of education, intellectual value, hard work and dedication to unity which drives the bitter vitriol into people. As of late there is a seething band of people in the atheist community who think throwing out the privilege card means you win. Like a triumph card. So let me enlighten you, that not only is this false, but it clearly states you feeling of inferiority, and abusive nature. Don't think I have the intention of spending the rest of my days responding to assaults on this blog, because I am sure they will just confirm what I am stating here, and in reality, and in light of my education on this topic, I am not interested to argue with you. Privilege is thrown at men in dro...

Taking control of your atheist sexuality:  The Myth of Monogamy Many atheists come from religious backgrounds, though there are a few amongst us that don’t (lucky people). While we would all like to believe that society has not had profound effects on our thoughts about who we are as human beings, and sexual beings, it doesn’t make it true. Society has a way of sending both obvious and subliminal messages. I am here   to help you get a closer perspective on who you are as a sexual being, break some of the stereo types playing in your heads, and give you the ability, to give yourself permission to be the sexual being you choose yourself to be. From the time you were a small child you began to look at the world, and yourself, as whom you were taught by your parents, society, and our culture. Many women were socialized a specific way, with the virgin/ whore dichotomy, while men were socialized different. They were taught to be sexual, and virile. We are going ...

In the grand scheme of things, your mind is as unique as your finger prints or your retina. No person has been like you or will ever be as exact as you. You are a special data bank of thought and information collected over your lifetime to the point where you read this, and then forever after. Have you ever stopped to think of the most unique events of your life, or even the ones which seem mundane and far from extraordinary? These events shaped the way you think, your neural responses, your patterns. Every one of them can trigger a preconceived action. You are at this point in time, all of your prior patterns. Those are broken when new information enters, and a new neural link is made. Many people will go a lifetime and make a minimal amount of re-linkings, some people will constantly create new information and links. Memories are accessed all the time in our minds, sometimes changing and adding new information to them, but it doesn't change large portions of our brain, neu...

Atheism, Lee Moore, Eric Jayne, Brandon Jones 08/04 by The Pink Atheist | Atheism Podcasts

Thomas Jefferson said it well, there is a wall between church and state, and that wall should not be breached. This is one off the largest and most substantial cornerstones of our Nation, and while the cracks have been coming by the way of constant hammering by the religious right, now they are adding dynamite. Churches are supposed to operate separate of the state and federal government. They have to buy land, build and insure it for the worth of the building. In the past they have gained federal funds by doing day care, and charitable donations to the poor. While that sounds fine, it is not, those are small and unforgiving breaches of the separation of state and church. "Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God; that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship; that the legislative powers of government reach actions only and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American p...