Offending religion, ghosts, superheroes, hunters, paranoral garbage and ice cream

Are you religious? If so I am about to infuriate you so proceed with the utmost caution. First is the connotation of religious which I associate with a formal structure such as a church, synagog or mosque. There is also a second that is spiritual which has a board brush that excludes membership in the various cults – which is exactly what I consider churches, et al to me.

Mohammed, Jesus, John the Baptist, Moses and all the other various religious luminaries up to the present were in my atheist view religious hustlers. They were the Benny Hinn’s of their day. Using a nice patter to build a base of support – today they would be televangelists. In some instances their teachings caught fire and you have would you have today with large and highly structured corporate religion.

People need an anchor and religion certainly provides that especially in a time of emotional need. An atheist does not have that fallback so they must deal with – to me – a more rational approach. One that excludes “higher Authority” or “God’s Will.” An atheist, therefore, has to exist in a type of emotional vacuum with no secure anchor. In that way, many an atheist can have a tinge of jealousy towards those who believe.

Many an atheist has manners that leave me puzzled. They become almost a nonreligious version of the Westboro Baptist Church. What they fail to recognize is the value of religion since many of the fables, lessons and so forth provide valuable insight and are quite relevant to positive human behavior.

The downside is that many of out most vicious confrontations are steeped in religious issues. Christianity has made considerable strides in the few centuries in purging itself of some of its excesses. Maybe Islam will have a reformation?

I have an inherent distrust of Muslims, which is probably considered hate speech in today’s sensitive environment. As an atheist, I question just how long I would survive in a Muslim country? I can clearly see a radicalism that puts others – particularly me – at risk. The last thing I wish to confront is the destructive nature of a present day inquisition.

Ghosts. What is the attraction? Is this a return to childhood and Casper the Friendly ghost? Folks – this may shock you – there is no proof of ghosts. None. Do the ghost hunters really believe the movie “Ghost Busters” was a documentary? Shock treatments are no longer used, but maybe they should be reinstituted?

A subsection of ghosts is paranormal investigations. I have occasionally watched on television shows that center around that term. I will limit this to extra sensory perception, Isn’t there, folks, since no valid scientific evidence has been presented.

Another subsection is the absurdity of fortune telling. This- like astrology (and psychology) – can be fun to do, but don’t take it seriously.

Aliens do not exist, nor is there intelligent life on other planets. The earth has not been visited, we have had no abductions and there is no one out there. How can that be? The estimates are there are now potentially trillions of galaxies and each with billions of stars. Just the mathematical probability of intelligent life is astounding.

The fact is there is no proof. No signals from beyond either electronic or smoke. No sightings of Dyson Spheres or of massive alien constructs anywhere. We are absolutely alone. At this point a blip – an anomaly.

Superheroes do not exist and that is somewhat of a shock to an isolated few who actually believe that they exist. I have encountered a few such in the last few years that – no doubt – have spent an excessive amount of what should have been productive studying instead of going to Comic Con.

Who is left to offend? How about hunters!

The cold hard fact is I am anti-gun, but not anti-gun as most suspect since I am hardcore anti-gun. Just think Lynyrd Skynyrd and Saturday Night Special – toss them “to the bottom of the sea.” I would ban all guns. That, of course, is totally unrealistic, but how about hunters?

I watch what the bring to hunt with and am numbed raw by the firepower with both gun power and bow power. They should use neither. Our ancestors cleared the continent of all sorts of unruly varmints without such weapons. Time to go “old school” and do the same. Gets those spears sharpened, wooden bows ready and drummers to beat the animals off a cliff.

Hannaford’s has now joined Bryers, Friendly’s, Hood and a few others in tossing in Frozen Dairy Dessert into the ice cream mix. It is not ice cream! It is a chemical concoction that does not meet the standards of ice cream. Faux ice cream. Yet they place it in the ice section hoping that consumers are too stupid to know the difference.