2008-08-15

Proof #17 - Think about Leprechauns

Many believers will say, "It is impossible for you to prove that God (Allah, Ra, Vishnu, whatever) does not exist. There is no way to prove that something does not exist." This is a silly argument for the following reason.

Imagine that we have a conversation one day and I say to you, "I believe in the gerflagenflopple. You cannot prove that the gerflagenflopple does not exist, therefore it exists." You can see that this is ridiculous. Just because I have invented something out of thin air does not mean that its non-existence is suddenly unprovable. There has to be some evidence that the gerflagenflopple exists in order to assert its existence. Since there is not, it is quite easy to say that the gerflagenflopple is imaginary.

Now let's imagine that we have a conversation one day and I say to you, "I believe in Leprechauns. You cannot prove that Leprechauns do not exist, therefore they exist." You actually have heard of Leprechauns. There are lots of books, movies and fairy tales dealing with Leprechauns. People talk about Leprechauns all the time. Leprechauns even have a popular brand of breakfast cereal. But that does not mean that Leprechauns exist. There is no physical evidence for the existence of Leprechauns. Not a single bit. Therefore, it is obvious to any normal person that Leprechauns are imaginary.

If you think about it, you will realize that there is no difference between God and Leprechauns. Lots of people talk about God as though he exists, but there is no actual evidence for God's existence. For example:

God has never left any physical evidence of his existence on earth.

All historical gods were imaginary and we know it. (see this page)

None of Jesus' "miracles" left any physical evidence either. (see this page)

God has never spoken to modern man, for example by taking over all the television stations and broadcasting a rational message to everyone.

The resurrected Jesus has never appeared to anyone. (see this page)

The Bible we have is provably incorrect and is obviously the work of primitive men rather than God. (see this page)

When we analyze prayer with statistics, we find no evidence that God is "answering prayers." (see this page)

Huge, amazing atrocities like the Holocaust and AIDS occur without any response from God.

And so on?
There is absolutely no evidence indicating that God exists. There is a tremendous amount of empirical evidence that God does not exist. Therefore we can conclusively say that God is imaginary. That is the only thing that a rational person can say.
Another angle

Here is a second way to look at the same question.

With every other object and phenomenon in our experience, we use the scientific method to determine whether it exists or not. For example, X rays are invisible, but we know that they exist. We can devise scientific experiments to prove that they exist. Then, once proven to exist, X-rays can be used predictably in all sorts of beneficial ways.

If you would like to hypothesize that God exists, then you should say to yourself, "Let's devise a repeatable scientific experiment to provide evidence that God exists." Every experiment we devise demonstrates, yet again, that God is imaginary.

Isn't it odd that God, unlike everything else in our universe, has been put into a special category? When we talk about God, we are supposed to do so "philosophically." Why? Why not treat God just like all other objects and devise experiments to detect his presence or absence?

The classic religious response is, "God must remain hidden. If he proved his existence, that would take away faith." This is clever -- here we have an object named God that proves its existence by completely hiding its existence. Of course, in the real world, any object that provides no evidence for its existence is classified as imaginary.

Even more interesting, this object called God, which is supposedly hiding its existence completely, is in the meantime supposedly writing books, answering prayers and incarnating itself. How can that be? This obvious contradiction shows how imaginary God is. When we look at prayer scientifically, we find that "answered prayers" are actually nothing but coincidences. When we look at the Bible scientifically, ethically or rationally, we find that the Bible is wrong. When we look at all of Jesus' miracles scientifically, we find that none of them left behind any scientific or historical evidence. Nor, for that matter, did Jesus, nor did Jesus' resurrection. Strangely, not a single historical source independent of the Bible ever mentions the resurrection.

The reason why we can find no empirical evidence for God's existence is not because "God is a magical being completely able to hide from us." It is because God is imaginary.

2008-08-12

Animal Bites

Although any animal may bite, dogs and, to a lesser extent, cats account for most bites in the United States. Owing to their popularity as household pets, dogs account for the majority of bites as a result of protecting their owners and territory. About 10 to 20 people, mostly children, die from dog bites each year. Cats do not defend territory and bite mainly when humans restrain them for various reasons or attempt to intervene in a cat fight. Domestic animals, such as horses, cows, and pigs, bite infrequently, but their size and strength are such that serious wounds may result. Wild animal bites are rare.

Dog bites typically have a ragged, torn appearance. Cat bites involve deep puncture wounds that frequently become infected. Infected bites are painful, swollen, and red. Rabies (see Infections of the Brain and Spinal Cord: Rabies) may be transmitted from animals (most commonly bats) infected with that organism. Rabies is rare among pets in the United States because of vaccination.

Treatment

After receiving routine first-aid treatment (see First Aid: Wounds), victims of animal bites should see a doctor immediately. If possible, the offending animal should be penned up by its owner. If the animal is loose, the person who has been bitten should not try to capture it. The police should be notified so that the proper authorities can observe the animal for signs of rabies.

A doctor cleans an animal bite with sterile salt water (saline) or soap and water. Sometimes tissue is trimmed from the edge of the bite wound, particularly if the tissue is crushed or ragged. Facial bite wounds are surgically closed (sutured). However, minor wounds, puncture wounds, and bite wounds to the hands are not closed. Antibiotics are given by mouth to prevent infection. Infected bites sometimes require antibiotics given intravenously.

Development of Sexuality

During early adolescence, an increasing interest in sexual anatomy and pubertal changes develops. These changes (or lack thereof) often are a source of anxiety. As adolescents mature emotionally and sexually, they may begin to engage in sexual behaviors. Masturbation among boys is nearly universal and is perhaps somewhat less common among girls. Sexual behavior with others often begins as extended petting, but sometimes progresses to oral sex, vaginal intercourse, and anal sex. By late adolescence, sexuality has shifted from being exploratory to being an expression of intimacy and sharing. Appropriate advice on safe-sex practices is essential.

Some adolescents explore homosexual activities but ultimately do not continue to be interested in same-sex relationships. Other adolescents never have any interest in opposite-sex relationships. Doctors do not understand exactly why homosexual feelings develop, but they do not think it is something adolescents "learn" from their peers or the media.

Homosexual adolescents face an emotional burden as their sexuality develops. Many teenagers are made to feel unwanted if they express homosexual desires. Such pressure (especially during a time when social acceptance is critically important) can cause severe stress. Problems can be made worse by comments and even physical threats made at school. A fear of abandonment by parents, sometimes real, may lead to dishonest or at least incomplete communication between adolescents and their parents. Threats of physical violence should be taken seriously and reported to school officials.

The emotional development of homosexual adolescents is best helped by supportive friends and family members. Family and friends should express the same interest and involvement as they would for heterosexual adolescents.

Altitude Illness

Altitude illness occurs because of a lack of oxygen at high altitudes.

As altitude increases, the atmospheric pressure decreases, thinning the air so that less oxygen is available. For example, compared with the air at sea level, the air in Denver (about 5,300 feet above sea level) contains 20% less available oxygen; the air in Aspen, Colorado (about 8,000 feet above sea level), about 25% less oxygen; and the air near the top of Mount Everest (more than 29,000 feet above sea level), about 66% less oxygen.

Altitude illness occurs when an oxygen deficiency at high altitudes causes fluid in the blood to leak from the smallest blood vessels (capillaries) into the surrounding tissues, resulting in swelling (edema). The forms of altitude illness differ mainly in their degree of severity and where in the body the fluid accumulates. Mild fluid accumulation in the brain causes acute mountain sickness, whereas more severe fluid accumulation in the brain causes high-altitude cerebral edema. Fluid accumulation in the lungs causes high-altitude pulmonary edema. Fluid accumulation in the hands, feet, and face causes high-altitude edema.

Altitude illness is common in people visiting high altitudes. The severity of the illness depends on how high and how quickly a person ascends. For example, most people who, within a day or two, ascend to above 6,000 feet develop high-altitude edema. Acute mountain sickness develops in 10% of people who ascend too rapidly above 8,000 feet, in 25% of people above 9,000 feet, and in almost 50% of people above 14,000 feet. High-altitude pulmonary edema and high-altitude cerebral edema rarely develop at altitudes below 10,000 feet.

People who normally live at sea level or at very low altitudes are more likely to be affected by altitude illness, as are those who engage in strenuous exertion soon after ascent. People with certain lung diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), heart and blood vessel disorders (such as angina, heart failure, or peripheral vascular disease), or blood disorders (such as sickle cell anemia or hemoglobin S-C disease) may have particular difficulties at high altitudes. Asthma, however, does not seem to be worse at high altitudes. Spending less than a few weeks at altitudes below 10,000 feet does not appear to be dangerous for a pregnant woman or the fetus. Physical fitness has no effect on a person's risk of developing altitude illness. Fewer older people than young people develop altitude illness. People who have had high-altitude pulmonary edema and high-altitude cerebral edema previously are particularly likely to develop those conditions again after ascent.

The body eventually adjusts (acclimatizes) to higher altitudes by increasing respiration and heart activity and by producing more red blood cells to carry oxygen to the tissues. Most people can adjust to altitudes of up to 10,000 feet in a few days. Adjusting to much higher altitudes takes many days or weeks, but some people can eventually carry out normal activities at altitudes above 17,500 feet.

1938: Afghanistan

Some slow progress toward improvement in living conditions has been made in Afghanistan during recent years, although the present Government has avoided the excessively-rapid modernization undertaken by King Amanullah before his abdication in 1929. Very little change has been effected in the predominantly nomadic life of the country, the native handicrafts of the towns, or the limited foreign trade. The Government proclaimed new nationality laws in April 1937, providing that children born of foreign parents may acquire citizenship under certain conditions and that Afghan citizens may be deprived of their rights in case of undesirable activities, such as service in a foreign army. Several consignments of military airplanes, purchased from Great Britain and Italy, were delivered early in 1938 at Kabul, after being transported by tractor-drawn trucks over the road from the Khyber Pass. The new airplanes will be flown by Afghan pilots, trained in India.


A serious revolt arose among Waziristan warriors during June 1938, when British Army officers discovered a plot to overthrow the present Afghan dynasty. The leader of the rebellion was Saiyd Muhammad Sadi, a Mohammedan fanatic from Damascus, who was traveling along the frontier ostensibly to collect funds for repairing a Syrian shrine damaged by earthquake. Some suspicion arose that Italian influence was involved, since former King Amanullah, now resident in Rome, has desired to regain the Afghan throne. The Indo-Afghan frontier was closed for several weeks, while British officials undertook punitive air bombings and dispersed the rebellious tribesmen.


Little change in the international position of Afghanistan has taken place in recent years. The Sirdar Mohamed Hashim Khan, Afghan Prime Minister and uncle of King Zahir, visited London in February 1937 and was received by King George VI. The Afghan Government on July 8, 1937, signed the four-power Middle Eastern Pact, by which Afghanistan, Turkey, Iran and Iraq pledged mutual respect of frontiers, non-interference and non-aggression, pacific settlement of disputes, and frequent consultation.

Proof #16 - Contemplate the contradictions

A thoughtful person who thinks about God cannot help but notice the amazing contradictions. They are everywhere you look.

Here is one very simple example. On the day Moses comes down from Mount Sinai with the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments, he discovers that the Israelites have created a golden calf. To punish the people, Moses gathers a group of men and takes the following action in the book of Exodus, Chapter 32:

Then he [Moses] said to them, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.' " The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died.
So... one minute we have God carving into stone, "Thou shalt not kill." Then the next minute we have God telling each man to strap a sword to his side and lay waste to thousands. Wouldn't you expect the almighty ruler of the universe to be slightly more consistent than this? 3,000 dead people is a lot of commandment breaking. Obviously that is a total contradiction. The reason why you find contradictions like that in the Bible is because God is imaginary.
When you look at slavery, you get the same feeling of total contradiction. It is obvious to modern human beings that slavery is an abomination. The fact that God is a huge proponent of slavery in the Bible shows us that God is imaginary.

A recent issue of Christianity Today featured this cover:



The cover story is: 5 Reasons Torture Is Always Wrong.

If you think about it, you can see the contradiction here. What does God plan to do to people who do not accept Jesus Christ as their savior? According to the Christian faith, he plans to torture them for eternity in the fires of hell. Since we all know that torture is always wrong, we have a contradiction.

According to Genesis, God also tortures all women for eternity with painful childbirth. For her trangression of eating the fruit, God says to Eve:

"I will greatly increase your pains in Childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children."
This, of course, is torture. Inflicting excruciating pain on someone as punishment is the dictionary definition of torture, as you can see here:
torture: Infliction of severe physical pain as a means of punishment or coercion. [ref]
So, according to the Bible, God is the universe's all-powerful torturer. Unfortunately, according to Christianity Today, torture is always wrong. The fact that a perfect God is doing something that is always wrong shows you the contradiction.
If you would simply look at and accept how obvious these contradictions are, you can see the truth: God is imaginary. The evidence is all around you.


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2008-08-10

Cardinals 12, Cubs 3; Oh Carlos!!


The St. Louis Cardinals came back with a vengeance Saturday, clubbing four home runs en route to a 12-3 win over the Cubs. With the win, the Cardinals broke the Cubs three-game winning streak, and reduced their lead in the division to six games. The rubber match is scheduled for 7:05 Sunday night on ESPN.


Pity Carlos Zambrano, who really was his own worst enemy today. Although he hit his third home run of the season in the third inning to make things a bit interesting, things really got out of control for him pretty quickly. First Skip Schumaker and Albert Pujols jacked solo home runs in the third. Then Troy Glaus, stuck in an extremely odd 0-30 streak against the Cubs, went wild; first hitting a two-run shot in the fourth inning, then upping the ante with a three-run home run in the fifth, part of a four-run inning. Frankly, Carlos got way too much plate all day long, and looked a little too strong actually, not getting quite the movement on the fastball or slider that you'd normally expect to see. Bottom line, when Felipe Lopez goes 2-4 off of you -- when did the Cards pick him up anyway? -- you know you're hitting the showers early.

About the only good thing that you can say about yesterday's game was the work of Sean Marshall, who went 2 2/3 innings of scoreless work, and continues to show why it was time for Scott Eyre to move on. I was almost prepared to say the same thing about Chad Gaudin, who came in to finish the last two innings. But when St. Louis rallied late for three more runs in the ninth, lead by a Yadier Molina two-RBI single, that pretty much went out the window. He's done nice work so far this season, but probably should have been yanked in the ninth, big deficit or not, as it was clear he wasn't going to be effective. Actually, it probably would have been a good time to get Kerry Wood in for an inning of work, but the disappearing man was available, but not really yesterday. Kerry says he's ready to go, which was funny to me, given Lou Piniella's post-game comment about using him yesterday only if he "really, really needed to get him in". Hmm. Either way, I'd look for him to see some work this evening, as Lou was quite defensive at reporters who suggested that Kerry would be hidden in the bullpen another day, so as to give him a couple of more days before the Braves series in Atlanta.

Well, here's to a series win, and a blowout tonight. And as a small site note, Cubbie Nation is transitioning Internet Service Providers, with the change tentatively scheduled for Tuesday night. We expect the site to be unavailable for as much as a few hours.