~The Absurdity of Atheism~ by Ken Hensley, disc 1 (An Atheist’s Review)

In the beginning and in the end, Atheism is a very simple concept: The lack in the belief of theism. This is not to say that it is impossible to have a creator. This is not saying that atheists “believe” in Evolution instead of Creationism. It means that we do NOT believe. It’s the absence of belief. It’s not antitheism, which would indicate that we believe that there is no god or gods in the world, no creator of anything. By the different definitions of these words, Atheism is truly very much akin to what I used to call myself. I used to call myself a follower of “agnostic atheism”. By the nature of these two words put together, it indicates some sort of belief system. “I do not know for sure if gods exist or not, but if they do, there is no proper evidence in them, so I will not believe.” This isn’t exactly a belief in itself, but the connotations of calling oneself an “agnostic atheist” doesn’t exactly go over very well in debate with Christians. Instead, I will simply refer to myself as an Atheist, and from there, I can properly explain what atheism means without creating an unnecessary atheistic subculture in someone’s head.

Ken Hensley says this is how Christians generally try to convince people of their point of view: With evidence, with rationality, or presuppositionally (assuming something IS true to support your argument). He will be focusing on the third point because obviously, the evidence-based and rationality-based approaches always fail. Hands down. However, I will debunk all of this man’s claims based on this approach. Ken’s suppositional arguments for the existence of God contain circular logic (which leads nowhere), accusations that make no sense, and arguments that have very simple answers. If he did his research and was not a totally hopeless religious bigot, maybe he would realize this.

Right from the beginning, he is admitting that he will be saying that the CATHOLIC version of God’s existence will be argued for on this lecture set. The Catholic church chose the books in the Bible, the Bible is what he believes in, so thus his arguments will PROVE that the Catholic side of Christianity is correct. Oh, this will be a fun ride.

Here’s his argument’s key standing point: “God exists, and if you deny God’s existence, all kinds of impossibilities are going to follow and you are not going to want to accept them.”

He goes on to state that any atheistic worldview destroys morality, meaning (I assume he’s talking about our purpose in life), and knowledge. I’m on track two, 2:41 minutes in at this point. To back up why he should argue presuppositionally, Ken is referring to the Bible itself for his foundation. Note that by basing the entire argument on his holy book, he is setting himself up for petitio principii, “begging the question”, or a “circular argument”. Right from the START Ken is screwing things up. Your basis or foundation for an argument needs to be strong so it can support your other ideas. You build on top of your foundation. Ken is going to be arguing against atheism. Atheists generally deal with science and evidence-backed studies and arguments. Because you are basing your argument on a biased source that proves very little about the true history of the times, your entire structure comes tumbling down. Any intelligent atheist who knows WHY he’s an atheist will see through this right at the beginning.

Ken is now raging against epistemological relativism. He sets this up with a quick explanation, and then states that every viewpoint should be respected except Christianity. This man is BITTER. Christianity attempts to prove itself as 100% true via scientific evidence these days. They fail. Why does Christianity continually get less respect? Because they are saying things are true which are found to be not true. When you claim something has a foundation that is supported by scientific evidence, then you open yourself up for scrutiny. If it turns out you are wrong, well, then you won’t be respected. Your viewpoint is allowed respect in the social setting, but don’t try to bust into science if you’re not willing to accept the consequences. Also notice Ken’s bias by not mentioning any other religion. Whoops, now he’s back to supporting his claim that epistemological relativism with quotes from the Bible. You foundation is quicksand, stop trying to build on it. But will he stop? Nah, this man is determined. He’s a MACHINE. And what the HELL is a “heart of hearts”? He uses this term throughout the entire lecture series. This is a phrase that the Christian may feel means “soul”, or one’s god given feelings inside their heart, or something to that nature. This is a feel-good phrase, nothing more.

A story Ken presented about “Survival of the Fittest” consisted of him walking into a classroom, picking up a weak female student from her front row seat, and throwing her away from it so he could take this seat. When angrily questioned why he did this, he responded that he was merely carrying about survival of the fittest, because that’s what evolution is all about, right? With a clouded mind, this could seem like a valid argument. There are many points here that need to be made. What does getting the best seat in the classroom do to enhance your survivability? Was that woman a threat to you? When you are part of a collective (such as a tribe, a pack, a herd, a society), then doesn’t working together with your fellows ensure better survivability of your species? Ken demonstrates misguided human interpretation very clearly, but it doesn’t debunk evolution or “survival of the fittest”.

Gone for a bit!

Regardless of the terrible social anxiety I suffer, I am about to go out and fill out an application for an interview. Seems kind of silly that they let you submit a resume online, but you have to voluntarily visit their corporate office to actually fill out an application. You have to fill one of these out if you want to get a potential interview. /sigh. That’s some damned stupid unnecessarily tiered process. Lord, I’ve been up all night. Hope this goes okay!

What the hell is up with my Unemployment money, too? I thought I fixed everything over the phone, but now I have six entries that I haven’t been paid because I’m not ready for full time work? How many times must I tell them I’m ready for full-time work before they believe me? $4700 waiting for me to collect over the next 20 weeks and they’re /taunting me.

Rage aside, I spent most of the day watching movies, anime, skilling up my summoning skill in FFXI, and fighting avatar battles. I can now summon, err, Carbuncle, Titan, Ifrit, and Shiva. Ramuh, Garuda, and Fenrir will follow tomorrow I hope. If I have enough gil for my potions and ethers.

Poor scheduling

I feel bad. I should be waking up earlier and going to bed earlier, but there is always too much going on in the house for that to happen without the assistance of booze.

MARI, I’M SORRY FOR NOT BEING UP WHEN YOU WERE. HAVE FUN AT THE DOCTOR, BUT NOT -TOO MUCH- FUN, YOU UNDERSTAND? I’m going to go try to sort out my unemployment issues. This nigga needs to get paid.

Jury Duty

I’m scheduled to report for jury duty today. I know that I am too radical and skeptical to properly judge someone, so this will be a hoot. I have to wake up at 11 AM to receive more instructions. I hope I get dismissed. That would be PRO AS HELL. Mari, I’m turning my computer off until after court. We should find out if there is a way to call each other for cheeeeap. Ask your dad or his wife and see what can be done!

**UPDATE** No Jury Duty! My group (all groups) were DISMISSED.

Human Resources? More Like Got A ‘C’ In English Class….ources

Dear Brian,

Thank you for your interest in our Technical Support position.  We truly enjoyed the opportunity to discuss your background and qualifications.  While your credentials are impressive, regrettably, I must advise you that we have selected another candidate whose skills more closely fit the requirements of the position.  We will retain your application for employment should a suitable position become available.

We appreciate your interest in seeking employment with IPOWER.  Please accept our best wishes for success in your career path.

Sincerely,

Nicole Gill

Recruiter

IPOWER.com

==============================

I made it clear that my background was for technical support or billing. My background even gives me inbound sales experience. Why are you using plural pronoun “WE” and singular pronoun “I”? Not only did I only speak to ONE person at the company, the first use of “WE” is very awkward as well as incorrect.

My credentials are impressive? Excellent! However, regrettably? Perhaps I REGRET TO INFORM YOU as this would indicate personal regret by relaying bad news as opposed to REGRETTABLY which indicates that I should have been picked for the position. I must advise you? Awkward. Do away with this advice part altogether and adopt the I REGRET TO INFORM YOU bit from above. It covers both bases just fine.

Oh, good! A proper use of WE. I think you’re talking about IPOWER… or maybe your human resources department? Wait, maybe not so proper. Using pronouns should be restricted to when it is known who you are talking about. Some homless guy on the street has just a good of a guess as to what WE refers to as I do. Also, you’re a call center. You are almost always hiring and you do it in batches.

I don’t believe your lie for one second that a SINGLE candidate was chosen over me without giving me an interview. I do not accept your best wishes on my career path, because damnit, I want a job. I need a job. My credentials are impressive. I’ve got what it takes to succeed, so why am I being stalled by someone who probably has completed more school than I have, yet has a junior high school student’s grasp of the English language? Excuse me, Nicole. I would like to have a look at YOUR credentials and see if they’re very impressive.

So while my application will be on file and you’ll consider me for future positions (how about the ones that are available on your website? You know, the ones you haven’t taken down yet because you still need people? Yeah, those.), good luck on my career path? And I guess I shouldn’t let the door hit me on the way out, right? Looks like you’re locking the door. Good to know that my resume is in there in case you want to let me back in!

Really, this is a great example of the problem with business these days. It’s nothing personal, you’re impressive, you’re great, BUT. Now look. I was laid off from my last job. I was told there were no performance issues that were the cause of being laid off. I made them repeat this information to me several times. Having them layme off, however, was a way to fire me. So essentially, I get kicked out the door with a very bad taste in my mouth and no idea why I have to leave. There’s no constructive criticism or anything to work on to become a better, more valued worker. How are you helping the world, the workforce, the individual, or your own company by not allowing this information to be heard? Well, here’s my reply to the above email. I don’t expect them to reconsider. I believe it’s a matter of principle and I want them to understand that their approach is hurting people, not playing it safe. It’s not right if the content is 100% legally safe with rounded edges, safety scissors, and a padded floor, but insults someone’s intelligence. That’s not productive.

==============================

Hi, Nicole. I received your denial email, but it doesn’t make sense. Perhaps you’re trying to let me down lightly, but your email is inconsistent. I have impressive credentials, but you have selected another candidate? IPOWER claims to be the 5th largest hosting company in the world right now. As I have experience with other hosting companies of large and small size (your 15,000 square-foot facility means that you are very well staffed), it doesn’t make sense that you would be hiring one candidate at a time. Your website shows that there are billing and technical support positions still available. Large call centers such as yourself are always hiring. If you had simply selected another candidate and that trumped my employment opportunity, then that would be fine. But as I am familiar with your company’s business model and understand the hiring practices within call centers, I have to admit that I feel like I’m being lied to. Why would you say at the end, “Please accept our best wishes for success in your career path.” after saying you’re retaining my application should a suitable position come available? That simply makes it sound like there’s no hope, like you’re giving up on me. I believe position is there, but you simply need to interview me for it. Without an interview to compare candidates with admittedly impressive credentials (as you say I have), it’s not logical that you would select another candidate and close the opening without removing it from your website.

While I understand the need to let unqualified employment seekers down easy so they don’t raise a fuss, I ask that you either consider me for a billing, technical support, or inbound sales position (as I have experience and qualifications for all three of these positions), or tell me the truth as to why I’m not eligible. I believe that the positions are available, else you would have taken the openings off your website. Even if your webmaster has been slow in taking them off your website, your business involves recruiting many new employees in a short period of time due to the high turnover of call centers. I ask that you please test my intelligence and give me either proper consideration or proper denial. It is disingenuous to leave someone hanging with a thread of hope that will never be answered, especially in a business that has such a large turn-over percentage. I appreciate your reconsideration and wish for a positive answer in return.

-Choco

Religious Bigot Analogy - The Steel Lockbox

So I was on my bed reading a book called “The Story of B”. Excellent book so far, very interesting. But I had a conversation with my father earlier today about a series of CDs he sent to me. The name of these CDs are “The Absurdity of Atheism”. They are recorded seminars of Ken Hensley talking to a group of people once per week for three weeks, one hour at a time. I plan to write out a complete debunking of this crap series once I have the stomach to finish them, as they simply PISS ME OFF every time I listen to him.

My father is a very good man. He has done many things for me and continues to help me to this day. However, this doesn’t change the fact that he’s a religious bigot. Using the word bigot sounds like an insult, but it’s the simple truth of the matter. When presented with the facts and possibilities of real life truth, he falls back on faith. He claims that we’ll just have to agree to disagree. This STOPS the discussion, regardless of the ground either side has gained. This is something that will annoy people who enjoy debate to no end. It annoys the hell out of me, you can bet on that.

So I got to thinking about how this religious bigotry worked in people’s minds. How could they continually accept supporting ideas, evidence, and most things faith-based, but will not accept anything that doesn’t already fit into their worldview. So let is imagine a large steel lockbox. You can hold almost anything inside of it. It’s locked very tight, as the religious person (referred to as a man from here on) cannot let just anything in. How would you let things in without letting things escape at the same time? Well, that’s what the long, thin slit in the top is for. This slit allows the man to drop whatever will fit into his worldview inside. Anything that doesn’t fit in his worldview will not come into his lockbox of belief. Things that don’t fit literally don’t fit. They’re too wide! They’re too long! They just won’t work with this man’s views. So, try as you might, they won’t go inside. You can try really hard to put something in, or throw it hard enough at the box to maybe damage the box a bit, but you will never put it inside something that doesn’t fit. Maybe you could drop a bunch of heavy ideas on the box and crush it, but that mess is sure hard to clean up if you do.

So what is this lockbox for? It’s a safe haven for ideas until death. If you store enough good ideas in the box, you get a better reward when you go to heaven. But what about the things put into the box that look like they fit, but later expand into something nonsensical? How’d something like that get in the man’s box?! Well, opening the box and allowing anything inside to escape would be a bad idea. Best to just ignore the bad idea in the box. Taking it out of the box would mean losing some faith, so the man must keep the bad idea in the box. Bad ideas can be teachings, information, scientific evidence in favor of your worldview that later turn out to be false. You don’t believe these things, but the faith in them was still there.

This is why it is so hard for me, an agnostic atheist, to really get through to religious people. It’s like playing a fighting game against someone turtling, then you start to throw him repeatedly (since you can’t block throws) and the turtler turns off the game machine. Rather than LOSE to a totally valid way of playing / thinking, the bigot would rather walk away and forfeit. Better to cause yourself to lose early and ignore the issue than have someone win and challenge your worldview (which in this case would be THROWING IS CHEAP I DON’T WANT TO PLAY WITH YOU ANYMORE).

Try to identify these bigots in your life. See if you can see why they’re opinions are so locked up and secure. You might be able to open their box if you learn enough about them. It’ll be tough, though. The older the bigot gets, the rustier the lock becomes, and the harder it is to open it. The key may never work again…

YO YO YO

SO DIS IS HOW MY COURT CASE TURNED OUT. IT STARTED AT 1:45 PM TODAY.

(1:34 PM) I’m in the courtroom. I’m waiting on the front pew. This is like church. Except god comes out through a door on the far wall. No sign of Mariana’s guardians yet. I’m really nervous as I hate being in court. No matter how strong or how hopeless your case is, you never know what is going to happen. I’ve never pissed my pants before from my knowledge (beyond toddler age), but being in court is a kind of situation that makes my bladder feel as weak and insecure as my head and heart.

(1:40 PM) Two black women with breasts the size of the Titanic iceberg (each) are having a calm fit over each other. The judge’s judgement is swift and fair. She calls the women immature, asks if they can shake hands and go separate ways so the court doesn’t have to get involved in their obviously petty dispute. The two women stop pointing fingers, agree, shake hands, and go. I like this judge. She’s practical, doesn’t want to take sides unless it’s necessary. I bet most of the situations she handles turn out like this.

(1:45 PM) Mariana’s guardians are still missing. I start to gain hope. I’m not out of this yet, but if they’re late, then that gives me a slight edge on how serious each party is taking the matter. The two women are still up there talking to the judge at this point.

(1:51 PM) Two black women are dismissed and the courtroom goes quiet. I am the only one in the courtroom aside from the judge. The judge asks my name. I give it courteously (pun intended).

(1:55 PM) The door opens behind me. My guts seize up in a bit of fear. After a few seconds, I sneak a glance. Two fat girls come in to the courtroom. A fanfare plays in my head and hope is still rising.

(2:00 PM) The judge notices the time, and tells me that she usually gives the other party 15 minutes to arrive. Happiness. The judge then says we’ll start at 2:15 PM. Rage. I politely point out that the time on the injunction is set for 1:45 PM, not 2:00 PM, so their time is up. She thanks me for pointing this out and we talk for a couple of minute, not even really about the facts at all. She just wanted to know if I knew where the plaintiff was. Hey, lady, I’m not supposed to have contact with them!

(2:05 PM) The judge walks out of the main room for less than a minute, and returns with a document for me. The injunction against harassment has been dismissed entirely. I am now free to talk to Mari’s stepdad… and more importantly, I can talk, see, hug, kiss, and freely love my girlfriend again.

tl;dr - THE INJUNCTION WAS DISMISSED, I’M FREE AGAIN

Key points against the Injunction Against Harassment

Here are a list of KEY POINTS arguing against the statements made by Mari’s mother and stepfather to have this Injunction Against Harassment issued.

“He has gone to her school looking for her.”

1. I have never been to Mariana’s high school except with permission from her mother to pick Mariana up.
2. This permission was not first hand. I would always confirm with Mariana the day before if she had asked her mother about meeting up the next day. If she hadn’t asked yet, I told her I couldn’t pick her up unless her mother allowed it.
3. Of all the times I picked her up from her school, her mother never called Mariana’s or my cellphones to say we weren’t supposed to be together. She never objected and was always informed.
4. Mariana’s mother works in eastern Scottsdale close to the eastern loop 101. Either her mother or her sister drops her off at school every day. Her mother sometimes leaves the house before school to go to her workplace, which forces Mariana’s sister to drive Mariana to school. Mariana’s mother generally works in Scottsdale until after 3 PM on most days. School is let out at 2:20 PM. This means she could never have been present at school except a few minutes before school even started or after Mariana returns home. She could not have witnessed my presence at school if I was there.
5. Mariana’s stepfather lives in California. He could not have been present at school.
6. I deny that I ever went close to Mariana’s school without parental consent, and there is no way these two can prove otherwise. They have no proof to support their claim.

“She was influenced to run away by him last Saturday.”

1. I never encouraged her to run away over any other option.
2. I encouraged working things out with her family in different ways.
3. Prior to her leaving, I provided information about NATIONAL SAFE PLACE (http://www.nationalsafeplace.org/) and how to seek help from them. I also provided her with bus stop information so she could travel to a local QT convenience store that was in partnership with National Safe Place.
4. When she ran away, she called me and left a message saying she was running. I did not tell her to run away or convince her to do so.
5. Mariana’s sister called me multiple times after Mariana left her home. I picked up once. Any missed calls before that were due to me cooking in my home’s kitchen and not hearing my cellphone’s ringtone. On the phone call I picked up, she repeatedly demanded that I tell her where her sister was. I told her I didn’t know repeatedly. She did not believe me. I suppose I chuckled at her because she was acting so irrationally (and rudely). She then screams “FUCK YOU.” around half a dozen times before hanging up.
6. Mariana’s mother called soon after. I could barely understand her at all. She blamed me for everything, wailed at me, asking how could I do this, and much more that I could not understand. She would not calm down and listen to anything I had to say. She interrupted me every time.

We have told him to stop calling the house and not to come by.”

1. At the time the injunction was issued, I had not been told to stop calling the house and was not told not to come by.
2. Aside from the two calls I received from Mariana’s sister and mother during the running away incident, I was not spoken to by them about any problems before this injunction was issued. There was always a concern about my age
3. After the injunction was issued, Mariana’s stepfather calls me to tell me he helped his wife get an Injunction Against Harassment against me.
4. He tells me that this is because Mariana’s mother is scared and wants security. He also claims that he has linked me to Mariana’s poor grades, that before we met her grades were good, and after we met her grades went downhill. He believes that getting a court order to bar me from seeing her will help her grades.
5. He tells me I’m an okay guy and he has nothing against me, but that he has no other choice. He says basically that if I contact Mariana in any way, he will have the order served on me.
6. Approximately three months later, the injunction is served on me for reasons I do not know as I had not met with Mari in person since the injunction was issued.

LIVEBLOG - CREATIONIST DVD

TODAY, I WILL BE VIEWING THIS DVD. IT WAS SENT TO ME BY MY FATHER VIA UPS AND HE’S TRYING TO CONVINCE ME THAT CREATIONISM / INTELLIGENT DESIGN IS MORE VIABLE THAN EVOLUTION.

UPDATE - I’ve been listening to the title screen music for a while now. Busy chatting with someone on AIM. I’ll get around to this soon. Oh, lord. I must cave and go get alcohol. Not only did I have trouble sleeping without it last night, but my god I’m going to need it with this movie. More to come.

UPDATE - Done chatting, now time to go shopping. This is going to feel like a long movie. FEAR AND DREAD OVERCOME ME.

UPDATE - I have booze. I have munchies. I have a film to watch. Here we go.

(DVD time: 00:30) In the first minute, there is some poorly recorded footage. Big strip of video garbage at the bottom of the screen. Great production quality, guys. Oh god. What film school did these people go to? I haven’t gone to one and I know that these effects are piss poor.

(DVD time: 03:20) They’re laying out the question now. Where did life come from? Why would we think about anything else?　They’re mentioning that people started to challenge the accepted view of evolution with a new idea… but intelligent design has been an idea for thousands of years. A very wrong idea. Are these guys really thinking that hard, or is the DVD trying to make this idea seems more revolutionary than it is?

(DVD time: 08:47) Eight minutes in (I’ve been pausing a lot due to distractions), and they’re still explaining Charles Darwin’s theories. Let’s see where this goes. I haven’t had any booze yet.

(DVD time: 10:50) “A GROWING NUMBER OF SCIENTISTS AND SCHOLARS … NOW CHALLENGE KEY ASPECTS OF DARWINIAN THEORY” - really? I just see Christians with budgets releasing the same drivel on VHS and DVD like they always have. Oh, now they’re saying that as science gets more advanced, design is more apparent than gradual evolution wooooow science couldn’t disagree with you more. The guy speaking is Michael J. Behe, an advocate for this topic.

(DVD time: 15:55) They’re attacking DARWIN on current day information. Why is that necessary? Darwinian Evolution is an old theory and it has matured a lot since then. OH, HERE IT IS. BACTERIAL FLAGELLUM TIME (extra information). This music has such a SENSE OF DISCOVERY AND TRIUMPH.

(DVD time: 20:12) They state that no Darwinian research has been able to disprove this as of yet. This is true, as the DVD came out in 2003 and was probably made throughout 2002. The rebuttal paper “The Flagellum Unspun” was published in book form in 2004. The problem with this film is because this topic has not yet been refuted at the time of publication, they will hammer home that evolution cannot be true based on this one piece of information (which turns out to be false). I may not update for a while because there is no need to continue to refute this.

(DVD time: 22:29) Wait, the narrator just said “the irreducible complexity of melcular machines…”. There has been one example and nothing else. This is manipulative and incorrect, as no other machines have been presented. Plus, evidence seems to say that the current topics in the argument for irreducible complexity are mostly debunked and don’t actually support intelligent design except by providing perhaps some doubt. Certainly nothing conclusive.

(DVD time: 26:20) These guys are treating the THEORY of evolution (in its basic form according to Darwin) to be a LAW. They’re trying to disprove a LAW, in other words. They treat evolution as if everything about it is set in stone, and when there are variations that deviate ever so slightly from the original Darwin text, EVOLUTION IS WRONG. A very poor argument. A theory is open to changes and scrutiny, that’s fine. Challenging one argument under a theory does not undermine the theory itself as it would a law.

(DVD time: 28:10) OH, OH, I’M BARELY HOLDING ON NOW. BARELY. MY RAGE AND SWEARING POTENTIAL ARE ABOUT TO BURST OUT. Let me address the problem calmly, though. First, on screen, a diagram of the parts needed to construct a bacterial flagellum motor are shown. Then they show a diagram of a house. A FREAKING HOUSE. I know they like to talk about complexity and compare complex things to complex things, but an biological motor on the microscopic level and a human construction of a house being compared on any scale is EXTREMELY POOR FACT MAKING. Allow me to use a very simple example to explain the exponential difference between a house and a much smaller object. Drop a bug off a cliff and it will survive when it hits the ground. Drop a house off a cliff and it will smash to pieces. When SCALE comes into view, DO NOT LOSE FOCUS OF THE DIFFERENCES ON EACH ITEM. It’s very easy to think of a bacterial flagellum being created from nothing if you compare the size and weight and structure of a house. You could compare each as being equally complex, but the scale of each makes spontaneous construction for the bacterial flagellum much more likely than the spontaneous contruction of a house.

(DVD time: 32:15) WHY SO GREEN-SCREEN, BUDDY? Why aren’t you talking with a real background behind you? I should mention we’re about halfway through and there’s only one debunked example that has been presented.

(DVD time: 37:00) Still harping on proteins and the BACTERIAL FLAGELLUM OMG. Nothing interesting so far. Nothing scientific.

(DVD time: 44:44) Question about probability of random chance creating two lines of Shakespeare with dropping scrabble pieces again and again. This idea has already been addressed by the learning and adaptive qualities of evolution and how it’s a learning experience, not simply random chance.

(DVD time: 46:00) Natural selection couldn’t have existed before the first living cell, as these cells must be able to self-replicate and pass on genetic information to future generations. Can’t have natural selection without DNA. Where’d DNA come from? That’s the question. There is a guy who gave up on evolution because of this. It doesn’t make sense that he gave up because of this. Sounds to me like the fancied the idea of intelligent design and jumped on the bandwagon

(DVD time: 49:15) LITTLE THINGS ARE AMAZING AND DO AMAZING THINGS TO MAKE THINGS WORK. Must be intelligent. Really now. These people say that it is possible that the world was intelligently designed. I agree this is a possibility. The evidence that exists doesn’t point to this possibility.

(DVD time: 52:15) At this point in the film, they are showing us garden plant sculptures (think of an elephant cut out of a bush), hieroglyphics, and the heads on Easter Island as proof that intelligence is needed for a certain level of complexity. These are all examples of SHAPES, not actual living things or the proteins they got unnecessarily deep into.

(DVD time: 67:00, Conclusion) Film is over. There was some information provided from the last checkpoint I made and now that I need to review. It was restated in more detail that because some people have some doubts as to individual points in evolution (such as a point where one thing can’t be explained, or what created DNA / information that caused the creation of cells in the first place), that they could no longer “believe” in Darwinian Evolution. This is a lie. These people still hold facts from Darwinian Evolution true. In fact, all modern information for Darwinian Evolution is fine and dandy and scientists agree on it. The problem that these intelligent design advocates are harping on is that since we don’t know X, the only plausible explanation can be Y. This is an argument of ignorance. Logically, because we don’t know something, we shouldn’t be trying to fill in the space with something that still doesn’t explain the problem.

For instance, we have a biological motor used for bacterial propulsion. Even if this example did prove to be irreducibly complex, all that would leave is a very small gap in the overall theory. What made that object irreducibly complex? Well, it’s POSSIBLE that it was done by an intelligent designer that we have never met and can find no other evidence for. It is also possible that there was a large drunken Irish sailor with a microscope and pinpoint precision with a microscopic pair of tweezers that constructed it, or it used to be a piece of moldy cheese, or whatever. If you think hard enough, there are an infinite number of different possibilities with different probabilities that could explain this. Having a small-scale explanation, however, is much more understandable and probably than a fantastical explanation. Because an intelligent designer would have to have power, we have to ask, “well, where did this power come from?”. This simply leads into religion that no one can prove beyond “faith”. Also note the improbability of intelligence before there was intelligence. It may me probable that intelligence constructed a complex structure, but it is very improbably that this intelligence exists before intelligence, and even less probable that that intelligence even remotely resembles any of the current established forms of godliness that we envision on this planet.

Because of all of this, I conclude that this DVD proves nothing, does not raise any interesting questions that have not already been in the public forum already, and honestly this DVD makes people stupider by not allowing them to think in multiple directions to realize what I have stated up in the paragraph above. It puts a limiter, a cage, a wall around what you’re supposed to think about. Let’s use the tortoise racing the hare argument. The hare runs at a fast speed and halves the amount it has until the goal again and again. 50%, 25%, 12.5%, 6.75%, and by continuing to divide in half, the hare will never make it because it is looking at making it to the finish line. Its viewpoint is limited. It’s not looking PAST the line, which will allow it to win the race and go beyond its limited viewpoint. If the hare kept its thinking of dividing the distance by half, it would never make it over the goal. If the turtle continued at a definite continuous speed that knew no limits, it would beat the hare.

In closing, open up your minds, and don’t let this DVD clutter your mind with close-minded thinking.

Unfair Treatment

Currently, the Age of Consent (the legal age someone can consent to sexual relations) is moderated by republican standards. That is, each state decides what the age of consent truly should be. In Arizona, the Age of Consent is 18. That means that someone, boy or girl, needs to be 18 to be able to legally have sex with someone 18 or older. It’s similar to, say, the legal age to purchase alcoholic beverages in the Unites States. It’s a privilege-based system that says that oh, if you’re a day away from your 21st birthday, it’s bad and illegal to purchase and/or imbibe certain substances. Once that single day has passed, you are suddenly deemed responsible enough to start drinking as a responsible adult in our society.

While in the minds of conformed Americans these age restrictions seem TOTALLY logical (due to the imagining of a boy putting his penis in your little girl’s vagina OH THE HORROR, or old people knowing how “wild” the younger generations are compared to how they were), its basis is based on shock value, not on scientific facts or individual cases. The age of consent is another form of control on this nation’s women, telling them that they must be a certain age before they can use their perfectly healthy parts to enjoy life. I’m sure that the government would also somehow justify a ban on masturbation and two underage partners having sex. While I certainly don’t approve of all underage women and overage guy relationships (as many that I have heard about are only interested in the sexual aspect), there is very little respect for an older guy, younger girl relationship even without sex.

Let me make a brutally honest confession. My girlfriend, who I treat with the utmost respect, is 16. I met her and started going out with her when she was 15. I am 24, and I started going out with her when I was 23. When this happened, I was merely looking for a suitable partner. Someone whose views and interests coincided with mine. That sounds simple enough, but when you get to the nitty gritty of it, it’s hard to find someone who even enjoys the same things as you who really has a mindset and worldview that complements your own. I FOUND THAT. SHE WAS 15 YEARS OLD. I was fucking amazed. I have the opinion that young girls are stupid. They CARE about gossip, they case about fashion in the wrong way (you don’t have to spend a lot of money to look okay), they don’t care about where the world is headed. I managed to find a girl with an open mind. One who is artistically competent. One is is curious and playful with the same sort of humor as I have. An amazing find.

Then I find out that she has self-esteem problems. That’s not really a problem to me because I love boosting her self-esteem with my honest opinions. However, the problem comes in the form of her family. A sister who did unspeakable things to her as a child. A mother who doesn’t appreciate her daughter’s skills and feels betrayed whenever she doesn’t follow her commands 24/7. This doesn’t allow the daughter to grow up. She is a slave to the mother and her whims. A stepfather who doesn’t even live in the same state because he’s, honestly, a whiny little child. I had the pleasure of meeting the man three times. First time, we looked at each other and didn’t say a word. Second time, I talked to him a lot and fixed his laptop. Third time, he called me to say he got a restraining order (in this case, an “Injunction Agianst Harassment”) to keep me away from his step-daughter.

This was betrayal on the highest. I had helped the mother take care of her daughter, fixed the mother’s computers at work AFTER SHE CALLED ME HERSELF ASKING FOR ASSISTANCE, and I even cooked for the entire family as a guesture of good faith. As we ate the delicious curry I made, the mother complained to the daughter in Spanish so I couldn’t understand (because DIPPING BREAD IN SOUP IS RUUUUUDE) through the entire meal. The daughter’s sister refused to eat the curry simply because it was made by me. I felt betrayed by this, and refused to stay in the house for longer than I had to at that point. I spend my fucking money, my fucking time, my fucking good will, and they treat me like I’m a worthless male. That is hardly something I can just ignore. Thinking about it right now puts me on the brink of tears. I’m sure most people reading this have had at least a single time where you think you’ve done your best and whatever you’ve done will impress whoever is involved, only for them to come and check it out and tell you how disappointed they are in what you’ve done. It’s happened to me a lot of times in my life. It’s a horrible feeling. Even worse when you’re getting paid for your jobs and it suddenly blows up in your face for no forseeable reason.

So I am with Mari, the daughter, for about 6 1/2 months. We are allowed to see each other, I’m allowed to pick her up from school so we can go play DDR, shop at thrift stores, and enjoy ourselves wherever we go. This was ALL with her mother’s consent. I would not have done anything with Mari if her mother had objected to anything. After 6 1/2 months, for an admittedly stupid reason from Mari, she runs away. He family was too abusive, so she sought help from a group devoted to assisting runaways. Her sister caught up to her and found her before she could be saved. The police treated her badly, her sister said she was a fuckup, and her mother blamed me for everything. I am the scapegoat for all their family problems concerning Mari. She told me in the past that she wishes that they would blame her for some of the things that have happened, not just me. Though I don’t wish any trouble on her, it would make my life easier if she did take some of the heat.

So because Mari ran away, her stepfather manipulated to court to have an injunction against harassment issued against me. Issued doesn’t mean it’s legally binding, however. To be legally binding, the order must be served on me. This means that a police officer must give the order to me personally and have me sign a form that the order was served. So the injunction was issued, but not served as this costs money to do. Fast-forward four months later. Without warning, without being able to see Mari, I have the injunction served on me. On the phone with the stepdad when the injunction was issued, he warned me he wouldn’t have the order served unless there was a reason to do so. While I provided no reason to do so, it was still served on me. In all honesty, Mari and I had online contact during this period of separation. Why would any guy who truly loves a girl give up on her and look elsewhere? I’m not that sort of person. I know what I want, and it’s Mari. She still amazes me to this day. Regardless of that, Mari finds out her mother is cheating on her stepfather with people online through her hotmail account. I have the email logs of this happening. Mari’s mother goes batshit insane, beats her, and talks down to her for a week. During that time, Mari’s stepdad has the injunction served on me so I am LEGALLY unable to contact him or Mari.

After I had all the facts together, I traveled to the Glendale city court and filed for a hearing on the matter. This hearing is happening on June 8th. This will be the example of justice in action. Unfortunately, David / Mailorder has refused to help me so he can attend his classes. It’s understandable since his class only allows that he misses two classes. I still feel betrayed because he’d rather use one of his days off in that class to go to AX instead of help a bro. I won’t lie, this makes me feel very small and worthless. Not even one of my best friends is willing to do what he can to help me. I know he could help, but he has decided not to. It hurts…

I have a document containing all the facts necessary to quash this silly legal stepping stone, even without the help of character witnesses. Who knows how useful this document will prove in an actual court of law, but know you this: I am serious about getting this quashed. I want to be able to talk to the stepdad, the mother, and the daughter (Mari) without reserve to resolve this matter. I love Mari. She makes me feel whole, even if she isn’t over 18. It’ll be funny when we’re able to stand in front of her guardians and laugh in their fucking faces when we’re still together. Might you think that this relationship is still easily broken? I don’t think so. This is a relationship that will easily last longer than most of the relationships out there. Why? Mentally, physically, sexually, we’re completely synced. Regardless of the age of consent, we’re still synced, and we will do all the dirty dances out there once we’re legally able to.

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I’ve had a LiveJournal for, gosh, eight years or so? Maybe a little less.

My entire reason for being on LJ was to coordinate with other people. I posted so I could receive comments, thus giving me an empty feeling of self-worth that blogging was actually worthwhile and people actually cared about what I had to say. This will be different. This will be a place where I will share my opinion in the fullest and doesn’t afraid of offending old peers. This is for ME. I will post music I make, drawings I make, rants I make because  I want to, not because there’s any pressure to do so.

Feels good already.