I did a radio show a few days ago called “JLP radio”, which is syndicated across the country. I expected it to be Christian, but I didn’t expect what I got.
The host was all about atheist stereotypes, asking me if I faced a tragedy when I became an atheist, or if I came from a broken home, or if I had ever read the bible. I was astounded by some of his ignorance. For instance, when I asked the simple question of “why does God let bad things happen to good people”, his response was “what good people?” I mentioned the Tsunami, the El Salvador mudslides, Hurricane Katrina, etc.
While the usual response to these questions is something like “god moves in mysterious ways”, from JLP I got “how do you know those people were good?” I was briefly speechless. I couldn’t believe that a man with a significant radio audience would question the “goodness” of every man, woman, and baby killed by natural disasters. He blamed the gays, the women, and of course, the atheists, for bringing god’s wrath upon them. And he was serious. Just as I started to get going, he cut me off and hung up on me.
I’ll do the show again if I am asked, but I will not be polite. Serious bigotry needs serious push-back, and this guy’s listeners need a dose of reality.
The fundamentalist mindset is unreachable with appeals to reason or logic and arguing with the brainwashed is a frustrating exercise in futility. I hardly bother anymore. Religious moderates, however, can sometimes be reached with our message.
The question still remains, can freethinkers reach you?
Give it up, Neo. Godless has his faults, but reality-free thinking isn’t one of them!
Just as Rush Limbaugh’s show is merely business and ratings, so is all of radio. The host has to hang up and will, rather than be humiliated. Humiliation does not raise the ratings or credibility of the host nor make him/her look good. People who listen to such shows do so because the host’s positions appeal to them and are unlikely to be persuaded by reason no matter how devastating to the host. Illogic is unlikely to listen to logic, that’s why it’s illogic. I am not likely to ever be approached for such shows, but if I were, knowing it would be like putting your head in a meat grinder, I would decline.
Excellent point, dw, those who listen to Rush Limbaugh are like fundies who attend every mass or prayer meeting. They just need that regular fix to keep their brainwash doing it’s job. To insulate them from the reality of their death, the fraud of religion, and the stupidity of the “Ozzie and Harriet” dream. Some may think that drug addiction is worse, but, I can testify that there are few things more difficult to do in life than rising above brainwash and then finding balance.
Watching all your children murdered in front of your eyes in Darfur probably trumps my self pity. Wake up call.
NeoWolfe
As a gay man it pleases me greatly to know that I have the power to cause natural disasters worldwide. I hope you were all impressed with the tornadoes in the Midwest.
Obviously the Christians can’t stop me, because they have no means of doing so except prayer, and we all know that Nothing Fails Like Prayer™.
If there is anything as dumb as a Fundietard I have not come across it yet.
Dave, there is no reason to be polite to aggressively stupid hate mongers. There is only one use for these carbon based units, and that is heaping ridicule on them.
This is probably not news, but if you want to see the unvarnished face of the enemy, check out this facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=72433509132&topic=8299&post=31350#/group.php?gid=72433509132
The brainwashed are on full display.
Maybe we should go raid that shithole like Phreedumb and JaCCoff do here. Before they block us we could bath in peace of the holy spirit
.
NeoWolfe
Brilliant, Steve, brilliant!
One of the greatest laughs I’ve had in a while.
Horus praise you and your kin.
So which city is this guy in? I’d be happy to send a tornado his way.
wow… just wow.
i say nothing surprises me anymore
but stupidity always seems to do the trick.
& the gay’s are to blame again? lol@Steve & OA
on top of the tornado let’s go ahead allow lightening to strike his studio. then we can tell him it was simply “god’s will to destroy him” and in turn he can blame the lesbians. lol
This reminds me of a limerick by some unknown wag that goes:
Our God, some contend, is immutable
And their faith is, indeed, irrefutable.
When he does what he should
It’s because he is good.
When he doesn’t his ways are inscrutable.
Dfled
Did you write that? That’s great!
I wish. It’s apocryphal.
I don’t really understand what the big deal is here, Dave. You speak of them as if they are 2-dimensional comic book villains, they do the same to you.
Everyone is trying to do outdo everyone else in the hyperbole of invective on both sides of every position. And no one convinces anyone but themselves. And no one gets anywhere. What a surprise.
thx1138,
I’m not so sure I agree that no one gets anywhere. The number of people in the US who are afflicted with preposterous ancient religious delusions continues to decline, while at the same time the number of Americans making a reality-based lifestyle choice is increasing. More and more people are choosing reality over malicious fiction.
Progress is being made, largely, I believe, because of the increased understanding of science and technology in the population. Science is the natural enemy of religion. Once people understand how things work they no longer require ancient superstitious explanations based on the intense ignorance fostered by religious dogma.
My point has NOTHING to do with who’s right and who’s wrong, Steve. My point is they are not 2-dimensional comic book villains and neither are we. No one on either side is EVER going to bring people in the other camp around by characterizing them as such. Oh sure, it FEELS better to be an intolerant, belittling, petty-minded little shit, it just doesn’t work. Most of the convincing is done, s-l-o-w-l-y, by the calm, the rational, the reasonable. Like I said, it just doesn’t feel as good and THAT is why it’s not done. Don’t look for higher, noble motives from either camp, Steve. They just ain’t there.
thx1138
I disagree that minds will not be changed. The question is which minds will be changed? I don’t think that anybody here anticipates that a significant number of the religiously deluded – of the type that Dave writes – will change their minds based upon what you call the “invective” displayed on this blog. But the minds of the fence-sitter and go-alongers can be changed by such invective. When said individuals realize that there is now a price for going along – one of justifiable ridicule by their peers – then the cost of subscribing to such lunacy increases and may become unaffordable to them.
so true what….I can only add that it seems to get easier to ridicule these days as the information age unfolds…..
and way to go Dave…..please keep up the blasphemy….
Steve Rider says:
May 14, 2009 at 11:37 am
Just those who buy into the belief that “they have the power to cause natural disasters worldwide”…such fools…such an arrogant belief to think that man can be responsible for global warming…
Fundietards come in all different flavors…
phreedm
obama has a plan to halt global warming by destroying the economy.I know some here don’t want to hear it but guys we can’t keep printing and borrowing money at this pace.It is bad now but a yr from now it will be hell.
Raeson
You’re correct. It will be worse in a year. All the dominoes were lined up more than five years ago and they will continue to fall for at least two more years. But you seem to be suggesting that we can not spend our way out this mess. And you are wrong. When the Paradox of Thrift kicks in and when the feds have lowered interest rates to near zero there is only one way to prevent total economic meltdown and that way is government spending – and lots of it. Sorry it wont be pretty but at least it wont be the end of the USA.
Can we please starve the trolls again? we enjoyed several troll free weeks recently which is only possible when you ignore them.
godless
how things going in carolina,your brother still up in northern virginia or has he had his fill of traffic madness.
Steve Rider when your not making tornadoes could you keep a lid on gas prices.thanks
Steve Rider said:
“As a gay man it pleases me greatly to know that I have the power to cause natural disasters worldwide. I hope you were all impressed with the tornadoes in the Midwest.”
Response: What’s even more impressive is how you brought about the tsunami in Indonesia, where homosexuality is not tolerated. And the hurricane in Myanmar where homosexuality is not tolerated. You’re getting pretty wreckless with your superpowers. Rather than the tornado belt, maybe you should focus your mighty power on the Catholic church. That’s where where the buggers are. With a side of Ted Haggard.
To be clear, I got your point. By sinning you can doom the world, just like the flood. Well, brother, let’s jointly flip the bird at the sky.
NeoWolfe
Those tsunamis are done to clear the shorelines of evil crustaceans. As you may be aware, God Hates Crustaceans.
I occasionally flip the bird while passing churches during my daily and routine commute….and when Im feeling extra spunky I also add a holler out the window, “F U Religion!!!”….
stupid religion….and shame on you for teaching children how to be afraid of ghost….
I always flip off the young mormon missionaries who ride around the neighbourhood on their bikes in their white shirts and black ties. I did this yesterday with a friend in the car who didnt know who or why I was flipping off until I explained it to her and then she wanted to turn around and do it herself.
unsurprised, godless flips off the brainwashed instead of the brainwasher. Those people on those bicycles are nice guys, they are the victims, not the perpetrators.
NeoWolfe
Neowolfe
They are willing perpetrators-in-training. Resume flipping.
There appears to be no way to get my coment in the correct temporal order relative to Neowolfe’s. What gives? Sometimes there is no Reply link below comments!
Whutthole said:
“They are willing perpetrators-in-training.”
Response: I assume that it is your ignorance of the mechanics of brainwash that would allow you to spew that self indictment. Most of those kids don’t really believe down deep in their minds the bullshit they’re spreading. Religion has a lock on them. It owns their family, it owns their friends, and they are selling them immortality. Those kids are trying to fit in, even though the religious bullshit makes no sense to them, it is everything they have, by design. And by design as well, everything they have will be taken away from them should they turn their back on the church.
So by all means, flip them the bird, and while you’re at it, why don’t you rape a coma patient? Same principle.
NeoWolfe
Neowolfe
Whether they “really believe down deep” or not they will, with high frequency, support and assure the same behavior in their next generation. Who is more despicable, someone that propagates religious shackling out of “down deep” belief or one that passes the shackles on due to cowardice?
Flip a double fisted bird for me!
I have no doubt that you think this is true. Mark that Exhibit Z.
Whutthole said:
“Whether they “really believe down deep” or not they will, with high frequency, support and assure the same behavior in their next generation. Who is more despicable, someone that propagates religious shackling out of “down deep” belief or one that passes the shackles on due to cowardice?”
Response: And what benefit would you attribute to flipping them the bird. If they actually saw it, they would realize that a bigot mushroom really doesn’t like them.
What if on the other hand, you sat down on a curb somewhere and talked logic to them. I do. I don’t track them down when I spot them, but when they show up at my door, I sit on the front porch and gently rip their god’s guts out. I don’t call them degrading names, or try to humiliate them, or in any way intentionally put them on the defensive. I just, point by point, rip their god a new asshole. It can be done without disrespecting the person.
But, you don’t get that do you, Whutthole? I believe you, you’re an atheist, but you have’nt a clue what freethought is. I would rather flip you the bird than a victim of brainwash.
NeoWolfe
Byron’s friend Thomas Moore wrote to a friend in 1818 warning
him not to speak of religion or morality, ‘the mania on these
subjects being so universal and congenital that he who thinks
of curing it is as mad as his patients.
Blockquote faux-pas.
Sorry, cry4turtles.
I don’t believe Eve did that at all. It’s a lie. Men were the ones who wrote the story down and in the interests of maintaining their patriarchy, they just made up that part so women would get all the blame and be easier to control.
Oh, um, wait a minute. They made up pretty much the whole book. Talk about your willing suspension of disbelief.
I just look on in amazement when I see fiction fans acting as if their favourite invented character is real. Trekkies, Hogwartians, Jediists, Twilighters; they sometimes take themselves far too seriously. At least they are much less harmful than so many of the followers of religious fiction.
It is a waste of time with talk radio there agenda is to reach out to a certain audience and it is usually not the rational.