Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Religions

If religions were fundamentally silly, why is it that so many millions of people have a religion to believe in?

Here, however, is a deeper question: If religion was necessary to all men, why is it not equally intelligible to all men? Indeed, why must we all love God up there but only by hating one another down here? Nay, here’s more: if religion were the most serious of matter in human existence, why is the subject of religion the least we judiciously examine or, for that matter, critically discover for ourselves? Poch Suzara

Atheist/Scientist Carl Sagan

Listen to these words of this famous atheist/scientist – the late Carl Sagan. In his best-seller book COSMOS, he wrote: “Was there a tiny universe, devoid of all matter, and then the matter suddenly created from nothing? How does that happen? In many cultures it is customary to answer that God created the universe out of nothing. But this is mere temporizing. If we wish to courageously pursue the question, we must, of course ask next where did God come from? And if we decide this to be unanswerable, why not save a step and decide that the origin of the universe is an unanswerable question? Or, if we say that God has always existed, why not save a step and conclude that the universe has always existed?” Poch Suzara

Nature

Nature is but a name of an effect whose cause is God. Phil Star Feb. 6/2009.
Who knows if that cause – God – is still alive? Specially since God is always invisible within the realm of the unknowable, and never ever visible within the arena of the knowable.

The most basic law of physics states that matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed; they can only be transformed into different states. In the meantime, existence exists and nothing can exist outside existence. Now where is God located? Inside or outside existence? More to the point – how could God exist outside the universe since there is nothing existing outside the universe? In fact, everything that exist can only exist inside the universe! Now where in the universe is God? Poch Suzara

I Hate Religion

I hate religion as I no love for anything that's based on fear. Fear never promotes mental growth. Fear is never a reflection of intellectual maturity. I hate religion because it enhances deadly believing, not lively thinking. Nothing evolved in religion. The religious lies and deception during the first century are still same lies and deception in this 21st century. If religion had been more about the courage to live, and not about the fear of death; indeed, if religion were about the search of the truth, and not that this or that is the truth – I would have learned to love passionately, not hate religion justifiably. Religion has been more about being a part of the security system organized by the church. It is a great business for gaining wealth, power, and glory. Sadly, however, there is no such thing as a security system anywhere in this world. Not as long as there is birth, growth, death, and decay. In the ultimate analysis, however, if religion had never taught that to be human means to be evil, fallen, and in need of rescue - religion need not have proceeded to be one of the greatest of evils that keep the human race still pretty much bogged down in disgrace. Poch Suzara

Filipino Education

We are still into the fear of believing rather than into the courage of thinking.
Take sex, for example. We still fear what the church has always preached that sex
is a sin, and naturally to keep it sinful, it’s been necessary to keep it fearful.
In the meantime, we believe that propagating the species is a matter of divine grace; but sexual activity is a matter of divine disgrace. In either case, however, we have yet to hear from would-be mothers and would-be fathers enjoying mutual orgasms declaring, at the same time, that nothing matters during sexual engagement except replenishing the Philippines with more babies even if unwanted or unloved. Poch Suzara

Religious Morons

They would not bother to ask where the places of burial are of the dead bible characters – Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Noah, Lot, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Job, Paul, the apostles of Christ, etc – men and women who were famous and in personal communication with God.

The religious morons of this world, however, would easily get excited over the so-called discovery of one or two rickety chariot parts rotting at the bottom of the Red Sea to prove that three thousand years ago, Pharaoh’s men – thousands of them – all drowned while chasing after Moses crossing the Red Sea with 3,000,000 of his Jewish people in search of the Promise Land that obviously never existed. Poch Suzara

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Science vs Pseudoscience

Science and pseudoscience are the opposite ways of viewing nature. Science relies on -- and insists on -- self-questioning, observation, testing, and analytical thinking that make it hard to fool yourself or to fool others. Indeed,, science is never definite. It is never conclusive. Science is always tentative, never final. Thus, in science, questions are far more important than the answers.After all, in time, the answers become obsolete.

Pseudoscience, on the other hand, preserves the ancient, natural, irrational, unobjective modes of thought that are hundreds of thousands of years older than science -- thought processes that have given rise to superstitions and other fanciful and mistaken ideas about man and nature – from woowoo to voodoo; from the flat earth to the house-shaped universe with God in the attic, Satan in the cellar, and man on the ground floor; from doing rain dances to torturing and brutalizing the mentally ill to drive out the demons that possess them.

Pseudoscience encourages people to believe anything they want. It supplies specious "arguments" for fooling themselves into thinking that any and all beliefs are equally valid. Science begins by saying, let's forget about what we believe to be so, and try by investigation to find out what actually is so. These roads don't cross; they lead in completely opposite directions. One, heading towards veracity; the other heading towards faith in mendacity. Poch Suzara

Limits of Science

Science cannot explain why as human beings we are persons, not merely objects... Science can tell us nothing why the mind exists and functions well as it does... Science cannot define or explain ethical principles nor can add to the inner quality of life... Science is unable to tell us why or when exactly the universe came into being... Science is unable to explain why there are scientific or natural laws, or why they are consistent and dependable... Science cannot explain why the universe is so amazingly fine-tuned to support intelligent life on our planet... Well, what about religion? What can it tell us? Is it true? Is there a God? And if God is the Creator of everything that exist – why would God create science to deal precisely with the questions that religion has never been able to answer? Questions like: Where is God? How come he is always nowhere? Always omni-absent. How come God is never omni-present anywhere? In fact, if God exists, why is God such a cold-blooded perfection? Why is God so lost in self-admiration? Why is God so fanatical about eternal salvation who never extended a decent hand during the birth, growth, and development of human civilization? Poch Suzara

Monday, March 16, 2009

World Peace

Prove to the world that the mammalian side of your brain (science) works better than the reptilian side (religion) – and hopefully the world will step aside to let you pass for you know exactly where you are going. Poch Suzara

Yes, death is biblically final.

Job 7:9
As the cloud is consumed and vanishes away, so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.

Job 14:10. 12
But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? ... So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

Job 20:7
Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung.

Psalm 6:5
For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?

Psalm 31:17
Let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.

Psalm 88:5
The dead ... whom thou rememberest no more.

Psalm 115:17
The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.

Ecclesiastes 3:19
For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast.

Ecclesiastes 9:5
The dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward.

Ecclesiastes 9:10
For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

Isaiah 26:14
They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased they shall not rise.

Isaiah 38:18
For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

Saturday, March 07, 2009

Dear Fr. Shay Cullen

The only way we can save our planet is via family planning and birth control practices. Indeed, we should aim for zero population growth - the same number
of births and the same number of deaths. Nobody is destroying the planet earth except people - billions of people with distorted minds and twisted hearts taught
to believe that, at any rate, no matter what, there is a better world to come after death anyway. One would think that if there is really a better world out there, the good God should have created people to live there to begin with.

Fr. Shay, surely, we can save our planet. But we can only do so by first saving precious human minds and precious hearts. Indeed, save it from being twisted with religious lies and save it from being distorted with political deception.
Best regards.
Poch Suzara

Dear Poch,
Thank you for your thoughtful and commonsense comments.
I will put them in our feedback section. Many will be inspired.
Fr. Shay Cullen

Friday, March 06, 2009

Impressions from a Reader

“My impressions of your character from the communications you sent to me (and I hope am wrong) are in summary, in these words, that you are: abrasive, abusive, antagonistic, argumentative, averse, bitter, bothersome, complaining, crafty, creepy, crummy, destructive, difficult, discontented, disturbing, divisive, envious, fickle, foxy, harsh, horrible, incompatible, irksome, irresponsible, lousy, maladjusted, manipulative, mean, meddlesome, nagging, nauseating, objectionable, obnoxious, offensive, pestilent, remorseless, sacrilegious, slanderous, sour, spiteful, tricky, unfaithful, ungrateful, unpleasant, useless, vindictive, vicious, wrongheaded...okay enough! AND NOW YOUR LIST OF EXPLETIVES are to be expected. Nevertheless, have a nice day!”

Obviously, I have been most successful in provoking not the thoughts, but the infantile beliefs of this reader with my thoughts.

Oh well, that’s how I started myself with my own impressions against the childish beliefs of my teachers during grade school and high school. They were teaching me not to think, but only to believe. I thought then that I must fight these utterly thoughtless morons. However, I have had no other recourse but to engineer my own expulsion and to make a name for myself as a “high school dropout.”

Well, this April 26 I will be 72 years old and I truly regret to admit that I have not yet began the serious fight still ahead of me.

Contrary to what many religious morons believe - atheism is not a neurotic rebellion or a mental disease. It is vigorous and a courageous philosophy that makes us face life with self-respect, and not run away from it like thoughtless cowards. Poch Suzara

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

The Pinay

Imagine the Pinay no longer going to church, no longer contributing time, no longer giving energy to the institutions that oppress them. The Philippines can once again be what it once was - famous throughout the whole of Asia as the “Pearl of Orient.”

The most heinous crime of the Church has been perpetrated not against churchmen but against the Pinay - the churchgoers. With its poisonous concepts of sin and divine punishment, it's warped and inhumane doctrines, it is impossible to calculate the psychic damage that has been inflicted on the Pinay character. Indeed, the Pinay who might have grown up into healthy, happy, productive, zestful women devoid of the burden of corruption, fear and guilt ingrained in them by the Church. This alone is enough to condemn Christianity that has inspired the Pinay to be the Mother of the Sick Man of Asia. Poch Suzara

Employment Overseas

If only our schools, colleges, and universities were educational, and not commercial enterprises. If only our system of education were not based upon destructive believing, but rather more about the art of learning constructive thinking - especially to gain self-respect as a people and dignity as a nation – the hundreds of thousands of our college educated men and women need not yearly seek employment in foreign countries. Many could be self-employed. Millions could be playing constructive parts of nation-building with the power of science and technology right here in our own country.

World War II Filipino Veterans

Filipino veterans during World War II in this Asia’s only Christian country fought and died for freedom and democracy. Fortunately, freedom for the few rich to get filthy richer; and, unfortunately, democracy for the many poor to get filthy poorer. Poch Suzara

Kindness

In a poor and sick society, kindness, such as sharing with others food, clothing, shelter, and medicine is something great and admirable. However, if ours were a sane and a healthy society managed by a sane and a healthy government, being kind to anyone need be commendable.

After all, in a sane and healthy society everyone should already be enjoying not kindness or charity, but enjoying the growth of self-respect and the maturity of human dignity. Poch Suzara

The Sick Man of Asia

They are among the sick believers of the faith. Ironically, they are also among the sick unbelievers of the faith. I suppose the former is due to silly divinity; and the latter is due to the complexity of social insanity. In either case, however, both the sick believers and sick unbelievers all seem to be mutually inspired by the crab mentality all pulling each other down in order to maintain our popularity in the world as the Sick Man of Asia. Poch Suzara

Schools, colleges, and Universities

We still think of education as the transmission of certain body of beliefs, when it should be the development of the power of thought.

Thus, stagnation as a nation has little to do with nature’s decree. It has more to do with college degree. Indeed, one should only look at the corrupt state of affairs of our nation under a corrupt government run by corrupt men and women all blessed with college education.

In the meantime, for as long as we are taught in our schools, colleges, and universities that there is a better world to come after we are dead – we Filipinos will never enjoy growth as a people. We will never enjoy maturity as a nation. We will always remain like little children that the bible has taught us to live by and to emulate. Especially from the Lord who said: “Verily, I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Poch Suzara

Old Saying

“What goes up must come down.” This, however, is not always true. Human stupidity never comes down. It always goes up. In fact, if there is anything that defies the law of gravity - it is due to another more powerful law – the law of human stupidity. Especially the kind that’s always about fear of deviltry for the sake of love of divinity. Poch Suzara

Decent Hell

A decent hell where I could again be with my family and friends would be a much better place for me than be in a heartless paradise where I never hear from any of my loved-ones. Somehow, a simple message of how they are all doing, how well they are all situated up there would be most welcomed, if not to me - gratifying.

After my own death, I have no wish to be situated in a heartless paradise. A place where I could not be in touch with the loved-ones left behind on earth. Poch Suzara

The Creator

Yes, only God can make a tree, lively and lovely as it is. Only man, however, can make a silly religion, deadly and ugly as it is. Poch Suzara

Einstein's Famous Phrase

“The most incomprehensible fact of nature is that it is comprehensible.” Albert Einstein.

Well, it was great that Einstein was such a polite scientist. He could have been more truthful, however, had he added also: “The most comprehensible fact about the existence God is that it is utterly incomprehensible. Otherwise the existence of God need no longer remain a mystery.”

Einstein also said: “A legitimate conflict between science and religion cannot exist. Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind.”

Well, I think Einstein again was just being polite. After all, if God exists, specially a God who is tame, not lame; a God who is kind, not blind, there would be no need for religion and science to quarrel or, for that matter, even need to exist. Poch Suzara

No Atheists in Government

My dear reader, have you ever pondered on this simple truth: - just as much as there are no atheists in foxholes, there are also no atheists in government? All government officials are faithful believers. They all love, worship, and adore God.

In fact, ours has never been a government of the atheists, by the atheists, and for the atheists. On the contrary, ours has always been a government of the corrupt believer, by the corrupt believer, and for corrupt believer.

Under Article 7, Section 5 of the Philippine Constitution before the president enters on the execution of his/her office, the President shall take the following oath or affirmation: "I do solemnly swear [or affirm] that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duties as President [or Vice-President or Acting President] of the Philippines, preserve and defend its Constitution, execute its laws, do justice to every man, and consecrate myself to the service of the Nation. So help me God.

I ask: where is God to help out? How come instead of being omni-present, God is only always omni-absent? Especially in this only Christian country in Asia since the 16th century! Poch Suzara

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Freethinkers Forum 2/28/2009

To: Freethinkers Forum Feb. 28, 2009
Fr: Poch Suzara, chairman, Bertrand
Russell Society, Philippines
Subject: Message

We were all taught to believe that in this country there exists the so-called “Communion of Saints” for the glory of a savior.

Well, I ask: couldn’t we also establish for ourselves the “Communion of Freethinkers” for the glory of sane and a healthy society?
Yes, we can. But first, let us always consistently recognize that in a democracy reason and science will always be our greatest allies.

Our enemy is not each other. Our enemy is precisely the reptilian, and not the mammalian side of the human brain. In this connection therefore, there is no use disparaging each other’s work. Instead of being “detractors,” let us play more positive roles as “baloney detectors” of our sick society. These are the evils we must always struggle against as they act in our schools, colleges, universities, and indeed active in our corrupt churches and entrenched in our corrupt government.

Bertrand Russell wrote: “The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge.” As freethinkers, let us live the good life.

Let’s work harder and think deeper together. May our tribe increase with more power – the production of intended results. Let us see to it that the Philippines will one day become more famous as a nation of matured and courageous freethinkers, and famous no more as the only Christian country in Asia populated by childish, and indeed, frightened believers.

To those of you who have emerged openly for public scrutiny as the freethinkers of our society - I congratulate you. I am on your side always. Especially as we continue to struggle in putting lively beauty into our society than there is deadly insanity.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Imagine – for Gina Lopez

The Pasig River is 26 kilometers long, 50 meters wide, and an average of four to six meters deep. The river basin includes: Pasig City, City of Manila, Pateros, Caloocan City, Marikina City, Pasay City, Taguig, Quezon City, San Juan city, Mandaluyong City, and Makati City. The Pasig River basin area is 570 sq. km.

Imagine what it would mean to Filipinos working off the wealth of the Pasig River. Filipinos as the commercial breeders of fishes, shellfishes, crabs, shrimps, and prawns farmed in the Pasig River. Food for local consumption. Food for global exportation. Imagine the thousands of jobs created for Filipinos nourishing the life and beauty of the Pasig River. Indeed, imagine the Pasig River flowing not with vulgarism submerged in barbarism, but overflowing, instead, with tourism!

But then again, our traditional way of life tells us to never imagine such things; especially the good life – one inspired by love and guided by knowledge. What we must only follow is what is written in the holy bible such as: “love not this world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not with him.” John 2:15. So why, for heaven’s sake, should we Filipinos give a hoot about the existence of the Pasig River?

Oh yes, the life we live as a people is the life we conceive for ourselves as a products of education. We Filipinos, however, have yet to grasp the reality of what it truly means to be the healthy masters of learning, not the sick victims of it. Indeed, to be the masters of education that’s not about love of a divinity or a mystery; but more about enhancing the reality of social sanity under love of country!

In the late 1980s, I was employed as the special assistant to Doris Ho, president of the Tourist Belt and Businessmen Association of Ermita, Malate. (TBBA). We tried planning and working to rehabilitate the Pasig River with all the possible technology available from Holland to do the job. The wife of President Fidel Ramos, Lady Amelita “Ming” Ramos also tried hard to clean up in order to resurrect the dead Pasig River. Nothing happened except that the Pasig River is still very much dead in filth and dirt – the exact reflection of our so-called “sacred beliefs and traditional values.”

Gina, I ardently hope you will succeed where others failed. Yours is a rare opportunity. I am rooting for you. If I could be of any help, I offer my services free of charge. In the meantime, I urge you to seriously look into the Filipino consciousness. It is mostly derived from our corrupt system of education. Indeed, the kind of education that makes us ignore filth and corruption here, filth and corruption there, and filth and corruption everywhere in our sick society. Nay more, it also makes us proud to “take no thought for tomorrow” since we are told that there is a better world to come after death. We Filipinos may not be among the “Chosen People of God,” but we are certainly the “Saved Sick Children of Asia.”

In the meantime, we simply cannot keep the Pasig River clean and vital by collecting garbage thrown into it. The sources of that filth and dirt come from our schools, colleges, and universities. The sick institution that must first be treated. Our Asian neighbors like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, etc. have done it. China is doing it now. It all begins not so much with the power of money, but simply with the power of love - love of country.

Perhaps, after great success in rehabilitating the Pasig River, we can also begin cleaning up another mess far messier than the Pasig river: The messy streets of Metro Manila. Many of them are no longer streets. They are now the dirty factories for making babies. Three ( 3 ) babies are born every minute or 1.5 million babies are needlessly born every year in the Philippines. The same babies who will eventually enroll in our schools, colleges, and universities. There, to learn not how to love a meritorious earth down here, but only to love a mysterious heaven out there. Indeed, to learn how to play more important roles in the rat-race for eternal salvation. But hardly to learn to take advantage of the power of love and knowledge that pertains, especially, to the health, sanitation, growth, and development of Philippine civilization. Poch Suzara

Christianity

Christianity has quite effectively accomplished great things in the Philippines: Frightened the Filipino. Divided the Filipino. Controlled the Filipino. Deluded the Filipino. Misguided and corrupted the Filipino.

For the love of the next world out there, Christianity has effectively converted the Filipino to hate his world down here. Indeed, we Filipinos love saving our silly souls for the next life in heaven. We hate saving instead our precious minds and priceless hearts for the sake of creating a sane and a healthy society for ourselves here and now. Human love and compassion hardly exist in our sick society. Thanks to the teachings of Christianity, we fear and hate the existence of the beauty of nature all around us. Take a good look at the Pasig River. Even the angels of God in heaven, or the stupid devils of Satan in hell would not drink the deadly water from the Pasig River. Poch Suzara

The Cries of the Poor

God hears the cries of the poor. Well, if this is true, how come the poor are getting poorer and their cries are getting louder?

Indeed, how come those who are among the rich getting richer in this country are among the first to declare that God hears the cries of the poor?

The question is: which God hears the cries of the poor? The God who is always omni-absent, or the God who is never omni-present?

In the meantime, millions of Filipinos still do pray daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly to God to: “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Divine intervention? It has yet to fix the traditional troubles of the Filipino as a people. Thus far, what we enjoy year in and year out is theological illusion inextricably mixed with political confusion for the sake of our social delusion derived mostly from the bible as written by divine inspiration. Poch Suzara

Our Overseas workers

Our workers are better paid and indeed highly respected for the hard work they do in foreign countries.

In our own God-forsaken country, however, instead of giving our workers their due earnings and due respect, they only survive on more of the same hand to mouth existence. But we never stop asking God to bless them and we never stop thanking God for the hard work that they do for the rich. In the meantime, in our sick society, the filthy poor are getting poorer. The filthy rich are not only getting richer, they are also getting holier. Poch Suzara

Sick and Corrupt

The Sick Man of Asia is not only a patient inside our hospitals. He is not only a teacher or a professor inside our schools, colleges, and universities. He is not only preaching bombastic nonsense inside our television Sets. Indeed, he is also the college-educated man or women holding office inside our Judicial, Legislative, and Judiciary branches of government.

In our sick society, it does not matter whether we are coming or going. What counts is that we all love God up there even if we were all sick and corrupt down here. Poch Suzara

Guardian of Freedom

I regard myself as a guardian of freedom. Especially intellectual freedom. I refuse, however, to respect nor do I try to preserve the rights of people who are unable to tell the difference between beauty and vulgarity, between reality and fantasy, between fact and fiction, between lies and deceptions, or between truth and falsehood. After all, freedom should have nothing to do with the freedom to enjoy stupidity especially as it inspires social insanity. Freedom can certainly promote peace and social sanity if we all love, not hate, - this life in this world. Our world. Thus, the number one enemy of freedom has always been deadly religion. Especially the religion that teaches us to love not this world neither the things that are in the world because if any man love the world, the love of God is not in him. 1 John 2:15 I said it before, I say it again: far more precious than the freedom OF religion is the freedom FROM religion. Poch Suzara

God’s Will and Plan

If there is indeed such a thing as God’s will or God’s plan, why should we waste precious time and energy praying daily to Mary, the holy Mother of God, “to pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen?”

No doubt, we are all sinners and with prayer we shall all be saved. Too bad we also do not pray to God to save the greatest sinner of all time – the stupid devil? Poch Suzara

A Pinoy Prisoner

After 15 years in prison for the crime of murder, this Pinoy prisoner was released. He was pardoned by the President of the Republic. In an interview with a newspaper reporter this criminal disclosed that he “had learned a lot in prison. I met God there.”

Well, obviously God is not, after all, everywhere. God only makes himself known to murderers while they are in prison. Wouldn’t it be wonderful, however, if criminals were to meet with God minutes before they committed their stupid crimes? Poch Suzara

Troubled Life

We are told that if your life is in trouble, there is always God to fix it. We are not told, however, that everybody’s life is in trouble of some kind or the other. In fact, nobody’s life is free from trouble. Consider the day we are born: it is the day we also begin to live in a dying body.

In terms of eternity our troubled life on this speck of dust called “earth” is but a split of a second long. What value is there in human life not long lasting enough for God to bother fixing?

As an atheist, I am not afraid to face the facts. I have no wish to distort such facts into an insane pattern. Indeed, just like everyone else, I too was born an atheist. Surely, one day, I shall die as an atheist. After all, for billions of years before my birth I existed as a thoughtless nothing; and for billions of years after my death – I will then be again existing as a thoughtless nothing. - Poch Suzara

Suffering

“Suffering can teach us about what we can’t learn in any other way.” Philippine Star, Feb. 18,2009

On the contrary, if I may borrow from Bertrand Russell: what we all need now is not only love but also greater knowledge about the nature of love, in all its complexity. A beauty one can hardly learn from any of the schools, colleges, and universities owned and managed by the Catholic church. Poch Suzara

Scientist Richard Dawkins

Scientist Richard Dawkins wrote In his great book THE GOD DELUSION: “The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sado-masochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” I entirely agree. I would like, however, to add that the God of the New Testament is even more unpleasant. In order to save the world away from sin, instead of getting the devil captured and crucified dead on the cross, He had, instead, his own Son Jesus arrested, abused, and nailed to a cross who, while nailed to a cross, cried cried out loud: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me.” Really, I ask: are these the words of a Redeemer or a Savior? In the meantime, I do not consider it a threat or a chill, but rather a joy and a thrill to be identified as an atheist. I have no taste to be a man of faith, A man of faith is a drunkard who clings to a lamppost for support, not illumination. Poch Suzara

Two Billions Years Ago

“Two billion years ago,” wrote Carl Sagan, “our ancestors were microbes; half-billion years ago, fish; a hundred billion years ago, something like mice; ten million years ago, arboreal apes; and a million years ago, proto-humans puzzling out the taming of fire. Our evolutionary lineage is marked by the mastery of change. In our time, the pace is quickening.”

Oh my dear Carl, you are so right as you were always seldom quite wrong with your scientific attitude towards the pursuit of knowledge. It is truly pathetic, however, that most religious morons of this world belittled your findings. They actually believe that the earth is only some 6,000 years old created by God in the year 4004 B.C. in October at 9 a.m. according to a certain Bishop James Ussher – known to be a fine biblical scholar. Poch Suzara

Same Mysterious Hogwash

The “unknown” and the “supernatural” are one and the same mysterious hogwash. Explaining the unknown by means of the supernatural, or explaining the supernatural by means of the unknown is really more about explaining the existence of a mysterious hogwash.

Here’s one example of a hogwash that is always mysterious to me. Every time I have a question for God, it is never God who gives me the answer. It is always the religious morons that do. Poch Suzara

Strengthen Ties

Every time a high official is installed in the United States government or installed in the Philippine government – the first they do is to visit each other to renew commitment to strengthen RP-US Ties. As to the nature of what exactly those commitments are all about, nobody knows. The ties, however, are more about graft and corruption enjoyed mutually together by both governments to benefit the rich getting richer in the USA at expense of the poor getting poorer in the Philippines. Poch Suzara

Hate, not Love

We are more prone to hate than we are to love. Hate is more contagious than love. Even among the believers of the faith there is more hate than love for each other. Golly, even among the unbelievers - the atheists, agnostics, infidels, heretics, humanists, and the freethinkers of our sick society – they too hate each other. They hate each other’s intellectual capacity. The unbelievers pay less attention to the horrors of insanity behind the traditional belief in silly divinity that gives everyone a sense of false serenity.

Bertrand Russell had a healthier view: “No, the greatest men have not been “serene." They have had, it is true, an ultimate courage, a power of creating beauty where nature has put only horror, which may, to a petty mind, appear like serenity. But their courage has had to surpass that of common men, because they have seen deeper into the indifference of nature and the cruelty of man. To cover up these things with comfortable lies is the business of cowards; the business of great men is to see them with inflexible clarity, and yet to think and feel nobly. And in the degree in which we can all be great, this is the business of each one of us.”

For my part, I hate to mingle with either the believers or, as the case may be - with the unbelievers. Especially if either would inspire in me fear of this and fear of that or fear of what-not. I hate living a life of fear. Poch Suzara

Science and Christianity

Science has already proved itself triumphant in all of its respective fields of endeavor. Indeed, science based on reason, is what we know. Religion based on faith, is what we do not know.

Christianity, on the other hand, still refuses to abandon its appeal to faith. Devoid of faith, Christianity can have no more mysterious elements to frighten its believers never to take their eyes off heaven above. Indeed, due to faith everybody hopes to play a prominent part in the rat-race for eternal salvation.

In the meantime, to advocate that a belief devoid of reason must be accepted is to advocate that a belief devoid of proof or verification must be accepted. What is the difference, therefore, in believing in the existence of a Santa Claus and in believing in the existence of a Savior? Poch Suzara

Money

“It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents men from living freely and nobly.” Bertrand Russell...It is, indeed, sad to see sons and daughters of wealthy families growing up to be occupied with nothing in life in except to make more money believing that all values must be measured in terms of money or that money is the ultimate test of success in this world... “This belief,” wrote Bertrand Russell, “is held in fact, if not in words, by multitudes of men and women, and yet it is not in harmony with human nature, since it ignores vital needs and the instinctive tendency towards some specific kind of growth. It makes men treat as unimportant those of their desires which run counter to the acquisition of money, and yet such desires are, as a rule, more important to well-being than any increase of income. It leads men to mutilate their own natures from a mistaken theory of what constitutes success, and to give admiration to enterprises which add nothing to human welfare. It promotes a dead uniformity of character and purpose, a diminution in the joy of life, and a stress and strain which leaves whole communities weary, discouraged, and disillusioned.” Poch Suzara

The Power of Knowledge

“Science,” wrote Bertrand Russell, “is at no moment quite right, but it is seldom quite wrong, and has, as a rule, a better chance of being right than the theories of the unscientific.”

Knowledge in general otherwise more known as science in particular has been the greatest tool man has discovered to change the ways of the world both for the better and for the future generations to come.
Science, however, put into the hands of bigots and fanatics to promote the power of dominant groups can even be far more destructive. Indeed, far more destructive than all the great religions combined that have dominated this world since only God knows when.

Bertrand Russell explained: “We were told that faith could remove mountains, but no one believed it; we are now told that the atomic bomb can remove mountains, and everyone believes it.” Poch Suzara

The Vatican and the USA

The Vatican State currently maintains bilateral diplomatic relations with 172 countries, which is actually one more than the United States Government. The Vatican State therefore is richer and more powerful than the United States government says religious historian John Peter Pham.

“The Vatican, where the Pope resides, is not just simply a spiritual power for Roman Catholics or a moral power for the non-Catholic world, it is a significant political presence," says Michael Higgins. "[If] you're talking in terms of influence, being an important player at the board when it comes to negotiations, being taken as a serious neutral voice on political and moral affairs, it's very difficult to be a serious competitor with the Vatican.”

In addition to that diplomatic network, the geopolitical significance of a community, a faith community of over a billion adherents around the globe serviced by a network of well over 4,000 bishops and 1,000,000 priests mean not only wealth and glory, but also world power.

Many world leaders still go out of their way to be seen with the Pope. Not just because he's a greater symbol, but because the Vatican is where the higher leaders of the world converge.

The Catholic church as the sole owner of the Vatican bank is the biggest financial power, wealth accumulator, and property owner in existence anywhere throughout the world today.

In the months ahead, let us all hope and pray that the Vatican financial power will help rescue the world economy from its financial woes! After all, the World Bank and the Vatican Bank are one and the same bank married together with children known as the IMF, the Federal Reserve Board of the USA, and indeed, the Bank of America. Poch Suzara

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

The Richer and the Poorer

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The bishops of the Catholic church, the Manalos of Iglesia Ni Cristo, Mike Velarde of El Shaddai, Eddie Villanueva of Jesus is Lord Movement, and Eli Soriano of Dating Daan, etc. couldn’t give a hoot about the poor getting poorer. This is due to the fact that these religious leaders are amongst the rich getting richer while the poor – their believers and followers - are the ones getting poorer. Poch Suzara

Belief

A belief cannot be true here but false there. If a belief were false anywhere, it is false everywhere.

Contradict yourself and you are sure to be wrong. Not giving importance for deadly contradiction is the same thing as not giving importance for serious communication that delivers lively confirmation.

We unbelievers know what we are talking about. The believers, however, do not even know what “knowing” means.

We unbelievers enjoy the flexibility of intellectuality. You believers are only stuck in the fixity of a falsity especially as you all believe that human stupidity has some connection with infinity as inspired by the mystery of a divinity always in cahoots with deviltry. Poch Suzara

Mankind’s Greatest Enemy

Religion, in Latin, means - “to tie back, to fasten or bind together.” No, mankind’s greatest enemy has never been religion, but superstition more known as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Each proved that there is wealth, power, and glory to be achieved not by promoting peace on earth and goodwill for one another, but by propagating hate and war against each other for the glory of God. What could be more superstitious than that? Poch Suzara

No Happy Ending

In this life, there is no such thing as a happy ending. We all end up dead whether we like it or not. Unless of course resting in peace while being utterly dead is a form of happiness then there is such as thing as a happy ending. Of course we all know there is no such thing as life in the hereafter. That is why we invented life after death called “the Kingdom of God in heaven”.

In the meantime, the religious morons of this world are all so frightened of the realization that after death, there will be nothing in store for any of us. As if it bothers any of us to realize the fact that for millions of years before birth, – there was also nothing in store for any of us. In fact, there wasn’t even a store. Poch Suzara

Jesus and His Resurrection

If Jesus possessed the power to get himself resurrected from death back to life, what was all that dramatic rigmarole about getting himself crucified dead on a piece of wood for the sins of the world to begin with? Moreover, if Jesus possessed the power to resurrect Himself back to life from death, why should he cry out loud on the cross: MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAS THOU FORSAKEN ME? Poch Suzara

Jesus Born Perfect

If Jesus was born perfect, why was he born supot? The faith-healers of his days had to have him circumcised? Who disposed of his holy prepuce? The bible does not say as to what happened to it. Perhaps, the bible scholars can haunt for that bodily part of Jesus. After all, Jesus was the perfect Son of perfect God, wasn’t he? Poch Suzara

Jesus

Was Jesus a man of peace? Hardly. In fact, in the Gospels, Jesus displayed aggressive militarism quite contrary to his conventional image. Jesus announced that he came not to bring peace, but a sword.

In Luke 19:27, however, Jesus declares: “But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them for me.”

In Luke 22:36, Jesus “said unto them, but now, he that hath purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.” Such was Jesus – a man of war ready to die in battle, but not ready to question what it is that he willing to die for. Poch Suzara