Just sitting relaxing and watching movies and stuff with my spouse and my children

QR Codes that hubby made for my blog and his. I think this is sooo cool!!!!

(I did not write this and I do not know who did. It was shared with me and I thought I would pass it on.)

75% of all believers have some doubts.

50% of all believers have serious doubts.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Over 90% of all believers were never given a choice to believe in what they do. The religion that you “belong” to, almost entirely depends on where you were born and to whom.

There are 22 major (500 thousand + members) world religions, with countless sub-divisions or sects. For example, there are over 34,000 divided denominations of Christianity.

Most of those religions denounce the others. Which has been a source of countless conflicts?

Some people consider that being born into the correct religion is similar to playing the lottery. Except you don’t choose to play or which game but you are expected to pay and play it your entire life.

In recorded human history (150,000 years), various religions have directed followers to worship over 2,800 different gods. Many of those gods have reluctantly become extinct, over time, as people have found ways to progress.

The small percentage of actual people in the world who have had the courage to admit to being Non-Believers and Free-Thinkers (who are free from religion), have recently exploded in their numbers. Their membership is now expanding faster than any religion in the world; almost equal to Islam (second largest religion) in size.

Currently, there are almost 1.5 billion, admitted Non-Believers and Free-Thinkers, in the world.

SO YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

I know how difficult it is to be where you are, with that hidden doubt. I know how frightening it is, even if nobody knows.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

I can help you find the massive amount of vital truths that have been purposely hidden from you, all your life. I can help you find the real answers. Once you know these truths, it may be easier for you to stand up, against the religious control.

I understand that once you publicly refuse to be controlled by religion, it may be very difficult for you to be accepted by some friends and family. Many religious people stand by a duty of making sure everyone they know, follows their beliefs. Often, this duty is more important than the love for their friends and family.

You can do it. You can over-come their, control, pressure, anger and even abandonment.

It is never too late to regain your freedom.

Choosing to repress your true thoughts, for your entire life, will be very damaging. Believe in yourself. You will find a special comfort in that. Learn how you can truly help others, with a real and visible “hands on” (not hands together!) approach.

Don’t let history repeat itself. Break the cycle. Protect your children from the fear, shame and guilt.

Many of you were forced to take a leap of faith; so now, all I can ask is that you try to take a leap of doubt!

Ultimately, you have to make the choice for yourself. I want to give you that choice that religion never let you have. It may be the most difficult thing in your life to do but I believe you can do it.

There is an amazing freedom that you feel when you “break the chains of religion!”

~COMING OUT LINKS AND ARTICLES AND WEBSITES!

http://outcampaign.org/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-OUT-Campaign/26796806059

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/robby_berry/ycomeout.html

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2007/4/27/coming-out-of-the-atheist-closet/

http://www.atheists.org/atheism/coming_out

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/us/27atheist.html

http://www.lawattstimes.com/opinion/opinion/773-out-of-the-closet–black-atheists.html

http://www.closetatheist.net/

http://www.theroot.com/views/black-women-who-use-word

http://atheism.about.com/b/2009/05/02/atheists-coming-out-of-the-closet-attracting-attention.htm

Prior to 1954 the words “under God” were not in the pledge of allegiance. They were added under pressure from Christian leaders in a time of heightened nationalism and Communist fear in America. This period in American history was heavily authoritarian and ripe with the automaton conformity of it’s citizens. Today, only 3/4 of Americans believe in the Christian god mentioned in the pledge. Therefore, tens of millions of US citizens are left out.

Interestingly, the pledge was written by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist Socialist minister. He wrote the original Pledge in August 1892 as a tribute to the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ “discovery” of the continent and for the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. It was meant to bring a sense of national solidarity to schoolchildren and citizens. His original pledge also included the word equality alongside liberty and justice. It was not included in the official pledge. It should be noted the official pledge was adopted prior to both Civil and Woman’s Rights in America.

If we are truly a inclusive country, with liberty, justice and equality for all, the pledge should revert to its original form.

This cartoon was made in 1939.

Here is a picture of the children and their first full day of Summer Vacation

It ultimately is a day of protest, celebration, and awareness raising.Only in solidarity can atheists create a world in which atheists everywhere can be open about their lack of belief in god and not fear any harmful consequence.

It’s an atheist holiday and awareness campaign. It’s a global and annual day to stand up together as one and provide support for those who struggle to be non-religious in their communities. It’s a day of celebration for those who have the freedom to be open about their beliefs while at the same time raising awareness about those who don’t have that freedom. There are many around the world who have to hide their lack of belief in god because of social pressures, taboos, threat of violence, and even death. Everywhere there are people who have to hide out of necessity.

This day will be a day where atheists around the world wear the atheist ribbon (half scarlet red half black) pinned to their shirt or anything that identifies themselves as an atheist such as the “Scarlet A”. As we get more and more publicity every year it will be easier and easier for others to stand out and express themselves.

On June 21 people will be paying more attention to the repercussions that some may suffer identifying themselves as an atheist. It will be a day that when repercussions happen atheists around the globe will stand up and demand it end. On this day we’ll write letters to the media, we’ll protest, we’ll make it more well known, we’ll cast an eye on those who oppress. To be successful publicity is important. It’s a day to party and be responsible. Create awareness in clever ways. Have a party in a public place and invite the public. Run a fundraiser in the community. Do anything to get more people to see that atheists are just like everyone else. Do things to break the stereotypes people may have. Be fun and show your community what you think is important.

Ideas on ways to identity yourself on this day: wear a half scarlet red half black ribbon, get something from http://store.richarddawkins.net/ (proceeds to go to a non-profit foundation), or from http://www.cafepress.ca/atheistday , make signs, or anything to identify yourself as atheist.

This day belongs to everyone. No one controls it or its agenda. It will take it’s own path. Hopefully every year more and more people will celebrate this day.

Eventually this day could be a day were all atheists stand up in solidarity worldwide in order to help more come out to those around them. Together we can help change the world where eventually atheists everywhere can stand up fearless and celebrate our freedom every June 21. This event nicely compliments World Humanist Day. (The main reason for the date) See outcampaign.org for related information.

To get atheist ribbon pictures with transparent backgrounds so you can easily add it on top of profile pictures see:
http://bit.ly/atheistribbon
If putting the ribbon on an image with black or red underneath it you could use http://bit.ly/ribbontrim as it has a really thin white outline and makes it easier to see.
For Facebook: http://bit.ly/fbribbon is the correct size and works well with profile pictures.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_300231402267

I just read about this thing called Bios Urn project, which I think is a really cool idea.

Bios is a mortuary urn made from biodegradable materials: coconut shell, compacted peat and cellulose. Inside it contains the seed of a tree. Once the urn is planted, the seed germinates and begins to grow. The seed can be changed for a different type of seed or plant more adequate to the chosen planting place, if need be.

Trees take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and output oxygen: so not only do you nourish the life of a new tree, you also reverse the carbon footprint you left behind.

I think the Bios Urn is a much better alternative than taking up room in a cemetery, simply spreading your ashes over a favorite place or taking up space on a shelf in the home of a loved-one.

What do you think of this idea?

http://www.blogtv.com/people/grapplingignorance

https://twitter.com/#!/GrapIgnorance

With so much heavy dialogue and information flowing throughout the youtube god discussion, both sides of the issue have had multiple opportunities to clarify their positions. It’s easy to forget that in the world beyond that active discussion, many believers are deeply ignorant regarding what an atheist’s position actually is. In my experience, a believer’s typical reply to discovering that I don’t believe in god is a ghastly shock, especially if they’ve known me for long enough to understand that I’m actually a good person. That is usually followed by some kind of humorously ignorant question, such as- “so then you worship the devil?” If it’s not that misconception I have to clear up, it’s the far more typical mistake they make when they ask me, “so you don’t believe in anything then?” I consider this question the result of theists believing that their god IS everything, and therefor to not believe in it would classify me as a nihilist, with no need for any distinction. Because if I don’t believe in god, what could I possibly believe?
But someday that well of ignorance will dry and the paradigm will shift. It will be the intelligent people who still cling to ancient fairy tales who are regarded with shock when they share their beliefs- as that shock is far more justified than the shock of a good person claiming (s)he doesn’t need a celestial overlord giving threats and incentives to be moral. As each generation of our children become more exposed to genuine, refined, and tested information they will become more skeptical of their parents’ religion until it is accepted as nothing more than the mythology that it is.
Someday our children will come home from history class and ask us why our presidents were elected so much more for their religious commitments and “family values” than they were for their political savvy and leadership skills. They will ask why we built so many churches and jails instead of more schools and universities. They will ask why so much financial support and community attention went to pastors, priests, and war chests rather than educators, scientists, and those less fortunate. Someday, they’ll ask why so many kept their disbelief silent, like shameful secret, in the midst of otherwise rational people forcing their irrational beliefs into public education, and government buildings.
Someday the churches sprinkled across our country like blemishes of intolerance and misinformation will be converted into homeless shelters and soup kitchens, and the funds that people used to drop into black hole collection plates, will instead go to helping their fellow humans.
Someday passages of the bible will be read in school as ancient literature tantamount to The Iliad or The Odyssey today, and the students will ask why people ever took such absurd works of poorly written fiction seriously. How such stories so full of plot holes and contradictions could ever be revered as the result of divine inspiration from a flawless author.
Someday people will wonder why atheists using the internet to come out of the woodwork in droves and lay waste to the long unchecked claims of religion ever even needed to happen. And someday I will look back, ashamed that I was once part of the problem, but proud that I became part of the solution.
Someday the light of reason will beam just brightly enough to pierce the darkness of mythological obsession, and shine clearly enough to expose our attention and care to the things that really deserve it.
That’s what I believe in.