It's A Miracle!

I walked into the bookstore at my technical college to purchase some study aids and I encountered a miracle! I don't believe in miracles, but I may have to argue that this event approaches such a status. Especially where I live, in the heart of the west coast bible belt.

One of the biology study guides, right there in the front of the store, right out on top of the stack, had a section about the cellular and molecular evidence for evolution! I had to buy the guide, even though I am not taking biology.
****Now that I think about it though, why do we have to justify this evidence? Well, I guess scientifically, we should be justifying it, and students should demand justification, as a means of starting to check the facts (we don't have time to go and do all the research for every fact presented to us, we need to learn the material-hopefully not entirely by rote-and do more extensive research later, if we still have questions, don't completely understand the material, it interests us enough to do so, etc.). But I am concerned that we may be spending alot of energy trying to "prove our point" when it doesn't need that much energy to be accepted because of overwhelming evidence that it is true. AND IT JUST MAKES SENSE!
How can anyone, who sees the world as it REALLY is, is in touch with reality, believe that humans, and all other life, sprang into existence suddenly? How can anyone believe there is some uber-complex being that created the world and all life and the entire universe, yet is unwilling to remove evil from this creation to make it a better place? Who would want to worship that being anyway? And if we are so complex that we had to be created by this thing, who created this uber-being? Shouldn't this thing, being complex enough to create us and our universe have to have an even more complex creator? Where does the madness end? Maybe we should be worshiping this creator of the creator? ***k that ***t! If such a being exists, I doubt it would even know we existed or care. Therefore, I say to each uber-being their own, and I will worship (put myself into slavery) nothing for any reason! May lightning strike me now if I am wrong...
The self-deluded wishers of something to take responsibility for their lives (and lack of willpower) make me VERY angry (and you won't like me when I'm angry)!
I wish we could make some sudden huge advances in technology and especially space travel and send them all off to some world of their own, quarantine the place and come back in several centuries after they've all killed each other in their pointless arguments about who's uber-being is the true one. (I'd also like to sterilize them, or make them give their children up for adoption, because their lack of self-responsibility is grounds for charges of child abuse, mental manipulation and brainwashing, etc.-they don't deserve the privilege of raising children.)***

So, to get back to school, we are doing a tiny bit of histology...WOW! Sure wish I could take pictures of some of these beautiful close-up views of what makes up the components of life-the cell. How can anyone think these, with their complex mechanism for maintaining themselves, could possibly have come into existence suddenly? I think about all the tiny steps that were necessary to get to the single cell level and I am just amazed! It takes my breath away that these units of life even exist! Of course they do, because we are here!
It's a miracle! So is smelling dinner when I walk in the house in the evening, despite what my professor says. There's no way diffusion can change my boys to be so thoughtful!

Leave Religion Out of the Psychology, Please!

Classes have started and wouldn't you know it...This is the first time I have taken an online course (I am actually taking 2 online classes--statistics and lifespan psychology). In the math class I have many classmates that are arithmophoes. I can deal with this, even though so far the class has had no math to speak of. In the psychology class (which scares me, because too many people have used psychology to do some REALLY evil things--I speak of the 12 step program and others that have you give up one unhealthy addiction for another: religion), we have already had someone scream out their "love for the lord." AAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!
I immediately wanted to reply with, "Can we please leave religion out of this subject?" But I thought I should probably pass it by the instructor first.
My only-on campus class is Anatomy and Physiology.
The A&P instructor seems very passionate about teaching and is fun to watch, but he was scaring me: "If you work full time and are taking other classes, you better drop them now...you will be expected to do at least 15 hours of studying outside of class and lab..."
I am working full-time-I have to to pay the rent and keep gas in the car and pay for my classes, etc., and I really want to get into the nursing program by next fall at the latest, so I'm ignoring his threats for now.
I am hoping, even though my A&P is 15 and more years old, that this will be mostly review to me and I'll do fine anyway. I have 174 pages to read/study by Monday, I also have several chapters in each of the other texts as well. I LOVE to read (I guess that's a good thing!).

God (don't) bless America!

It's amazing how little people know about their own country. The national anthem for the United States of America is the Star-Spangled Banner (not God Bless America)! And I think that is a wonderful fact. The Star-Spangled Banner is a great song, it speaks of pride, in the midst of a terrible battle, we still had pride in ourselves and what we were fighting for: our freedom. Freedom from the persecution of religion that was prevalent in Europe at the time. Too bad we didn't continue in the direction we started in!
If you look at some of the links to other sites that feature topics on atheism, you may find quotes from some of our most well known (at least by name) founding fathers and presidents. Most of them had something to say about America being better off without religion. I think our current political leaders need some strong history lessons!
God is not going to bless, me, or America and the devil is not going to damn me either: because neither exist!

Autism and ADHD

This is going to a very different post than my first ones, and hopefully most of my posts will be more along these lines. I need to rant sometimes, especially when something at work just brings my blood to a boil, but I really want to share the experiences I have as a nursing student and how I integrate the experience with my reason.
I just received my first text book for my basic psychology class. I am excited! Not necessarily about psychology, which can have some very mystical thoughts on how our minds work.
I cracked open the book and started looking over things and found a companion web-site for the book. This must be part of how they can do this class on-line! I check out the web-site and find that I can do assignments...I wonder if I can get a head start..Oh, heck, it won't hurt!
Now I know more about autism and ADHD than ever before. Some of this stuff seems scary (especially the part about removing metals from children's bodies and we don't know if it even helps cure the autism)!
I know it is frustrating and scary to have a child with social, developmental and physical needs, but think about what you are doing to your children! Do the research, find out about alternatives, talk to your doctor, talk to other doctors, check and double check and triple check! Some of these therapies seem pretty harmless, but they also seem to not really do anything to help the children. Some of the therapies seem downright medieval and need to be researched more carefully. Some of these therapies may do more harm than good and we need to be vigilant in being advocates for each other in keeping the charlatans from practicing their witchcraft.
ADHD doesn't seem as devastating, but I am sure it can still be as frustrating and difficult to deal with. (I know from working with an adult ADHD individual that it is frustrating and difficult to deal with at times, especially when the individual does not take their medication at the prescribed dose and times...) Although it is incurable by any treatments that we currently know about, it does seem to be controllable in most individuals, even if they are not one of the lucky few to outgrow it by the time they reach adulthood.
I encourage anyone who has ADHD, or has a child with ADHD to talk to your doctor, follow their advice, talk to them more about how the medication and other therapy is helping or not. It seems that the earlier ADHD is diagnosed and treatment started the better the overall outcome for the child and adult. And SUGAR does not cause or exacerbate ADHD!
Now I have two more of my text books, making the completion of my collection for this quarter at 60%. I am only $300 dollars poorer for this collection of books and they are all used! I love books and have a difficult time letting them go, even if I never plan to use them again, but I think I will have to start...anyone interested in a calculus book?

Slavery is EVIL!

I am fairly certain that most if not all humans, especially those that live in the more industrial countries and have any education at all will agree with the statement that slavery is evil. But I am also fairly certain that the majority of people who are technically slaves today do not even realize that they are!

Religion, according to George Carlin, is mind control. I would also state that mind control, and thus religion, is slavery! Therefore, religion is evil!

Now, I know this will really make the religious angry, but I would like to point out the many wars this world has been through: most, if not all, have been over control of resources, including the religion and the people being conquered. Control of people. Isn't that slavery? Isn't time we humans stopped violating the rights of other humans and free all mankind? That means leaving the religion behind so we can all be responsible for our own actions and lives.

Freedom comes at a cost too, sometimes a great cost that some are too lazy to pay, or unwilling to take the responsibility to pay. That responsibility is for your own life and actions. Stop being lazy! Think for yourself! You will be happier and more productive. Take pride in your accomplishments and take credit for those accomplishments, because you did them, not some unseen, intangible, imaginary force! Letting others tell you what is right and wrong is great when you are a child and don't know any better, but when you have grown up and have learned a little about the world you should also start taking responsibility for your own knowledge and actions. I don't mean that you should stop taking advice, but you should know what is right and wrong and how to figure out what is right and wrong if you are unsure--don't just take it on faith from someone else, check your facts, research, look it up, ask questions...just take responsibility for it!

The basis of religion is faith. Faith is just being lazy: you are accepting something without checking the facts. I know it can take time and effort to check the facts, but if you don't you are being lazy and allowing yourself to be a slave! Laziness and thus faith leads to enslavement! You give up your rights and responsibilities to others, this is WRONG!

Please, if you do any one thing for yourself today, question your faith (yes, the single most evil thing you could possibly do, according to those who currently are in control of your life). Why do you think they tell you that questioning your faith is so evil? Because if you do, you will see that allowing yourself to be told what to do, to be told what is right and wrong, without the ability to check the facts and make your own decision, to use your own mind, will lead you to enslavement and this realization may lead you to seek freedom from their control!

Seek your freedom! Live for yourself!

Don't Get Your Faith!

Faith, just what is faith?

According to the Wikipedia it is
* To believe without reason:
* Believing impulsively, or believing based upon social traditions or personal hopes
In either case, Faith is based upon the interpretation of the intangible (feelings, emotions, etc.) instead of the physically tangible and is primarily associated with religion in modern times.

"To believe without reason"--there's some really scary words! If we stop using reason we stop being intelligent beings!

I would also define faith as the belief in something in spite of evidence to the contrary. This is why you will never convince some of the religious that evolution is fact even with the evidence everywhere around them.
Faith is a failure to check the facts, a refusal to check the facts. Again, scary words!

Well, hope (a completely different thing) exists for all you atheist nursing students and nurses! We can remain strong in our fact based knowledge that evolution does happen and that an all powerful being is not going to suddenly take an interest in our personal choices. And eventually, religion will either have to get smarter to keep their blind sheep blind or humanity will grow (evolve) out of the need for an imaginary friend to give them comfort when they are unsure of themselves.

Faith, the last frontier to conquer for the human intellect before we can become an integrated society without prejudice.

The Trials Begin!

For anyone who is easily offended: thanks for stopping by, but you might want to stop reading now and find gentler pastures.

So, if you found my blog, it's possible you "googled" atheist, or are a nursing student researching on the web for various "nursing" resources, or a student of law, or many other reasons. Let me tell you right now about the purpose of this blog: I am an atheist, I am starting my pre-requisites for nursing with the hopes of entering the nursing program no later than next fall, I am an adult student looking to expand my skills and career (by adult I am speaking of age, not necessarily of mind), and I am tired of being argued with by christians who insist that there is an imaginary, all powerful being that just exists, in spite of any evidence to the contrary, and we were all created from clay by this all powerful, omnipotent imaginary being.
If there is such a being, why did he even bother creating us, or granting us free-will when he knows exactly what we will do? If he knows what we will do then why test us?

I would like to provide a commentary and possibly a haven for other atheist who happen to have chosen the nursing profession as well for reasonable, rational discussion.

I always hear about how atheists have no morals, but I argue that we do! We do what's right because we have been taught by our parents and teachers about what is correct behavior in moral, thinking, reasonable, civilized people everywhere (not just here or there, but everywhere). How is this so terribly different from religious zealots who claim that they do what is right because some imaginary being told them so.

Currently I work in the healthcare profession and have for more than 16 years. I have always had many coworkers that were religious, but they have mostly kept their religion to themselves, being professional about their job. Within the last 3 years I have had to work with a smaller group of coworkers and they are very vocal about their beliefs and are constantly quoting their holy book and how it proves this or that. I bite my tongue (HARD!) and keep working, trying to be a professional in a job that may impact the life of another.

I would like to speak up, but I am afraid that it would create a work environment that would be extremely hostile. I have been honest about my atheism, and have stated my opinion on some issues that I know are not going to cause too much of an uproar, but I am in the extreme minority and although my supervisor, who is also religious but agrees that religion does not belong in the work place, does not curb the religious talk or turn the music to a station that everyone can agree on rather than the religious station.

To finish up this attempt at a reasonable, rational discussion of atheism and how an atheist nurse will excel at her chosen career I’d like to post some quotes from Richard Dawkins and Richard Cline (from Atheism.About.com) that I have used to explain to long ago friends who have attempted to re-convert me to their beliefs.

P.S.: please feel free to comment but if you are going to trash me, my philosophy, my life, then I would remind you of the Golden Rule--do unto others as you would have them do unto you. You definitely have a right to your opinion, something the religious do not always remember, but I also have a right to my opinions and to speak them freely, just as you are free to create your own blog as an antithesis to mine. But keep your trash statements on your blog and leave me and those who want to have a reasonable and rational discussion about atheism to my blog! Thank you!

Various quotes from other sources:
Everyone is atheist to one degree or another. Christians don't believe in Zeus or Ares as gods. I apply my disbelief in supernatural beings one god further. - The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins
"To me, one of the best components of atheism is the freedom of thought and mind. We do good because it's the right thing to do, not out of a fear of eternal damnation or a need to win favor with a deity." - from Atheism.About.com, Richard Cline
"We are moral, we are ethical, and we're tired of being defamed and maligned for our disbelief." - from Atheism.About.com, Richard Cline
"Most people stick with the religion in which they were raised, never thinking or examining the reasons why. Those that switch religions (or sects of a particular religion) often never truly question the belief in a god. Those that do should be proud that they have searched and reached an educated conclusion." - from Atheism.About.com, Richard Cline
"As an atheist, you have broken out of the cycle of doing what you're told because someone says God says so. You think for yourself, you are self reliant, and you are responsible for your own actions and decisions." - from Atheism.About.com, Richard Cline
"Humans have the idea of right and wrong imbedded in them by their own brains, as well as their upbringing and society. Atheists do good, not out of fear of reprisal, but because it's the right thing to do. We value family, society, culture, and, of course, freedom. Many of us will - and have - defend these values with our lives." - from Atheism.About.com, Richard Cline