Natural Wonder Fellowship

Why do we believe strange things? Why do we believe weird things? We need skepticism so we don't think the earth is flat or space is fake or "the rapture" is imminent. Encounters with Bigfoot [it's a hoot, about 15mins] and space aliens continue to exist in spite of numerous debunkings of fur or footprints. Why do we continue to believe silly unproven or even impossible things? Those who want to deceive you and those who are simply uninformed are almost equally responsible. In these days of division among us, we must find common ground in common facts. You're entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts. Politicians are famous for distorting facts to suit their scenario. The "church" and other power players regularly use "alternative facts" to sway your opinion to support their platform. The church is famous for forceful or fearful conversion to their way of thinking.  Primitive stories of feast and famine or deluge and drought become ...

“I believe that the universe was formed around 15 billion years ago and that humans have evolved from their apelike ancestors over the past few million years. I believe we are more likely to live a good life if all humans try to work together in a world community, preserving planet earth. When decisions for groups are made in this world, I believe that the democratic process should be used. To protect the individual, I believe in freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom from religion, freedom of inquiry, and a wall of separation between church and state. When making decisions about what is right or wrong, I believe I should use my intelligence to reason about the likely consequences of my actions. I  believe that I should try to increase the happiness of everyone by caring for other people and finding ways to cooperate. Never should my actions discriminate against people simply because of their race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, or national o...

I have been assured that 'religion' is not the same as 'belief in a god'. I wonder if that means that organized religion, or "the church" (whichever one you mean), has corrupted the message so badly that its former adherents are moving to new interpretations? As for the supernatural, people are doubtful there's any such thing. There are some things we can't yet explain but I believe they are totally natural in that we will learn enough to explain them. The answers to complex questions have never been magic or superstition or pseudoscience. To claim that your daily life is a 'gift', or that your own efforts and hard work have no value diminishes our own accomplishments and reduces us to dependent children or sheep.  We, as humans with minds, can perceive our talents ('gifts') in the material world as separate from a deity (called 'duality', maybe?). According to the Zoroastrians, Plato(~430BCE) had similar ideas (tho there is som...

It's not even Thursday, but still, I think LOL. How do you stop yourself from having ideas, thoughts? How do you stop yourself from thinking? Why would you even want to? How can you look at a photo of someone with their hair sticking up and out all over and not think "jeez, s/he needs a brush"? Is that "judgmental"? Or is that just human? We have thousands of thoughts a day, some more significant than others. What shall I wear today? What must I do today? Where did I leave my shoes? Was that thing I just heard on the radio (TV, YouTube, whatever) true? It sounds kinda weird...   Know when someone is trying to manipulate you. Question everything that sounds a bit odd - the 2020 presidential election was stolen (but none of the other questions on the ballots that were cast that same election day were stolen)? The earth is flat (but we've known since antiquity that we can climb the hill to see farther)? It only takes a little to reject ridiculosity outright or ...

Thoughts on christianity bring me so much confusion. Not even discussing the many contradictory stories,  just the confusing or unanswered bits of some of the claims of various christian sects. To begin with, why and how do so many claim the Old Testament doesn't really count anymore? Only Jesus Christ and the New Testament stories matter, some say. These same people also claim the Ten Commandments matter, that JC was foretold (prophesied) by the OT, and that the OT god created everything in the universe (nearly as I can tell, the universe is an add-on; scripture says god created "the heavens" as in sky and stars at night). They pray to God, Lord, Father, and similar and end a prayer with "in the name of JC our savior" or something similar. So, I guess my initial question here is:  1.  If the Old Testament doesn't matter (except for certain bits you like) what did anyone need saving from? Why did JC need to exist as a human at all? (we're told JC came t...

Hello Thursday 18 Feb. I usually call this day of the week Thoughtful Thursday.  I was thinking, wondering why 'christians' accept bible stories 'on faith'. Have you ever wondered why bible god doesn't want you to think or question? Not only doesn't want you to question, but actively discourages knowledge, wisdom, or fact-finding. Instead, this 'god' encourages being child-like (or sheep-like)? What is one thing we can all agree on about being a child? A child will believe what they're told because their rational mind is not yet developed. We develop critical thinking skills as we grow. The bible 'god' discourages intellect and free thought and tries to confuse us. 1 Corinthians KJV: 1:19 - "For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."; 1:27 - "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the weak things of...

Hello people. I often post about 'think', as in think for yourself, be aware, be rational, be logical. I was kinda happy to see some people trying to do just that. Then I found that some of these people start 'thinking' with no basis in fact. From 'fake moon landing' to anti-vaxxers to Q-Anon, we must all start from known reality before we 'think-up' these wild conspiracies. If you mistake the salt canister for the sugar canister, your recipe is not going to turn out as you expect, and you adjust for next time. You've ruined one food dish. If you mistake the bible or the quran for a science book, your grasp of the real world will be badly skewed, but here you refuse to adjust. You may be ruining your life.  You, believer, tend to go from 'god created everything including humans and the entire universe is under 10,000 years old' to ' the moon landing was a hoax ' or 'the [American] election was stolen'. You become more  suscept...

All good things come from 'god', but all bad things are your own fault. Don't be concerned, let 'god' handle your problems. Don't think, let 'god' take care of everything. It's all part of 'god's plan'. Lay all your problems at 'god's' feet. 'God' works in mysterious ways. 'God' is beyond our understanding. 'God' is love.  Somehow, the above self-contradictory summary makes sense to some people. I'm not one of those people.  We are a plague upon the face of the earth. My daughter hates it when I say that, hahaha. Really though, we have been destroying ecosystems for construction or farmland since we learned how. We have created oases where there was only desert. We have poisoned water and air and land with our noxious discharges. We have stolen habitat from other life forms so that many no longer exist, and many more are teetering on the brink of extinction, thanks to us. We have done this and worse...

Hello Friday. Now what are they doing!? Haven't big tech and big pharma done enough? Remember the issue with the chemical compound dihydrogen monoxide? It's still happening! Dihydrogen monoxide is in the lakes, streams, and rivers in the east, and there's a severe clean freshwater shortage in the western U.S. Now they're talking about  the potential for that element to play a big role in decarbonization! A billion-dollar industry, but future estimated profits are even bigger. Why hasn't anyone done anything? Where are the protesters? Don't you care about your children's future?   In the same way TheOrangeBuffoon won the November election 'if you ignore' about 7million votes, and in the same way opening the Alaskan Wildlife Preserve to drilling rights was 'for the good of the country,' and the same way 'don't think, accept on faith' is a doctrine for life -- you too can become a sheep. The virus is a hoax, and masks don't work...

Hello Thoughtful Thursday. It's January 14, 2021. I've been wracking my brain trying to see how so many people can be so easily mislead in so many matters. That sounds a bit pompous I guess, but to think, to truly believe that there is a supernatural being who cares how you live or love, or that TheOrangeBuffoon has any interest beyond his own, or that the moon landing was faked... is just ludicrous. In spite of all the evidence to the contrary some people actually believe these things. I often extol people to just think, to examine the evidence, to seek answers other than the pat answers from those in their own circle of people who think as they do. I wonder if I've been wrong; if I'm expecting too much?  I ran across the work of Piaget not too long ago. Jean Piaget developed theories of human intellectual and cognitive development in the 1930s. He described 4 stages of a child's development. Beginning with object permanence (something hidden from a baby is gone a...

Precious was the peacemaker, the considerate one. Whether dealing with Chad's bullying or Toes' crotchety-ness or her litter-mate's epilepsy or Princess' and Taylor's jealousy or Minnie's bouncy energy, she was the soother, the companion, the comforter, the friend -- or she would just ignore if they were not receptive at that moment. She wasn't great buddies with any of them, but she was soother to all. She had lost a lot of her chubby self over the past year or so. Of course, blood tests were "normal". We knew she had given up a week or so ago when she decided to not eat and not drink any longer. I've been able to keep her going for a while with lots of special foods, coaxing, and an appetite stimulant prescription ear goo, but she was tired. She will "lie in state" in the family room for a bit, so the rest can see understand what's happened. She'll be buried later today, up on the tree line near those who went before. Precio...

The anniversary of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor naval base in 1941. A "surprise" attack. Three days later, the United States still hadn't taken measures to respond, besides talk maybe. Germany and Italy declared war against the United States, then the United States responded with its declaration of war.   I started this post about 20 minutes ago. I think the actions of TOB supporters yesterday reminded me so much of the "surprise" attack before I was even born that my mind did that weird thing it does occasionally. Today is Thursday I knew because I'd posted my ongoing 'Thoughtful Thursday' piece. Today is January 7 of a new year, not Dec 7 of last year. The "surprise" attack on the Capitol Building by TOB supporters yesterday was too similar to the "surprise" attack by the Japanese almost 80 years ago. It wasn't really a "surprise" at all, or shouldn't have been anyway. Just as we could have noticed the te...

Hello Thoughtful Thursday. The "Christian Nationalist" agenda has undertaken its boldest step yet. Following their loving god's message "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword"; "For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against..." Even in your own house, if they don't look like you or think like you, they can be discarded. "If you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one" (so you appear to be a typical band of sword-wielding zealots, per the apologists). "I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? …" (Luke 12:49). This hatred of "other", the brown-skinned, those who don't think or believe like you, those who dare demand equal rights (how dare they!) is not new to TOB's reign. It's been happening for years. TOB's audacity and open display of narcissism only exacerbated it, carried it to the extr...

I am deeply conflicted right now. It's 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, January 6, 2021. The votes in the Georgia senate races are still being counted. It is close, very close. One has been called for the democrat, Warnock. The democrat (Ossoff) is leading, by a tiny margin, in the other.  Reuters  is checking for results every 30-seconds. I saw no change in the numbers since 9:43 a.m. I'm certain I want no more of Trump's (henceforth TOB) Toadies in the government. But I'm not certain I can trust the democrats with lopsided control of both the executive and legislative branches of our government.  I can't trust the republicans to not lie; I've found them lying too, too often. But every great once in a while, I'll see a story on Fox News that sounds like it might be actual news (as opposed to some weird conspiracy story) but haven't yet seen on Reuters or WaPo. I go searching and sometimes find, "under the fold" or in a sub-section, coverage of that event...

I don't believe being a minister is defined as preaching the gospel. I believe that to minister is to care for, to help, to teach. I've done that most of my life, long before I was ordained. On the ministers' board I frequent, I often post questions or comparisons of bible quotes, and sometimes I mock church doctrine. A fellow minister posted directly to me a link to a video. I don't remember in response to what, if anything. It's entirely possible it was a response to my asking for evidence or explanation of some dogma or another. It's rare that anyone will actually answer any questions I pose, so I was interested in seeing this video. I'd never seen the video nor heard the points made but I was delighted. I didn't know that anyone had ever addressed the "darkening of the sun" nor the "shaking of the earth" nor the "opening of the graves" except to call it a metaphor or parable or simply demand I accept it "on faith...