Natural Wonder Fellowship

Well, Happy New Year! We're into 2020 now. I have been a bit busy, so I apologize for the pause in posts. It wasn't planned, it just worked out that way. You know how that goes. I found Project Gutenberg a goodly while ago. It has created e-books of many publications that are hard to find or even no longer in print.  As I'm very interested in mythology and stories, I stumbled upon this site:  http://digital.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=3623 where I found an early 1920s abridged version of his earlier work, The Golden Bough by Sir James George Frazer (e-text by David Reed).  I've been reading it for a couple months now, off and on. I'm only about one-third of the way through it. A bit pretentious and wordy, and by no means currently accepted socially aware terminology, I am much enjoying his descriptions and explanations. Author lays out a logical, believable path from primitive man's belief in magic and superstition to philosophy and r...

The many "versions" of the Bible tell sort of, mostly, kind of the same story but in quite different "flavors". A few days ago, I accidentally got BibleGateway away from my standard reference KJV to ESV while looking at Ezekial 23 (parable of a pair of sisters as stand-ins for 2 towns). I've apparently been using a very plain vanilla flavor -- when I've previously read this, I only took it as another of the jealous god, 'you're gonna pay for not worshiping and praising only me, me, me enough' stories. I never thought of it quite the way some versions present it. This pretty much absolutely convinces me the words are written by men, for men. No one else is that obsessed with their own genitalia and sexual performance. How dare she lust for someone better hung (or more skilled) than I! Male insecurity writ large (claiming to be 'the word of the Lord'). This is verse 20.  KJV - For she doted upon their paramours, whose flesh is as the fle...

I heard the late Christopher Hitchens recite, kinda sing, this off the cuff at a presentation several years ago. I think credit goes to Monty Python, but may be another group. Either way, I found it hilarious. Apparently, philosophers of the past really liked their drink. Immanuel Kant was a real pissant Who was very rarely stable Heidegger, Heidegger was a boozy beggar Who could think you under the table David Hume could out-consume Wilhelm Freidrich Hegel And Wittgenstein was a beery swine Who was just as schloshed as Schlegel There's nothing Nietzsche couldn't teach ya 'bout the raising of the wrist Socrates, himself, was permanently pissed John Stuart Mill, of his own free will On half a pint of shandy was particularly ill Plato, they say, could stick it away Half a crate of whiskey every day Aristotle, Aristotle was a bugger for the bottle And Hobbes was fond of his dram And Rene Descartes was a drunken fart ...

So, good day! It's been a while. Hope all is well with you and yours. People sometimes ask me why I don't believe in their, or anyone else's, god, gods, or goddesses. The simple answer is I see no evidence for any god. I see no evidence for any demon either. Humans can do evil things, sometimes individually but often in groups. That is the action of the people involved, not supernatural beings of any sort. Those wicked (or evil) actions are very often done in the name of some religious doctrine or god though. The Hindu pantheon of gods somehow justifies India's persecution of the Muslims, Buddhists, and others in that country. I am more familiar with the Abrahamic god (the so-called One God) and will limit my discussion to it. It's been said that rulers find religion useful for keeping the population under control. I believe that is indeed the case. As a social species, most of us want to belong to a group. This may be an evolutionary trait, safety in numbers and ...

This coming Monday, November 11th is a big day!  A transit of Mercury in the morning; and it is Veterans' Day. Thanks to all who've served. Send a card, a care package, make a phone call, take someone to lunch maybe? Mercury's transit "across" the sun coverage at NASA site. Veterans Day is coming up. what are your plans? pic.twitter.com/OlgKcdhN79 — MAAF Official (@militaryatheist) November 7, 2019

First of all, why are the gods so interested in what you eat,  or when you eat it? I vaguely remember as a child that we weren't supposed to eat meat on Friday, but fish was okay. I don't know why our house (sort of) followed what I think was a Catholic dietary rule, since we were supposedly Lutheran. I don't know why the Catholic rule existed (or still exists). Mentioning seafood reminded me that the Abrahamic gods either don't like pork or certain birds, and require halal meat (but not donkeys, horses, some others) (Allah), or prohibit non-finned "fish" or non-kosher meat (Yahweh/Spirit), or prohibit meat on Friday (God/Jesus/Ghost; possibly only a specific sect's rule). The Baha'i (monotheistic personal god) are mostly vegetarian (and denounce cruelty to animals). The Hindus (Brahma, Vishnu, Krishna, many others) do not eat beef (cows are considered sacred, hence the "no sacred cows" idiom in the US). The Sikhs (Allah, via gurus) are mostl...

The below sample set (from a single source, in a limited time period) is aside from the graft and embezzlement (April, 2018) on the part of many of the mega church leaders. Examples also do not mention any of the clergy child abuse and pedophilia scandals involving numerous denominations of Christianity in the west. The Sweet Jesus Ice Cream ad seems to have brought out some of the whiniest of the U.S. Christians a while back (April, 2018). I haven't looked to see how the ice cream chain is doing. It's within the airport facility in Baltimore. I need to try it the next time I fly. The blog piece and comments cracked me up though. In a country with a secular constitution, how can the predominant religion that has forced its symbols, beliefs, and iconography into our schools, our courts, and our government complain about being mocked? The U.S. is not supposed to have a tyranny of the majority. The U.K. is predominantly Anglican Christian, and still has the head of that church...

I've been seeing recently people claiming that atheism is a religion! Needless to say I find this confusing after years of being called heathen, devil worshiper, and more, now suddenly atheism is a religion? Memes are popping up "Atheism is a religion like bald is a hair color", "Atheism is a religion like not collecting stamps is a hobby", and others along the same vein. To be clear, theism is a belief in the existence of a god or gods, specifically of a creator who intervenes in the universe. Atheism is a lack of such belief. A gnostic claims knowledge that a god or gods exist; an agnostic makes no such knowledge claim. The word "secular" means not related to religion, so a non-believer is secular; a believer is non-secular.  That's it, that's all there is to it.   I think the confusion originated with "state of religion" type surveys (Pew and others asking respondents to self identify their religion). As "nothing in particul...

Several interesting things have been going on. Troubling environmental news on several fronts. The Amazon rain forest is burning at the worst rate in years, and driest of the dry season has not even arrived. When Notre Dame Cathedral burned there was a hue and cry from all corners. That structure can be re-built. The rain forest cannot be replaced. It produces about 20% of the oxygen in, and removes a significant amount of carbon dioxide from, our atmosphere. Who's even trying to address that issue? Certainly not the current White House occupant. The fires have been raging for over 3weeks now. I recently read that Brazil (maybe) was going to send some army troops to fight the fires. Are military personnel trained to fight wild fires? It is something, at least.  A while back I received my DNA results from Ancestry. I've been working on my "tree" there for about 3-4 years or so. I'm running my parents, my deceased first husband's parents, and my current hu...

Meditations on The Light For beauty and truth and peace,       of that of which I am.                                                Can we not see our own life lease,       from that of which I am? Will greed and lust and pride,      be the moral of our guide? Will we give up all our light,      do we feel we shine too bright? Will we embrace the right to live,      and allow our hearts to give? Will we partake within the love,      that fits us nicely like a glove? To not be part of the dark,      and stigma be our mark? But a question of a greater right,      from that within, which is "The Light". Words of a "Friend of The Light" (used with permission) Image "mystic Mountain" part of Carina Nebula, credit Hu...

TwoToes came into my life July 5, 2001. He was about 4 months old then, according to the vet. so he was of a late Feb/early March litter. He had multiple birth defects, including conjoined toes on his front feet (the opposite of polydactyl), some weirdness in the iris if his eyes where they didn't contract properly in bright light, instead they formed unevenly sized diamonds instead of the expected circular pinpoints. Supposedly also had a heart murmur, but only 2 vets heard that so I guess it wasn't serious. He was found on the center line of a busy downtown Baltimore street and picked up by a good person who took the kitten to animal control to turn him in. It just so happens that on that day, at that time I had come to animal control to renew my "multi-pet permit" (formerly called a kennel license). Finished my administrative business inside and met the kitten's guardian angel in the parking lot. He had found that if he turned the animal in, it would be destroy...

We need to think about, do about, this: Please feel free to share.

I don't know why, but the word "secular" seems to confuse people. Kinda like the word "atheist", I believe. As a "theist" believes one or more gods exist, an atheist does not. That's not to say an atheist is certain that no gods exist, but is not convinced that any gods do exist. Just as secular (like the United States government) means non-religious, non-secular (like the Iranian government) means religious. For those interested, here is a pdf to help clerics deal with members of their congregations who may have confessed to them their changing beliefs to a secular outlook. These members are still the same people you've known, and may be hoping for your understanding and support as they continue their journey. This hand out may also be helpful for individuals, including clerics themselves who may be questioning or struggling with what they've been told. Know first off -- THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU! It is natural to use your int...

Fell across this Mar 27, 2019 -- I thought it deserved to be shared far & wide, so posted it here. It is well worth watching. There are two video links on this page. The first one as intended, and the 2nd just popped on because I find it hilarious. No, IDK how, but several people have said "what Carlin video?". People can make me laugh sometimes. Real Truth About Religion: THE GOD MATRIX - THE WISHING GAME ALSO an oldie but a goodie from George Carlin .  Tree of Knowledge

This Blogger/blogspot site has been so helpful in getting a few thoughts onto "paper" as we continued to work on my own hosted site. It is not thoroughly complete - but I am asking BETA testers for help now. The site is  Natural Wonder Fellowship The address is not yet widely known. It has not been advertised at all. It is not completely ready for what I hope will be multiple users. It is only late today (17 Jan 2019 5P eastern U.S.) that I announced it for BETA testing. It is a members only site. You are required to sign-up for access to content. The Welcome Page there explains more. I appreciate any help you can provide. I hope you are willing to wander, and try the 3 different levels planned for site users. Not all in one visit, of course. I will really need somewhat informative comments (positive or negative; or suggestions as you feel appropriate) and a request from you so I know you're interested in taking the next step, before granting access to the next user...

This may be something of a "cheap" post. I found this Robert Ingersoll selection and simply wanted to share it. I thought this may be the best way to accomplish that for now. “When the great ship containing the hopes and aspirations of the world, when the great ship freighted with mankind goes down in the night of death, chaos and disaster, I am willing to go down with the ship. I will not be guilty of the ineffable meanness of paddling away in some orthodox canoe. I will go down with the ship, with those who love me, and with those whom I have loved. If there is a God who will damn his children forever, I would rather go to hell than to go to heaven and keep the society of such an infamous tyrant. I make my choice now. I despise that doctrine. It has covered the cheeks of this world with tears. It has polluted the hearts of children, and poisoned the imaginations of men. It has been a constant pain, a perpetual terror to every good man and woman and child. It has filled t...