As Da Vinci Code is nearing premiere, it provokes widespread protest around the globe. Conservative christian groups in Southeast Asia tried their best in court to prevent it from being shown in theaters, fortunately court rulings didn't favor them. Here in Philippines, I find it absurd to rate it as for adults only where the only reason is that only adults can discern what is fiction and what is not, I can't see the logic behind. Many fictional movies are shown where kids are allowed to watch it, pushing religion classes and integrating "xtian living" in GMRC books of school children are allowed, that is clearly pushing fictional Jesus to young minds. And, it is far more dangerous than letting them watch the Da Vinci Code. By integrating religion in our school system, these kids are forced to believe that Jesus and superhuman above the sky is the cause of all living this on earth, that Jesus rose from the dead and fly up to the heavens, and if you just only make a wish he will grant it. Does it sound more fictional than the Da Vinci Code?, in the end this young children will grow up and tell the same story to their offspring and grandchildren and in turn the next generation will pass it on to the next when it then becomes a "fact".

As long as Jesus and his group remains proven to exist, this thing about Da Vinci Code, the Holy Grail, the Knights Templar remains a FICTION and there is no reason for everyone to get upset.

With what happened to ULTRA today, I just can't help making comments about it. I always despise watching noontime shows, especially the one that promotes mendicacy, like Wowowee. ABS-CBN uses this kind of shows to increase their rating while taking advantage of the ignorance and poverty of the masses. A lot of people went there to get prices hoping it can help them ease a bit of their poverty. Many poor Filipinos believe in luck and easy money, thanks to the Catholic church and other religious orgs promoting mendicacy and help of god through luck, his creation ended up killing each other. As Willie Revillame puts it, "I went to church and thank God for using me to bring happiness to the people". At the end of his statement he said "but I don't know why this happened".

Relatives of the victims should not just rely on promises of burial help of ABS-CBN and its pretty people sharing their grief, they should file a case and put an end to this kind of shows.

Time flies..patapos na naman ang 2005, parang kailan lang halos hindi ko naramdaman nalilipas na naman ang isang taon, pero ngayong taong ito lang ang mas may pinakamasaya at pinakamalungkot na mga pangyayari sa buhay ko. This year, marami akong binalikang alaala noong kabataan, facesna hindi ko inakalang makikita ko pang muli at lugar na hindi ko inakalang babalikan pa pagkatapos ng labing walong taon. Tablas, Romblon is my second home, where I spent my last two years in highschool. A short but colorful moment of my life. And on April, this year, I got a chance to see this beautiful place again and meet my former friends and classmates.

Pero sabi nga nila, pag may saya, may lungkot din. Just as it seems that everyday is sunny, my father passed away in the 31st of August after battling with lung disease and other complications. Pero kahit na nakahanda man kami, masakit pa rin ang pagkawala niya.This is the first time birthday the he cannot celebrate it with us. Our gifts for him will remain forever undelivered but it will stay in our hearts. I missed you, 'tay.

A reunion with my childhood friends perks up the year. Nakakatuwa at ang mga kababata ko noon ng kaunti, may mga nagtagumpay ng lubos, merong ganon pa din ang katayuan sa buhay. Nakakalungkot mang isipin na tulad ng ibang tao, marami sa mga luma kong kaibigan na pinili na lang ang buhay na kinasayan nila noong kabataan namin. But whatever theirchoice is, kaibigan ko pa rin sila na naging bahagi ng buhay ko. Kung hindi pa dumating si Baloloy na isa ng Briton, hindi pa matutuloy ang pagkikita kita.

Minsan naisip ko, mabuti pa noong bata pa kami, hindi namin ramdam ang hirap ng buhay. wala kaming responsibilidad at problema kundi kung paano lang tatakas sa tanghali sa mga magulang naming natutulog. Tuwing Disyembre, susunduin ang kaibigan para magsimbang gabi o mag serve sa misa de galyo, tapos, gala na o makikikain sa bahay ng kapwa kaibigan, hot chocolate lang at sandwich, ok na.

Malayong malayo na sa ngayon.

Well, this year too is when I opened my first internet cafe, with just a little capital and lots of hard work. On the bad side, the other business (consulting) didn't do well.

Overall, this year is a good year.

For me, just being healthy is enough to make me happy all year long...

To All Xtians out there:

10. You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by
other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.

9. You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that peopleevolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.

8. You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.

7. Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children, and trees!

6. You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.

5. You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the >scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few generations old.

4. You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."

3. While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues" may be all the evidence you need to "prove" Christianity.

2. You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.

1. You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history - but still call yourself a Christian.

source: http://www.evilbible.com

Last April was quite an exciting month for me, why? because I went for a vacation with my family in Tablas, Romblon, a place that I haven't visited for almost 18 years! FYI, Tablas is an island adjacent to Mindoro and Batangas and only 12 hours from Manila, it's a separate island from Romblon, Romblon and it's surrounded by beautiful beaches mostly white sand and rich in marine life. It's just 2 hours to Boracay from there. I spent the last two years of my highschool life there and after 18 years of absence the place didn't change much. I have many fond memories of the place but it's sad to learn that there wasn't much improvement except the concrete road. But not much livelihood except for fishing and rice and crops planting. Many of the people find ways to improve their lives by marrying foreigners who visit Boracay, that way, they can buy parcels of land, fishing boats, and build big houses and resort, those who were unlucky to marry foreigners go to Manila to work as maids and laborers. Some of the sea corals are damaged and some endagered species like whale shark are being killed. When we were there one whale shark was reported caught in the net and killed by fisherman. Tourism could be a good industry in that place, but I'm not seeing initiatives by the local government.



Check out my photos

Filipinos prayer for Manny's victory wasn't answered

I am an avid fan of Manny Pacquiao, and I'm really disappointed over his defeat. Amidst all the prayers by fellow Christian and Muslim Filipinos, Manny Pacquiao wasn't able to defeat Erik Morales on their 12-round bout, yesterday March 19, 2005 at Las Vegas, Nevada. Before the fight, Manny asked for prayers of all Filipinos as way of support. Manny a devoted Catholic like Morales, used to wear rosary and do sign of the cross before and during a fight, but neither of that was not able him to avoid the hard punch and head butt of Morales that resulted to Manny's severe cut on his eyebrow and swollen eye. Maybe the 115-113 unanimous decision is the will of Christian god, but how about the Muslim god, did they both connive too for the end result?

Chino Trinidad, one of the popular Filipino sports commentator even told Pacquiao that maybe god has more plans for him, that when he (god) closed a door he will open a new window. A lot of things are said about god and prayers before and after the fight, but neither seems to be effective. Days before the event, several problems arised, like the refusal of Manny to take an eyedrop for medical purposes, and seeing him on the casino.

To sum it up, does god really decides the fate of person or an athlete? I believed that if examined closely, the defeat of Manny is a result of untimely match, over confidence, lack of strategy and overlooking opponent's weak point. It has nothing to do with prayers and rituals, all we need to win is a strong and scientific fighter, like Erik Morales.

It's been a long time since I posted here in my blog, as I'm too busy with lots of things especially with the business I put up with my friend. It's closing in to one year but I felt I'm still getting nowhere. I just hope the internet cafe would push through next month. Lots of things happened now and then, and it seems not too good as it seems getting worse, at least not to myself but in our world (well, yeah, even me!). Tsunami killed thousands, unending crisis in the Mid East and just this week 27 children died of "kamoteng kahoy" poisoning. Where's justice? cruel world? end of the world? dang! prayers won't help, accepting the world what it is, will. Learning from our mistakes will. As Richard Dawkins puts it,

"In a universe of electrons and selfish genes, blind physical forces and genetic replication, some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you won't find any rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice. The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference."

I Can't Make It Go

I can't make it go!
My feet wont touch the ground!
I tried to make it go
And the swing just went around & aroud & around & around

Will someone push me?
Hey! Come push me!

Somebody's coming.
I'm so glad I asked her.
I'm going so much higher.
She made me go faster & faster & faster & faster!

Hey! Stop pushing!
Please, stop pushing!

I'm going way too high.
I felt the chain go clink.
I'm going much too high.
I'm holding tight, I think, I think, I think, I think!

Will someone help me?
Please! Come help me!

I see Daddy coming.
He'll make me go slower.
Thank you! Thank you, Daddy!
Now I'm going lower & lower & lower & lower.

My swing is stopping.
Hey! I'm stopping.

I can't make it go.
My feet wont touch the ground
I tried to make it go,
And the swing just went around & around & around & around!

Will someone push me?
Hey! Come push me!

Christians always equate morality to religion. My friend of which I lend my book of "Atheism: The Case Against God" by George Smith called me on the phone and told me that he was not convinced of Mr. Smith's arguments even though he was still in the beginning of the book, my friend being a Catholic for 35 years cannot imagine living a life without God and argued that "why would one still do good things to others if he does not believe in God?". He believes that a person will have no moral foundation in the absence of God, and that a person without God can do any abominable deeds, a belief that many Christians hold even in this modern times. As a former Catholic who was raised literally in the church (as my father is a church caretaker and I was an altar boy) I understand his sentiments.

Obviously, he missed the end of the book where it discusses about morality. This is an attempt to summarize Mr. Smith's some point of view about morality as well as my opinion.

Man's morality and values has nothing to do with religion, let alone Christianity. If you'll examine closely, man's values has something to with his survival. For human to preserve his existence, he will do things that will benefit him. But first, some definitions, Moralism, according to Webster's is the practice of or belief in a system of morals independent of religion. Whereas, morals is relating to character and human behaviour, particularly as regards right and wrong. Ethics on the other hand is a moral principle or set of principle.

Christians based their principles on the Bible and is commonly known as "religious morality". It defends a universal moral order established by god and existing independently of man, e.g. other Christians believe that god's law is different from man's law. It is by nature, authoritarian, where one supreme being will punish the believer if he did not comply with moral rules of the Book. Christian ethics however is deontological, or duty-centered, where the "good" is defined with the moral rules set by the Bible. Mother Theresa once said that she is not helping the poor out of her own volition, but rather she is assigned by God to do the task of which she cannot refuse. Obedience is the major virtue, disobedience is the major vice.

Evidently, religious morality has made it's way to the laws of the land of some countries creating oppression and injustice. For example, in the middle eastern countries, women has few social rights than men. This practice was even carried out to some Christian sect, depriving women members of preaching and must humble themselves to their husbands.

Rational morality, on the other hand, is a code of values required by man for his survival, well-being and happiness. These code of values were made via logical approach, e.g. to obtain x one must do y. Man must make a decision about the reality that confronts him in order to survive. Does it mean that each man may seek to expoit and trample his neighbor? No. Man is a physiological as well as psychological organism, so any random action that will not benefit his physical well-being will also not benefit his psychological well-being. He may do self-destructive actions but he will not be able to escape its physical and psyschological consequences. When you pick up the end of the stick, you also pick up the other. Christian morality prohibits theft, but it doesn't mean rejecting Christian morality means approval of theft. It is possible for religious morality to coincide with rational morality, although many assuredly do not.

Christians may believe that human morality always comes from the Bible, is it safe to assume that without the Bible there is no morality. Why is it immoral for Christian countries to have more than one wife while it is moral for Arabs? If there is one god that created the earth and the sky, then why is there no one moral standards?

These are just some of the many questions about religious morality, I just hope that my friend may someday see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Just finished watching "The History of England" in BBC and I was surprised to know how religion shaped this country and influenced its leaders, from King Henry, King Edward, Queen Mary to Queen Elizabeth that leads to unimaginable torture, sex, murder, deception, etc.. and this all came from their belief in the Bible and religious denomination. I begin to think about the Philippines and wonder if we too are worsely shaped by religion? I believe we are. There are many questions that need to be answered, why is crime rate in Phils. is so high ? why is our leaders corrupt? why do we lack respect for nature? why is prostitution, pornography and incest prevalent? and many more. This, despite being a dominant and sole Christian country in Southeast Asia. I believe there is a connection between religion and our current situation. This is what I want to find out and prove. Then, maybe I can write a book about it ;-). If anyone knows any materials and related literatures that can support my claim, feel free to e-mail me. I would gladly appreciate it.

Can We Promote Atheism In The Philippines? How?


From: "Lito Lampitoc"
To: "Positive Atheism"
Sent: November 08, 2003 7:46 AM
Subject: Atheism in the Philippines

Hi Cliff,

I was searching on the web about the status of atheism in the Philippines, and I stumbled over old mail from Mr. Tan way back 2001 in your site (see: "God Has A Purpose For Filipino Situation"; also: "What A Good Boy Am I!"; and: "Response To 'The Fig Tree Enigma'"). I visited again a couple of times but it is only now that I found it interesting, when I discover a lot of interesting e-mails.

Unfortunately, I can't find any Philippine-based atheism group, bulletin board, chat room or mailing list. Maybe this is because atheism is taboo for a Catholic country like us. I find that a lot people are disgusted by the idea of atheism here. I remember finding Atheist Circle in the University of Philippines, but it's limited to the campus. A few of their debates were shown on TV, though. Most of the time we keep it only to ourselves.

I agree with John Woodside, in the letter called, "Atheists: Going the Way of the Dodo?" He says, "If no one makes an effort to increase our numbers, that percentage will never increase. Rather, the percentage will likely drop!"

I always wanted to start a group that will promote atheism in the Philippines, and I know that it is not easy. People will raise eyebrows and for sure we won't get a favorable support. I would like to get your opinion and your readers. Do you think it's feasible and how?

Thanks.

Lito Lampitoc

From: "Positive Atheism"
To: "Lito Lampitoc"
Subject: Re: Atheism in the Philippines
Date: November 09, 2003 1:24 AM

Introduction

I cannot speak to the situation in the Philippines, but I can speak about America and Europe. The general population of most European countries appears to have finally shed its dependency on the Christian religion.

America appears, on the surface, to be getting more and more religious all the time, but this is just simply not the case. What's happening is that the religious fundamentalists are getting more and more vocal, and their ominous pestilence (pun intended) has intimidated many of our leaders.

But when we consult the more carefully wrought studies, we see religion's numbers dwindling and atheism's numbers growing faster than any others. In America! You can see what's happening in America in our article, "Atheists Come To Power: Atheists in America Make Significant Progress in Two Very Important Ways."

Religionists credit America's "freedoms" for the large amounts of religiosity here, but I don't think America has been all that "free" for very long (if at all). On the contrary, small but powerful groups have controlled large portions of our resources since America's inception, and until very recently, only White men had access to any power at all (and they still claim most of it, though opportunities are opening up for others to share in this power). We are free (for the most part) from governmental restriction, but the corporate structure and the disparity in wages and, more than anything, the media monopolies† make America almost anything but a country of diversity, as our original Motto said: "E Pluribus Unum" ("of the many, one" or, loosely, "from our diversity comes our unity"). (Note† Clear Channel Communications Inc. owns and controls over 1200 commercial radio stations; the frequencies formerly reserved for "Community" and "Educational" stations are now being given to huge Evangelical Christian interests.)

So under the pretense of "freedom" we have become one of the most religious countries in the world. Hmmm! I think the countries that allow the power and resources to be placed into the hands of a small, select group are the ones that will end up having one or two major religious groups dominating the cultural landscape. But when opportunity and information are placed into a diverse collection of hands, religious exclusivism has a difficult time even taking root, much less flourishing, like it does to a certain extent here and like (I hear) it does almost exclusively in the Philippines.

Is It Legitimate To Propagate Atheism?

I have spoken sternly against the practice of propagating atheism, but always the context has been in my own city and country. In addition, I have stated this about whether or not I should involve myself in this endeavor. If I lived elsewhere in this country, I would feel differently. And if I lived in a country such as India or Spain or the Philippines, I would probably be working very hard to counter the destruction wrought by the sheer prevalence of religion.

Yes, it is legitimate to try to propagate atheism, particularly in areas that are suffering from the frauds perpetrated by those who teach superstition. Read out posted book, We Become Atheists, by Gora and Saraswarthi.

This is their autobiography, and tells how one man and his youthful wife (the women were "married off" at age 12 back then) started at the University and ended up with one of the most influential charity organizations in India. Unable to find any fellow-atheists, he worked alone, trying to solve the destructive problems that threatened his fellow-citizens.

The most important thread that runs throughout Gora's book is that he becomes oblivious to what others think about his actions. He started out, in college, living in an abandoned house that everybody thought was haunted with ghosts. Practicing his atheism, he boldly marched up to the door, opened it, and moved his wife and belongings inside. Everything he did was based upon atheism being true.

Also, Gora, in every way, placed truthfulness above all other values or ethics. He finally reached a point where he had no use for atheists who would pretend to be religious during a festival or celebration just to please friends or family members!

He says,

"The essence of atheism is the fight against this softness of the mind, a slavish obedience to a custom or to the crowd.... An atheist, to be worth the name, ought to resist both the faith and the convention and take up a firm, rational stand...."
-- from "Opportunists," in I Learn

He later called this "Positive Atheism," realizing that "atheism" is, to most people, a lack of a god-belief.

Not many of us have the fortitude to carry one's convictions as far as Gora did. This is, however, the most effective way to carry your message against superstition. It is not a very good way to make friends, but then, who needs friends like that? Those who are ready to hear your message will hear it, though, and most of them will be inspired to carry the same message just as boldly as you have!

Is It Feasible to Propagate Atheism?

When it comes to dispelling superstition and a faith-based outlook, that is, one that depends upon the notion that the supernatural is somehow real, I think John is probably right. Psychologist and atheistic philosopher Albert Ellis spoke about recovery from alcohol addiction. The popular method in the United States is to attend meetings of a faith-based group (a religion, actually) called "Alcoholics Anonymous." In Europe, I hear, the most popular methods, as methods, involve understanding the problem and then applying oneself toward learning to practice self-control.

Doctor Ellis compares learning something by discovery versus being told to believe something through faith. The only way for a faith-based system to keep hold of the believers is for the believers to constantly surround themselves with reinforcements, including other like-minded believers (regular church attendance; shunning friendships outside the religion, etc.).

The kind of the Belief System you adopt does have some importance to long-term sobriety, however. This is because we often start out gung ho with a new Belief System, but the fire dims as time passes. Farfetched Belief-Systems with little general problem-solving, happiness-producing capacities frequently lose their hold....

"We lose faith in faith-inspired Belief Systems unless we continue to surround ourselves with other true believers. This is why you have to attend most kinds of churches pretty well forever. The same thing is true of some kinds of recovery meetings. If you don't attend, your faith may fade...."
-- When AA Doesn't Work For You, pp. 80-81

You might want to start by forming a discussion group that meets regularly in someone's home or in a hall. Yes, this sounds like the weekly reinforcement mentioned by Ellis. However, it is not easy for recently deconverted people learning to depend entirely upon one's own sense of reason to gather information and come to a new outlook.

In America, if we want to meet people, start weekly meetings, etc., we place Classified Ads in the newspaper. On American college campuses, we place handbills on kiosks (and even tape them to walls or staple them to wooden utility poles).

Whatever are the popular ways to meet people where you live, these are the methods you'll want to exploit when trying to meet fellow atheists to begin a discussion group. Such groups can meet in someone's home if you cannot find a more neutral place, but problems arise when one person carries most of the weight of responsibility. In such a group, it is important to share the responsibilities, not to give the harder workers a break but because the health and even the life of the group depends upon a relatively even distribution of authority and responsibility.

No Atheists!? Pshaw! Balderdash! Horse Feathers! Bowl Sheet!

As for there being no atheists, I don't believe this. Even in Alabama, four or five percent of the residents are atheists: that's one in twenty adults! About five years ago I got a letter from a man in Iran. He estimated that fully 40 percent of his fellow Iranians (men) were atheists of the "There are no gods" variety.

We keep quiet, for sure, but we exist.

Cliff Walker
Positive Atheism Magazine
Eight years of service to people
with no reason to believe

Honestly, I dunno what I'm going to do with this blog. But, at least I have a place to post what my mind speaks, and some sort of diary i think. :)