Yes, I'm an idiot

Okay, so I should just let it go.
But I won't.
This guy, he just infuriates me.

His myspace profile name is Atheism Sucks, so I should've known better and, again, all the more reason why I should just let it go. (Mind you, a site called Christianity Sucks would strike me as being just as ridiculous.)

So, anyway, someone just used the expression "Begs the question..." and they followed that with the freakin' question, the way I assume one should. And it reminded me of this insane debate I had with this guy. He would accuse me of dodging no matter what I said, and he'd say "Begs the question." but not follow up with a question, he was just all out a moron, or else I am, it just has to be one or the other in this case.

Got in a conversation with another theist and... she's so cool .Polite, well reasoned, I'm really enjoying our conversation, debate, whatever. And she understands that if I question her theory, attacking what she assumes is mine isn't a response. So, I'm pretty sure this guy is a moron.

What do you think? Read the "debate" by clicking here
and note how insanely friendly I tried to be. I am a pretty friendly guy for the most part.

Infidel Guy

I'll be a guest on the Infidel Guy's radio show this Thursday at 5pm pacific standard time, 8pm east coast.
www.infidelguy.com

Yup, it's my birthday

So yeah, todays my birthday. I bought some trade paper backs (comic books, only bigger) with money that I got as presents. I picked up:
Peepshow: The Cartoon Diary of Joe Matt

Alan Moore's The Complete Future Shocks

and Jeffrey Brown's I Am Going To Be Small

And, sorry to be obnoxious (no I'm not) but my sister in law told me to put the link to my Amazon wish list again like a jolly little materialist. So, here it is:

My Wish List

Later I'll break out the camera and tell you of all the great gifts I received already.

Broccoli

I will allow myself the conceit of believing that I'm more important than a piece of broccoli but I'm guessing the broccoli would disagree, as would certain folks.

Paraphrased from a debate I was having online. I liked it.

Ritalin

It's just taking too long to get it together.
I wanted to have all my photos ready and what not, but I just can't wait. I need to write and get feedback. I got a jones for it, ya know?
So, I'm three entries deep in Ritalin, my latest and most ambitious blog yet.
You can start at entry one by clicking HERE.
Please let your friends know and leave comments. The more comments the more I'm inspired to write quickly.

Just a few copies left

And I want to sell 'em so I can hurry with publishing my next book, The Atheist Survival Guide.

Oh Holy Day and other stories
by Keith Lowell Jensen

Click on the book to find out how you can pick one up online, or if you're in Sacramento visit Toy Room Gallery, Body Tribe Fitness, The Book Collector or The Crest Theatre to buy one in person.
The main story features an atheist who loves Christmas playing Santa in a depressed mall.

If you want me to write in the book let me know, otherwise I don't and then people bitch at me and then I write about them in my next book and it aint pretty.

Macy's bathrooms and Cookies from Preachers

Yesterday was a strange one for sure.

My friend Becca gave my number to Mark who is starting a church in midtown. Mark wants to talk to people in midtown and get a feel for the community he is looking to work within. Becca suggested he talk with me, a moralist/atheist to get a perspective he might not find otherwise. He agreed and asked if he could buy me a cup of coffee. I met with him at Temple and opted for a cookie, joking that it was buy an atheist a cookie day. He suggested it was also have coffee with a pastor day.

We talked, mostly about midtown but also about morality, God, all that good stuff. I told him I didn't like the politics of God or Jesus as represented by the bible and that I thought we'd never endorse such leadership in our leader here. Why, I asked, am I free to lead my life being a good guy here in America despite my disputes with my leaders and yet, according to his beliefs he serves a God who wouldn't afford me such privilege in heaven. He thought it was a good question, and surprised me in saying he'd not been asked such before. He said he'd have to think on it.

I was really impressed. What a nice, honest guy. I hope I do get to talk to him again.

After I left this meeting I went to Macy's with Bryna. She had some manner of gift certificate. Embarrassing admission here: I actually worried about being seen at Macy's. Yeah, I know, lame, insecure, all that. I though to myself, if anyone asks I'll just say I'm here to steal shit. Heh heh.

Anyway, I had to go to the bathroom. Both regular sized stalls were occupied so I settled into the big handicapped stall. The guy in the first stall took a phone call! He was talking, in a moaning sort of "I'm taking a shit" voice. He wasn't speaking any language I knew so I can't tell you what he was saying, but then, the dude next to me started singing. Some modern soul type stuff. He didn't have a very nice voice. I was glad the stall I was in had it's own sink. I washed my hands in privacy and left these guys to their singing, pooping and moaning into cell phones. Sheesh.

Sitting outside the dressing room waiting for Bryna, I watched the little TV where some agnostic dude who does a comic strip called Dodo Byrd (I haven't been able to find his site) argued that atheists were as irrational as religious folks and that having faith was a good thing, just so long as you knew you were having faith. See my last post for my response. It seemed like strange TV to be playing at Macy's. Then some video blogger came on talking about the internet being like, way cool, and TV being like, so totally over, and I felt all was right with the universe again.

Why bother with the God thing.

Thanks Jennifer for the graphic
People want to know why I bother with the God question.

It's weird, I think that it's a boring discussion in a way, I don't want to discuss the existence of god anymore than I want to discuss the existence of Leprechauns, but there's the frustrating contingent of people insisting that Leprechauns exist.

They keep trying to waste my tax dollars looking for the pot of gold. They hassle my midget friends. They accuse me of waging a war against St. Patrick's Day if I don't celebrate with corned beef and cabbage. They follow me home when I buy Guinness or Lucky Charms. Leave me alone bastards, I just like to poor Guinness over me Lucky Charms! You'll never get me gold, na ha ha ha ha.

As always, I welcome your comments, but I'd encourage you to post something fun. We've had enough theist/atheist debates to last awhile. I'm not saying you shouldn't express your beliefs, please, have at it, but have fun with it. Erin Go Bragh!

Atheists are as irrational as religious believers

Or more irrational.
This is an argument I've heard a-lot lately, especially from people calling themselves agnostic.

The reasoning is that we atheists believe that something doesn't exist though we have no evidence that it doesn't exist.

If I told you of a lollipop pooping pink rhino that I believe may exist though I have no evidence to present to you, or no evidence that you found credible or scientifically sound, would you be irrational for not believing in this rhino?

If 2,000 years from now your ancestors also did not believe in this rhino would they be irrational?

Do you believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster? If not, does this make you irrational?

I can think of lots of things that you don't believe in and I can make up lots of things for you not to believe in.

Lack of evidence is a perfectly rational reason to believe that something does not exist.

An atheist may believe that there could possibly be other life out there in this big universe, and that this other life could be more advanced than we are currently. Atheists can leave room for lots of possibility in the undiscovered world, but while we work on discovery it is not irrational to let go of the old explanations that were made up in the absence of knowledge.

It was once believed that god "put the baby there." Now we know about sperm and egg and the humping. It was once believed that god responded to the sacrifice of animals. Now we know about the protein in their blood serving as fertilizer, we also know that poop works better. Would it be rational for me to continue believing that god is behind the other mysteries we haven't solved or is it more rational, as a scientific minded person to accept that there are unknowns?


To simplify and summarize let me ask you this; How the hell do you prove something DOESN'T exist? Why, that's just silly. You prove something DOES exist, or you prove that it's likely it DOES exist while you continue to look for absolute proof of it's existence.

Daniel Persson sings Beautiful Mess

AHHHHHHH Daniel is so rad. To hear what he sounds like in a studio with some other musicans, (as if he weren't amazing enough just sitting around with his guitar) visit his myspace page:
myspace.com/danielpersson, You can buy CDs there too.