The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Role of the Christian Religion in its development
Archive for the ‘Religion Vs. Science/Freethought’ Category
The UDHR and the Role of the Christian Religion in its development
Wednesday, September 1st, 2010Transubstantiation
Sunday, August 8th, 2010The doctrine of Transubstantiation is obviously a ridiculous one, and that ridiculousness is apparent to anyone who stops to question it, be they a child or an adult. The fact that I felt the need to suppress these doubts and questions (to even ponder them would have been sinful) and the fact that millions of adults continue to profess belief in a doctrine that even a small child with the most basic of critical thinking skills can easily debunk is a depressing reminder of the effectiveness of childhood Catholic indoctrination….
[M]illions of adults, all across the world, believe that, as the Pope puts it, the Eucharist is “Jesus who makes himself food.” That is both laughable and incredibly sad. Transubstantiation is a perfect example of the nonsensical nature of religious belief, and the fact that so many individuals unquestioningly accept such a ludicrous and laughable notion illustrates the insidious power of religious indoctrination.
Further, the fact that non-Catholics are expected to avoid questioning or pointing out the absurdity of this doctrine, out of fear of offending Catholics, is a clear example of the automatic and unquestioned respect that our society grants to religious beliefs. Think about it like this: if your neighbor told you they believe that, each night, their pet dog turns into a unicorn, runs around doing magical deeds, and then transforms back into a dog before sunrise, you would almost certainly think them delusional and/or crazy, and you probably wouldn’t be afraid to tell them so. However, because our society offers religion so much undeserved and automatic respect, pointing out the sheer absurdity of the doctrine of Transubstantiation is considered by many to be a disrespectful act, while few would think it disrespectful to point out the ridiculousness of the less absurd (yes, less absurd) belief in dog-to-unicorn transformation, for example.
The Man Who Went to Jail for Being a Freethinker
Friday, July 9th, 2010The Man Who Went to Jail for Being a Freethinker:
It is hard to believe, but 130 years ago, you could go to jail for blasphemy and obscenity in the United States. In fact, in 1879 the publisher of a small magazine for freethinkers called “Truth Seeker” was arrested and sentenced to prison for 13 months for obscenity.
The jailed publisher, a man named D.M. Bennett (1818-1882), didn’t think seeking truth was obscene, so he started a petition campaign that went all the way to the White House. But to no avail. Bennett ended up serving his full term in the penitentiary, where he nearly died due to the harsh conditions.
It seems that Bennett had not only affronted society by publishing pamphlets such as “Open Letter to Jesus Christ” and articles on the crimes and immorality of Christian ministers, but worse, Bennett had offended U.S. Post Office Special Agent Anthony Comstock, a religious fanatic and member of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice. Comstock was militant about keeping what he termed “obscenity” out of the mails—and that included anti-religious publications. Bennett died a few years after his imprisonment and was buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn … at a time in history when to speak against religion was considered “obscene.”