I almost forgot that today is International Blasphemy Rights Day, probably because, for the first time in a few years, I’m not speaking anywhere as part of the day’s festivities. I was invited to speak at the University of Illinois but I had to turn it down because I had another engagement a few days later that I would need the time to prepare for. Alas, that later event got postponed and now I wish I’d accepted the invitation. I actually have video of the “stand up skeptic” presentation I did last year for CFI Michigan for the occasion but I haven’t taken the time to get it converted and uploaded to Youtube.
Anyway, happy International Blasphemy Rights Day!
19 comments
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Sastra
September 30, 2011 at 12:17 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Oh, God damn it, so did I!
Tabby Lavalamp
September 30, 2011 at 12:19 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Is it appropriate to throw a tantrum if anyone wishes us a “Happy Holidays” instead?
386sx
September 30, 2011 at 12:22 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
All of these people are poopy-heads!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deities
All poopy-heads…
The Christian Cynic
September 30, 2011 at 12:32 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
The University of Illinois as in Urbana-Champaign? If so, I wish you’d accepted it; that’s probably the closest you come to me at all, and I likely would’ve tried to attend if possible. Too bad.
Before anyone else posts it, you should all watch this today (NSFW).
jshaffer
September 30, 2011 at 12:33 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Tabby Lavalamp asked:
I think we’re required by law to throw a tantrum.
Rich Stage
September 30, 2011 at 12:37 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Want to blaspheme? It’s your right!
Because, in this world, God’s a blight.
If you’d be inclined
to open your mind
the fires of freedom you’ll ignite.
Bronze Dog
September 30, 2011 at 12:40 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I need to mark my calendar for some of these holidays. Guess I’ll throw out a little of my own blasphemy here, and maybe post a more extensive list on my blog.
1. It is unlikely that any god exists.
2. Evolution is demonstrably true and has been used for pragmatic purposes.
3. Priests, ministers, and people of faith are mere mortals just like the rest of us.
4. “Supernatural” is a nonsense word used to force double standards of evidence and cause unnecessary confusion. The monism of materialism has contributed far more to our understanding of the universe than dualism.
5. The universe has no inherent meaning or purpose. People choose to make meaning and purpose.
6. The god of the Bible is a cruel, psychotic egomaniac whose ability to love falls far short of your average human’s. It’s good that he’s fictional, and just in case he’s not, it’s good that he can be defeated by iron chariots.
7. When dealing with the difficult questions of the origin of the laws of physics, the cause of the Big Bang, “I don’t know” is an honest and humble answer for a typical human, including many of the scientists studying cosmology and physics. “A god did it” is an assertion based only on arrogance and hubris.
roland72
September 30, 2011 at 1:13 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I hereby deny the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit? What a crock of shit. There, that should do – that’s my eternal damnation sorted out for this year. Good job!
Michael Heath
September 30, 2011 at 1:14 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I was nine years old when I ran my first experiment. I was walking through a cemetery with some buddies, each of us hoping to scare the others without getting too scared ourselves. My ploy was to yell “God damn it”. Nothing happened; having been raised fundie I was somewhat surprised and incredibly relieved.
slc1
September 30, 2011 at 1:19 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Re Christian Cynic @ #4
Video is gone.
rork
September 30, 2011 at 2:35 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
The Red Spirits, Spirits of Rot, and Smoke-Magic-Woman, are not real, unless you mean bacteria and fungi when you refer to the Rot Spirits.
This blasphemy brought to you from Papua New Guinea.
Sacrilege is better: the neighboring tribe that has men perform anal sex on the young initiates in the boys-becoming-men rites (it makes the young men fertile) are abominators. Of course they think the same about us, who do it orally, as the Red Spirits require. But it is they that shall surely be punished.
Abby Normal
September 30, 2011 at 3:03 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Jar Jar Binks was the greatest thing to ever happen to Star Wars.
a2audrey
September 30, 2011 at 3:52 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Tim Minchon’s in Detroit tonight at St. Andrews Hall. Perfect venue for the celebration!
fifthdentist
September 30, 2011 at 4:19 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Jesus ass-raping Christ! I always forget.
The Christian Cynic
September 30, 2011 at 4:20 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
@10: Damn! I was hoping to avoid a youtube link because I’ve seen them automatically embed here in the past. Maybe I’ll try it anyway.
386sx
September 30, 2011 at 5:32 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
It’s a sad testimony to the ubiquity of religious indoctrination that we have only one day for celebrating the blasphemy rights. Let us all unite and celebrate this day –those who are people of faith, and those who are none. Today is a day of solidarity for us all.
rwahrens
September 30, 2011 at 10:45 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
This should be a universally celebrated day, after all, since one man’s theology is another man’s blasphemy, aren’t we ALL blasphemers? (I know, I know, Heinlein used the phrase “belly laugh”, but this just seemed to fit the occasion.)
abb3w
October 1, 2011 at 7:21 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
God damn Jesus Christ fornicating a goat! I missed the day!
JKVisFX
October 2, 2011 at 3:17 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Send the video to me, I’ll encode and upload for you.