Objective Moral Values Exist

There is one key problem with Christian apologists' arguments that there can be no objective moral values without a deity. The problem with their argument is that human genetic (if you will, evolved) predispositions to moral behaviour are not subjective as they claim but purely objective as they are a result of natural (or instinctive) development of the human social animal. Altruistic behaviour towards others in our "tribe" or family unit is not cultural; it's natural. Culture arose from the social nature of our species, not the other way around. Only immoral behaviour can be attributed to cultural (and/or religious) subjectivity. Moral behaviour can not.

Now, just because other rationalists and skeptics and many theists do not agree with my premise, doesn't necessarily make it wrong.

As one, unconvincing, apologist put it, the fact that there is a chair in my kitchen is an objective physical reality. He then proceeded to twist this logic to merely assert that a deity was necessary for objective moral values to exist. Saying it doesn't make it so. I contend that because there is zero evidence that a deity exists and because a large number of non-believing homo sapiens behave morally towards each other based on objective natural instinctive moral values, then objective moral values can and do exist in the absence of a deity.

Scientific experiments conducted with chimpanzees showed very clear altruistic behaviour towards other chimpanzees in the group even when there was no benefit to the individual. Chimpanzees do not believe in an Abrahamic deity. They do not have "opinions" regarding morality. Chimpanzee objective moral values exist in the absence of a god. So do the moral values of other less intelligent species.

Human infants as young as 12 weeks of age respond to compassion and react to suffering. We're hardwired to experience joy and reject pain and this biological fact can certainly be the foundation of objective moral values. In every culture in the world, there is a universal symbol of happiness. That symbol is a smile and young infants who have been exposed to virtually no culture will mirror a smile and experience the happiness associated with that smile.

Human instinct to seek happiness for themselves and others and reduce suffering for themselves and others is a naturally evolved component of our brains for survival and prosperity of the species. Evolution and specifically natural selection are a far more reasonable explanation for objective moral values than a supernatural entity. No wizard or deity is required.

Saying that a deity is required for objective moral values to exist when the evidence or rather lack thereof clearly suggests that such a being doesn't exist, is circular logic at best.

Choice - A Woman's Right

Let's have this little talk about abortion. It is a woman's right and only the woman's say if she chooses to have an abortion.

If a female child is raped through incest or by a stranger and becomes pregnant, she has the right to an abortion. It's not bad enough that she has already been violated in the most heinous way imaginable, now a bunch of old white men in the government are going to force her to endure another 9 months of torture because of some phony sense of morality! Her body is not yours to control you addle minded bullies.

If an adult woman is raped, the same applies.

If a woman will die without an abortion, the same rules apply.

If a woman gets pregnant unintentionally and is not prepared financially, physically or emotionally to go through a pregnancy and have a child or if she simply does not want to be pregnant and have a child, the same rules apply.

It's her body, her womb and her life. IT'S NOT YOURS. And it is NOT a baby she's getting rid of. It's genetic material. There is more genetic material involved when you skin your knee and that's a fact.




Pro-lifers are nothing more than a bunch of control freaks and misogynists who want to have a say over another female human being's body. I say, "Mind your own damn business. If you don't want to have an abortion, don't have one."

Pro-lifers have big mouths when it comes to a woman's right to an abortion but they're usually the first ones to want to eliminate social programs for the poor and take away access to birth control which would prevent most pregnancies in the first place.

The current Republican party - well let me just say that keeping women barefoot and pregnant is a great way to have total dominance over them. These Republicans are misogynist pigs and that's indefensible.

And my last but not least point is that most pro-lifers are religious freaks. They use a "belief" in a non-existent deity to back their anti-abortion rhetoric even though their holy books don't mention abortion. And even if their god wasn't mythical, miscarriage of 40% of all pregnancies would be proof that their deity is not opposed to abortion.

So, pro-lifers, take your misogynistic bullshit and walk away. We, the supporters of real freedom and equality, don't care to hear your nonsense any more.

The US and Nazi Germany Have More in Common than You Think

James Smith brought this quote to my attention on Martin Pribble's blog:

"Naturally, the common people don't want war, but after all, it is the leaders of a country who determine policy. It is always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it is a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.

This is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country."

Hermann Goering Hitler's Reich-Marshall at the Nuremberg trials after WW II

I'd heard this quote before but had forgotten the wording. It is, sadly, a reflection of the thugs I call the republicans in the US.

It's really rather simple. The GOP repeats lies frequently until people believe that the lies are true.

They say BO is a foreigner; it's a lie but the less than bright Americans believe it. They say BO will take your guns away; it's a lie but the less than bright Americans believe it. They say BO is a socialist; it's a lie but the less than bright Americans believe it. They say BO is angry and divisive; it's a lie but the less than bright Americans believe it. They say BO is ruining the economy; it's a lie but the less than bright Americans believe it.

The current republican party are a group a racist fascists who are truly the ones who want to take away your rights and freedoms. They are the Nazi party and women and minorities are their Jews. What did they do to the Jews again?

Theists Will Stop At Nothing!

The following is my response to a ridiculous blog I read. It was written by a theist, who, like they all seem to like to do, insults atheists with ludicrous lies.

This is the crazy talk -> http://sacerdotvs.blogspot.ca/2012/07/ban-ignorant-atheists.html

The following is my response that the coward refuses to post:
I have never seen a blog post more fallacious in my entire life. First and foremost, it is the theists who are the bullies, the name callers and haters. They consistently take great pleasure in stating that we, and many others, will spend an eternity in a nonexistent "hell" - burning while they look on laughing at the suffering of others. What kind of person takes pleasure in the suffering of others? Even though hell is hogwash, they believe it's real and relish in such despicable fantasies. Theists hate atheists, anyone in the LGBT community, women, people of colour and, basically, anyone who is not a white, misogynistic, bigoted male. They think they have a right to shove their nonsensical archaic superstitious beliefs down the throats of rational "thinking" human beings. Theist DEMAND we respect their beliefs that are no more plausible than the belief in leprechauns. Their beliefs are based on 2000+ year old myths. These tales came from people who thought epilepsy was the manifestation of demons. Respect? Really? The catholic church has spent centuries covering-up crimes and protecting pedophiles while hundreds of innocent children were tortured, raped and repeatedly victimized by the TRULY deviant in our society. YOU, sir, ought to be ashamed! I'll start respecting magical foolishness when pigs can fly!

And, FYI, Matthew Chatterton has more kindness, compassion, empathy and intelligence in his pinky than you appear to have in your entire being.

What Atheism Means For Me

Atheism is not a "belief system" in the accepted sense of that phrase. There is no "faith" involved in atheism. Faith is defined as:

faith [feyth] noun
1. confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability.
2. belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that he would be healed.
3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm faith of the Pilgrims.
4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.
5. a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.

When atheists speak of "beliefs" or the "faith" of theists, we are referring to definitions 2, 3 and 5. Atheists do not "believe" or have "faith" based on any of those definitions, therefore, atheism is not a religion.

It is NOT "a belief that no god exists". It is a lack of belief in a god or gods. I am an atheist. I would never use the phrase, "I believe no god exists." at least not in the sense that theists believe. That would be a misleading and inaccurate statement. What I would say is that there is no evidence to suggest that a deity exists, therefore I do not believe in god. This means that I, personally, have no "faith" that a deity exists. I do not say, nor can anyone say, that I am absolutely certain that no god exists. What I am saying, is that based on the FACT that no evidence has ever been presented indicating the existence of a deity, it is astronomically unlikely that such a super being exists. I could be wrong, but I truly doubt it.

I have no faith in a magic space daddy or any other mythical being, I do not live my life based on some ancient doctrine, therefore I have no religion.

Atheism is NOT a religion... it's a lack of religion... it is the lack of the belief in a supernatural entity. Atheists don't meet every Sunday and chant, sing and pray to a mythical entity because, frankly, that's just plain idiotic and I have better things to do with my brief life.

Death Toll

I think I am finally fed up with the idiotic notion that more deaths can be attributed to atheists than to theists. Really? Do you really want to go there? Because in all seriousness, you've already lost.

In the beginning... remember that little book called Genesis in your Bible. In that fairy tale, god got pissed off because Adam and Eve gained knowledge and apparently, he wanted to keep his pets stupid. So god blocked the path to the "tree of life" (Genesis 3:23-24) so that Adam and Eve could not eat from it and live forever. This punishment was bestowed upon, not just Adam and Eve, but, all humans forever and ever. Besides punishing everyone for all future generations for something of which they couldn't possibly be held accountable, god also became 100% responsible for the deaths of every human that ever lived and subsequently died.

So according to your own ridiculous archaic beliefs, you, theists win the death toll race by several billion to zero. Just like your answer to every other question... "God did it!" Now STFU!

Ménière's Disease

The Facts on Ménière's Disease

Ménière's disease is a condition that affects the inner ear. It causes attacks of dizziness (vertigo), nausea and vomiting, a feeling of fullness in the ear and/or pressure in the skull, hissing and roaring in the ears, and some hearing loss.

The disease comes on without warning. It may come and go over a person's lifetime. It often leaves no lasting symptoms in between bouts, and people with it can live perfectly normal lives.

Between 2 to 6 out of every 1,000 people will be affected with the disease. The condition affects men and women, and usually begins between the ages of 20 and 50. Usually only one ear is affected, although 10% to 15% of people with Ménière's disease develop it in both ears.

Causes of Ménière's Disease

The cause of Ménière's disease is unknown. The symptoms are believed to be related to having too much fluid in the inner ear. Occasionally, this potassium-rich fluid breaks the inner ear membrane and leaks into the potassium-poor outer fluid. This mixing causes a chemical reaction that paralyses the balance system in the inner ear until the fluid balance becomes normal again.

Symptoms and Complications of Ménière's Disease

Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, ear fullness, ringing in the ears, and some hearing loss are all symptoms of an attack of Ménière's disease. A person with this condition usually has one or more attacks a year, which may come alone or in groups. The individual attacks last from approximately 20 minutes to 24 hours and generally recur over a period of 2 to 3 weeks and go away gradually. During a dizzy spell, the person feels like the world is whirling around them. They stagger from side to side and sometimes even fall down. These falling spells are called drop attacks or Tumarkin spells.

If you have Ménière's disease, you may also experience tinnitus, which is a hissing, ringing, or roaring in the affected ear that may continue, change, or disappear. Tinnitus may worsen during, just before, or just after a dizzy spell. People with Ménière's disease also have trouble hearing voices and music properly. Their hearing often comes back between attacks, but they do lose some hearing permanently over time.

Another symptom of Ménière's disease are frequent migraines. Migraines occur both during an attack and between attacks. The reason for the frequent migraines is unknown. The only known treatment is migraine medication.

While having an attack of Ménière's disease, you may also get a non-migraine headache, grow pale, sweat, develop a slow pulse, and feel nauseous and vomit.

A person with the condition can go for years without having another attack and sometimes they never experience another attack. Between attacks, the person feels fine. However, the hearing in the affected ear (or ears) often declines gradually over time. Since the dizziness is unpredictable, people with Ménière's disease may be constantly concerned about having a dizzy spell and therefore often avoid driving or operating machinery. If attacks have occurred without warning, your doctor is obliged to advise you against driving.

Diagnosing Ménière's Disease

Your doctor will review your symptoms and medical history, and do a physical exam. Hearing tests and other lab tests of ear function will also take place, and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan may be done to check if there is a brain tumour.

Treating and Preventing Ménière's Disease

Currently, there is no way to cure Ménière's disease. Treatments include acupuncture, herbal remedies, and various medications. Diuretics, vasodilator medications, and a low-salt diet help relieve symptoms by taking fluid away from the head and ear and maintaining the fluid balance in the body.

Anti-nausea medications such as dimenhydrinate or meclizine can be taken in the form of tablets or suppositories.

Listening to music can "mask" the tinnitus or noises in a person's ears. Some people wear a tinnitus masker, which is a little device that makes noise behind their ear to block the awareness of the tinnitus.

If these treatments don't work, surgery may be an option. However, it doesn't always work and can cause ear damage. A type of surgery called labyrinthectomy usually relieves the dizziness but it results in total hearing and balance loss in the affected ear.

Another surgical procedure involves cutting the nerve leading to the organ of balance in the middle ear. Like a labyrinthectomy, this procedure relieves the dizziness. However, unlike a labyinthectomy, it often preserves the hearing in the ear that was operated on. It is a more complex operation and requires a longer hospital stay, and there is a risk of damage to other parts of the ear.

Endolymphatic sac surgery is another type of surgery that is often used for people who have dizziness but good hearing, as it can relieve the dizziness and usually preserves hearing in the ear that is operated on. However, in about 4% of cases, hearing gets worse. It does not usually relieve tinnitus. A "shunt" or plastic tube to drain fluid from the ear isn't usually successful.

Chemicals can also be used to destroy either all or part of the balancing functions of the ear. The medication gentamicin is placed into the middle ear using a tube through the eardrum. It destroys some hearing cells, but it helps make the vertigo attacks less severe and may leave people with enough hearing so that they can function. However, hearing loss is a possibility.