Don't try this at home!

The bible is full of unbelievable stories, like Daniel in the lions' den, Jesus walking on water, the part where God said true believers can handle poisonous snakes and not die and many more. I think that most of us would agree that reenacting these scenarios may not work out so well, but a few Christians had to learn this the hard way.

First I give you this article,which talks about Pastor Gregory James Coots who was arrested for possession of several poisonous snakes that he used in religious services.

Handling snakes is practiced in a handful of fundamentalist churches across Appalachia, based on the interpretation of Bible verses saying true believers can take up serpents without being harmed. The practice is illegal in most states, including Kentucky.

Coots, 36, is pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Jesus Name in Middlesboro, where a Tennessee woman died after being bitten by a rattlesnake during a service in 1995. Her husband died three years later when he was bitten by a snake in northeastern Alabama.

Did I read that right? I thought believers wouldn't be harmed by snakes. This is all very confusing.

Next, I would like to introduce you to a man that was trying to reenact the story of Daniel in the lions' den.

A man shouting that God would keep him safe was mauled to death by a lioness in Kiev zoo after he crept into the animal's enclosure, a zoo official said on today. "The man shouted 'God will save me, if he exists', lowered himself by a rope into the enclosure, took his shoes off and went up to the lions," the official said.

"A lioness went straight for him, knocked him down and severed his carotid artery."

The incident, yesterday evening when the zoo was packed with visitors, was the first of its kind at the attraction. Lions and tigers are kept in an "animal island" protected by thick concrete blocks.

I guess God doesn't exist? Or maybe he wasn't paying attention at that moment?

Finally, I would like to point your attention to Evangelist preacher Franck Kabele.

Franck Kabele, a 35 year old Evangelist preacher, told his congregation that, following a revelation, he could walk on water as Jesus did in the Bible but drowned soon after the water depth had exceeded his height.

"He told churchgoers he'd had a revelation that if he had enough faith, he could walk on water like Jesus. He took his congregation to the beach saying he would walk across the Komo estuary, which takes 20 minutes by boat," an eyewitness said.

"He walked into the water, which soon passed over his head and he never came back." His proof of mortality occurred off the local beach in the capital Libreville, Gabon, west Africa.

I am not sure exactly why this man had to die. It seems to me that one of the people watching should have been able to save him. I think that this is a story that is better tried in the winter.

As I write this, I can almost hear my old pastor still standing in front of the congregation proclaiming that we shouldn't test God (Matthew 4:7).

Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'

I never really truly understood why God couldn't be tested. I thought that in some aspects where a true believer was testing God in order to prove to other that he is real it might be a great way to win the lost. This passage like so many others does have a verse that contradicts it (I Thessalonians 5:21)

Test everything. Hold on to the good.

Maybe those that tried to put these different parts of the bible were just following I Thessalonians 5:21. hatever their motives were I really hope that there aren't too many more that feel they can reenact the bible. It saddens me to see people cut their lives short.

Free Pregnancy Tests!

There is no more need to run to the store to get a pregnancy test, you can use the one that God designed for us.

God designed the lunar cycle or synodic month to equal about 29.5 days. This is the period from new moon to new moon or full moon to full moon. This is quite close to the average woman's menstrual cycle of 28 days. If a woman started her period last month with a full moon, for example and the next full moon came without a period she was quite probably pregnant.

I think that I will have to defer to a quote that I found on The Straight Dope.

The smart money says it's coincidence.Science and the Paranormal (1983), astronomer George O. Abell writes, "The moon's cycle of phases is 29.53 days, while the human female menstrual cycle averages 28 days (although it varies among women and from time to time with individual women); this is hardly even a good coincidence! The corresponding estrus cycles of some other mammals are 28 days for opossums, 11 days for guinea pigs, 16 to 17 days for sheep, 20 to 22 days for sows, 21 days for cows and mares, 24 to 26 days for macaque monkeys, 37 days for chimpanzees, and only 5 days for rats and mice. One could argue, I suppose, that the human female, being more intelligent and perhaps aware of her environment, adapted to a cycle close to that of the moon, while lower animals did not. But then the 28-day period for the opossum must be a coincidence, and if it is a coincidence for opossums, why not for humans?"

With that said I am really glad that the human menstrual cycle and the rats are not the same!

Shady Stats

A little while back I decided to get my e-mail address on the One News Now mailing list. I thought that it would not only provide me with a few good laughs, but also provide me with some blog fuel. Well, today I got a bit of both in this article highlighting some of the work done by Dr. Trayce Hansen.

Although there is a lot I could talk about with regards to this article I am just going to focus on this last section.

"Young adults who were raised by openly homosexual parents were more likely to engage in homosexuality and to later self-identify as bisexual or homosexual -- and it's quite a stark difference," Hansen shares. She notes that 24 percent of children raised by homosexuals or lesbians had experiences with the same gender, while zero percent raised by heterosexuals leaned in that direction."

I did some more research into just how this stat came about and what I found was that this statistic was ripped from a study that Dr. Hansen analized. When you follow that link you have to scroll down to the study titled "Golombok, S. & Tasker, F. (1996). Do parents influence the sexual orientation of their children? Findings from a longitudinal study of lesbian families.Developmental Psychology, 32, 3-11" it is about halfway down the page.

This study was done with the help of 25 children from lesbian parents and 21 children raised by heterosexual single mothers. It isn't exactly a very big sample, and it doesn't include heterosexual parents it only includes single moms. Here are the actual stats that One News Now was looking at when they wrote that article.

"24% of the homosexually parented young adults had actually experienced one or more homosexual sexual relationships, while none of the young adults reared by heterosexuals had."

"16% of those reared by lesbians had homosexual or bisexual levels of same-sex attraction, while 0% of the children of heterosexuals did."

On a happier note, I would like to report that several commenters on One News Now weren't shy to speak up and say that the stats were misleading. Of course there are also several that just don't care about what the facts say.

"Who needs a researcher to verify this - even stupid people know how harmful to children these people are. Of course these kids turn out worse than other children, can you imagine the horrors they are subjected to? How terribly sad for the kids but until the perverts are stopped they will continue to ruin any child they get the chance to."

I know that there is a lot more that I could say about this research, but I will let you guys do your own research and come to your own conclutions my head is hurting to much to continue.

Wacky Wednesday

I felt that it was time for another installment of Wacky Wednesday when I read this post over at Pharyngula. Webster Cook, a university student, has come under attack for taking the Eucharist, the Catholic communion cracker that had been blessed by the priest, out of the church.

When I read this post the first time I laughed so hard that I had tears coming down my face. I was waiting for PZ to say that this was some kind of joke or an article that he found on The Onion. Then when I read the news articles (don't miss this one too) I realized that this wasn't a joke and that this student's life is actually being turned upside down because of the loonies that believe this cracker is the body of Christ.

Vive Christus Rex a Catholic blogger talks about the roadmap to save Cook. Which includes apologizing to everyone including Bill Donohue, taking 6 months of sensitivity counseling, doing community service, dropping all charges against the students that threatened him, and accepting any punishment the school gives him. All that is required for taking a cracker out of a church?

This seems absolutely absurd to me! Have these people lost their minds? It is a cracker. I am not sure that the Catholic church realizes this, but I have a feeling there are going to be many more people taking the Eucharist out of the church now just to piss them off even more. In fact, I think that I am going to go to mass just to do that and I would encourage anyone else to do the same. I am not advocating disrupting the service I am just saying that you should quietly take it out without anyone knowing and then post a picture of it on your blog or website.

Let the cracker collecting begin!

Atheist Nexus

There is a new social network for atheists, Atheist Nexus. I signed up and so far it is pretty good. I think that the more atheists that join the better it is going to be. Come join us and get to know other Atheists in your area.

To find me and add me as a friend click here.

Paradise on Earth

I first must apologize for the long absence. I have just returned from a long-overdue vacation.

My husband and I went up to Michigan's Upper Peninsula with his family for several days of relaxation and fun in the great outdoors. I spent a lot of the time out on the water fishing with my father-in-law and brother-in-law. While fishing, I had plenty of time to look around and admire the beautiful surroundings. As anyone that has been to the UP can attest to, it is absolutely breathtaking to watch the sun go down over the water while you see swans, geese, ducks and other wildlife come in and out of sight.

I recounted this story to say that I know some of us atheists grew up with this notion that after this life we would be going to Heaven where it was marvelous and perfect, but now we know that isn't the way life works. So, I think that we should explore this stunning planet that is real and amazing.

I know that on several occasions I have found myself dwelling on the fact that there is no heaven, but I have been reminded this week that there are numerous places here on Earth that are incredible. I don't need to dwell on things that I can't change, but I can enjoy the marvelous surroundings that are practically in my back yard.