Holy Sand Spam Man

November 27, 2008

I got a spam from SandofChrist.com.  They are selling little vials of blessed sand.

SAND of CHRIST THE POWER OF THE LORD WITH YOU ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, LIKE NEVER BEFORE!

Wow, can I get a sandbox full?  How about a litter box full?

The copy reads:

Through great time and expense, each individual vial of specially imported sand has been purified and made holy by an Ordained Minister.

From where China?  The Home Depot?

If you want to become and Ordained Minister you can do it for free a the Universal Life Church Monastery.  It just takes a few seconds.

These little wonders radiate the positive power of Christ our Lord, and you can feel it!  Wear it around your neck, … FEEL THE POWER OF THE LORD LIKE NEVER BEFORE!

I think some people will be feeling it in their wallet. Its 29.99+$4.99 S&H for sand.

Googling for “sand of christ” returns their site, a twitter feed asking about it, a price comparison site and a sand sculpture page.  This is really surprising since the site is headed by “In the News:” followed by the ABC, CBS, NBC, WebMD and CNN logos.  Could the Spammers exaggerating a bit?  Are they anticipating the trademark infringement notices?

If I mixed the sand with my bottle of Jordan River Holy Water what would happen?  Would I be able to defeat supervillain spammers?  I have a few ideas where they can place their vials and feel the power of the lord like never before.

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Posted by theskepticnextdoor

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round

November 22, 2008

I was in Washington DC last week, and I am annoyed that I missed the American Humanist Association’s, “Why believe in God” campaign on DC buses. The adverts start this weekend.  Even though this is a very mild add, it has already created a huge amount of teeth gnashing and hand ringing by the religious fringe.  See Bill Donahue’s rant on Fox

The British Humanist Association has also been planning a campaign for January. Their message is

There’s Probably No God. Now Stop Worrying, and Enjoy Your Life.

They have had great success raising funding.

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Posted by theskepticnextdoor

Can Atheists Be Moral?

November 16, 2008

On a recent flight, my seatmate asked me about my Skeptical Inquirer magazine.  After some discussion it became clear to me that my fellow traveler was not very religious.  When asked, it quickly became clear that we were both Atheists.

Further discussion revealed that my new friend works for Garmeen Bank, one of the worlds best NGOs.   This is an organization that shared the 2006 Nobel Peace prize with its founder Muhammad Yunus.

For those not familiar with the Garmeen Bank and its American offshoot the Garmeen Foundation, it provides microloans or microfinance to the poor in order to improve their lives.  For example, they may loan the equivalent of $40 to a single mother to buy a milk cow.  The mother would pay back the loan and improve her family’s standard of living by selling the milk.  Once the loan is paid back, the money can be used again to help another.  The reuse of money makes the organization incredibly efficient.

To me, it is not at all surprising that a godless Atheist works for charitable organization that helps some of the poorest people in the world.  This is someone who has spent years working in poor countries helping other.  Neither of us have ever been believer, so as some might speculate, it is not the case that my Atheist friend joined the organization as a believer and then became apostate.  Religion was never part of the rationale.

Footnote: If you think it was chance that I was wandering around airports carrying a copy of Skeptical Inquirer, then I have a peaceful wall in Jerusalem that I would be pleased to sell you.

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Posted by theskepticnextdoor

Humanist I am I am

November 16, 2008

Well, I am now a card carrying Humanist. Really, they sent me a card with my name on it. I also got a gold H pin, which I suppose is suppose to be the happy human logo.

From the Council for Secular Humanism-What Is Secular Humanism?

Secular Humanism is a term which has come into use in the last thirty years to describe a world view with the following elements and principles:

    • A conviction that dogmas, ideologies and traditions, whether religious, political or social, must be weighed and tested by each individual and not simply accepted on faith.
    • Commitment to the use of critical reason, factual evidence, and scientific methods of inquiry, rather than faith and mysticism, in seeking solutions to human problems and answers to important human questions.
    • A primary concern with fulfillment, growth, and creativity for both the individual and humankind in general.
    • A constant search for objective truth, with the understanding that new knowledge and experience constantly alter our imperfect perception of it.
    • A concern for this life and a commitment to making it meaningful through better understanding of ourselves, our history, our intellectual and artistic achievements, and the outlooks of those who differ from us.
    • A search for viable individual, social and political principles of ethical conduct, judging them on their ability to enhance human well-being and individual responsibility.
    • A conviction that with reason, an open marketplace of ideas, good will, and tolerance, progress can be made in building a better world for ourselves and our children.

If you are interested in joining a Humanist organization, see below or Wikipedia for an extensive list.

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Posted by theskepticnextdoor