Archive for November, 2010

Who Hijacked Reality / #271 There are days when I just have to shake my head at what The Faithful say..

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

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Journal Entry # 271

November 30th, 2010

Sometimes I can’t believe some of the stupid things people say. I am a realist and a sceptic but before I say anything I try to either makes sense of it or find credible evidence to back it up. During my conversations with the faithful and sometimes just anybody I get to a point where I just say what the fuck is going through this persons head.

It is very hard to talk with stupid at times. I guess I should really say ignorance. People want to believe something so badly that they will stop at any information that verifies in their mind what they believe.

I do get the same repetitive dribble from the faithful. It seems they were all schooled in the same program on how to witness and give testimonials. The Ray Comfort school of how to talk to an Atheist.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z-OLG0KyR4

Kirk Cameron And Bananas

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkucszhRjnA

Using Common Sense to Debunk Evolution – CBN.com

If you understand Evolution at least the basics you will see how ridiculous these videos are.  

Below just verifies what I am talking about. A few things said jump out at you.

Christian………… Yes Gary read the Shroud of Turin and you will not only see Jesus but you will see the scientific evidence of his actual existence. If you aren’t willing to even do a small amount of research to discover for yourself what we are telling you then you are cheating yourself of the beauty and comfort of a relationship with Our Lord and saviour. Many people have seen him. Read the Bible. Read Lee Strouble’ s books. He was an atheist as you are before he decided to do his homework and discover the truth for himself. Check out who Lee Strouble is. A very credible journalist and editor of the Chicago Tribune. And yes Jesus has spoken to me. If you read your Bible you will read many accounts of God revealing himself. I am sorry for anyone who takes an adversarial position but never takes the time to check out the voluminous data that is available for someone so that they can make an informed decision. Have you read about the Bible codes? Get books about that. Leading scholars from Harvard, Stanford and other leading and respected scholars and atheists agree that there are messages encoded in the old testament that have only been revealed because of the advent of computer technology. Albert Einstein an atheist at one time said that the more he studied the universe the more convinced he became that there is a God. The scientist who discovered DNA also became convinced that there has to be a supreme being to have come up with such a perfect identification system for living creatures. (I am of course paraphrasing). You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. Let me ask you this, has anyone seen Shakespeare, Henry VIII, Socrates, any of the Caesars’, Pontius Pilate, etc. Get my point. Jesus was seen by many and what he had to say was so profound and life changing that people have followed his teachings for over 2,000 years. We know there were witnesses to his resurrection and they wrote about it. We know that Jesus’ own brother didn’t believe Jesus was the son of God until he saw him resurrected and then he became an Apostle of Christianity and was crucified for his teaching of Jesus ‘s teachings. There’s plenty of evidence but Jesus also requires FAITH. Did you know that all Biblical prophecy has been fulfilled. Did you know Christ’s crucifixion was predicted in the old testament before the world had ever heard of crucifixion. Gary my dear brother, don’t cheat yourself of external life. Don’t cheat yourself of the joy and peace and comfort of a relationship with Christ. Your answers are at your fingertips reach out and grab them. You will never regret you did. One last thing. Did you know they have disproven the theory of evolution? God bless you Gary on your search for the truth. 

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Gary David Currie …….First of all the shroud of Turin is not proof of anything but that there is a thing called the Shroud of Turin.

Secondly Einstein was never anything but an atheist. Lee Stroble I have seen his work and as a journalist he stops investigating where it supports his believe.

Look I have done plenty of research and that is why to this day I see no credible evidence.

It seems you and many stop at the investigation that confirms what you want to hear.

Truth is not a popularity contest.

Please show me where they have disproved evolution I am all ears.

Peace to you on your lack of searching and stopping with only what you like.

You see I have acquired knowledge about the items you mentioned but I have also continued as I question everything and nothing you have presented stands up.

Please show me this disproof evolution because to this day over 99% of scientist agree with it. I will listen to them over Lee Strobel.

There is no external life it is wishful thinking and magic does not exist.

Gary David Currie ………..I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE THAT YOU SAID THAT THEY HAVE DISPROVEN THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION. WOW.

Really 150 years of research by 1,000′s of scientists who have spent countless hours on this well acknowledged field and all of a sudden it is disproved.

 Ok… Everything screams of repeating what little information this person has been told but the big one is saying that Evolution has been disproven. Of course I get the final plea to open my heart to Jesus. Yeah… There was so much more that they had said previous to this and this was their big attempt at offering me credible evidence.

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A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty – it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man. (Albert Einstein)

 I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it. (Albert Einstein, 1954)

 I believe in Spinoza’s God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings. (Albert Einstein)

einsteins last supper

Seek the truth always

Gary David Currie

Who Hijacked Reality / #270 People do not do terrible acts in the name of NO GOD or Atheism.

Monday, November 29th, 2010

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Journal Entry # 270

November 29th, 2010

I PROMOTE PEACE

Recently the approach that some of the faithful have been taking towards me is that killing and other terrible acts throughout history have been done in the cause of atheism. This is ridiculous because atheism is a statement saying that one does not believe in god or gods.  If such acts have been committed by regimes or individuals who are not believers there was some other motivating factor behind them. Maybe it was the lust for power.  People do not kill in the name of no god. This is not the post to explain  the different regimes mentioned to me but I will say that that they are usually found to be religious when properly examined.

Religious doctrine does promote terrible acts as defined in the holy books but it is still individuals who commit these acts. The doctrine is just used as the justification for these acts. Also this is not a contest to see which belief has committed the most injustice it is about in my view demonstrating why god probably does not exist.

Proving that Atheism promotes terrible injustices will not verify that gods are real. That is not the point.

My message has been twisted to portray the end result being the eradication of all religious people which is not the case at all. I would not follow this agenda in any way. I am about positive change towards peace for all.

I recently made a public posting on face book to address this issue and I feel the need to repeat it in my blog.

Gary David Currie This was said to me.. what do you think?

Atheism is dangerous it wants to shut everyone up that disagrees with it. Religion is forced to shut up and be destroyed. They justify their own atrocities and blame all religion for what a few are doing. Christianity has the answer for world peace, for taking care of the poor”.

Gary David Currie………All Atheism is.. Stating one does not believe in god… How is this dangerous?

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RESPONSE TO A VIEW OF WHAT MY OVERALL MESSAGE IS.

by Gary David Currie

I feel I must publically answer a view of the solutions and ideals I propose in my writings and my overall message that was interpreted by someone…  I believe they have twisted my views and the purpose of why I speak out so I must answer to clarify.

Below are their comments and my answer….

 Christian…………Would it not be more accurate to say that you define ‘truth’ as physical reality? As what can be reduced to the realm of the five senses? Seen, touched, and measured?

 I believe in truth as well, however, though empirical evidence necessarily m…ust factor in to my concept of reality, truth for me is far more than this. TRUTH in my view is all that I right, good, beautiful and life-giving. Not just fact, not just reality. And REALITY in my view includes the supernatural, which at times can and at other times CANNOT be experienced empirically.

You reject this view. That is your prerogative. It is my prerogative to accept the supernatural as part of reality, God as the Source of truth. Each man must have the freedom to decide this for themselves or we enter a world where freedom of conscience is LOST.

I am aware that you personally would be, and are, rankled by the thought of people being ‘exterminated’ for their religious beliefs. I said the things I said above in part for the shock value, but also in part because this is where I beloved your thinking ultimately leads, and I desire to provoke you to consideration of this.

You would do well to consider where passionate anti-religious sentiment ultimately has led in every instance of human history: persecution of the religious. You would do well, when you issue a call for the banishment of ‘religion’ as a remedy to humanities ills, to consider what you speak of PRACTICALLY. Human history shows with blinding clarity that humans are incurable worshippers. We inevitably worship SOMETHING or SOMEONE. And whenever we decide that OUR particular system of ideas or beliefs is SUPERIOR and ought to be ENFORCED on all men, it leads to massacre.

History is clear on this.

You see it clearly in regards to all other ideologies and philosophies save your own.

Most adherents to philosophies and ideologies are similarly blind to their own bias.

 You say that you adhere only to TRUTH. Well, that is your view, Gary. Not mine. Not the view of millions of people across this planet. When you call for the eradication of religion, you are calling for something that will never take place voluntarily on a global scale. You are calling for some of us to cease bing who we ARE, to surrender our core beliefs, that which makes us WHO WE ARE. We are the passionately religious. We cannot be unpersuaded, however much that rankles you and grieves you and exasperate you.

 So what do you propose?

That is my basic question. You campaign for the eradication of religion, but when I speak of the ONLY ultimate solution, forcible persuasion with the threat of execution, you quail at the prospect in horror.

I’m glad you do. But you need to realize, there will be those who do NOT quail. They will hear the cry for the eradication of these delusional fanatics who call themselves religious, and they will be willing to take the ultimate path to eradication of religion by force. They will see that such deluded fools as we are CANNOT be unpersuaded from our superstitious folly and they will see that it is DANGEROUS to humanity and they will be willing to take do whatever is necessary to be rid of us. Whatever must be done. As if there are enough of them in power….

 Do you understand?

You cry for the elimination of the ‘God Delusion.’ You rail and rage and demand that such fallacy cease. You want a world free of religion. But you don’t really want to do what must be done to create it.

I don’t fear you nor am I an alarmist. I don’t know if such horror as the forcible eradication of the openly religious on a global scale will ever take place. I’m not lying awake at night worrying about it. But I do think it’s possible. I do think that anyone who raises their voice in a passionate cry for the eradication of someone else’s beliefs ought to seriously consider the historical implications. Because in history, we see over and over that such nightmares always begin with voices calling out, demanding that someone else’s beliefs should cease. And the argument that these people’s ‘beliefs’ are DANGEROUS to the HUMAN RACE and that many of our races’ problems would be solved by the elimination of such ‘beliefs’ is a extremely common form of rhetoric in history, use often, used well, and used most effectively to ignite genocide, over and over and over.

 Look at history to see if my words have merit. Prepare to face the possible consequences of your life’s pursuit–the rallying of humanity to end religious beliefs, in the name of Truth and Science and Progress. It’s been done before.

find your gift

 Gary David Currie………. well I said truth is all that is… I think that you are saying there is another reality that cannot be seen with the 5 senses.. guess what then that would be part of reality.. All that is..

 It doesn’t matter what we believe or want… it to be it will still be .

 What you are talking about in your first paragraph is either something that is real or something that you believe exists but does not. If there is a spiritual world it will have nothing to do with this world and should only be addressed when you are there. There would be no rules in this word to get to another world that is insanity. If there is a connection between the two it should be evident and it is not..

 Religion has always dominated this world so we do not know how it will be if people are not thinking this way. Give thinking with reason and logic dealing with truth the same opportunity that faith and religion has had.

 You are correct in saying it is you who makes you who you are not a god . Your core believes are still yours, Why do you need to have a belief in a god to have most of the core values you have?

 I want a world free of delusion not religion a world where truth is valued. I also encourage diversity as a world we are all the same is not a world I want to live in.

You say I do not want to do what must be done to create it… You have lost me here.. I am doing it now and have been for a while..

 It is what we teach and value that must change.

People evolve , cultures come and go.

 Why would I ever be forcible and eradicate people because of their religion that is ridiculous.

 Change comes through education, communication and understanding.

I will protect myself from any aggressors beyond this but that is not religion that is humans being violent.

 Yes you are an alarmist and really do not understand the direction I propose.

Anything can take a wrong turn including reason and science.

 At no point have I endorsed any violence or stopping people from believing in their god. I urge people to be reasonable and I challenge people’s claims.

 Your path that you say I am pursuing is not my path.

 Sorry you missed the point of my message.

 I urge people who want peace no matter what their beliefs to stay the course and not pursue the violence and nasty agenda that the holy books endorse and command that is all.

 I must say your conclusions are way off base…

 By the way the religions of the world are pushing very hard with their agendas right now. Where do you think that will lead? WW3 is on its way if this escalates.

don't take Jesus

Gary David Currie…… I DID NOT NOR I WOULD NOT CALL FOR THE ERADICATION OF RELIGION.. I call for a pursuit of truth, common sense and peace. Where religion goes from this is not my doing. I have stated many times that I would fight to the death for the rights …we have declared as a species whether I agree with what is said or not.

 I will repeat what I said in the beginning and someone twisted it good. I was asked who will be the first to give up their nukes…

 my answer…Gary David Currie Well this will never happen until we put religions in the place they belong, personal beliefs that have no place dictating how humanity as a whole lives. Step #1.

My goals are simple; to challenge people on their claims in the pursuit of truth. I can only speak for myself and no one else.

Seek the truth always

Gary David Currie

Who Hijacked Reality / #269 Who decides the future?

Sunday, November 28th, 2010

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Journal Entry # 269

November 28th, 2010

 

We all do

Because the future is now. There is no future or past there is only this moment.

Gary David Currie

How humanity will be 100 years from now will greatly depend on what we teach our children today. The future is now. This is what we must determine for our species to advance peacefully.

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This applies to us all.

We must learn from our past. It is not too hard to see what works and what does not so what drives us to make the same mistakes over and over? 200 years ago we did not face the vast majority of the problems we face today.

Overpopulation, misuse of the environment, Global annihilation, Extreme poverty and disease and other issues that we as a species have created. If we start today we can change the path we are on but how will we do this? I believe that we must address the root problem and that is believing and acting on lies in the forms of religion, choices of rule and weaponry for starters. We tend to ignore reality in favor of fantasy.

We must learn and we must teach our children to;

Think critically.

Think for themselves as well as the welfare of all humanity.

To Seek the truth and acknowledge it when it is discovered.

To define things within our reality.

To dream and imagine.

To set goals that are realistic and achievable.

To realize that peace is the goal not domination.

That we can serve others while being selfish.

To become knowledgeable in all areas of life.

To take the road less traveled.

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To have respect and self-worth in our selves and others.

To think not only individually but expanding to global thinking as well.

That war is never the ultimate answer.

That to dehumanize another dehumanizes oneself in the process.

That stuff is just stuff and the need will never be fulfilled.

That true happiness comes in moments as well as every other emotional state.

That while faith is important it must be balanced by reason.

That we only have this life so don’t waste it.

Question everything.

That life is about balance and when the balance is off we must correct it.

That our life here on this planet is amazing if we want it to be.

That you are never too old to try something new.

To think creatively.

That love is a powerful force.

We must listen before we speak understand before we offer an opinion and acknowledge the facts as facts.

That to serve you fellow human beings has great personal rewards.

Balance

What will the world be like in 100 years if we all embraced these and other positive principals? We must not teach hate, vengeance, righteousness, disrespect, war and above all anything that is a lie.

I suggest we start to learn from our mistakes instead of making them again this is the definition of stupidity, to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result.

Seek the truth always

Gary David Currie

Who Hijacked Reality / #267 Hitchens / Blair Debate.

Friday, November 26th, 2010

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Journal Entry # 267

November 26th, 2010

Tonight I will be attending a live feed of the Hitchens / Blair debate at Trent University sponsored by the TUAM. This is a new organization started in September by Trent University students promoting positive atheism. I am excited to be with like minded individuals.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Trent-University-New-Atheist-Movement-TUNAM/155706107785509

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo4HboMs-d8

Christopher Hitchens Closing Remarks (Dembski Debate)

A taste of what I will be attending.

Seek the truth always

Gary David Currie

Who Hijacked Reality / #266 People who make a positive difference in our world. #2 Lewis ” Codeboy” Schofield.

Thursday, November 25th, 2010

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Journal Entry # 266

November 25th, 2010

This is the second entry in a bi-weekly series about people who I feel make a daily difference in the world. I am not focusing on their religious choices or any other criteria except that they have made a positive difference in the world.

Lewis “Codeboy” Schofield

http://www.thisislewis.net

http://www.reverbnation.com/lewiscodeboyschofield

http://www.youtube.com/user/CodeboyAdventures

http://en.wordpress.com/tag/lewis-codeboy-schofield

Description of Lewis on his website.

Lewis “Codeboy” Schofield

Professional Kid with Cool Ideas and Asperger Syndrome and now, Myasthenia Gravis, too!

I have lived all of my life Asperger Syndrome, a form of Autism and in April 2008, I was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis. Myasthenia Gravis is a life threatening debilitating rare and complex neuromuscular autoimmune disease that has no cure. I created this website in 2004 to help people understand more about Autism and expanded it in 2008 to include Myasthenia Gravis.

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Lewis is a bright energetic teenager who grabs life and gives it his fullest. I met Lewis recently and it was a great experience. My goal was to get to know who he was as a person. We sat and talked with his very supportive mom who is someone I would write about in her own right. Lewis and I indentified with each other almost immediately.

We both loved video games and technology. Lewis was the first person to understand why I named my band “The Freeman”. It was chosen in part from a video game character.  His knowledge in certain areas was astounding but it was his desire to share this knowledge in whatever way he could that impressed me. The world is better off for Lewis being in it.

Lewis does not let his disabilities hinder him from being the best he can be. He speaks to groups each year on behalf of the United Way in his area talking about why it is important from his point of view. He is an official spokesperson.

He also champions awareness of the disabilities that he deals with on a daily basis. He has been hired recently for some artistic contracts which he was very excited about. I will feature one of his videos which I found very funny and informative.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOKk8Y7j69s

AAA: to Hell and Back: Hand basket Optional

Lewis exemplifies not what you can’t do but what you can do. He does not focus on any of his medical issues as an excuse in life but embraces who is and promotes a positive message about life. If everyone adopted the same attitude in life that Lewis radiates humanity would be well on its way to being the very best we could be.

Lewis I salute and admire you.

Seek the truth always

Gary David Currie