⛧ First Church of Hypocrisy, Blasphemy, and Self-Righteousness ⛧

I get subjected to the news twice a week when I visit a friend who watches it almost religiously, and today they just kept going on, and on, and ON about the Paris attacks and ISIS, and after over an hour of this constant harping on about one single goddamn subject, I remembered something that puts the US news in an interesting context:

I used to watch BBC news on PBS years ago, and I watched it often enough that now, years later, I could tell you exactly how the BBC news would have compared to today's national news. They would have covered the Paris attacks for, like, 15 or 20 minutes tops, and then gone on to something else. Whereas the US news picks the bloodiest, nastiest, most horrifying news item and just beats that dead horse until they're pounding on equine bone dust, and then just keep on beating that dead horse until there's no bone dust left anymore. And that, more than anything, is why I loathe and detest the US news.

Also, I don't remember there being any of those stupid pointless cutesy human interest stories on it, like "Your gonads will explode with glee when you see this puppy dancing to Michael Jackson's Thriller" and other such bullshit. Because the BBC news is about actual news, or was last I saw it, and the US news is just pointless infotainment.

The Internet is starting to go bonkers about Whitney Houston being dead now. I can't say I care one way or another; her "music" was in a genre I don't like.

The Washington Post thinks a religion has to look like Xianity to be a religion (link goes to About.com's Alternative Religions page about the article)

The article is basically about how The Washington Post doesn't think Scientology is a religion because it has very little in common with Xianity, aside from both of them being absurd. The article then goes on to refute the statement by saying very few religions resemble Christianity, and basically calling the author of the Post's article out for being a dumbass where it comes to religion. Seriously, go read it. It will take you maybe 5 minutes at most.

And, just in case they delete my comment:

1. Kudos for mentioning LaVeyan Satanism!

2. Um, pretty sure Judaism DOES have a Hell. Pretty sure Christianity got the concept from Judaism, since both religions share the Old Testament.

3. I would most definitely call Christianity a cult. It isn’t as organized as it used to be, but it IS a cult. And so is Scientology. Not sure which is worse. Probably Scientology, since L. Ron Hubbard made Scientology solely to screw people out of money. He was even quoted as saying that religion is where the money is. There’s also a rumor that he had a bet going with another author that people could be made to believe anything, no matter how blatantly ridiculous it was. I’d say Hubbard won that bet.

But really, how could he have lost? If people are willing to believe that a talking snake lured the incestuous first two people on Earth into sin and God had to turn his half-mortal son into a zombie and get people to ritually cannibalize his zombie flesh to “save” them from that sin, I’m pretty sure there’s nothing so ridiculous that you’ll never find anyone to believe it.

Fines proposed for going without health insurance

GAAAAAHHH! Jit... fuck... grr... ARGH!!!

Must. resist. temptation... to kill. MUST. RESIST. TEMPTATION. TO... KILL! AAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!! *headdesk*

I am so utterly PISSED at this, that the people who proposed this are goddamn lucky I'm a pacifist, because if I weren't I would hunt them down, vivisect them, and wear their fucking face as a mask.

Wish I knew who this guy was so I could congratulate him: 'Litterbug vigilante' stops cigarette tosser.

Student punished for spaghetti beliefs
Thursday, March 29, 2007

A student has been suspended from school in America for coming to class dressed as a pirate.

But the disciplinary action has provoked controversy – because the student says that the ban violates his rights, as the pirate costume is part of his religion.

Bryan Killian says that he follows the Pastafarian religion, and that as a crucial part of his faith, he must wear 'full pirate regalia' as prescribed in the holy texts of Pastafarianism.

The school, however, say that his pirate garb was disruptive.

Pastafarians follow the Flying Spaghetti Monster (pictured), and believe that the world was created by the touch of his noodly appendage. Furthermore, they acknowledge pirates as being 'absolute divine beings', and stress that the worldwide decline in the number of pirates has directly led to global warming.

Pastafarianism gained wide attention when its key prophet, Bobby Henderson, wrote to the Kansas School Board during the height of the controversy over 'Intelligent Design' being taught in science classes. His letter, also published on his website, demanded equal time be given to the teachings of the Flying Spaghetti Monster as was given to ID and evolutionary theory.

Since then, the Flying Spaghetti Monster has gained countless followers worldwide, although there are those who remain spagnostic.

The school, in North Buncombe, North Carolina, remains adamant that their decision to suspend Killian for a day has nothing to do with his religion, and quite a lot to do with his repeated refusal to heed warnings against wearing pirate outfits.

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=43272&in_page_id=2

Another link about the same incident:

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200770328123