How much would you pay for Jesus?

I've been clicking around the Way of the Master website and let me just say, first off, it's simply puke-tastic! The homepage reminds me of a bad local car commercial, and I can almost hear them in the background chanting, "Sell, sell, sell!" That's what it comes down to, though, how many of their videos and altered Bibles can they sell? And they've really pulled out all the stops too: the flashy graphics, the comforting photos encountering people "just like you," the exciting sounds! They bombard you with links and advertisements to attend conferences, price reductions for books, and videos about how to "get on fire for God." They are doing exactly what I saw an anti-abortion website do not too long ago; they post anything and everything they can on the homepage with the hopes you'll find SOMETHING which appeals to you, enticing you into hidden folds within their propaganda.

It's all a sales tactic, really. I should know too, having worked in sales and customer service since I was legally able to hold a job. Preaching their "message" has a lot to do with their approach, assuming the consumer comes to their website on a "slightly interested" level regarding what they're selling. Their second part to this sales pitch for Jesus is attempting to debunk the competition... the competition in this case being non-theists. Next to all of these features showing how great THEY are, they have a video challenging Darwin's Origin of Species. This, specifically, reminded me of my days of working at an electronics store. We heartily boasted that we had the lowest prices, would match any price, and had superior customer service than any other store in town. For us, we had to constantly shop around and keep on our toes should anyone try to outdo us. For 'Way of the Master', they took the easy way out of this by disputing the words of someone who's been dead for over 100 years! Those like myself will object to their illogical rationalizations, but unless the consumer is seeking these objections out, Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron are free to post whatever they choose without worry about on-site backlash or legal ramifications. They have chosen the easiest route in order to gain a loyal following, and have done so in a very classic yet non-personal way. It's an extremely lazy and, dare I say, cheap way to appeal to people. Obviously it hasn't deterred many from following their "teachings" but as a non-believer, I question their level of hypocrisy and challenge them to actually try to take all of their "flash" out of what they do, if they TRULY believe what they say is truth. For them, wouldn't their messages about God and Jesus be enough, if it is actually morally and spiritually superior to all else?

I already know what I would get in a response, as it's the same dull and uncreative response I've heard countless times.
"God gave us free will to accept or reject it."
Yet, it still circles back to the same idea: if your product isn't good enough, you need to rely on certain tactics to make the consumer believe they want it. It is as simple as that, and I doubt Kirk would put his Ray Comfort meal ticket on the line in order to figure that out. As for Ray, would he trade the wealth he has gained from all of his 60 books and Living Waters company in order to live the Bible versus he teaches, such as "the love of money is the root of all evil"? (1 Timothy 6:10) Unfortunately, we can't forget that there is always an excuse... always. Not being a betting person myself, I would STILL bet that the excuse in this situation would be something taken from the Bible, and twisted around to explain why their wealth is permissible. I supposed it's true, just about everyone has a price tag.

Update

I'm still around, though just not on the computer much this last week. We moved last Saturday and it has been hectic going back and forth from the old to the new, not to mention having to clean that damn place! We finally carted the last stuff and turned in the keys yesterday, so I will be online a bit more again now that I'm feeling a little less crazed!

Facebook Shout-out

Just wanted to go off track for a moment and say thanks to Blair Scott for linking my blog on his Facebook profile! He has been doing the same in the last day or two for other Atheist bloggers so check out his profile and the others. He has been doing a great job promoting health non-theist activism and has led me to connect to other secularists on Facebook!

Please take a moment to check out all of his hard work he has put forward to help his fellow Atheists!

Party like an ex-Mo!

(Shortened version, though it goes MUCH deeper than this!)

I removed my records from the Mormon church when I was 22 (now 24) after being an official member of the church since 12 years of age. There is a saying among many former Mormons, that is "party like an ex-Mo" for when we truly leave the church (removing ones records as opposed to simply being inactive). Partying like an ex-Mo -- ex-Mormon -- is the celebration one partakes in, whether alone or with like-minded friends, where you usually drink an alcoholic beverage and blaspheme against the church! :-)
But honestly, it seems more like an emotional party than a physical one. For those who have removed their records, many of them were previously inactive members for a period of time so have already "partied" in ways that directly contract church teachings.

I could go into much more detail about the LDS church and what drove me away, and while I'm always open to further discussion on this topic, I must say that looking back I realize I was never 100% convinced about a deity at all. This occurred even AFTER being inactive and seeking out alternate non-denominational churches. I even went to the point of seeking out other religions, and while I started becoming interested in the Eastern religions such as Buddhism, I couldn't quite part with that feeling of trying to convince myself a deity existed at all. Secure in my Atheism NOW, I finally saw my fall from religion in the making, only then I just didn't know what that feeling was and what do to with it. Coupled with many disagreements on how the church was ran and the "policies" it incorporated, I'm not surprised at all that I embraced Atheism, as I was practically leaning towards Agnosticism as a teenager to early adult-hood!

Tolerance?

I pride myself on being tolerant. I'm always getting into discussions about topics such as separation of church and state as well as homosexual marriage (also known as marriage equality), and one thing I am constantly telling the opposition is that not am I only supporting human rights in these cases but also of general tolerance.
I am of the opinion that if people just bit their tongue in many cases, then this world would be a lot better off. Much easier said than done, I know! I've come to realize that some people are just not going to change their opinion, and some just don't want to.
Now this is not to say I expect  everyone to have the same opinion as mine or change their way of thinking to suit me, not at all, but when the behaviors, actions, and opinions of a person fall into the categories of racism, homophobia, hatred, etc., then I draw the line there.

This is 2009. Not 1909. Cliche, perhaps, but time does stand as a testament to historical behavior. We, as mankind, have progressed much further than those living 100 years ago could have possibly ever imagined. There is really no excuse for human rights violations and derogatory words/behavior nowadays.

Here's my confession, though: I find it becoming increasingly more difficult to "practice what I preach" when talking to the majority of Christians. Don't get me wrong, persecution whether physical or verbal is always wrong, so my tolerance will always be. While I do this, it's still difficult not to just exclaim, "How can you be a smart person yet so delusional when it comes to religion?!"
I have religious friends on Facebook, MySpace, etc., who are so unbelievably open-minded that it almost shocks me. These friends also believe in marriage equality and would love nothing more than to have their children's education stay in school and worship only at home/church. I love that they defy the stereotype of what a Christian is often known to be. At the same time, though, I see that and think, "You're only one step away from non-theism, what is holding you back?"
I know they're not the type to rely on their religion to get through the day, because I've witnessed first-hand those who do. I am failing to understand what it is in religion that they feel is accurate or truthful. This is my natural bias, as an Atheist, and I fully understand that some will not be able to comprehend how I don't believe in any deities.

So perhaps it's not tolerance which I am lacking, rather it's the inability to grasp how a person can be so rational and smart in other areas yet still believe in an invisible being with supernatural powers.

New Beginnings

What do you know, I started a new blog! Again...

I love my other blog 'Silly Mommy' and it gives me a chance to blog about the simple things occurring in my life. They're the kind of posts that other lovely parents across the 'net like to read and support. Moving, children, womanly stuff... the list goes on.

But more and more I've found myself internally (figuratively, of course!) torn. I want to post and talk about religious and political topics, but 'Silly Mommy' just never seemed appropriate. I figured, why the hell not create a different blog, one where I can actually post these things that I want and still have a separate space for my "feel good" parenting/family topics? So that's exactly what I did... and that's probably why you're here. This is brand new to me (having an Atheist blog, not writing in general which I've done a lot of) so bear with me as I'm suddenly feeling the pressure to post a few things tonight! I just don't know what to start with...