[UPDATED: A reply from one of my offended family and my counter follow after the jump...]
My family keeps me in their mailing lists when they send out the various internet flotsam that hits their Inbox. I used to ask, please please please don’t spam me, but to no avail. Now I’ve taken to just reply-to-all-ing whenever I get these things. If you can’t beat ‘em, spam ‘em, I suppose.
Anyway, this was the latest religious spam I got, followed by my Radical Reply:
He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is…how He spoke the universe into being…how He breathes stars out of His mouth that are huge raging balls of fire…etc. etc. Then He went on to speak of how this star-breathing, universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know.) …and I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about God’s handiwork. I remember so many times thinking…’How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???’
Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart…how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.
And then I lost my breath.
And it wasn’t because I was running on my treadmill, either.
It was because he started talking about laminin.
I knew about laminin. Here is how wikipedia describes them: ‘Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue.’ You see….laminins are what hold us together …LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew all this already. But what I didn’t know is what laminin LOOKED LIKE.
But now I do. And I have thought about it a thousand times since (already)…. Here is what the structure of laminin looks like…AND THIS IS NOT a ‘Christian portrayal’ of it….if you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see…
Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!!
Amazing.
The glue that holds us together….ALL of us…
Y’know, I looked at that laminin protein for a while and I think you’ve got the wrong god. The protein looks a whole lot more like the caduceus wielded by Hermes, God of Travelers, in the way that the serpent-like chains wrap around the staff. While laminin is important for cell structure, DNA is the code that makes us what we are, and its structure is another double-helix, like the caduceus. It really makes you marvel at how the Hermes, the God of Boundaries, extends to the very boundaries of our cells!
Then I spent a little more time and discovered the protein called porin. Porins are the proteins that allow for diffusion of molecules across cell membranes. They are the very mechanism by which our cells receive nourishment! Now wouldn’t you know it, but the porin looks just like the triquetta of Celtic paganism. Yet another expression in creation of how the power of three San Francisco witches feed all of us.
Now whatever you do, don’t let the Muslims know that the molecules in your silver crosses are shaped liked crescents! — “R”R
I got a response from one of my cousins:
give it a rest, Russ. just because you don’t believe doesn’t mean I can’t.
Which I couldn’t let pass without another Radical Retort….
But ******, I’m not the one clogging people’s Inboxes with spam. I’m not sending out screeds against Christianity, I’m replying to screeds for Christianity that are sent unrequested to my computer. And you should ask yourself how strong your belief really is if my silly replies elicit such a response.
No one is denying you a belief that the entire universe was designed by an external intelligence so infinite and thorough that he would structure the entire system of organic chemistry around the same shape that later he knew Imperial Romans would use for torture executions. You’ll find I am a stalwart supporter of your First Amendment right to believe such things, and to paraphrase what Thomas Jefferson once said, your belief in such things neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.
However, that same First Amendment means that when I read something silly, I have the right to mock it. Think of me as your god’s special test of your faith. You know me as family, you know me to be a good and loving person, so how could I be so wrong about the most important thing in your world? How can I sail blithely through life, mocking believers, when an eternity of hellfire and damnation await me in fifty years or less?
Do you pray for my soul? Are you saddened to know that I will burn in Hell, or do you think God has a special miraculous plan for me? And what of the billions on Earth who do not believe in the salvation through Christ? Do their damned souls make you weep at night?
Look, here’s the way I see things — No atheist, Muslim, Jew, Hindi, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, Wiccan, Pagan, Satanist, Scientologist, Baha’i, Jainist, Shinto, or aboriginal shaman has ever knocked on my door peddling the idea that I was worthless in the eyes of their Creator unless I agreed with their philosophy. Only Christians do this to me. Only Christians send mass-blast emails to everyone they know assuming they will enjoy it, not stopping to wonder whether such religious conversation might be considered rude or unwelcomed by the recipient.
The funny thing is that you Christians are blind to it. Re-read that piece you sent me. Peppered with phrases like “our God” (you know, not the stinky false god of *those* people). There’s a kind of arrogance to Christianity that just assumes everyone else is Christian and if you’re not, well screw you if you’re offended, because we’re right and God built the whole universe just for us. I just don’t let it slide anymore.
I had a couple of missionaries come to my door to tell me about Jesus. You’d think that in North America, what with all the cable shows, AM radio stations, megachurches, Christmas carols, hotel bibles, politicians, and well-meaning folks with stickers on their cars, that everyone would have at least heard of Jesus. So why the missionaries? To strong-arm those of us supposedly “on the fence”? So first I play ignorant (”Jesus who? Christ? Never heard of him…”) and then as they tell me that the entire universe was created by an infinite sky wizard for a particular species he created that he loves so much that he must send 99.998% of them to eternal torture and agony unless they telepathically pledge allegiance to the reanimated zombie corpse of a two-millennia-dead ancient Judean troublemaker who was born of a virgin and had the powers of transmutation, healing, reincarnation, and levitation, yet couldn’t escape a pack of Roman guards, and it all says so in the book the sky wizard telepathically dictated to Iron Age Hebrew shepherds… well, I just ask a lot of questions and watch them try to spin a logical consistent tale from all that. It’s endlessly entertaining.
Finally, I guess what insults my intelligence most is the way Christians will scan through a science text and see a cross-shaped protein as proof of God, when the actual science that helped mankind understand that protein disproves much of what is held to be fact by most Christians (”intelligent” design, great floods wiping out all but Noah’s critters, earth’s rotation stopping during the battle at Jericho, a human walking on water and rising from dead bodily into the sky, transmutation of water to ethyl alcohol, etc.) Using a computer on the internet to discuss Biblical “proofs” is kind of like using a telescope to see Apollo’s sun chariot.
5 responses so far ↓
1 nicolpears // May 20, 2008 at 1:37 pm
about the cross/serpent thing..actually originated before Greek mythology..u see Numbers 21. 6-9. ” And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.” BUT then the children of israel ended up making it a god (Nehushtan) and worshiped it which of course was BAD (see 2 Kings 18:4 ) in addition a number of other religious groups also made it a god. its interesting that the serpent does still have similar meaning as in Moses days. Today it is still a symbol of healing. and Jesus made reference to it (John 3:14-15) “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. ” Christ Jesus became that serpent that was wrapped around the cross.
As it says 1Peter2: 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. (See we can also get healing still by looking to Jesus becoming SIN (serpent) ON the tree (staff) so that we can be healed. I could find more scriptures from Gen to Rev. and i welcome any discussions nicolpears@yahoo.com
2 "Radical" Russ // May 20, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Are you here to save me? Seriously? Do you even read this blog?
First off, before we discuss your book, I need some verification of the author’s credentials. Please have God send me a notarized copy of his curriculum vitae.
Then I need some scientifically verifiable evidence of various claims made in the book, including, but not limited to: earth’s rotation being stopped to facilitate warfare, forty days of enough rainfall to cover the globe, oil being only 6,000 or so years old, a man living three days in the belly of a fish, flesh converted to salt, sticks turning into snakes, fossil remains of giants and cockatrice, reanimated three-day corpses levitating into space, transmutation of water to alcohol, and existence of plants before there was light to feed them.
I welcome any reasonable discussions, but if all you’ve got requires me to agree to the terms of your book, it won’t be very reasonable.
3 MrsJackson8 // Jun 28, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Hello there you can call me Mrs Jackson and just would like to leave a comment about your statement about the laminin being similar to the cadeus…I thought the exact same thing. It resembles the symbol for health. Its interesting how different people have different interpretations about something that is inside our body whatever we may think it looks like!
4 Cheryl // Jul 4, 2008 at 9:37 am
You are right, why believe something you can’t prove. I don’t know why I would leave a comment except for the fact that I have been consumed with thoughts of my own belief system after reading some of your writings.
Ordinary, that is how I describe myself. I’m no preacher, can’t quote scripture , I’m very reserved in sharing my testimony with anyone, and I am not at church every time the door is open. I was raised in a Nazarene church which I read you are familiar with. In my town when I was growing up none of my friends knew what a Nazarene was. All I knew was I had a lot of rules, you can’t wear pants, makeup, or cut your hair. (most Nazarene church’s today don’t have these rules anymore) I struggled most of my teen years in bondage because I never felt I could be a Christian because I couldn’t follow their rules. I remember praying my parents would let me wear pants because I hated being so different at school. I guess that prayer was answered but probably not in a way my parents wanted. Actually my brother answered it by promising my parents he would quit smoking weed if they would let me wear pants. I kinda doubt he did but my prayer was answered anyway.
So, I asked myself why would you respond to someone who is definitely a better writer than you and can present his case stronger than I ever could. And I decided you are right I nor anyone else will ever convince you that God exists. I can’t explain how “I” know in any way or form that you would understand, just as you would never be able to explain to a person who has been blind from birth all the colors of a rainbow. Everything you could tell them about it would never make sense because they could never prove you right or wrong. They could never believe because they will always be blind except that they had a miracle and their vision restored . You see my friend you are that blind person and the only way I know that is because I once was blind until the miracle of salvation opened my eyes to know why I believe. So, what can I say to make you believe…..Nothing. Unfortunately you can’t believe because that is what you choose. That is what we call free will. No one can come to God except through Jesus and he has to call you. He does not beg and plead and the more you push him away the harder it is to even hear him call you. So anyone who wants to know if He exists has come blindly in faith and ask that He will reveal Himself . Then you have to do one of the hardest things in the world….acknowledge you are a sinner and need His forgiveness and salvation and believe that God came in human form as Jesus and took your sin and died so you could have life. Is it easy after that? Nope. Even Christians sin, that is why He gave us the bible. It is only to show us that we are not perfect and could never follow the rules of the ten commandments. It shows us that Jesus paid the price for our sin and salvation is a gift, we can never be or do good enough to earn it. That was when I learned it was not about rules but relationship. Do I believe every word in the bible is true? Of course I do, you may ask why or how. I know I ask. But I do know that the bible says it is the inspired word of God written by fallible men, inspired by an infallible God. If anything in the bible is not true then how can we believe anything in it? We can’t…therefore we believe it is all true. The scripture does tell us to test everything, 1 Thessalonians 5 (I can only quote that because it was in my daily bible reading for today, http://www.oneononewithgod.com). If you want to know the truth (as a Christian ) about creation you have to look to for answers with Christian scientists. They can use science to prove it could have happened just like the bible said just as non-Christian scientists can use science to prove it couldn’t have happened that way. I suggest “ googling “ Ken Ham. He is the founder of the Creation Museum near Cincinnati,
http://www.answersingenesis.org.
Funny, that is how I found your site. I “googled” Laminin after a friend sent me one of those forwarded emails (I can’t stand the ones that say you HAVE to forward if you believe in God or something like that) from http://www.godutube.com, that had the preacher talking about laminin and how it is the glue that holds everything together. I wanted to see what it looked like on the internet and I saw your site and decided to take a look at it from your point of view. It made me realize you can’t convince anyone of anything they don’t choose to believe. I think you make a great argument that justifies you being an atheist and I also believe if one day YOU ever decided you wanted to know if God exists then you would also probably be the best “Radical” Christian just as you are an atheist. Because you do what you do best…write from “your point of view”. Now maybe I can get some rest because God hasn’t let off me and I’m hoping expressing my feelings will at least give me peace of mind. Be Blessed.
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