How Much Do You Know About Religion?

http://features.pewforum.org/quiz/us-religious-knowledge/

Follow the link above to take a short quiz to see how much you know about religion. I took it and scored 13 out of 15.

This quiz was featured today on channel 2 http://www.connect2utah.com/

According to the newscast, which I could not find online, the people who scored the highest nationwide were...

Atheists!

Followed very closely by...

Mormons!

I found it very interesting.

Computers, Moving, and Bad People

After three weeks of silence, I'm finally back. I've had a lot happen in the last few weeks.

First of all, ALL of my computers went tits up on me at the same time. I had to ship my laptop to Texas to get repaired and I had to buy a totally new desktop.

On top of that, I moved. That's right, I am now officially separated from my TBM wife of almost 12 years. Fortunately, we still talk and are actually good friends. But we have both agreed that it's time to move on.

I need the freedom to live the childhood that I missed, thanks to LDS, Inc. My wife needs the freedom to be away from the evil influence that I always provide. The children seem to be handling it all quite well.

I was browsing a book store at the Valley Fair Mall today. This bookstore has a lot of old Mormon books. One book that I saw was entitled: The Fate of the Persecutors of the Prophet Joseph Smith. It's an expensive book but I would just love to get my hands on that and read it. I wonder what type of bullshit the author drummed up.

You see, even if the so called persecutors did have horrible deaths, that doesn't mean a damn thing. Mormons think that god severely punished them for their sins against Joseph Smith and the kingdom. But if a horrible death is only for bad people who oppose Mormonism, then why do good people, even faithful Mormons, sometimes die horrible deaths?

So even IF the book is true, it does nothing to prove Mormonism. For crying out loud, Jesus died a horrible death. So by Mormon logic, he must have been anti-Mormon! LOL

Mormons have such a persecution complex that it makes me laugh!

If the ONLY people who died horrible deaths were those opposed to Mormonism, then you would have a good argument.

The Great Mormon Money Machine

THE GREAT MORMON MONEY MACHINE

Author: Inside-outsider

It's the World's Perfect Business Scheme and you can do it too. Just start your own "Afterlife Insurance Company" then make the greatest promise humanly imaginable -- promise your clients that if they totally obey you and pay their premiums, after death they'll become Gods! In fact, polygamous Gods who'll have eternal sex with innumerable partners! Until then, they'll enjoy moral supremacy over all humanity. You do need to claim that you're a prophet of God however, but this is the easiest claim on earth to make and no one can prove you're lying.

HERE'S YOUR BIG PAYOFF

Using the power of your "Afterlife Insurance Company":

You demand a whopping ten percent of each client's income for their policy premiums and...

You publicly humiliate anyone who questions you or fails to pay. This power is so great that...

You can even ban clients from attending things like family weddings! And yet, the absurd irony is...

You don't have to prove to anyone that your Afterlife Insurance Company actually works, so...

You are worry free because, in this business, all your disillusioned customers are dead. Therefore...

You never pay off a single claim (although you literally promised the Universe). Then, incredibly...

You reverse the Burden of Proof--If others don't magically know you're right--they're wrong! Now...

You destroy rational thought with the delusion that deeply feeling it's true is all that matters. Soon...

You addict clients so forcefully to your fantasy they fear they can't live without it! From all this...

You urge mass lying (re: the Emperor's New Clothes) by saying "All worthy people will know it's true."

You now multiply this gullibility with the following arsenal of business weapons --

You exploit your very clients as free labor to run your business for you, even on Sundays.

You command a massive volunteer sales force that must actually pay its own expenses.

You endure almost no outside government interference and with limited regulation and...

You have no inner accountability either, such as member or stockholder oversight! Better yet...

You run a company that pays no taxes, but instead enjoys tax-subsidized dues. Then for comfort...

You answer only to your inside buddies for your personal pay and perks! But not stopping there...

You find abundant opportunities for nepotism and cronyism even outside the firm, because...

You freely raise large venture capital funds for unrelated business schemes. And all this time...

You enjoy total administrative, financial and clubhouse secrecy. Now, Jaded by your aloof stature...

You callously use emotional, social and spiritual extortion as powerful revenue tactics. Coldly...

You hold hostage a family's togetherness in the hereafter, plus their closeness here. And amazingly...

You even intimidate your clients literally down to their underwear. Then for good measure...

You claim the right to acquire all their worldly possessions too! Your disrespect is so deep that...

You require them to make dour commitments, before even telling them what they're agreeing to! Yet...

You still passionately kindle their hero worship with great theatrical skill, because, as Matthew put it...

You wear charming sheep's clothing that makes False Prophets seem so totally respectable. Finally...

You exercise massive social, political and economic clout. And the proverbial "fruits" abound --

You and your cohorts rule vast empires wielding your colossal power and wealth!

This Great Mormon Money Machine is perfect,

it's just Lies, Dollars and Sanctimony

Two facts expose this money-making scheme: (1) The LDS church is one of the wealthiest religions in America while, (2) Mormon-dominated Utah is consistently first in personal bankruptcies. The Church gets rich--as members get poor. These two undisputed facts display the final outcome (fruits) of Mormonism and, according to Matthew, such fruits reveal False Prophets.

Larry H. Miller Was Successful Because He Paid Tithing!

My step father is the type of TBM who just loves a good FPR (Faith Promoting Rumor). Naturally, like all TBM's he shares stories whenever possible to convince everyone around him that the church really is true.

For example, tonight he shared with me how he has been reading the autobiography of Larry H. Miller. From what he told me, Miller was born and raised Mormon in Salt Lake City. However, he was never really into the church until he started having children. Wanting them to have a spiritual background, he began attending church.

Presently, his bishop asked him why he didn't pay tithing and challenged him to do so. Miller, who was already beginning to be a successful businessman, took the challenge. As soon as he began paying tithing, his wealth started pouring in.

That may or may not be true. But let's look closer at the situation. First of all, Miller was already successful. He was a natural businessman. He would have made a fortune anyway.

Secondly, if tithing really does produce millionaires like that, then again I ask, "Why doesn't everyone who pays tithing suddenly receive millions of dollars? If it really did work that way, then I would gladly pay in an instant.

And I also ask, if blessings are only reserved for faithful tithe payers, then why are there millionaires everywhere who are not LDS and never will be?

Anyway, just more of the Mormon propaganda to "prove" it's all true.

God Paid for My Movie the Other Night

That just drives me insane! How people take ordinary events and turn it into "god this" and "god that". I seriously want to slap someone!

I went to the movie theatre the other night and upon stepping out of my car, I found a five dollar bill just laying there on the pavement. If I was a believer I would have said, "God is rewarding me for being a good person."

But an unbeliever simply sees things as they are. God isn't rewarding me. Someone dropped a five dollar bill and I happen to find it. Simple. I don't add any imaginary friends into the equasion. I just see things they way they are.

"God" paid for my movie that night.

But it really gets me. Why give an imaginary dude up in the sky all the credit for everything?

I really hate the excuse for the absence of god by believers, "God works through other people."

I hate it! So you're telling me that your god is so pathetic that he can't do anything miraculous? He has to make a human being do the good deed? I'm sorry, but that does not prove anything other than that the person involved did a good deed.

I recently read an article in the good old Ensign. The moral: if you pay your tithing, complete strangers will give you money.

That's right. This couple was out of money and had a week to go until payday. As they were sitting in a public place, a complete stranger came up to them and handed them an envelope full of money.

First of all, that story is probably bullshit. Secondly, if paying tithing really did produce this type of reward, then it would happen all the time to everyone who pays. But since it only happens randomly, then it means that they would have received their good fortune anyway. And since non-tithe payers also receive good fortune from time to time, it means absolutely nothing! Tithing doesn't do squat!

Open your eyes people. Life without god isn't so bad. In fact, it's wonderful. I don't have to make excuses for god and try to explain why science disproves god on every turn.

Life without god is simply seeing the world the way it is. That is incredibly liberating.

I just wish that the human mind wasn't so gullible that they believe in a being that no one has ever seen and yet give credit to him for everything. If a good thing happens, that's proof that my god and my religion are true. If bad things happen, I'm being tested.

Our world will progress much faster once the superstition of religion is behind us.

Religion Is Simply Modern Myth

If there was a god, would he/she/it correlate with religion?

What I mean by that is simply this. If there was a god, faith would not be necessary. It would be a fact.

I wouldn't have to believe in a god in order to be saved. If there was an all powerful being, he would not base my eternal salvation upon what I believe. He would base it upon what I do with my life. If religion is true and the god of the Bible is real, then you believe in a dumb ass god.

Many people believe that god is responsible for the founding of America. They believe, although it is not the case, that this nation and it's laws are founded on Christian principles. In this country, we are each guaranteed the right to believe whatever we want. We can believe that murder is okay as long as we don't actually commit murder. We can't go to prison for believing that breaking the law is okay. We only pay the penalty when we actually do break the law.

However, according to Christians, who's god founded this country, it is just the opposite. We are either saved or damned based entirely on what we believe. If I believe that Jesus is Lord, then I am saved, even if I am a murderer. If I'm in a gang and I go around raping people, I am still saved as long as I have accepted Jesus into my heart.

Can you see the problem? God founded America and her laws. Yet, the laws of god are not the same as the laws of the land.

Further, if you believe that you are saved because you have accepted Jesus, then you are a fool, especially if you think that you can murder, steal, and rape. It baffled me as a believer and it baffles me now how people can actually believe that they can do horrible things and still be saved.

Christianity is truly stupid. All you have to do is say a few words and then you're saved no matter what you do? If it was that simple, the Bible would only need one book, one chapter, and one verse.

You really think that an all knowing, all powerful being will let you into eternal rest for putting in minimal effort? "I accepted Jesus," will not be a good enough excuse. Let me make it simple...

If I buy a house, I borrow money. I agree to pay back the lender a certain amount each month until my debt is paid for. Is it enough for me to simply accept the money and think that I have no more to do? No, you have to work hard so that you can make your monthly payments. Simply accepting the loan does not mean that you suddenly own a home free and clear.

So all you "Christians" who run around thinking that you're saved because you've accepted Jesus, you'd better think again. If religion and god was real, you'd be in trouble. It would take a real moron to believe that the rest of eternity is based upon three words, no matter how sincere or insincere they may be: "I accept Jesus".

But then again, it would take a real moron to believe in Jesus at all. Pick and choose any religion. They are all the same. Their god is just a recycled story where the names have been changed but everything else is practically the same.

For example, I have a book of Greek myths and one of the stories is about the creation of man and how the god, Prometheus, formed man out of mud and breathed on him to make him alive. Hmmm, have I heard that story before anywhere?

Genesis 2:7

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Why is it considered a myth if Prometheus did it but it's considered sacred truth if "god" did it?

Really makes you wonder... at least it should.

An Honest Atheist?

Without going into details, I placed an order for a certain product and received much more than I ordered and payed for.

I called the company and explained the situation. The girl that I spoke with on the phone was very impressed that I had returned the extra product when I could have easily kept it. In fact, she said it was "very rare" that a customer is honest when a mistake of this nature is made.

Really? It's rare? We live in a country where 85 to 90% of the population claims to believe in god. It should be a rare thing for a person to not be honest in a situation like this.

They can preach up god all day long, but in the end their actions speak louder than their words.

This Just In! Taking Aspirin Always Leads to A Headache

A recent study has shown indisputable proof that taking aspirin causes headaches!

No really, it's true! We surveyed 100 people and asked them to report each time they take an aspirin (or any type of pain killer). The associated symptom: headache. There you have it. A headache correlates 100% with taking aspirin. The results speak for themselves.

Stupid, right?

Of course it is because we all know that people take aspirin when they already have a headache to make it go away.

Well, the LDS church uses logic like the example above to try and convince people to hand over their hard earned dollars.

From the book Why? Powerful Answers and Practical Reasons for Living LDS Standards, page 144 there is a graph comparing two families and their income. Quote:

"Studies show that charitable giving makes you wealthier. Imagine you have two families that are exactly the same... the only difference is that the first family gives $100 more to charity than the second family. It turns out that the first family will earn, on average, $375 more than the nongiving family. If giving to any charity produces this result, then giving to the Lord will do even more!"

So if I follow this "study" and choose to give all my money to charity, then the dollars should come rolling in! No! How about a reality check.

Did the family MAKE more because they GAVE more?

Or did they GIVE more because they MADE more?

This is the LDS church using statistics in a dishonest way to convince people to fork over the dough.

I would have scanned the page and posted it, but my hardware is currently nonfunctional.

In LDS land, taking ASPIRIN leads to HEADACHES, and GIVING more means you'll MAKE more.

In real life, taking ASPIRIN relieves HEADACHES, and MAKING more means you have the ability to GIVE more.

So make more money by NOT giving it to the LDS church so that you can give it (if you wish) to a more beneficial charity.

The Collapse of Evolution

To be fair, I found an 8 part video documentary on YouTube that claims to be able to refute evolution. I will post them all here. This video is pro-creation and even quotes passages from the Quran. Many times, it refers to the creator, Allah.

This video does bring up some very good arguments. Some of the arguments are better than others. If evolution is accepted by the scientific community in spite of these arguments, then they must have a good reason for rejecting them. I will attempt to find pro-evolution refutations to these arguments.

This first video establishes well that the origin of life is still unknown.



This second video makes the argument that even a single cell is so complex that it couldn't have possibly come about by chance.



The third video makes the argument that "natural selection" has no evolutionary power. Acquired traits, such as losing an arm, does not change the genes that are passed from generation to generation.



Video 4 argues that "irreducible complexity" makes slow, gradual changes over time impossible. It also argues that the idea of "mutation" is always harmful to the species and never beneficial. And it argues that no genetic mutation or evolutionary process can increase the information in the genome, thereby leading to more complicated organisms.



Video 5 argues that "transitional forms" are not present in the fossil record. Species appear suddenly in the fossil record in their fully developed forms.



Video 6 talks about some supposed "transitional forms" found in the fossil record and how they actually were not.



Video 7 talks about how man could not have possibly evolved from apes.



Video 8 talks about evolutionary fraud.



By posting this documentary, it does not mean that I agree with it. I am posting it here so that no one can accuse me of cherry picking. However, if the video brings up valid points, which it does, then they must be given some credit. I will attempt to find pro-evolution refutations to these arguments and post it here at Mormon411.

Before You Attempt to Refute Evolution...

...you should learn what it actually is!



First of all, before you can refute evolution, you need to understand the theory. If you don't understand it, how can you refute it or even have an intelligent conversation about it?

You have read the book, haven't you?