Open letter to Richard Dawkins October 27, 2015

Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015

Dear Richard,

I’m a columnist not a journalist. Columnists have more fun. We break rules.

Quick aside: Ann Druyan and I started a religious war on Kauai. In the November/December 2003 Skeptical Inquirer ‘Ann Druyan Talks About Science, Religion, Wonder, Awe…and Carl Sagan’ and I responded. My letter appeared in the Letters to the Editor section in the March/April 2004 issue. It then appeared as a column in The Garden Island Forum.

Eleven years later and I still don’t understand what it was in that letter that set ‘them’ off. The war’s still waging.

The current column –better known in this back neck of the woods as a bettejo– was a hoot to write. Have already had one response. Before the letter was published–I think there’s a leak–someone named Jerry Terui from Lihue cautioned me, quoting 1 Corinthian 1:18-25, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

….blessed are the dense for they will inherit the earth?

My Editor wants more Richard Dawkins. Will try to work something up about A Candle in the Dark and see if I can include the densers. Don’t want to leave them out.

By the way, I found, on my desk when I returned home, two books: Sense of Style and 36 Arguments for the Existence of God. I’m trying to read Candle, Sense, and 36 Arguments all at the same time.

If gawd had a hand in this, I think he’s got his fingers crossed.

Aloha,

Bettejo

PS: New comment: ‘I’m a Dawkish adolescent.’  In a way I’m kind’a flattered. Adolescent? Don’t I wish.

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The Market Place April 21, 2015

It’s a huge market place. Religion is big business in America.

Why did I choose this aspect of religion as the first to pursue? Well, I live in America. I pay taxes. I’m not religious. I don’t go to church. I don’t pray. I accept no gifts-food, housing or otherwise- from either the church or the state. I’ve discovered that, while churches often feed the poor, there is a price-one’s soul, if there is such a thing-and the food is usually awful.  Little concern about food value. Canned stuff and the cheapest quality,  often donated and usually offered on Holidays and in community centers, large feeding stations-table after table after table- for anyone who  might get there, and served up by sanctimonious  volunteers.

Also,  churches have a habit of  taking care of their own. I live in a Mormon rich community-meaning there are a lot of them-and after Iniki an outsider, a neighbor, was  not made welcome at their tables. At least I wasn’t. I went seeking a water supply for my animals and, in the process, was in several kitchens with gas stoves producing quantities of aromatic coffee and bacon and eggs of which  I was not offered a cup or invited to share  or even helped with the original request as to where to find water.

The Mormon Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is the fourth richest religion in the country. At the turn of the 21st century, its assets were estimated to be over $30 billion dollars. You’d think then, wouldn’t you, believers might share a cup of coffee with a neighbor in need?

But the biggest Financial Power on earth is, of course, the Catholic Church.

The Vatican has large investments in the Morgan bank, The Chase-Manhatten Bank, the First National Bank in New York, the Bankers Trust Company in America. It owns billions of shares in Gulf Oil, Shell, General Motors, Bethlehem Steel, General Electric, International Business Machines, TWA and more. It probably ranks second only to the US in total purchase. It’s the biggest corporation in America. Their assets and real estate holdings exceed those of Standard Oil, AT&T and U,S. Steel combined.  It’s treasury of gold is worth several billion dollars. It is the biggest financial power, wealth accumulator and property owner in existence. Its investments control the Federal Reserve. The pope,  as the ruler, is the richest individual of the twentieth century.

With this vast sum of money it could create sustainable programs to end famine on earth. They have the power to oppose wars. They have the power to create an Eco-friendly planet. Why don’t they? Well, money is power and wars make the rich richer and hungry people are good religious fodder.

Further in America they own about $50 Billion in visible property holdings and about $507 Billion in hidden property holdings. Yet they have a strategy of deliberately sacrificing key services to the most disadvantage and poor of western communities.

To be continued

 

 

INTERVIEW WITH THE MORON October 5, 2012

…..ooops, that’s Moroni. He’s the messenger from god who first appeared, according to Joseph Smith the founder of the Church of the Later Day Saints, on the 21st of September in 1823.  Joseph was 18 years old.

As you know I’ve interviewed many gods. Had a great party on Saturday, May 21, last year when everybody on the planet who was good guys-144,000 of”em- would be raptured up to heaven mit’out’der underpants. A bunch of the gods and I took shots at them as they flapped their fat and skinny asses off to heaven. Eros actually got one. Everyone got drunk and had a good time. Happy to see them off.

Ceaser Augustus and Jesus spun yarns at the bar as Hestia and I cleaned up the mess.

This would be the first time I ever interviewed a messenger from god and I hoped he appeared to me as he appeared to Joseph. Again I quote, “He had on a loose robe of the most exquisite whiteness. it was whiteness beyond anything earthly I had ever seen.”

Moroni called Joseph by name, introduced himself and told him god had work for him to do. He told him about a book written on gold plates and gave him an accounting of “former inhabitants on this continent”.

Moroni also quoted some passages from the Bible. Third chapter Malachi: “For behold, the day cometh that shall turn as an oven. and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly shall burn as stubble; for they that come shall burn them, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.”

I looked it up and couldn’t find it in my King james Version. Guess I’ll have to ask him about that, too.

Now a good journalist, which I do not pretend to be-but I try- does her homework. Is prepared with questions. Knows the subject. So I searched Joseph’s chronicles for more stuff about this guy.

Again quoting Joseph, he said, “…the fullness of the Gentiles was soon to come.” Now this one stopped me. Gentile? What is the correct definition? “A person of a non-Jewish nation, non-Jewish faith, especially a  Christian as distinguished from a Jew.”

Well I must ask about that.

Something else that bothered me was the gender thing. I mean the JW’s have women in the field thumping. The Morons always have a pair of guys in black pants and white shirts pushing their version.

Fortunately I had dark glasses on when the apparition appeared. Blinding. A voice from hell. I fell to my knees.

“Mormons are not Morons. What i quote is the word of GOD. Let’s keep the gentile thing out of this. As for females. Mormon females are the best cooks, house cleaners and breeders on the planet. if you want a good female who can cook and clean and breed, marry one and have lots of kids.”

It zapped me a good one across the head before it left. Actually i saw no figure but I guess I got my answer.