Back to the founding father quotes this month. This time I have one from Ben Franklin. Franklin an admitted deist, which was common for the day, at least among the more enlightened minds of the time. In this day and age I would liken the deist to the type that figure that a god was responsible for the creation of the universe and such, but has left it unattended to fend for itself, no longer active in the comings and goings of man. I guess that would suffice for Franklins time as well.
I have nothing against a deist, I am happily married to one. I figure deism a step along the path to being able to fully discard the notions of gods eventually. After all tossing the mainstream beliefs of the major religions aside is a huge first step, and one to commend. The mind takes time to free itself of influenced beliefs. These beliefs have to be dealt with in ones own way, and in ones own time frame. With enough time, and enough proper investigation, the notion of gods becomes a silly notion to maintain. There is no valuable evidence to suggest otherwise. Atheism is the last stop on the minds ride to freedom.
Our quote:
“If we look back into history for the character of the present sects in Christianity, we shall find few that have not in their turns been persecutors, and complainers of persecution. The primitive Christians thought persecution extremely wrong in the Pagans, but practiced it on one another. The first Protestants of the Church of England blamed persecution in the Romish Church, but practiced it upon the Puritans. They found it wrong in Bishops, but fell into the practice themselves both here (England) and in New England.”
A fitting quote this month, especially if you are familiar with the “Ark Park” saga at the hands of Ken Ham. Them silly Christians, persecution is apparently a feature they just can’t do without. Neither here in our time, or throughout history.
The Ark Park saga detailed here:
http://pandasthumb.org/archives/2014/12/ark-encounter-t.html
My source for the founding father quotes here:
Great post. Too bad Mr. Franklin can’t meet Mr. Ham. I’m sure he’d be shocked at how blatant, crude, ignorance founded in religious dogma still blows its methane scented breath throughout America two hundred and thirty some years after his death. Ham is a punchline to a joke I never grow weary of telling. It’s too bad that, like his god, Ken Ham wasn’t a real guy. The world would be a better place for it.
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First, thanks!
…and yes, no matter how much time goes by things don’t seem to change much. Especially with dogmatic stuck in the dark ages, fucking mythologies.
And an lol @ the Hambone being the punchline! You can’t make this shit up! Truth is often stranger than fiction.
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The Ark Saga makes me happy too
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Heh, the schadenfreude is deliciously sweet.
I am seriously believing that from the beginning this was a scam. A multi million dollar scam.
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Strange that at some point the state was considering giving him tax breaks
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Hell at one point it looked like the state was lying on its side offering up its tit for AIG and Hambone to suckle.
I am not sure how or when they decided it might be a constitutional train wreck. But at least they appear to have turned around and started heading in the right direction. Much to our amusement.
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The best situation would be that Ham has just enough money to almost complete the ark but not enough to keep the park open. meh, maybe that’s just me…
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Best situation would be if a flood of Biblical proportion came and wiped out no one but Ken Ham and his damned ark. 🙂
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Doh! that’s a much better option!
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I wonder if he would be stupid enough to think it would float, or if he damn well knows better and crams all of his $$ nto a boat that fucking floats! Somehwere along the way the con man and the rubber on the road meet up.
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Too bad Ham’s father and a rubber didn’t meet up before his mother’s egg was fertilized. We’d all be the better if it had.
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lol! That’s a new way to think of the phrase “where the rubber meets the road.”
While I agree the world, and escpecially the part of the world known as Kentucky would be better off without the likes of Ken Ham. Still if it weren’t him, it would be somebody else running the con game.
…but he is an odious sum bitch.
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And, honestly, I’d kinda miss ’em. I get more comedic material from that guy than….well, than several Christian apologists combined. And I swear he dug up Abe Lincoln’s body and stole Lincoln’s beard from his decayed face. Look at a good pic of Ham and tell me that’s not President Lincoln’s beard he’s sporting. Just try.
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Yeah, I see what you are saying there. If he thinks the beard gives him some ole Abe mojo I fear it isn’t working.
I always got the impression he looks like a thick headed, stubborn jackass of a billy goat. “maaaaah.” (that is sorta kinda what a stubborn jackass of a billy goat sounds like)
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Billy goats sound like that and Ham sounded like that when he didn’t get his 18 million for his damn ark. Baaaaa!!!! Waaaaa!!!! Poor me!!!!
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…and then he squealed like a pig!
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You don’t know the half of it. 😉
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No, I agree. The draining of this societal parasites bank account would benefit mankind.
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