by Luther Reads
Nah.
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About the Author:
Luther Reads agrees with the definition for "forgive" that G**gle displayed, which was "to stop feeling angry or resentful toward someone for an offense, flaw, or mistake." And no, I don't have a good reason for not naming G**gle directly. Fuck 'em! That's why.
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Metaphorically Speaking
by Luther Reads
"When I was a kid, I thought quicksand would be a much bigger problem."
That's the text of a meme that comically rings true to me and so many others who grew up in the 80s and 90s. It was the TV shows, right? Quicksand was everywhere, and I watched with great concern, hoping to learn what to do and what not to do in preparation for the inevitable day when I would have to be rescued, or rescue someone else, from quicksand.
Fast forward 30 years, and I haven't come across any quicksand. Sadly, I probably never will. But I now accept that the quicksand was a metaphor for the very real struggles that we face in life. Quicksand can come out of nowhere, just like so many of life's problems. You need help from a friend to get out of quicksand. Need I say more?
These are just some of the many lessons that quicksand, as a metaphor, can help us to understand.
Oh, the stories in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible are also metaphors.
*cue the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme song*
***********
About the Author:
Luther Reads doesn't like long walks on the beach. He likes swimming in the fucking ocean that's literally right there!
"When I was a kid, I thought quicksand would be a much bigger problem."
That's the text of a meme that comically rings true to me and so many others who grew up in the 80s and 90s. It was the TV shows, right? Quicksand was everywhere, and I watched with great concern, hoping to learn what to do and what not to do in preparation for the inevitable day when I would have to be rescued, or rescue someone else, from quicksand.
Fast forward 30 years, and I haven't come across any quicksand. Sadly, I probably never will. But I now accept that the quicksand was a metaphor for the very real struggles that we face in life. Quicksand can come out of nowhere, just like so many of life's problems. You need help from a friend to get out of quicksand. Need I say more?
These are just some of the many lessons that quicksand, as a metaphor, can help us to understand.
Oh, the stories in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible are also metaphors.
*cue the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme song*
***********
About the Author:
Luther Reads doesn't like long walks on the beach. He likes swimming in the fucking ocean that's literally right there!
Friday, March 13, 2020
Atheists, Christians, Foxholes, and Pandemics
by Luther Reads
Let me set the scene:
It's March 2020, and we're in the middle of a global pandemic. Apparently, somebody in Wuhan, China got too close to an animal carrying something called a "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome" virus, and two months later we're all at risk of getting Dat Rona virus.
The NBA has canceled its season over concerns about spreading the coronavirus. Colleges and universities have cancelled classes. Governors have closed public schools for weeks. Travel bans are being put in place. Cruise ships are not being allowed to dock. Self quarantining is a thing. People are emptying grocery stores of Lysol wipes and, oddly enough, toilet paper.
Churches are even closing their doors. Remember all those old sayings about "corporate" prayer and forsaking not the gathering of the saints? I guess they didn't mean during a pandemic. The Catholic church is abandoning the use of holy water. Yes, the holy water that priests pray over. Yes, the holy water that symbolizes the protection of Jesus Christ. I guess it can't protect against a pandemic.
But you know what isn't closing and what isn't canceled? The science labs that are working on cures, vaccines, and tests for the coronavirus. I used to hear that there are no Atheists in a foxhole. The assertion being that when bullets are flying, everybody prays to someone. Well, I wonder if there are any Christians during a global pandemic. The assertion being that... well, you get it.
***********
About the Author:
Luther Reads builds robots. He doesn't want his robots to take anyone's job, but he knows this is unavoidable. Yet he toils on. He is very human in this regard -- a walking contradiction.
Let me set the scene:
It's March 2020, and we're in the middle of a global pandemic. Apparently, somebody in Wuhan, China got too close to an animal carrying something called a "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome" virus, and two months later we're all at risk of getting Dat Rona virus.
The NBA has canceled its season over concerns about spreading the coronavirus. Colleges and universities have cancelled classes. Governors have closed public schools for weeks. Travel bans are being put in place. Cruise ships are not being allowed to dock. Self quarantining is a thing. People are emptying grocery stores of Lysol wipes and, oddly enough, toilet paper.
Churches are even closing their doors. Remember all those old sayings about "corporate" prayer and forsaking not the gathering of the saints? I guess they didn't mean during a pandemic. The Catholic church is abandoning the use of holy water. Yes, the holy water that priests pray over. Yes, the holy water that symbolizes the protection of Jesus Christ. I guess it can't protect against a pandemic.
But you know what isn't closing and what isn't canceled? The science labs that are working on cures, vaccines, and tests for the coronavirus. I used to hear that there are no Atheists in a foxhole. The assertion being that when bullets are flying, everybody prays to someone. Well, I wonder if there are any Christians during a global pandemic. The assertion being that... well, you get it.
***********
About the Author:
Luther Reads builds robots. He doesn't want his robots to take anyone's job, but he knows this is unavoidable. Yet he toils on. He is very human in this regard -- a walking contradiction.
Monday, February 3, 2020
"I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual"
by Luther Reads
A few years ago, church goers openly mocked the non church goers who said, "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual." The church goers thought that phrase was an excuse to be lazy and stay home from church. But now the phrase isn't being ridiculed because so many people finally realize that churches are problematic for a lot of people.
More and more people see the deep flaws baked into the church hierarchy and structure, so much so that calling a Christian "religious" is like cursing them out. The rampant pettiness, cliquishness, legalism, and judgementalism among religious people has become too much. People backstabbing each other for positions, mismanagement of funds, abuse of power, misinterpretation of scripture, false spiritualism, etc, etc, and another etc. A thousand et ceteras, actually. Church folk be trippin!
A pastor friend of mine once defended this kind of behavior by saying that churches are still full of humans. He said, "People accept that kind of behavior at their job, but are shocked and disappointed to see it at church even though we're all still human." I thought the purpose of Christianity, and therefore church, is to make better humans out of us. So if church folk don't behave any better than the people at my job, I'd say that's a poor advertisement for attending church. But I digress.
Here's what I don't understand about the "spiritual" people, because many of them still read the Bible and pray to Jesus. Who do they think wrote the Bible? Who do they think compiled the Old and New Testament? Who do they think controlled the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jesus for thousands of years? The church! The religious people. The backstabbers, abusers, and misinterpretors. If the church's hierarchy is problematic now, then it was problematic back then. Ain't nothing changed. Jewish leadership compiled the Old Testament, and Catholic leadership compiled the New Testament.
"But God!" they say. Most Bible readers believe that God intervened in the development of scripture to keep it free from humanity's foolishness. Okay, so is God still doing that? Because I can write my own interpretation of the Bible, sell it on Amazon, and God won't stop me. The Quran and Book of Mormon are both attributed to God and he didn't stop them. Christians believe that free will was given to all humans, even the religious people who wrote and translated Bibles, and shaped the story of Jesus. Any biases, selfishness, and pettiness that they harbored went right into the Bible.
But don't take my word for it, read the book for yourself. From rampant chauvinism and patriarchy to the burning alive of non believers, it's all in there and it's quite messy. But above all else, it's predictably very human.
***********
About the Author:
Luther Reads has recently come to terms with the staying power of the Oxford comma.
A few years ago, church goers openly mocked the non church goers who said, "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual." The church goers thought that phrase was an excuse to be lazy and stay home from church. But now the phrase isn't being ridiculed because so many people finally realize that churches are problematic for a lot of people.
More and more people see the deep flaws baked into the church hierarchy and structure, so much so that calling a Christian "religious" is like cursing them out. The rampant pettiness, cliquishness, legalism, and judgementalism among religious people has become too much. People backstabbing each other for positions, mismanagement of funds, abuse of power, misinterpretation of scripture, false spiritualism, etc, etc, and another etc. A thousand et ceteras, actually. Church folk be trippin!
A pastor friend of mine once defended this kind of behavior by saying that churches are still full of humans. He said, "People accept that kind of behavior at their job, but are shocked and disappointed to see it at church even though we're all still human." I thought the purpose of Christianity, and therefore church, is to make better humans out of us. So if church folk don't behave any better than the people at my job, I'd say that's a poor advertisement for attending church. But I digress.
Here's what I don't understand about the "spiritual" people, because many of them still read the Bible and pray to Jesus. Who do they think wrote the Bible? Who do they think compiled the Old and New Testament? Who do they think controlled the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jesus for thousands of years? The church! The religious people. The backstabbers, abusers, and misinterpretors. If the church's hierarchy is problematic now, then it was problematic back then. Ain't nothing changed. Jewish leadership compiled the Old Testament, and Catholic leadership compiled the New Testament.
"But God!" they say. Most Bible readers believe that God intervened in the development of scripture to keep it free from humanity's foolishness. Okay, so is God still doing that? Because I can write my own interpretation of the Bible, sell it on Amazon, and God won't stop me. The Quran and Book of Mormon are both attributed to God and he didn't stop them. Christians believe that free will was given to all humans, even the religious people who wrote and translated Bibles, and shaped the story of Jesus. Any biases, selfishness, and pettiness that they harbored went right into the Bible.
But don't take my word for it, read the book for yourself. From rampant chauvinism and patriarchy to the burning alive of non believers, it's all in there and it's quite messy. But above all else, it's predictably very human.
***********
About the Author:
Luther Reads has recently come to terms with the staying power of the Oxford comma.
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
As a Father and a Scientist...
by Luther Reads
The comedian Chris Rock once memorably (although not hilariously, to me) suggested that his primary role as a father of daughters is to ensure that they don't end up on the pole... the stripper pole.
As a scientist, my primary role as a father is to keep my kids out of cults. That's my nightmare, as it would be the source of my eternal shame.
My parents and most of my family practice a very moderate and loving iteration of Christianity, but buried under layers of warm hugs and family worships are some very dangerous ideas:
You know who else speaks this way? Cult leaders!!! So fast forward 15 years from now, and one of my daughters tells me that she's dropping out of school or selling all her stuff to join a fellowship of believers led by some clown in a toga. If all her life I've praised the virtues of relying on faith and ignoring evidence, what recourse do I have? If she doesn't understand the value of evidence in comparison to faith, I might as well kiss her goodbye.
Christianity isn't just a way of life, but it's also a way of thinking about evidence, facts, and our feelings. It would be awesome if we could trust our faith and our feelings to protect us from harmful cults and ridiculous beliefs, but we have enough, uhhh... evidence... to know that isn't true. People fall for dumb ass doctrines all the time, but not my daughters dammit! They will learn that evidence, logic and reason can help us to overcome our biases and narrow perspective of the world.
These tools force us to reconcile what feels true with what is known about the world as observed through more objective lenses. And if they understand that, they can work all the poles they want.
***********
About the Author:
Luther Reads is a scientist. Well, he's actually an engineer, but they're also scientists, right? *draws Venn diagram*
The comedian Chris Rock once memorably (although not hilariously, to me) suggested that his primary role as a father of daughters is to ensure that they don't end up on the pole... the stripper pole.
As a scientist, my primary role as a father is to keep my kids out of cults. That's my nightmare, as it would be the source of my eternal shame.
My parents and most of my family practice a very moderate and loving iteration of Christianity, but buried under layers of warm hugs and family worships are some very dangerous ideas:
- We will not always understand why we do certain things.
- We believe things even when faced with evidence to the contrary.
- We will receive our reward in the afterlife.
You know who else speaks this way? Cult leaders!!! So fast forward 15 years from now, and one of my daughters tells me that she's dropping out of school or selling all her stuff to join a fellowship of believers led by some clown in a toga. If all her life I've praised the virtues of relying on faith and ignoring evidence, what recourse do I have? If she doesn't understand the value of evidence in comparison to faith, I might as well kiss her goodbye.
Christianity isn't just a way of life, but it's also a way of thinking about evidence, facts, and our feelings. It would be awesome if we could trust our faith and our feelings to protect us from harmful cults and ridiculous beliefs, but we have enough, uhhh... evidence... to know that isn't true. People fall for dumb ass doctrines all the time, but not my daughters dammit! They will learn that evidence, logic and reason can help us to overcome our biases and narrow perspective of the world.
These tools force us to reconcile what feels true with what is known about the world as observed through more objective lenses. And if they understand that, they can work all the poles they want.
***********
About the Author:
Luther Reads is a scientist. Well, he's actually an engineer, but they're also scientists, right? *draws Venn diagram*
Friday, July 13, 2018
Everything happens for a reason
... and that reason is usually Physics.
by Luther Reads
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About the Author:
Luther Reads is a down-to-earth thousandaire who puts his pants on one leg of a time just like everybody else.
by Luther Reads
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About the Author:
Luther Reads is a down-to-earth thousandaire who puts his pants on one leg of a time just like everybody else.
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
I Couldn't Have Been More Wrong About Atheists
by Luther Reads
I came into Atheism believing certain myths about this group of non believers. I rise today to dispel just a few of these misrepresentations.
Crazy right? That's what I say each and every time I realize a new truth about Atheists. And I'm sure there are more -- many many more.
***********
About the Author:
Luther Reads found audio books two years ago, and his life has been forever changed.
I came into Atheism believing certain myths about this group of non believers. I rise today to dispel just a few of these misrepresentations.
- All Atheists do NOT embrace the idea that our beliefs should be guided by evidence. Hell no! Many atheists believe in a shit ton of ridiculous, fallacious, and poorly reasoned arguments.
- All Atheists do NOT reject the idea of arbitrarily dividing humanity by birthplace or birthright. Jesus no! Many atheists are racist, sexist, and xenophobic douche bags.
- All Atheists do NOT approach their own understanding of the world with humility. God no! Many atheists are arrogant assholes who have no sense of the historical progression of knowledge, which will ultimately disprove some of the things we now believe to be true.
- All Atheists do NOT think critically, being careful not to blindly follow a charismatic leader. Lord no! Many sheep-like Atheists worship at the church of one or more famous Atheists, no matter how short-sighted or mean-spirited their claims are.
- All Atheists do NOT reject supernatural explanations for unexplainable phenomenons. Heavens no! Many atheists believe in ghosts, spirits, and karma. This has by far been the most baffling to me. BY FAR!!!! What in the entire fuck?!?
- All Atheists do NOT reject the idea that humans have dominion over plants and animals. Mary Mother of Jesus no! Many Atheists believe that humans have an innate right to dominate and abuse the living organisms we share the Earth with, and even the Earth itself.
- All Atheists do NOT even reject the idea of God. Christ no! Many so-called Atheists are just mad at their god for something bad that happened in their lives, but yet never considered all the other far worse shit that has been going on in the world for tens of thousands of years.
***********
About the Author:
Luther Reads found audio books two years ago, and his life has been forever changed.
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