Don't Talk to Me, I'm On My Popcorn Break

Why Religious Beliefs Are Irrational

Now I am not one of those people who says that modern science has disproven religion. If I said that, it would imply that two thousand years ago, there was not solid evidence against the claims that Jesus was born of a virgin and rose from the dead. But the counter-evidence has always been overwhelming. Everyone else is born of a non-virgin and stays dead. It is absurd to recognize an exception without overwhelming evidence, but all we have is the testimony of a few of his disciples. And yet not only do Christians believe these things; they often claim to know them with certainty, and get angry if you disagree. Christianity has always been irrational, and of course the same goes for Judaism, Islam, Greek mythology, Satanism, and belief in Santa Claus.

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The gist of my theory is that people persistently hold wildly irrational religious beliefs because the material cost is usually very low. In terms of daily life, what difference does it make if the earth is 6000 years old or 6 billion? So it's not surprising how readily people shut their eyes to the geological evidence. In contrast, when the cost of irrationality is high, believers conveniently forget the teachings of their religion. Lots of religions promise paradise to martyrs, but adherents eager to die for their beliefs are one-in-a-million.

Why Religious Beliefs Are Irrational, and Why Economists Should Care

The Super Bowl has been CANCELED!

Craziest Child Preachers

So who is crazier, the kid preachers or the adults who actually sit and listen to their insane ranting?

Banking Foreclosure Scheme Exposed!

Real Toyota Trouble

I've had my own personal Toyota troubles before, though to be honest, every one of their vehicles I've owned has had only minor problems. Certain things simply start to go bad when a car ages, even one made by a quality minded manufacturer.

Toyota has maintained a reputation for producing quality, reliable vehicles, for many years. So this recent recall business with the sticking accelerators (a defect that has lead to at least 19 deaths) has had many car owners and buyers (even Toyota loyalists) questioning that reputation. My first impression was that this was probably unfair. It appeared a minor problem (in spite of the few unfortunate tragedies that may have resulted) easily corrected (a postage stamp-sized piece of metal is the fix) and nothing to lead a rational person away from otherwise very fine automobiles.

On the other hand, as Toyota has gotten bigger, there has seemed to be a reduction in that fabled quality. Last night as I watched TV I saw a commercial from Ford comparing the Toyota Camry to the Fusion. Obviously Ford is taking full advantage of their rival's woes. And is a Ford a lesser vehicle? Does Ford make a worse product than Toyota? I have my doubts that that is any longer the case. Now I'm not saying that this applies across the board to other American car companies (I pity you if you own a Chrysler product, even a brand new one) but Ford (and maybe even Government Motors) are making much better cars than they used to, and they can probably match Japanese cars in overall reliability and quality. Maybe.

Toyota's specific troubles may be able to be traced right back to their management. Something I wasn't aware of is the fact that "As recently as December, Toyota was asking its suppliers to reduce parts costs by 30% over the next three years."-Where Toyota went wrong.

Come on, when you start cutting corners like that, of course your quality (and eventually your hard won reputation) is going to suffer.

So would you buy a Ford over a similar Toyota model? I think I would at least seriously consider it. Then again if I was in the market (as a wage slave I'm currently not) for a new car I'd most likely stop by my local Honda dealer first.

Why Anarchists Hate the State

The term Anarchy has been used since the French Revolution to describe a society with no government. This is the most basic definition of Anarchy. The word, however, is much misunderstood, as most individuals seem to equate it with violence and chaos. Real Anarchists (not the kind you see in movies, but the ones that exist in the real world) are actually opposed to violence and chaos. This, in fact, is where their resistance to the state actually stems from, as they believe that governments are amongst the worst perpetuators of violence, oppression, and chaos in the world.

Why Anarchists Hate the State

Ron Paul Warns of Coming Social and Political Chaos

Sweating bullets

Wow. Last night was one of the craziest I've had in a long time. Long story short: I was at a party where everyone was partying way, way, way too hard. I did nothing illegal myself; in fact, I didn't drink a drop of alcohol (which is pretty rare for me) and fell asleep by 2 a.m (even more rare for me). That didn't stop me from being handcuffed and thrown on the ground when cops raided the place.

Thankfully, they uncuffed me and let me go within several minutes. Everyone there vouched for the fact that I was sober and had been sleeping. Unfortunately, they took away one of my smartass friends. Hopefully he's only in detox and not in jail.

Maybe next time I'll just stay at home and watch a movie. To be honest, this event has really made me reconsider my social life of nonstop partying.

Stack of Bibles

From the Chronicles of Shane Brown

For some reason George Harrison's Beware of Darkness was going through his head as he drove to deliver the bag of bottled sauces and condiments to his sister. He didn't know why. He hadn't listened to All Things Must Pass in years.


The bottles were from his mom, another unsolicited gift. His sister really didn't cook, so why she'd have a need for exotic marinades and strange sauces with foreign names was beyond him. He arrived and parked in front of the mobile home where his sister had lived for over ten years. The bag of bottles was heavy, and as usual he wondered what his mom had been thinking. The entire contents must have cost a small fortune, something he would remind his mom of the next time she asked him for gas money.

Inside, his sister was also surprised by the unnecessary largess, though she certainly didn't turn it down. Free stuff was free stuff, after all.


His nephew was also there, staying for a few weeks after a job he'd recently completed in Washington. Damn the kid was big now! Taller than himself by several inches and outweighing him by more than a few pounds. He been raised by his mom and his grandmother, and his father (never a dad) was rarely spoken of, a forgotten lowlife from a long past era of young and stupid "love", a blindness that at one point involved cave-like living and dangerous pit bulls sleeping in the same bed. But in spite of being fatherless, the kid had turned out well, it seemed.

"How ya doing, Big Guy?"

His nephew had a notebook computer open on his lap as he sat on the couch. He glanced up from whatever he was doing and acknowledged his uncle with a nod. After a little smalltalk the subject turned to the numerous liquor bottles on top of the refrigerator.

"Those are Jamie's," his mom declared. He took a closer look at the variety of liquid intoxicants. There was vodka in a crystal-clear skull-shaped bottle, whiskey in twin six-shooter gun bottles in a special old west themed box, and absinthe in a bottle apparently designed by a deranged and at the same time incompetent madman.

"He'll need a new liver soon," she half-joked, before clarifying that he only had a couple drinks at a time. As he turned away from the refrigerator and back to the rest of the combined kitchen/living room, he noticed a whole case of Sam Adam's on the kitchen counter.

"Beer too?" he said.

Jamie spoke up. "That's not mine. I don't drink beer anymore, it gives you a gut. Just mixed drinks now."

He remembered the first time he saw the inside of his nephew's little dorm fridge in the small side room that used to be his when he was still living at home and being surprised that it was packed tightly with nothing but cans of Miller Lite. But that was several years ago now.

As he walked toward the couch he noticed to his right a stack of books sitting piled on a chair. Closer inspection revealed that they were all in fact the same book, a stack of Bibles of various sizes and translations. He causally picked one up and thumbed through its extra thin leaves.

"Where'd ya get all the Bibles?" he asked.

"They're mine," his sister replied. He found her response odd. He remembered her strong aversion to anything religious, particularly having to do with Christianity and the Bible. When their dad had still been "Born Again" she had complained to Mom several times about Dad's subtle proselytizing (playing tapes of church services was one method, though of course he presented them to her as simply entertaining lectures by humorous guest speakers).

Among the group of Bibles was a large study Bible of the New King James Version, a Living Bible and a children's edition of the NIV.

"Why do you have so many?" he said. Even his nephew was puzzled, apparently not seeing the Bibles before, either.

"In case someone asks me to church," she said. "That way I can study up so I don't sound stupid."

He showed such an interest in the Bibles that she asked if he wanted one.

"Yeah, I guess," he answered.

"Probably wants to sell it on craigslist," his nephew said between sips of his drink.

"Is that what you want to do, sell it?" his sister asked.

"No, I just have to go to the dentist tomorrow for my broken tooth, and I don't have a Bible." He made it sound as if he was joking.

She came over and picked up each of the Bibles in turn, browsing through each of them while she made comments. One was easy to read and understand, and she liked that. One was an expensive study Bible that she couldn't bear to part with, and besides, it was packed with Bible facts and info that was very helpful. Finally she had in her hands the children's copy. She held it out to him.

"You can have this one." He gratefully took it. The whole thing was strange. He was an atheist, after all, wasn't he? He listened to a final rant from his nephew, something about what he would say to someone if they tried to push religion on him. "I'd tell them what they could do with it!" he said. After a few jokes about Jehovah's Witnesses he was ready to leave.

As he got into his car, setting the Bible he'd been given on the seat next to him, he wondered if it wasn't a good thing that his sister was now showing an interest in religion. Was it just because she was getting older? The thought came to him that there was something innocent and pure about that stack of Bibles and his sister's attachment to them. It was an odd thought for an unbeliever to have.