June Callwood RIP: Canada's Conscience Was Also An Atheist

She didn't believe in God. She believed in kindness instead.

One of Canada's icons passed away yesterday. June Callwood: journalist, author, and humanitarian extraordinaire died after gallantly losing her fight with cancer.

Normally, I don't blog about these things. I never met her, like many bloggers who have written tributes have. I never read any of her books either. But then again, I haven't read many of anyone's books:) I'm writing this because her life and death completely contradicts many of the assumptions made by theists regarding atheists.

A quick biography from FICCDAT:

"Known as "Canada's Conscience," June Callwood's career has been marked by compassion and a strong concern for social justice, especially on issues affecting children and women. A prolific and versatile author, she has written more than 30 books and countless magazine articles. Her career in television has included the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation program In Touch (1975-78), and the recent Caregiving with June Callwood, a program that provides assistance to people caring for parents, spouses or others.

Despite a busy writing life, she has also founded and co-founded more than 50 social action organizations, including Nellie's hostel for women, Jessie's, a centre for teenage parents, Casey House Hospice for AIDS patients, and PEN Canada. Her extensive volunteer work has been recognized by many honours including the Order of Canada (1986), and "Woman of the Year," B'nai B'rith, (1969). She is an Honourary Marching Mother of Ontario March of Dimes."

Here is her last interview. I believe it was done around a month ago:


Of note, she has accepted death, and contrary to the old theist claim that atheists become believers when death approaches, she is very firm that there is no God and no afterlife. And she is completely fine with it.

She made a point about being in her 80's and accepting death. I think this is part of the evolution process too. My guess is that most people in their 80's and 90's who are dying, are just content with the idea of dying regardless of beliefs or lack thereof. The body and mind is content with the idea that their time has come just like the spider Charlotte, and she wasn't even one years old.

She also made mention of the fact that humans almost have the need to do good for each other. It makes us satisfied. And we don't need to buy into a religion and their doctrines to "hold a door open for one another." Our morality and ethics don't come from God; we evolved them. And those who do not consider God, don't go out and rape and pillage. That is just theist baloney. We are hardwired so that if we do something good for someone, we get a bit of a rush in our brains, and subconsciously (and/or consciously) we know there is also a good chance that the other person will do something good because of your act. For social animals likes humans, this behaviour helps our species live to see a next generation.

She was married to the same man, sportswriter Trent Frayne, for 62 years. How many theists can make the same claim?

She went through tragedy when her youngest son died at 20 in a car crash. A drunk driver killed him. She went on to turn it into a positive (as best anyone could) by founding a now famous Aids hospice in her son's name: The Casey House. A longer biography and tribute can be found at their website here.

Upon doing a blog search, I found a tribute to her by a believer. The last paragraph is disturbing:

"Her end of life discussion was sad for she is an atheist. I wish her the best as she goes on to the next life. I will pray for her."

Oh, I get it. Her next life will be in hell, despite how good a person she was on earth. That is why she needs you to pray for her. And how will your praying help her? Got that one figured out yet?

Actually, that comment by the theist was very sad.

Global Warming: What "They" Don't Want Us To Know

Do you think "they" are really going to tell us the truth about Global Warming? No chance. "They" are getting ready to leave our earth and go to another solar system, it is important that we are not informed until "they" safely leave. The fact is that Global Warming started in 1961, and it has nothing to do with being man-made. Moving to Toronto won't help anyone either. We are doomed, doomed I tells you:

Twilight Zone - The Midnight Sun
Uploaded by mg217

My real thoughts on Global Warming: I think man does have a hand in it, but I think it is small. Cars weren't around for the last ice age, or any ice age for that matter. The fact is that oxygen levels on earth and the earth's atmosphere has never been a constant over time. Changes in oxygen levels have been around since the beginning of the planet, more than 6000 years ago (oh, and less than 5 billion years ago too), and these changes have led to major extinctions, and up until now, man wasn't around for those other "end times."

Changes in the earth's atmosphere gave rise to the dinosaurs, but science giveth and science taketh awayeth; atmospheric change also killed off the dinosaurs. Of course, the death of the dinosaurs allowed for man to be king of the world.

Animals have started evolving already because of the new climate. For example, the pitcher plant mosquito is being observed to change it's breeding habits.

Are we evolved enough to handle the inevitable changes that are in store for planet earth? In the long run though, it won't matter. As Stardust points out, the earth is toast.

Pope Pretty Much Admits He Is An Agnostic

All you have to do is read between the lines in the new German book, Schoepfung und Evolution (Creation and Evolution), and it is pretty evident that Pope Benedict is an agnostic who is trying to keep his sham religion alive (all religions are shams, but some are shammier than others).

First off, the Pope stayed clear of the ID "argument" altogether, which is a pretty clear admission that knows Behe and Dumbski are full of garbage, and he also stayed clear of creationist crapola too.

Lets look at the quotes shall we:

"Science has opened up large dimensions of reason ... and thus brought us new insights.....science has narrowed the way life's origins are understood and Christians should take a broader approach to the question."

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What you really are saying that science has disproved the idea of a young earth and creationism, and the only way to keep the Catholic church alive in light of scientific fact is to come up with new bullshit reasons for why God would have done things the way he did it.

"the Darwinist theory of evolution is not completely provable because mutations over hundreds of thousands of years cannot be reproduced in a laboratory....We cannot haul 10,000 generations into the laboratory."

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Notice the word "completely"? Yes, scientists know that it is impossible to do millions of years of evolution in a lab. And yes, many people will say that unless they see something for themselves it can't be "completely" provable. But what you the Pope, does admit, is that the earth is much older than 10,000 years. And that your only defense against evolution is that fact it takes too damn long for species changes to occur. Popey, you are admitting that evolution is fact, in other words.

"But it is also true that the theory of evolution is not a complete, scientifically proven theory."
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Well duh. There is no such thing as a scientifically proven theory. You are trying to pull a fast one here, in order to keep the Catholics, who would think about changing religions, if you admitted to being an agnostic evolutionist.

"The question is not to either make a decision for a creationism that fundamentally excludes science, or for an evolutionary theory that covers over its own gaps and does not want to see the questions that reach beyond the methodological possibilities of natural science."

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Yep, the old theistic evolution argument. I like it much better than the YEC argument. Actually, I like it a lot better. But see, here is the thing. You realize that scientific theory is based on observable facts. But you have to come up a reason to keep the flock together by trying to invent a big picture, that you have no proof of, or no evidence of. This makes you agnostic. An agnostic is someone who deep down hopes there is a God, knowing full well there is no evidence of one. They hope that there is a bigger picture and a guiding hand, but really know that there isn't. As gaps become less and less, more agnostics have the courage to state they are atheist. I doubt you will admit you are an Atheist, Benedict. You are too old to change your agnostic ways.

"I find it important to underline that the theory of evolution implies questions that must be assigned to philosophy and which themselves lead beyond the realms of science."

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Well actually the theory of evolution doesn't have to imply philosophical questions, unless you are hoping for something that almost for sure isn't there. Without philosophical questions about evolution, you have no reason to keep up the charade of Catholicism, right Popey?

"The process (evolution) itself is rational despite the mistakes and confusion as it goes through a narrow corridor choosing a few positive mutations and using low probability.....This ... inevitably leads to a question that goes beyond science ... where did this rationality come from?..... it came from the creative reason of God."

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So evolution is confusing because scientist don't ask why it is happening philosophically? I got you Popey, nudge nudge wink wink. It is about time you threw in the word "God." I was starting to worry about you forgetting about what your job is. Like I said, without making evolution (which you seem to embrace as 100% fact) philosophical, you got zero, and you might as well turn the Vatican into a Mosque, because Muslims aren't as enlightened as you are.

"Just who is this nature or evolution as (an active) subject? It doesn't exist at all!....evolution has a rationality that the theory of purely random selection could not explain."

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Are you now saying evolution and nature are God? Isn't that just renaming evolution and nature? You are starting to sound like a Buddhist now.
C'mon Popey, don't start pretending you don't know what evolution and that it is a lot more than purely random selection. I can see right through you. You are worried, as you should be that Catholics start leaving your church and become Muslims or Evangelist Christians, science forbid. Actually, I have respect for that, you are trying to help out mankind by not admitting your true beliefs, and creating more ass backward Fundies.

Hey Popey, how come no mention of Jesus? You must be reading my blog, and have concluded that the dude never existed.

I might as well add this video that AngloAmerican posted in my comments since it fits with the Catholic theme. Most atheists probably have seen this already. I saw it yesterday for the first time:

Thoughts on Passover and Easter

First off, I stayed clear of both celebrations this year. I didn't even accompany my wife to my neighbour's house for Easter turkey, or whatever it is people eat on Easter.

I admit, I watched a few National Geographic's and Discovery Civilization "documentaries" about Jesus and the Exodus. Now, you have to understand, it has only been three years since I made the discovery that a historical Jesus and a historical Exodus have zero contemporary evidence attached to either. I always assumed that lots of Jews left Egypt around 3200 years ago, and that Jesus was a Jewish rebel rabbi.

For me, it started innocently enough. I was just looking for descriptions of what Jesus looked like from historical sources, because at the time there was lots of news about Mel Gibson's The Passion, which was just announced as going into production.

I started doing internet searches, and wound up finding out that there is no historical evidence that Jesus even existed. In fact, there were lots of similar stories to what the Christ story evolved into over time. There is historical evidence that the similar stories were part of the cultural myths, and they were there way before Jesus supposedly lived.

The Exodus revelation happened for me in a similar way. Actually a Jew hater asked for evidence that Jews left Egypt around 3200 years ago. Again, I did my internet searches, and now I'm convinced that Judaism most likely combined the Zoroastrian beliefs and the monotheistic views of Akhenaten. There is very little out there to make me believe that Judaism even existed prior around 700 BC and perhaps, it is even younger than that, when Ezra wrote the myths down. That could have easily been the birth of Judaism. For sure, there is no evidence whatsoever that Jews were slaves in Egypt, and the numbers who supposedly left were improbable regardless of evidence (but so are the plagues).

Watching from the perspective of knowing that no evidence exists, when tons of evidence should exist (please apologists, just shut up on this one), I just shook my head a lot and watched theologians and pseudo historians explain what happened.


To me, when it comes to these dolts trying to figure out/make excuses as to whether Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married or had sex, for example, is like watching someone trying to figure out if The Cat In The Hat was gay or not.

If you take a step back, and listen to all the speculation and excuses, like why it took 40 years for Jews to cross the Sinai, when it takes 10 days to walk it going into a gale force wind, you just have to laugh...........if you are a rational human being, that is.

Both the Jesus story, and the Exodus story, sound like children's stories to me now. I just can't get over how easy it is for so many adults to fall for these obvious make believe tales.

I guess if the stories were based on real people and events, the stories would never have made past the 200's.

The Internet Atheist Movement

I made this video to make atheists aware of all the great resources and sites that are available on the internet. Atheists are becoming more fearless...OK, less intimidated, to speak up about ourselves and our non beliefs:



Live Science has a funny piece called The Coulter Hoax. Even Live Science is taking pot shots at the reality denying Fundies. I love it.

The internet will be the death of the Young Earth Creationist movement. It is just a matter of time.