Spirit in the Sky by Gareth Gates and The Kumars

This is just one song that I never had a problem with when it came to saying the word "Jesus" out loud while not cursing.

OK, I never heard of Gareth Gates before, but it turns out he was a contestant in Britain's talent show Pop Idol in 2002, and was subsequently signed up by Simon Cowell's record label. This version of Spirit in the Sky (for Comic Relief) climbed to number one on the charts in 2003 for a couple of weeks. It was his 4th number one on the UK charts. Wow, where have I been?

The Kumars(at 42), is a UK talk show hosted by a fictional Indian family. Again, I never heard of it until today.


Spirit of the Sky was written by Norman Greenbaum, a Jew. It came out in 1970 and made it to Number One. According to Wikipedia "The lyrics' ambiguous interpretation of Christian doctrine can be attributed to the fact that Norman Greenbaum was Jewish, not Christian; the song was never intended to proselytize for Christianity (or indeed for Judaism or any other religious group), but was a send-up of what he perceived as naïveté on the part of religious people in general.
Fundies are the most naive people on this planet. And talk about ambigious. Their "Word of God" has so many interpretations, that if you ask 5 Fundies about what is immoral and what is heaven and you'll get 3 different answers for each question and 2 shrugs.

Part of Norman Greenbaum's version plays automatically at the song's website.

From an interview with Greenbaum: "his parents were quite shocked when they heard their son singing a song about Jesus on the radio. However, when it climbed to the tops of the charts they asked “got any more?”.

I GOT REJECTED BY THE BLASPHEMY RING

Here is the descripiton of the Blasphemy Ring(Bedlam Web Group):
Welcome to the Blasphemy Ring. These sites are generally irreverent, blasphemous, and usually anti-religious. This can be in any form from general religion bashing to Bible-debunking to Jesus jokes, it really doesn't matter! Seeing sites like these makes baby Jesus cry. Note: this is not a ring for Marilyn Manson sites.
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Here is the response I got from the Webmaster of that Ring:
"I am curious. Do you refer to yourself as a 'Jew' in a religious or a racial context? I do not pretend to be an expert on race, religion or semantics, but I have noticed that even a fair number of Jewish people seem to be unsure of the 'race or religion' angle.

Secondly, what is the significance of your use of the expression 'Bacon Eating...'? I can understand why anybody might consider dietary restrictions introduced to avoid problems in a desert climate to be rather redundant - especially if you happen to be living in a western country and in possession of a refrigerator - but does that justify using the 'Bacon Eating...' label if the intention is just to be offensive to people who do observe the traditional restrictions of their race/religion?

Personally, as a vegan, I find the notion of eating any animal offensive for entirely different reasons.

You applied to The Blasphemy Ring - a community that ideally promotes sites which question the very basis of organised religions and religious dogmas. So far you have offered a few thoughts about the value of Christmas as a 'Happy Holiday' that is barely touched by Christian concepts, you have somewhat ambiguously poked fun at Kosher Laws and made references to anti-semites, Marxists and the presence of a Jewish jockey in an Islamic country. I seriously doubt if this material is searching enough to genuinely fit the theme of our ring.

Just a thought: If I was Jewish (by religion or ethnicity) and applying to the Blasphemy Ring, I would probably want to use my background to help me discuss some of the undeniably scary statements made in the Talmud and other texts. I would not be looking for gags about bacon or pondering the reasoning of the Arabian horse racing fraternity.

I'd welcome your thoughts about the potential directions of your site. It does not appear to be 'blasphemous' enough for the Blasphemy Ring and (in all honesty) I am concerned about any material which potentially divides human beings."
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I don't have my response unfortunately, but I was pissed off by his tone. Read the last paragraph. My blog isn't blasphemous enough, yet he is also concerned by material that is offensive to certain people. I did answer his questions though and I questioned how he didn't find me blasphemous, especially with my Bacon and God cartoon.
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His next reply:

"Well, thank you for your deeply unpleasant communication. The last time I received an e-mail as uncivil as that, it came from a neo-nazi skinhead who couldn't believe that I had rejected his "Aryan Humour" site.

It was not my intention to 'piss you off', I took an interest in your pages and asked some questions based on genuine curiosity about your intentions. However, it is not hard to see that you avoided my queries because you didn't like any of the possible answers.

Are you incapable of defining yourself without recourse to meaningless rhetoric? I asked if you considered youself a 'Jew' in the context of race or religion - I asked that question because, after viewing your website, it struck me that you are unsure of your own identity and too willing to simplistically define yourself merely in relationship to the people and things you hate.

Since you are a self-proclaimed aetheist, it seemed logical that, without any religious foundations, you might wish to base your 'Jewishness' on race or ethnicity. But, you could only respond with a baseless spiel. Could it be that your ancestors were not native to the Holy Land and that is a touchy subject? I can only guess because your answer was devoid of information. I really do not wish to offend you or waste time with needlessly cutting remarks; my point is this: The Jewish culture has one main unifying aspect - its religion. Many people who consider themselves to be Jews are not able to claim genuine Middle-Eastern ancestry - if I was being pedantic, I could add that most of the 'Jews' who complain about anti-semitism are not even semites...but let's not open that can of worms. I unswervingly believe that racial hatred is wrong regardless of how it is labelled.

Believe it or not, this online community has serious biblical scholars who are not afraid of tackling controversial issues. If you are scared to prise out the superstitions and inconsistencies in the Talmud or to ask if the present population of Israel has any real right to the land they occupy, those genuine researchers and investigators are not. As mature adults, they can consider such matters without finding it necesary to hate anybody and without seeking to justify themselves by pretending that people from other ethnic or social groups hate them.

You are quite wrong to suggest that I merely glanced at your site. Sadly, I viewed more than your first page. In point of fact, I took the time to look at your site in some detail. I found it to be unoriginal, 'unblasphemous' and (the worst crime of all) unfunny. You are entitled to hold a contrary opinion - this is a democracy and I won't lose any sleep if you prefer Seinfeld to the Marx Brothers.

Incidentally, you should not expect a vegan to die laughing at a cartoon which features a slice from an animal corpse as its main character.

I summarised your latest entries because they generally had one thing in common - a tacitly belligerent and self-serving assumption that people hate you for your ethnicity/religion. If you regularly go around insulting folks who invite you to explain your website, it isn't very hard to guess why you feel so isolated.

I was deeply disturbed by your statement that you 'mock' the Islamic religion and the efforts of soldiers, sailors and airmen who are serving overseas. As a former paratrooper, I cannot think of anything more saddening to those brave men and women in uniform than mean-spirited mockery from unsympathetic people at home.

This ring promotes the sane, lucid and scholarly discussion of organised religion and religious beliefs - it is NOT an excuse for people to parade their prejudices and hatreds in public. Personally, I believe that hating anybody on the grounds of race, creed or colour is a betrayal of our best human qualities - I simply see people as people (regardless of their origins) and I don't choose my friends or colleagues because they conform to certain ethnic or religious stereotypes.

I asked you to explain your intentions so that I could do my best to see how you might fit into this ring. You responded with harsh words and it seems that we must agree to disagree. I wish you well and hope that you find out who you really are in the fullness of time.
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Lots of baseless assumptions. I said in my first reply that I go after Islam and the War on Terror on my site. I probably worded it wrong. I am obviously pro War on Terror. He obviously didn't read my site as much as he said he did. What an assumptive anal retentive hypocrite he is. He says he is offended by my Bacon character because he is a Vegan. He should really read the description of the Blasphemy Ring over again. He just doesn't get it.
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Next came my rejection:
Your site submission to The Blasphemy Ring has been denied. system email Sent: 03/26/2006 23:50:17
The web site you submitted to The Blasphemy Ring Ring has been denied due to the reasons cited below by the RingMaster.
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My last reply:

"You are obviously taking this webring thing way too seriously. I can't believe you are offended by a piece of bacon as a character because you are a vegan. You must have thin skin, yet the title of your ring automatically is offensive to many believers I believe.

I'm aware that many scholarly sites that rip the OT and NT are on the web, in fact many have me on their blogroll and many leave messages on my site.

You have to be anal not to find my site funny. Many people feel it is funny. And many people consider my site completely blasphemous.

I would ask you to let someone else give you a second opinion about my blog. You are too anal. And don't worry, if you change your mind, I wouldn't become a member no anyways. I am going to write a blog entry about this experience because I find your opinion and assumptions about me laughable. And so will my readers. I get 300 hits a day these days.

As far as me being a Jew. My father is of middle eastern descent and I have a very biblical surname. Everyone who knows me, knows I know who I am.
I grew up secular so I am not a bible scholar. The heading of my blog explains what a Jew is. You said you are no expert on race, religion, or semantics. I explained what a Jew is. I defined myself. My blog heading defines who I am.
I found it offensive that you were telling me what I should focus on in MY blog.
The fact that you don't find much of material funny means you have issues. If you find that insulting. Too bad.

Where do I mock soldiers? You are making stuff up now. I mock radical Islam.

I honestly don't think you are very bright. I don't need to explain the contents of my blog to anyone, most people get it.
Where do you get the idea I feel isololated???
My blog is simple to understand. The views of the world from the eyes of a mostly sarcastic Atheist Jew.
What is so hard about that to grasp?"

The Atheist Jew

Just Letting Off Some Steam

I'm starting to picture Fundies as Down Syndrome children, no offense to Down Syndrome children.
Just got back from leaving a comment at Vox's blog. These borderline retards are going on about morality. Many of them say that Atheists can't have morals, some say God gave us morals, but mostly they say that Atheists are most likely to become "animals."

Here is my latest rant comment:

There aren't too many Atheists on death row. Only believers. What does that tell you about morality? The jails are full of believers not Atheists.

Oh yeah, you are gonna tell me that Atheists are so smart we rarely get caught.

You people with your morality discussion are full of it. Christians who are supposed to love thy neighbour hate Atheists. How immoral is that?

Morals are man made. Some of you mention a moral code, but you can't even define what the moral code is.

Talk about rhetoric. Apes are more moral than most Christians. They don't live a lie.
The Atheist Jew | Homepage | 03.27.06 - 10:35 pm | #

These Godidiots think that humans have a special moral code but can't define it. They think that because Christians have a moral code and Atheists do not, that Christians know they can repent so they are allowed to be immoral or something like that. They don't know. You ask 4 Fundies about evolution or morality and you get 4 different answers, all interpretations of people who stopped rationally thinking when they hit puberty. They probably think that the Preacher's wife who murdered her husband just had an Atheist moment.

The scary thing is that they are breeding, and then homeschooling their poor kids. They are dumbing down America. It should be criminal for them to teach. Take science, because they are so weak minded, they accept what their Preacher says over what scientists say when it comes to scientific discovery. This is done for egotistical reasons and to Keep It Simple Stupid(Can't stray too far off that Holy Book or you won't know what's up or down).

They are dishonest too. Pretending that they have the background to argue evolution or an ancient earth. I wish they would just be honest. They should say, they don't know enough about evolution, and they don't want to know enough about evolution because they don't want to accept the fact that man has evolved, and God didn't create man like their good book written by many men says. Ask a Fundy for a peer reviewed scientific study that refutes evolution and get a smart answer or watch him run and hide like a little girl.

Do they know they are being dishonest or are they just completely clueless, or is it a combination of the two?

Fundy Blogger Tries To Explain Why Americans Hate Atheists

I'm not American, but I just can't see American Atheists being different than me.
Vox Popoli states the following in his very popular blog, why Americans hate Atheists:

1. We want to ban Christmas

2. We assume we are more educated and intelligent that believers.

3. We have a murderous track record.

4. We constantly bring up Hitler's Christianity, the Crusades, and/or the Spanish Inquisition.

5. We proselytize almost as much as Jehovah Witnesses.

6. We can't explain how we can be moral because we don't believe in God, and we have no problem lying because we are never going to have to account for it.


Now let me attempt to address these points.

1. Personally I have no problem with Christmas. It is the one time of year when many Christians act like Christians are supposed to act. It gives them a chance to visit friends and relatives. It is a cultural philosophy. In fact, Christ or God is rarely mentioned. Christmas is fine with me. In secular schools it should more emphasis should be put on Happy Holidays, because it isn't right that non Christians be overly exposed to Christian beliefs. But that is just logical. Private schools can do whatever the hell they want.

2. We don't just assume we are on average more intelligent and educated. It is a fact. I can dig up numbers, but since those numbers aren't found in the Bible, Fundies won't believe me anyways.

3. Russia for example, is only made of 20% Atheists/Agnostics. Contrary to what people perceive. The leaders of the Russian Revolution may have been mainly Atheist, but lets not blame Atheism. It was a secular government, just like China has right now. Yet in China, though most of the state doesn't belong to an organized religion, most of those individuals do in fact believe in a higher power and superstition. Denmark and Sweden today have very high Atheist percentages, but they are hardly murderous. And many wars were fought over God in history by believers, so our murderous track record is just a blip.

4. I only bring up these things when I'm dealing with anti-semites or comparing Marxism with Christianity. Rarely if ever. And I am never the first to bring it up.

5. When was the last time an Atheist knocked on your door to tell you that you were a fool for believing in God?

6. Morality is man made. In fact it has evolutionary roots. If it wasn't for morality, humans wouldn't have died out with the Neanderthals. If you steal from neighbours, continuously murder and behave like an anarchist, your chances of surviving is next to zero. You likely won't live long enough to procreate. Morality is innate in most mammals. The 10 Commandments were written by man for man. The NT was written by many men who imposed their own set of values. Morality is also subjective from one culture to another and even one person to another. I have seen Church going Christians rationalize theft to me. As far as lying goes, I find most Atheists to be completely honest and open with less to hide than believers. Maybe it has to do with us knowing that this is our only life and we might as well be as real as possible. Believers tend to worry what others will think of them.

Personally, I think the reason believers don't like Atheists, is that they fear we are right. Deep down they know that the Bible has some pretty far fetched stories like the Ark, and we remind them of that, while throwing facts like evolution and an ancient earth in their face. I doubt many people who believe in God, evolution and an ancient earth hate us or mistrust us, it is just the Fundy flock that might.

Thanks Fundy Bane for the head's up:)

This was the easiest online quiz I ever took

You Should Be a Joke Writer

You're totally hilarious, and you can find the humor in any situation. Whether you're spouting off zingers, comebacks, or jokes about life... You usually can keep a crowd laughing, and you have plenty of material. You have the makings of a great comedian - or comedic writer.

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

I just wish they wouldn't use the picture of a chick on top of the description. It is kind of making me feel queazy. Wait, that is just the greasy sausage I just ate. I still don't like the picture though.

Thanks to Cat for the link.