Brand New Atheist » Reviews

The End

Rob Jones "Brand New Atheist" — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 09:18:47 +0000

I plan on making some big changes in 2010 and this website is not part of it. I’ve enjoyed using this site to get things off my chest, hash out some ideas, start controversy, this site has served it’s purpose and will be abandoned for the foreseeable future.

I’ll leave the site up but I don’t plan on tweeting from my BNA account or posting anymore articles. I’ve even gone to the trouble to delete some BNA accounts and disable others. Thanks to all my Twitter followers and anyone who took the time to have a conversation with me. If I get any comments to this article I may respond in 2009 but not 2010.

While this journey was educational it was also stressful and not always enjoyable. We only get this one life and I want to spend as little of it as possible on things that don’t bring happiness to me and my family.

Wish me luck and I’ll see you in the next life (that was a joke) :)

I finished The God Delusion book

Rob Jones "Brand New Atheist" — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 15:01:24 +0000

This was the best book I ever read. In context that’s not a lot of books but this one was so much more revealing.

I learned things that I hadn’t even considered yet. It’s a fascinating journey into the mind.

I recommend this book to everyone, that way christians can see were their atheist friends are coming from.

The Science of Evolution

Rob Jones "Brand New Atheist" — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 02:04:18 +0000

Right after watching “Judgement Day: Intelligent Design on Trial”, Karen and I watched this video called, “The Science of Evolution.” It was a companion video to the book “Intelligent Design vs. Evolution, Letters to an Atheist.” I knew this was going to be an ID sided video but I never expected it to be so absolutely ridiculous. The only thing this video proved was that Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort have no idea how to appeal to someone like myself. Nor Karen as she was somewhat embarrassed by the video.

I haven’t decided if Kirk Cameron needed someone with more experience than himself to spread his christianity so he teamed with Ray Comfort or if Ray Comfort wasn’t being listened to so he needed a friendly face to spread his christianity so he teamed with Kirk Cameron. If you’ve watched any of their videos or interviews you would see they use more “what if scenarios” than anyone else. The painting must have had a painter or the evolution of the Coke can.

There was no science in this video at all. They spent most of their time playing with an Orangutan or asking college students (who weren’t studying evolution) about evolution.

The common truth in the video was that most college students believe in evolution because it’s well proven and taught scientific theory. Regardless of their religious beliefs.

The video attempts to prove that we didn’t evolve from any of the great primates because they still live among us. If they understood evolution at all they would know that whatever great primates we evolved from would no longer exist, because we’re it. That also means that the other great primates have themselves evolved over millions of years.

If any religious group attaches the words “evolution” or “theory” to creationism or intelligent design they are misleading you on purpose. They need you to think the way they do.

I don’t want you to think the way I do, I just want you to think.

Recently monkeys were observed sharpening sticks to catch food. I don’t know why this monkey is hairless but he certainly resembles man. Maybe in a few million years chimps will be where we are today. Our intervention in their natural evolution may accelerate their ability to learn.

Judgement Day: Intelligent Design on Trial

Rob Jones "Brand New Atheist" — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:01:53 +0000

I watched this movie last night with Karen. I made popcorn and sat down with Karen to watch it. When I pressed play, Karen says, “What’s this?” I explained that I thought It would be interesting because I definitely wanted to see it. Her hesitation is that I’m trying to gather ammo against her belief of God. That was not the case at all.

So we watched the entire thing, with lots of pausing to comment on different part of the movie. I can see where ID proponents would try and say this movie was bias but the facts are there for those who want to make their own opinion. It wasn’t bias. In fact it showed what both sides offered entirely.

I recommend this movie to anyone who has a struggle with their faith and evolution. It shows how a little town’s school board tried to circumvent the constitution.

What is the best movie interpretation of finding the truth about religion?

Rob Jones "Brand New Atheist" — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 20:21:18 +0000

The Matrix. As a Christian (or other) you can’t see it for what it is. But as someone who is looking from the outside in, I can see it differently and have a whole new respect for the movie.

I’ve never looked online about how the movie relates to atheism or escaping religion. Because I wanted to get my own thoughts written down before they were skewed by anything I read online. I haven’t seen the movie in a while but I fancy myself as Neo. Searching for the truth, and like Neo I found it.

“What is the Matrix?” and “What is Christianity?”. Those questions have the same answer. They are make believe worlds were peoples minds are enslaved.

Morpheus “Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself” “You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.”

I took the red pill.

I love the line from Neo “Why do my eyes hurt?” and Morpheus says “Because you’ve never used them before.” In many ways that’s exactly how I feel. My eyes don’t really hurt but everything I see looks new because I now know that we are all a product of a cosmic coincidence.

I can now see the world as it is not how I was told it was.