Tim Harden

The Mythology of Christianity

2011-01-09T19:10:00.001-08:00

I'm going to make it a point, this new year, not to refer to Christianity as Christianity. But rather, the "mythology of Christianity". Everyone else should too as well.

The bible as the "Word of God" - NOT!

2010-12-23T05:26:00.000-08:00

Christians have slung around descriptions of the bible. Like "the word of god" and "perfect". And I could talk about the hypocracy and inconsistencies of the bible. But for right now, I'd like to bring up yet another reason why the bible is none of these things.

If a deity, any deity, wants to push forth a book to the entire human race to read, absorb and live by, then it only makes sense that the deity makes sure that the book is written for the lowest common denominator. That way, EVERYONE can understand the bible and what the collection of stories is trying to convey to the reader.

Continuing on that logic, it would also make sense that there shouldn't have to be any interpretations of it's writings. I can't tell you how many times, while I was in bible school as a kid, I was told by a bible teacher or pastor that a particular passage of the bible has an interpretation. I'm told by theists even today that there are many stories in the bible that have interpretations.

I'll tell you why they use interpretations. They're trying to convert centuries-old stories and make it relevant for today. And while they're at it, they're trying to clean up old world mentalities, such as slavery and bigotry to name a few. It's a lot easier to talk about and memorize passages from the bible that don't require interpretation and sound sweet and wholesome. There's no doubt the bible has a few of those. But I don't ever recall being in bible school and the teacher talking about Samuel 18:25-27. And when you approach a theist about it, they'll defend the passage with an interpretation that is totally detached from what it really is. What is it? It's about a man who is asked to cut off the foreskins of 100 people to prove his worthiness to marry a man's daughter. And he actually cuts off 200 in a demonstration of his determination to win her hand.

I wish "christians" would remove their rose-colored glasses and look at the bible for what it really is.

Everything is All The Same

2010-05-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

I'd like to pose this question to a Theist. If you know a Theist, which statistically you do, then I hope you'll ask them this series of questions.

1. Do you have a problem in squishing an ant?

2. Do you have a problem in catching and killing a fish?

3. Do you have a problem in killing a cat?

4. Do you have a problem in killing a dog?

I know what your immediate response is. You're saying to yourself, "Under what conditions are you talking about killing a cat or a dog?" And that, in itself, is really funny. Why are you concerned about the circumstances of a cat or a dog and not an ant or a fish? If you're a Theist, then you have been conditioned to believe that it's OK to kill an ant or a fish. The ant, no one gives a second thought about. Same goes for spiders. With a fish, yes, some people throw a fish back into the ocean purely for hunting purposes.

So why do you have a problem in killing a perfectly healthy cat or dog? Is it because they're larger in size? In comparison to the rest of the universe, that hardly makes any difference. If it's because they're cuddly and cute, then you base your reasoning on asthetics. Who wants to kill something cuddly and cute?!!? Thus, the hypocracy of humans.

Do not most Theistic beliefs dictate that all living creatures are creations of a supreme being? If so, then you shouldn't be killing that creepy spider or cockroach crawling across your kitchen counter top. Nor should you be killing the innocent tiny creatures that inhabit your body that are killed when you take hot showers on the surface of your skin. And don't claim ignorance.

What's my point in this? My point is, that this universe, with the power that supplies our world with sunlight, is the SOLE driving force of life. Therefore, ants, cockroaches, fish, cats, dogs, humans, elephants, all plant life, are a reactionary result of sunlight on our planet Earth. Everything on this Earth is equal.

Once you understand that, then you understand that humans have no special place in the universe. In fact, our planet has no special place in the universe. Nor does any other planet in the universe. They're all the same.

I haven't told people this comparison, because I know that people will cut me down for this. But frankly, there isn't any difference between us and the mold that grows on your stale bread. If you truly understand what I've said previously, then you'll understand our place in this universe. The universe will not react at all if our planet is removed from its solar system. So please disregard your ego and understand, TRULY understand, our place in the universe.

"It's A Miracle!!!"

2010-05-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

I couldn't sleep. I've had this on my brain since I laid my head to rest tonight after several hours of drive time back from seeing my wife's side of the family for a party. I think you know how that goes.

While I was sitting on the couch, waiting for my wife to request my assistance with anything the party may need, her sister sat to rest and told a short story. This is what I recall from the story.

An acquaintance of hers was on a very long road trip to a Tea Party meeting. He has supposedly given up everything he has financially to support the cause. His car broke down in a small town on the way to a Tea Party meeting. He got it to a local repair shop. The repairman said that the cost to fix his car would outweigh the value of the car. In other words, it wasn't worth the cost to repair the car.

That night, he sat in his car with no where to go. He prayed to god and asked what he should do next. It began to rain. He began to cry out of desperation asking god what must he do next.

The next morning, the repair shop called him to inform him that they realized that his car could be fixed for a small cost and they could do it in a very timely manner. They were wrong about the diagnosis of his car. His prayers were answered.

When my sister-in-law told this story, I replied with, "He's lucky". She turned to me, and said, with much conviction, that "No, it's a miracle!!!". And she said it so vehemently, as to accuse me of being a non-believer in miracles; that this was an act of god.

It's a miracle? Really? OK, let's break this down...

A guy has car trouble on a road trip and takes it into a local car repair shop/garage. They diagnose it for him and tell him that the engine is hosed and will cost a ton more to fix it than it's worth.

The guy breaks down crying and starts praying to god for help in the rain. What a wus. Sounds more like a scene from a bad movie to me.

The next day, the mechanic calls him to tell him that it won't cost nearly as much to fix it and they can have it ready that day. REALLY!!!! What state was this guy in? Alabama? Did he play the banjo and look retarded? Do you think that MAYBE, this guy was being duped into believing his car was totaled so they could resell it themselves? Oh, there I go again, talking common sense again. Pardon me.

If you want my honest opinion, the guy was trying to be HAD by a couple of inbred mechanics in a small town out of nowhere. When they realized that he couldn't pay the price they were asking for, they decided that, OH! We found the REAL problem! We can have you fixed up in a jiffy for a fraction of the cost. In other words, they just wanted your ass out of here.

Miracles? No. Logical explanations? Yes.

David Kiely Should Be FIRED

2010-02-04T05:16:00.001-08:00

Why is this even on the table? Why are people even talking about this?

David Kiely, who works for a bank, was in the background on a live TV report looking at semi-nude pictures of an Australian model. He claims he got the pictures from an e-mail. As one of his other peers at work was being interviewed, his monitor screen and the back of his head is in clear view to the camera that caught him looking at the pictures.

His employer has put him on leave until they decide the fate of his employment. Meanwhile, there is an online petition showing their support for this guy and they believe what he did was not a big deal, and he should not be fired or reprimanded over it.

YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH (Office movie quote there).

Try telling that to my employer, or most anyone else's employer! In this day and age, almost every employer that provides Internet access to their employees has an entire paragraph in the employee manual dedicated to the misuse of company resources and the misuse of Internet access. THIS INCLUDES E-MAIL! This is grounds for termination!

OK, if I were this guy, here's what I would have done.

1 - Chances are, this e-mail he got is from someone he already knows. Probably a male friend of his around his same age and he wanted to share some sexy pics with him. Since he probably already knows the sender, it would be pretty obvious to me that the attachments or graphics in the mail are NOT going to be work related. I've had this happen before to me. I simply tell my friend not to send me anything like this to my work e-mail, but to forward this stuff to my personal e-mail account. And even then, I'm not crazy about getting that kind of stuff to my e-mail.

2 - Even if this guy was checking his personal e-mail account at work, THAT'S MISUSE OF COMPANY RESOURCES AND INTERNET ACCESS! Again - most people can get fired over using the Internet for their personal use!

3 - It's not like the guy opened it and said, "OOPS! I should close this!" He actually pulls up one picture, closes it, opens another one and so on. He knew exactly what he was doing.

If I can get fired over that behavior at work, why shouldn't he?!?! GROW UP PEOPLE!!! There's a line of other unemployed and overqualified people standing in line just waiting to have his guy's job and yours as well!

Entropy - Revisited

2010-01-28T05:22:00.000-08:00

I'm at work, and I'm staring at my snack container of dehydrated blueberries, cranberries and walnuts. How delicious! But as I look at my container of trail mix, I see Entropy at work. Entropy is a measure of the number of ways in which a system may be arranged, often taking to be a measure of disorder. I also see thermodynamics at work as well.

So, you may ask yourself, how can my trail mix be so entertaining? It's because there's not a lot of difference between us, the world around us, and my container of trail mix. My trail mix is still thermodynamically at work, processing oxygen and progressively getting stale. And that's exactly what happens as we get older. Our bodies progressively get stale. Although our personalities may not. Us heat transference mechanisms are always at work, aren't they?

Don't you love all the doom and gloom I blog about? I know, it sucks. All we are is dust in the wind. Wow... That might make a great song. Let us meditate over this at level 3. That's a Zardoz reference, FYI.

Prayer is Stupid

2010-01-20T09:04:00.000-08:00

There's only 1 reason why people pray. They want something. It doesn't matter if they want something for themselves or someone else. They may want health, safety, world peace, or a new high-def television. But the person praying *wants* something.

Isn't it a sin to pray for something you want? Ah - there's a caveat. You can pray for things like world peace and it's OK to want that. I see. Seems like there's so many rules to religion and what you can or can't do. Do you think it's possible that religious leaders make this stuff up as they go? NAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWW!!!

So, let's say for example that a member of my family is dying (which nobody is right now, it's just an example). If I were religious, as most of my family is, they're going to pray that they recover. Well, if it's in "god's plan" that they die a slow and terrible death, then aren't you praying AGAINST god's will? And how do you know what god's will is anyway?

OK, I'll skip that and move on.

Let's say that family member is dying and now everyone in my family is praying for their recovery. What does god think of this? Is he/she/it saying to themselves, "Gee. I was going to kill Aunt Birtha because I was going to make that part of my grand scheme of the universe. But with all of those people praying to me and worshiping me, I guess I'll let her live and change my grand scheme of things AGAIN, just for them."

Going on that logic, what if my entire family is Atheist or Agnostic, so no one is praying for Aunt Birtha? What would god think then? "My grand plan of the universe is going as planned, and I'm about to kill Aunt Birtha. Her family better turn over a new leaf and start worshiping me, or I'm going to kill Aunt Birtha. HA! They're still not praying! OK Aunt Birtha, because you're family obviously doesn't believe in me, nor will they bow down to me, I'm going to kill you. You can blame you family for this one."

Do you really think that god becomes a "softy" when you pray to him? Do you really think he has a naughty/nice list and passes judgement accordingly?

You know, when an earthquake hits and thousands of lives are lost, they're lost because of physical injuries sustained from falling buildings. Not because it's at the hand of god. There's a reason for a reason for a reason throughout the universe. And NONE of it involves any god.

Remember that philosophical question posed about several people dying on a bridge or on an airplane? The premise is that a group of persons die together at the same time because they all have something in common which dictates that their destiny be fulfilled amongst others who's destinies are in alignment with each other. WHAT A LOAD OF BULLSHIT.

Here's the true meaning and reason for praying. People want to find reason for why the universe is so cold and unforgiving. If they can put a reason on it, then they get that warm and fuzzy feeling inside of themselves and they can continue their lives living with that crutch. They don't want to feel helpless either. The people of Haiti feel helpless, and for good reason. So the only thing they can do, beside help their neighbor, is pray. Is prayer going to lift that building up off of your family? No. Workers and heavy machinery are going to, and only when they can. So your mother may die waiting for the diggers to arrive. God didn't take your mother's life. Her circumstance did.

So if people who gather in groups to pray shouldn't pray, then what should they do? They should do everything else that most people do when they attend church. Sing as a group, but sing about something else other than a god. Laugh as a group. Tell positive stories. Hug and hold each other. Support each other. Give to each other, to the ones that need what you already have. Power in numbers, people. There is POWER IN NUMBERS. People think that they're gathering in groups for the power of prayer. But what they're really doing is collecting power in their numbers for the same cause. Power in numbers is the way anything gets done in this world, not prayer. That's where you get your TRUE warm and fuzzy feelings from. If you must have that warm and fuzzy feeling inside of you, then I hope you find it in the company of other people rather than being alone and speaking or thinking to yourself, and believing that some god can hear your thoughts.

If You Belong to the American Family Association, You're a HOMO!!!

2010-01-14T05:51:00.000-08:00

I was really irked last night when I found out that a friend of mine recently joined this group on their Facebook account. Granted, I've known this friend for several years and we're close friends, but only because we have a common love of music. We both play in the same band and he's very good at what he does. But we had to stop talking about religion and politics last year, or else our friendship would have had to end over our different views.

If you belong, or consider your views to be in alignment to the American Family Association, then you're a homo. If you haven't accepted homosexuality as a legitimate sexual orientation, including everything else in between, then I hope you'll read the following.

Nature is not perfect. And we all know that no one is born "perfect", including anyone born "heterosexual". Take for instance the length of a person's finger. Is there any fixed length to a man or woman's finger? No. They come in all shapes and sizes. Their measurements are analog. You have every conceivable and inconceivable unit of measurement, meaning you have every possible length of finger size out there. In other words, there is no way to truly have a definitive measurement of a person's finger. You can narrow it down to the closest unit of measurement, but it's not exact. Because each person is an individual and is totally unique to anyone else in the world.

This fact is carried throughout everything else in the universe. Nothing is perfect, and nothing can be truly 100% be classified. Nobody is 100% or 0% of anything. This includes sexual orientation. Remember - the universe is analog, not digital. NOTHING is 100% black and white. NOTHING.

I know what you're saying to yourself here. You're saying to yourself, "There's NO WAY I'm not 100% heterosexual." Fact is that you're not 100% anything. You're either 99.x% heterosexual or less. So let's not exclude or ostracize the other people who's sexual orientation is less than 99.x% heterosexual.

I keep saying that knowledge is power. Here's something you AMA fags probably don't know, because you accept faith over science. There's a lot to argue over faith, but no argument over science. The following is SCIENCE FACT.

During the second and third weeks of pregnancy, if the embryo is to be male, the mother produces a very high amount of testosterone. This testosterone gives the embryo a kick-start and the testes begin to develop. From then on, all the testosterone the embryo needs will be produced by his own testes. The original production of testosterone by the mother also gives the brain it's basic structure with the physical connections that the brains that males have. Later on, this is further developed by the embryo's own testosterone influence. If the embryo is supposed to be a female, there is no extra production of testosterone by the mother and the embryo continues as it was (we all start as female zygotes, males are the consequence of the evolution of sexual reproduction).

If the mother happens to produce this extra amount of testosterone during the second and third weeks of pregnancy as if the embryo was to be a male, it will wire the brain of the female embryo as if it was that of a male. Since the female lacks testes, it will not produce the necessary testosterone to turn this embryo into a male and it remains a female-although the basic wiring of the male brain has already been done. In effect you will have a male brain (acting as such, being attracted to females, more adept at certain tasks etc.) trapped inside a female body, that gives you the phenomena we know as lesbians.

For gays, the exact opposite is true-the mother fails to produce the necessary testosterone at the right time. And although the embryo's own testes will later produce the testosterone that turns the embryo into a male, it already has the basic wiring of a female with all of it's attributes.

But, of course, if you're religious, then you will disregard this proven science.

RELIGION IS A CRUTCH. RELIGION IS FOR THE WEAK MINDED. NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS.

By all means - if you need to grasp to religion because you don't want to face the reality that we live in a cold, dark and unforgiving universe where there is no afterlife, then go ahead and live in your little capsule of a dream world and feel all the warm and fuzzies you want, as long as your beliefs do not infringe upon other's freedoms. BUT DON'T REJECT SCIENCE FACT.

I Know the Meaning of Life

2009-12-23T12:53:00.000-08:00

It's called Entropy. We are merely heat transfer mechanisms.

Take for example, an ice cube in an empty room. The ice cube will immediately start exhibiting entropy, which is a random rearrangement of its molecules while it converts from a solid to a liquid. When this transfer has completed, there is no more ice, and all of the water is now at the same temperature as the room. If the room is left the way it is, this arrangement will exist for eternity. This stage is called "heat death". Heat death is what will eventually happen to the entire universe.

Thus, everything within the universe is merely a heat transfer mechanism in reaction to the big bang billions of years ago.

Not very romantic, is it? Where's the destiny? There is none. Where is my purpose driven life? Right here - you're just a heat transfer mechanism. Then you cease to transfer heat.

Have a nice day!

Let's All Die Right Now!!!

2009-12-22T09:31:00.000-08:00

There's a story on CNN now about a 21 year-old woman who is planning her own funeral at this time. She has muscular distrophy, and was recently diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. And now, she has very little time left to live.

Before I say anymore, let me make it clear that I sympathize with her and her family. It is indeed a terrible thing when a parent has to attend a funeral for their own child. And I can't imagine what it would be like to know that you only have a little time left to live, rather than being taken suddenly - such as in an accident.

She says that she is completely at peace with her terminal illness. She thinks that when she dies, she will be freed from her oxygen tank, freed her pain, and will be able to do everything that everybody else takes for granted. Well, getting 2 out of 3 right ain't bad.

It's for this reason that I'm not one of those obnoxious Atheists, who, like some Christians, try to spread the word of their belief system and draw innocent bystanders into their debates about it. My motto is - whatever works for you is fine by me, as long as you're not infrindging upon my own life.

But the reason why I'm blogging about this, is because this woman's attitude about her demise makes believers cry tears of both sadness and joy. They'd LOVE to believe that when they die, they'll not only live in heaven with god and all of their friends and family that have gone on before them, but they also believe that they'll be so happy being able to do all the things they want to, that they weren't able to do on Earth. With that type of logic, why not just cut to the chase and kill ourselves now, so we can go to heaven right now!!!! Ah, those smart Christians have an answer for that. You're not supposed to go until god calls you. Ahhhhh... Yea, sure.

What a bunch of BULLSHIT. And don't get me started on the whole "destiny" thing. That's fodder for another blog another day.

I just love how believers relate Xanadu to be a place that takes care of what they didn't have on Earth. Such as - if you didn't have a foot. If you didn't have a foot, and you believed in heaven, then you would probably believe that in heaven, you'll not only live in "the kingdom of heaven and live eternal life", but you'll have that foot, and you'll be oh so happy!!!

Let's go beyond that. In heaven, you can drink all the alcohol you want, play all the sports you want, be the rock star you always wanted to be, and the list goes on. These are all Earthly desires that people project they will be able to do in heaven.

What a bunch of BULLSHIT. Heaven has, and always will be the carrot put in front of the horse for believers.

So, you're probably wondering, what do I think happens when you die? I'll repeat the analogy that Richard Dawkins expresses when asked this question. Do you recall what it was like before you were born? I'm 100% confident it will be exactly like that after I die. So save your tears for those crappy Sandra Bullock-esque chick flicks. Guys like to jerk off to porn all the time. Just like women like to have mental masturbation over their chick flicks. Sorry - I'm digressing... :)

To close this blog on a more positive note-I believe that everyone should make our time on Earth the heaven that everyone hopes and wishes for. Why wait until you die, when there's no guarantee of a heavenly afterlife? Be happy, and try to make others happy while you're walking this Earth. Dammit!

On another note...

I went to the post office to mail some packages of presents to my wife's family in the northeast today. The clerk behind the counter was very nice and chatty with the customers. When each customer would leave, she would wish them a merry christmas. (Why the hell did my spellcheck flag "christmas"? You want to know why? Because, I, as a non-believer, choose not to capitalize the word "christmas". So spellcheck is chastizing me for not being reverent to christmas!!!!) I digress again.

She was black. So, I started wondering why she was wishing everyone a merry christmas. (Stop flagging christmas as a misspelling, dammit!!!) Did she assume that, since everyone in line was white, that we must all be christians, and therefore we all celebrate christmas? I should have returned the favor to her by wishing her a happy kwanzaa. But I was too much of a wuss to bring it up I guess. Why not say, "Happy Holidays!"? That's the best thing to say to just about anyone, really.

Stupid Comment of the Day

2009-12-11T13:47:00.001-08:00

I was at work today, and I walk into the break room to warm up my chicken noodle soup. A lady is standing at one microwave oven heating up her food, so I walked to the other microwave. I put my food in, hit a few keys on the microwave, and started heating my soup.

She's talking to some guy who's with her. She must be in her late 50's. She makes the following remark; "When god created the microwave...", making a reference to what life was like before and after "god made the microwave".

That's the dumbest remark I've heard all day. When god created the microwave. Yea. I can see god sitting in his garage tinkering with spare parts he had lying around, thinking to himself; "Gee - these humans could really use a gadget to help them heat food up real quick. Wonder what I can come up with here..."

And by all means - don't give any credit to the human engineers who really came up with the idea and INVENTED it.

Have a great weekend y'all!

Bill Maher is My Hero

2008-10-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

FINALLY, someone is raising their voice for the 16% (and growing) non-religious sect of the world. There's the organization, American Atheists, who's prime objective is to enforce the separation of church and state. But they don't have someone like Bill Maher, who's in the national spotlight, with a cable TV comedy show, and now a movie taking in millions of dollars at the theaters.

They did have someone named Madalyn Murray O'Hair, who was dubbed the "most hated woman in America" by Life magazine. She was Donoghue's first guest on his television show. She was abrasive, sarcastic, sometimes profane and vulgar, but unafraid to allow her thoughts and feelings about religion and religious people to be known. And she was the first to speak for a growing number of non-believers on a national scale. She created the American Atheists organization. And, for a short time, had a public access show in Austin, Texas along with her son, Jon Murray. Madalyn wasn't a particularly appealing woman to the public majority who are religious, let alone the spears she kept throwing at the religious right and the United States government for allowing prayer in public schools. Heck - even when I believed in god when I was young, and saw her show on PBS, I wanted to vomit and hurl my sticky chunks in her face!

In 1995, Madelyn, her son and her granddaughter's butchered remains were found in 55 gallon barrels in a remote area of land. A felon, who was an employee of Madalyn's, eventually admitted to the crime and died in jail.

Today, I feel that Bill is the new voice for the non-religious. He still throws spears at the government and religious believers. But he'll do it while making you laugh. I feel as though Bill is carrying the message that I've always tried to carry myself. And he's at the microphone letting the facts be known to the world.

But... I suppose you can lead a horse to water. It doesn't mean it will drink.

I urge everyone to go see Religulous, no matter if you are a believer or not. For those who are religious, it's my hope that you will see this movie and it will inspire you to think and do your own research into religion and it's origins.

My point being here, is that we can all get along, and that we are all here for the same reasons. To live the happiest life we can, and let others live as they want to. How more rewarding could it be to make these things happen on your own accord? Make heaven a place on Earth, and not a place to wait to go to when you die.

Dr. Drew and his Hypocrisy

2008-06-30T19:38:00.000-07:00

More hypocrisy for you.

I used to listen to Dr. Drew and Adam Carolla's radio show, Love Line. You had Adam, the cut up of the show, then you had Dr. Drew who brought some knowledge and experience to the show and be somewhat of a real doctor that would give some professional advise.

My opinion of Dr. Drew did a 180 degree turn when I saw a preview for him hosting a show called Celebrity Rehab. My point is very simple and to the point.

As someone who knows about the AA program (Alcoholics Anonymous), the program has a set of 12 traditions. Dr. Drew is violating several of the 12 traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous by doing his show. I'll quote the ones that I'm talking about.

6. An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films.

12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

Not only has him and the show broken those traditions, but the show ENCOURAGES the celebs to continue their behavior. Most, if not all the celebrities in the rehab show, love attention. And they're getting exactly what they don't need. They need to address their problems in privacy. More than likely, it's the fact that they spend their lives in the public eye that helps fuel their additions. I don't believe that Dr. Drew, or this show, is doing the celebrities any favors, even if they're not being paid to be on the show. The only way to really treat their addictions, is to do it in the privacy of their own health facility, and no cameras.

Rehab was never meant to be a stage show.

I used to have a lot of respect for Dr. Drew. It's clear to me now that he has sold out. He should turn in his doctor's license.

F***, Carlin's Dead!

2008-06-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

George Carlin died yesterday at the age of 71. The lump in my throat is still there while I'm typing this. I couldn't stay away from writing in my blog today about him.

Growing up, I don't recall having many heros in my life. My Uncle Dusty was a father figure for me when mine wasn't being one. John Entwistle of The Who was and will always be my bass hero. But I don't think it was until my late 20's or early 30's that Carlin grew into a hero for me.

My first exposure to Carlin was the 1980's HBO special, "Carlin at Carnege". I laughed my ass off, and didn't mind the fact that HBO kept playing it over and over again. I still do his quote from that show to this day.

"HOW DO YOU KNOOOOW YOU DON'T LIKE IT, IF YOU HAVEN'T - EVEN - TRIED?!!??!"

"Hello, boys! I've got... PUSSYFOOT!!!"

It was the first time I had heard someone poke fun at cats and dogs, the funny sounds your stomach makes and bad drivers.

It was about that time and later that I started drifting away from Christianity, to Agnosticism, and finally to Atheism over several years.

Then just a few years ago, I watched new HBO specials Carlin was doing that spoke heavily about his political and religious views. It was at this moment that I realized that I wasn't alone in my own views of politics and religion. It was, frankly, a huge relief that I wasn't just crazy! That these feelings I had as a non-believer were shared by other people, including George Carlin!

Not only that, but he was dishing this out to MILLIONS of people! On cable! To people who paid money to see him! On his albums! He was reaching a populous of people that I may never hope to achieve to reach myself, and throwing out the hard truth that no one wants to hear. No one wants to hear that there is no god, that your children aren't that special, that our government is fucking us all, that we're all pretty insignificant in the big picture, and that the "Save the Earth" movement should really be called, "Save the Humans".

I have a few friends who are Republican and religious, with whom I've shared my thoughts and feelings about politics and religion. And I know what they're thinking - that I'm a total Atheistic Liberal whackjob. I know, because I used to believe in god and frown upon Atheists, and wonder how they could do such a thing, as to go against god and against nature. Those ungrateful bastards!!! Believe me, I know! I know!

So try to imagine the feeling of validity I felt when I started hearing Carlin speak to the masses about the incredible indoctrination of bullshit that is religion. Carlin, is believed to be, across the board, to be the most legendary and talented stand up comic there has ever been in history. So even if you don't agree with his views on religion and politics, people do merit his words with at least some authority because of his popularity and status. If I say something people don't like, they can dismiss me. If Carlin says something they don't like, they just smile and move on to the next topic to talk about and avoid the arguement.

Carlin was my hero, in the fact that he was able to speak the words I would love to speak to the masses. And deliver the words in a humorous agressive way that allowed almost everyone to listen and accept what he had to say, and not be dismissed as a whackjob, like some people in my life think I am.

Simple fact is, I love George Carlin for his accomplishments, and taking a stand against the government and against the god delusion. Carlin spent his last days speaking the truth. People called it dark. Maybe Carlin felt like he could take all the liberty he wanted in preaching his own views on politics and religion. But to me, he did the most important thing that anyone in his position could. And that was to deliver the unfiltered truth to the masses, with no sugar added. That's getting harder and harder to find these days. For as much as people love Obama, McCain, Clinton, and the other presidential candidates, you won't hear them talk about the 100% truth, because it would be political suicide for them. Do you think that nobody holding a public office is an Atheist? They all know that if they admit to it, they'll be committing political suicide on themselves. Yet probably more people on Earth know about Carlin than they do the speaker of the house, and Carlin delivered the goods without suffering the reprisals.

We can only dream about another person filling Carlin's shoes.

Here's to you, George...

"My God! It's Full of Stars!"

2008-03-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

Arthur C. Clarke - 1917 - 2008

My god, the loss.

2001: A Space Odyssey and his short story, The Sentinel, was a huge influence on my life while I was growing up. Both the movie and his stories raised my expectations to new levels on not only science fiction, but also independent thought.

I credit my mother, most of all, for giving me the power of independent thought. I just read a blurb on cnn.com about Clarke's passing. I quote Todd Leopold, CNN.com Entertainment Producer. "He was an inspiring guide, because he was always asking, demanding, beseeching (in his mater-of-fact British way) you to THINK."

That's exactly it. I couldn't have put it better myself. Of all the things that the 6.6 billion people on this little boat called Earth needs to do, is THINK. People allow themselves to become zombies to the crap that's on television, magazines and the Internet. Who cares about global warming - what's Paris Hilton up to today? Do I need the latest iPhone? Yes, I do, because they told me so.

Our brains are our biggest asset. It has taken us a millennia to learn what we know of it today, and it will take another millennia to further understand it. (Can you tell I've been enjoying the Discover Channel's latest Human Body series?) That 6 lb. bundle of jelly in your skull is the most powerful weapon in the universe. Quite literally!

YOU need to program your brain. Don't let the government, "The Man" or "Big Brother" do it for you. Because that's what happens if you don't use it. The government has to step in by taking away your kids or sending you to jail, because you're not using your brain. Solutions to wars, starvation and healthcare can be achieved if we all use our brains. What is more powerful that what's between your ears? An entire gaggle of brains put together for a single purpose!

Remember the story of people being persecuted for believing the Earth was flat and that the sun and universe revolved around us? We used our brains to bring light to our unanswered questions, where previously, we had used god as an answer. One of my band directors in high school had an impact on me as well in many ways. But one of his sayings that he used to use all the time was, "Mediocrity is Everywhere". And boy, is he ever right.

No, I don't have all the answers. No body does. And especially beware any entity, religious or otherwise, that claims to have all the answers. No one ever has and no one ever will.

Uhg, I'm digressing. Back to Clarke, 2001, the Infinite and Beyond.

2001 is the most thought provoking film ever made. It also gives the viewer a front row seat to witness the progression of the human race beyond our form and our mother planet. For me, seeing 2001 was truly inspirational, almost spiritual. It's our ultimate goal to progress beyond our planet and beyond the physical and spiritual shackles we posses today. Even though I didn't completely understand the ending of 2001 on my first viewing, I really felt as if I had witnessed the next coming of the human race. And that's really what is at the core of the screenplay. Our lives are but a sliver in time, so none of us can expect to see our leaving today's human form and Earth for the long term. Rather, we channel these dreams into our children and we enjoy watching them grow, and put our hopes and dreams into them, with the hope that our dreams may sometime be a reality long after we are gone.

Clarke was the epitome of looking outside the box, because we can live inside the box for only a finite amount of time. His visions were far beyond the scope of our time and always will be. If only everybody looked to the infinite and beyond with the same awe as he did. Of all the entertainers, world leaders and scientists that have passed during my brief 39 year stay on this Earth so far, Clarke's passing probably saddens and makes me reflect the most about myself, my surroundings and the people on this planet. The universe, our planet, your body, and the countless atoms we can not see are truly wondrous.

My New CD Has Arrived!!!

2008-02-12T10:19:00.000-08:00

Wow! 3 1/2 years later, I have a final product! For more info on my CD, you can go to my official site at http://www.timharden.com/ and www.myspace.com/timhardenbass.

This CD means a lot to me. I feel like everything that I have done in music, since I was a child, has accumilated and been focused on this project.

The Songs
Every song has a meaning, a background, and is a story within itself on how it came to be. Just like photographs, they are snapshots of my life when I first wrote them. Like my song, "So Far Away". That one is a snapshot of when I was in between high school and college. I barely had any responsibilities and was very much living each day as it came.

The Instrumentation
I'll never consider myself a "master" of any instrument. But I will say that because I've been exposed to several different kinds of musical instruments in my life, from piano, to brass horns and stringed instruments, this CD allowed me to showcase my skills on many different instruments. I may not be an Eddie Van Halen on any instrument, and I don't think I would want to be. I'm after the flavor of the sound, and to record what's right and what's in my head.

The Production
This CD is by far, light years ahead, sound quality wise, than anything I've ever done before. I learned a lot over the course of the 3 1/2 years of using my Roland VS-1680 16-track digital recorder. Wow, what a tool! After recording on 4-track tape recorders for decades, I was finally able to make the major upgrade to this deck. My recording had pretty much come to a screeching halt because I became frustrated with the lack of flexibility on the 4-track recorder. I had many things going on in my head that needed to be recorded. So my attitude was, why bother attempting the song when I know it won't turn out the way I want it to be? Sure, I could always use more tracks, and turn some of the mono instruments into stereo, and also track out each drum sound rather than have just a 2-channel stereo drum track. I'm sure that day will come.

The Inspiration
1. Remind Me of You - Inspired by a relationship with an ex-girfriend.
2. So Far Away - I briefly talked about that previously in this blog.
3. Coming Home - This song was written from the best fodder that most all song writers write from. From pain and experience, and a life changing event. It's these types of chapters in our lives that makes the pen practically write the song for you.
4. No More - Once in a while, beer does inspire great things. Once in a while.
5. Wicked Game (Mon!) - This came about as a joke, really. I was getting bored with this song with a cover band and wanted to put a twist to it. As I thought about the idea more, I realized that it would work really well. I have yet to find another cover song worth converting like this one.
6. I Hate the Men's Locker Room - Like I said in my MySpace blog, I'm all about breaking taboos. I think all men (and perhaps women, strike the appendage) will identify with this one and make it their theme song!!!
7. Birdcage - Wow. This one's my heavy one. I was able to face the memory of my step-father and talk to him through a song. The original version had tons of lyrics to it, where I said, "You did this, you did that..." When I went back on it, I knew that wouldn't work. I'm a big believer in K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid), so I did. And I feel like just the few lines of lyrics in this one says it all, and more.
8. I Just Want Your Kiss - This one is me having fun with my 12-string bass.
9. The Ballad of Little Manny - I had nailed down the music to this one YEARS ago and loved it. But I could never apply it to anything, because the only hook that fit was, "...did a little bit of jerkin' off". That's why I waited perhaps a decade to record it, because I was always searching for better lyrics for it. This time, it came down to the wire - I was going to record the music and write new lyrics to it. So I did the music. New lyrics never came. I decided to go ahead with the other songs for this CD, then come back to this one with a fresh head full of ideas. That never came. So, there it is.
10. Bulldog - Back by popular demand, this one, and the next one were recorded about 12 years ago. I've had people already tell me that this track is their favorite track of them all. (Shrug my shoulders).
11. Thunderbird - Read #9. But I also had no idea that many other artists had written songs about this crappy wine.

This CD was made when I wanted to work on it. That's part of the reason why it took so long to finish it. But I didn't want to bring any negative energy to any part of it. If I didn't feel up to it, didn't feel like working on it, or whatever, I didn't. There were even some parts of the recording process where I had put it down for a month or more. There was one time where I wasn't sure I was going to even finish it. But I'm so glad I did.

This CD will last with me for the rest of my life, and I'm proud of it. I hope that if you listen to it, you'll enjoy it and tell me about it. And you'll do me an equal favor if you listened to it, didn't like it, and you told me why.

Tim...

A Short History Lesson About X-mas

2007-12-21T07:27:00.000-08:00

Firstly, I hope that you and yours have a happy and safe holiday season!

I haven't revealed in my blog that I'm Atheist yet. So, now that I've lost about 90% of you, and you still choose to continue reading my blog, I appreciate that!

I've been working on an essay about religion and I've entitled it, "From Gods to Dogs". I intend to publish it only to this blog, but I'm not quite done with it yet.

I whole-heartily believe that people should have the freedom OF religion, as well as the freedom FROM religion. My entire family is religious and believes in god, as does my wife of 14+ years. I went to church as a child, did Sunday school, I even attended a private Catholic school before high school for 4 years. But I'm not going to talk about why I disbelieve in a god.

I'm here to talk about x-mas and the connection it has to religion and Jesus.

Did you know that it was the Pagan Romans who first invented "Christmas" before there was such a religion as Christianity? For them, it wasn't a festival to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Remember - this is before Christianity. It was to celebrate the longer days and shorter nights after winter solstice and the lighter agricultural work during the winter months.

The early Church then wanted to convert the Pagans to their religion. So, to help make the deal more attractive, they decided to also have a winter celebration, but also throw in the birthdays of a few important gods and goddesses at the same time. And, as you can imagine, over the hundreds of years of history, Jesus became the primary god of choice among the Christians. Imagine Jesus being one of the contestants on the TV reality show, "Survivor: Xanadu", and he beat out all the other gods that got voted out. The tribe has spoken!

And let's not forget the many other religions and cultures that have similar celebrations, where Christ isn't involved at all.

Now that you know a little bit about the history of x-mas, doesn't the term "x-mas" seem a bit more fitting? Do you recall learning about variables in your Algebra class? Something like, A + B= C? Why not use "X" as a variable for the wide and varied reasons why we celebrate Christmas?

Even though I'm Atheist, I still enjoy the celebrations. I'm lucky enough to have a loving family, and this is a time that we get together to share some laughs, look back at the year, and look forward to the new year. I enjoy seeing my mom and my wife turn into little girls at Christmas time.

Before I give my end of the year salutations, I'll say this again. The best thing you can do for yourself is to educate yourself. Just like you need to feed your body with food, you need to feed your brain. Except, when you feed your brain, the food you give it never goes away. It stays with you the rest of your life. Knowledge is indeed power. Be empowered, stay empowered. We live in a great age right now where this power is literally at your fingertips. You only need to open your mind.

I sincerely hope that you have a great and safe holiday season. Live long, and prosper!

Tim...

The "Dog", Racism and YOUR Hypocracy

2007-11-07T07:27:00.000-08:00

Duane "Dog" Chapman has recently been accused of racism because of an audio tape released with him using the "n" word several times.

In case you don't know who "Dog" is, he is a self proclaimed bounty hunter who somehow got his own reality television show. And, for some reason, it's still on the air. At least, it *was* on the air. Until, once again, people start over reacting and playing the racism card in every direction.

I won't write an entire paragraph about the fact that I'm not a racist myself. If you know me, or you read this blog and probably more of mine in the future, you will understand that I am not a racist.

Yes, "Dog" did use the "n" word more than once. But people need to LAY OFF THE DOG. Why?

This was a private conversation he was having with another person. When you talk on the phone to another person, as long as it's not a conference call, it is implied that you are having a private conversation with the other person on the line. And, remember what our constitution said about the freedom of speech? Shouldn't each person have the right to say anything they want to, especially when talking on the telephone? Oh, sorry, my fault. This is exactly what our president of the United States, George W. Bush, is trying to eliminate. But it shouldn't matter what anyone says on the telephone, no matter how obscene or offensive it may be, as long as the call isn't considered harassment by the called party. If anything, this guy needs to sue the person who released this tape for invasion of privacy and any other charges Dog's lawyer can muster up.

Sure, he used the "n" word. I've used it, I know you have used it. No one is innocent of using it. And, maybe it's just me, I don't know... But, just by watching this guy and listening to him, I get the slight idea that he may be white trash? I DON'T KNOW!!! MAYBE IT'S JUST ME!!! I think his hair tipped me off. Is he a racist? Maybe so. Is that your problem or mine? No.

Now he's off wasting his time talking to Al Sharpton and doing everything else to take his reputation back and get his show back in production. Do I like this guy, or do I watch his show? Absolutely not.

But the greater point here is, that he didn't go on national television and start a racist rant calling black people the "n" word. He didn't use it in a public forum. It's public attitude like this that promotes the concept of Big Brother! The day our country decides we can't use the "n" word, or any other word on the telephone during a private conversation, is another nail in the coffin of Democracy.

Don't you want to have the right to use terms like "cracker" or "honkey" or worse, in private, and not fear a repercussion that can threaten your reputation and livelyhood? I agree that the "n" word is offensive. But don't crucify my livelyhood for using it. I've got the right to say this word and worse. Obviously, the Dog doesn't for some reason. Once again, the public doesn't seem to have more to worry about than to dwell on this and not on other pressing issues that are more life and death.

Leave the Dog alone. Move on and look more at yourself. How can you better improve yourself as a person?

Welcome to my Blog!

2007-11-07T06:53:00.000-08:00

Howdy Folks! Welcome to my blog. Out of frustrations about the things that go on in the world, and the stupid people that seem to overrun it, I've decided to let my voice be heard on a blog.

To be honest, for years I thought that blogs were a waste of time. Not only for the person who writes a blog, but also for the reader. I thought to myself, "Doesn't anyone have anything better to do than to write about your thoughts, or read someone about else's on the Internet?" I definitely have a lot of things going on in my world, and blogging isn't a priority to me. But, I think as I'm getting older, and in some cases wiser, I suppose I feel more of an urge to make my voice of experience and open mindedness heard.

I do not, by any means, consider myself a "celebrity". But I am known to many people out there for my involvement in my web sites, http://www.texaschainsawmassacre.net/, http://www.tcmfanclub.com/, http://www.texaschainsawtours.com/ and http://www.buzzardbass.com/. And because of them, I've appeared in documentaries, interviews, even a horror film. This doesn't include the music side of my life. So, to a certain populous of people in the world, my name is known. And it's my hopes that people who may recognize my name, might read my posts and take away something from them that might help them in their lives. To better understand the world, to view it from a different angle, and perhaps have more compassion rather than intolerance for the people we live with.

Sheesh, that was heavy. Maybe my next blog entry should be about the "Lunch Ladies Gone Wild!" videos that I can't seem to stop watching. So, stay tuned for the hilarity!