A to Z Challenge: Suspended Superstition as Satan and Sasquatch Shoehorn Saints (S)

Suspended disbelief – is the willing suspension of disbelief by dropping one’s critical faculties and believe something surreal. We sacrifice realism and logic for the sake of enjoyment. Suspended is temporary and not permanently expelled. We do this for fun regarding fiction or to play with things, but it is not the same as believing.

Superstition – is what all religion is. It results from ignorance, fear, trust in magic, or false conceptions of cause. It is an irrational abject attitude toward things supernatural, nature, or a god. The RC Church warns against superstitions, such as burying a statue of a saint upside down in your yard to help sell your home. Yet, it is essential for them to believe that the Eucharistic wafer is a physical god. Since Protestants do not share that, they perform the superstition less often in most cases and with far less flair and drama.

Saints – are dead people whose souls are determined to be in heaven. It is also a colloquialism for a nice living person. When people pray to saints, they are requesting the saint put in a good word with a god. This is known as intercessory prayer. It’s mostly a Catholic thing, even with Mary. Prayers to saints are not prayers of worship like to a god. Saints are like influential uncles, only in heaven and part of the inner circle.

Shoehorning – is the term for forcing some current event into one’s religious agenda. Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell said god caused or allowed the 9-11 attacks because of “liberal civil liberties, feminists, homosexuals, and abortion rights.” These two loonies openly claimed a god killed thousands of innocents because he or she did not like how Americans behaved. Anyone who believes and follows (one is dead) this kind of asinine thinking is an asshole who does a lot for the rise of atheism in America. Thank you. There are no gods and frankly, I am pleased with that.

Spiritualism – is the belief that the human personality lives after death and can be communicated with by special people called sensitive mediums. Frauds have been exposed repeatedly, but people still believe this shit because quacks are good. TV shows or not, this crapola ain’t real.

Sasquatch – is big foot. He ain’t real either, but I did see him in a coffee shop once.

Satan – is the perfect scapegoat. Not real either. I don’t believe this form of evil exists. What stirs in the hearts of men and women is another issue. Created not by some nonexistent god, but by a real man and apparently well understood by many men and women, particularly self-proclaimed people of god.

A to Z Challange: Reiki Reasons to Respect Repressed Runes (R)

Reason – is the power of the mind to think, understand, and form judgments by a process of logic. It is related to nous, which is common sense or practical intelligence. People who claim to be certain and without doubt that gods exist also make that claim based on what they call reason. Belief in any god is never based on reason or evidence unless you think finding money under your pillow as reasoned proof of the unquestionable real existence of the tooth fairy. Believe what you want but forgive my skepticism when I see your lack of logical reason.

Reiki – is another new age lie. That may seem harsh, but I tried it. I think I paid for it, but maybe not. My massage therapist went and paid to be trained in reiki. I volunteered (as I often did for her attempts at new techniques) to be her guinea pig. She was nervous and lit all the candles and explained everything to me. The key was always that if you must believe in something for it to work, you can plan on it being woo-woo.

Runes – are fun, but they belong in the same category as fortune telling and tarot cards. They are a form of divination. Users seem to want to believe that they can see the future in the characters on the stones. Fun, but woo-woo. To me, a game.

Repressed Memories – are not the same as forgotten ones. A friend who was beginning to decline cognitively due to dementia looked at me sadly after I had asked her maiden last name. She said, “I can’t believe that I have forgotten my father’s last name.” She knew what was going on.

I believe that I have had repressed, then later recalled, memories. Until I experienced it, I thought is was nonsense. I changed my mind because I was able to define the phenomenon correctly after my experience. I did not forget as my friend did with her last name.

Since my experience was an embarrassing and infuriatingly difficult thing, I did not have to think about it, and when I did, it caused me grief. I eventually just did not think about it. I repressed it. But I remembered when I was dealing with some other emotional things in my life. When I mentally opened the door, all the memories flooded in. I was fine and it was a good thing for me to deal with at the right time in my life.

Respect – is a feeling of deep admiration for something or someone. Synonyms include esteem, high regard, high opinion, acclaim, admiration, approval, appreciation, favor, veneration, awe, reverence, honor, praise, and homage. I do not feel that way about any religion. I can’t. I try to have due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others. We all have a right to believe things. I’m not obligated to respect said beliefs. I try to tolerate reasonably.

A to Z Challenge: Quacks Quantum Quest (Q)

Quantum Entanglement – is when pairs or groups of particles are generated, interact in ways where the quantum state of each particle cannot be described independently of the state of the other(s), even when separated by a large universe-size distance. It’s weird. Einstein questioned it. It’s hard to understand (or care) but is included here because of its current spin with metaphysics. I also recently became aware of the QE relationship with the term synchronicity. If Einstein was skeptical, but this is real, then what? Things are just as they are, understood, true, or not. The youtube videos are better than I at explaining this. To save space I’ve provided links here and here.

Quackery and quacks – are currently referred to as alternative health practices (very profitable) in the medical fields. When people want this, if no harm is done, I don’t object until I do see harm. But a spade is a spade. It is quackery. It is also legal. It can be harmful and is usually wasteful (like religion).

In general, quacks are people making showy pretenses of knowledge or abilities. They are charlatans willing to do and say virtually anything to remain in the spotlight. And it works. But they’re still quack-a-roos.

Religious quacks are often on radio and television to take money from foolish and ignorant listeners, thus channeling money away from real churches, legitimate charities, and followers who need it. There have been, are, and will continue to be thousands of these religious quacks. Many today are new age, but most work main-line protestant/Christian/Zen/some form of whatever.

Q (Star Trek) – was the closest thing to a god on the show, but never identified as such. He was an extra-dimensional being of unknown origin who possessed immeasurable power over normal human notions of time, space, the laws of physics, and reality itself. Despite his vast knowledge and experience spanning untold eons, he enjoyed practical jokes for his own personal amusement. He was said to be nigh-omnipotent and was evasive regarding his motivations. He sounds damn godish to me. I was a bit of a treky, but Q could be such a dick.

A to Z Challenge: Plural penile past prayer pentup problems (P)

Prayer – is an attempt to communicate with a supernatural being. People are taught to pray, it’s not instinctive or logical. Depending on interpretations there are three to seven kinds of prayer. I say three:

Adoration, as a radical Islamist may do before blowing up a bus full of school children, “God is great” or “Allahu Akbar,” which really means a specific god is greater (hairsplitting). This would include any from of blessing or praise of a god.
Petition prayers are for things people want, such as money or health for self or others, or sex. These are the childish gimme a winning lottery ticket or touchdown prayers and are sometimes questioned by believers. It is suggested that one include some kind of ‘thy will be done’ to cover a god’s butt, thus making the prayer even more absurd. It’s the most common type.
Thanksgiving prayers are often for food, family, friendship, being alive, the winning lotto ticket, a safe trip, almost any given touchdown for virtually any team, a win by a political party, or victory on a specific side in a war or battle. First one petitions, then remembering one’s manners, one thanks. It implies that a god will play favorites, if you ask.

To pray, posture must matter because people stand, sit, kneel, lie face down (prostrate), bow, rock, do a hands in the air dance, jump around, speak in tongues, hold god up in the air for all to see, sing, mumble, use Latin or Hebrew, dance with snakes, meditate (centering prayer), and just all manner of things that must matter to a god of some kind. Some even yell “Oh, God!” in gratitude for an orgasm. Cool.

Pluralistic Ignorance – is a situation in which most group members privately reject a norm but go along with it because they incorrectly assume that most others accept it (religion or belief in a god). This is also described as no one believes, but everyone thinks that everyone believes. Kind of related to what is known as the Abilene Paradox.

Pagans – are types of believers. They aren’t atheist or specifically agnostic. However, this word has different meanings. I have had only one person in my life say to me, “I am a pagan.” His intent was to say he was a new age polytheist with Wiccan leanings. Others simply said they were Wiccan (specifically, witches of some kind). They all considered themselves Pagans and followers of a natural, New Age, religious belief.

Many, if not most, Christians use the term pejoratively for anyone who does not accept the god of the Bible. This seems to be how one dictionary defines it and applies synonyms (atheist, heathen, agnostic). So, like the boogie man, people may not know what it is, they just know it is a bad thing and to be avoided (Druids and Wiccans may identify as pagans). Like atheist, clarification of meaning for the term may be necessary for communication to be effective.

Past Life Regression – is a technique of New Age therapists wherein patients may recall something of alleged past lives. I don’t believe it and wouldn’t do it, but it seems harmless enough for the curious (or believer) to try.

Penile plethysmograph (PPG) – is a machine attached to the male member to measure changes to the size of one’s penis while watching or listening to sexually suggestive, pornographic, erotic pictures, or sounds. I will let you determine the usefulness of such a device, but they do exist and are used in more than scientific studies.

Pentagram – is a five-pointed figure used in magic, the occult, or other belief systems. I was walking past a Christmas decoration display for a neighborhood where someone had the bright idea to insert a Star of David (Jewish) into the round wreath (Pagan), with a cross (execution method of Rome) and several angels scattered about. I did not see a traditional crèche scene, but I was amused by what I first considered a pentagram inside of a circle that I’m sure was intended to be inclusive with the Jewish tradition and not the older pagan one. One might inadvertently invoke the evil spirits, if one is careless with symbols.

Problem of Evil – questions how to reconcile the existence of evil with an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient god. Because evil exists, either god doesn’t exist or does not have all three of those properties.

A to Z Challenge: Objective Outing of Ouija (O)

Objective (subjective) morality – addresses the source much more than the moral standard. The objective implication is that morality comes from a god, is fixed, and therefore objective. When someone concludes that there are no gods and rejects all religion, the assumption by some is that morality is no more. That is not correct. Only the source changes from scripture to conscience, culture, law, or agreement. Given that slavery, The Spanish Inquisition, war, physical mutilation of children, and hate (9-11) can be scripturally supported yet easily rejected, objective morality is not valid. One does not have much of a moral unraveling when one abandons religion. The fluidity of secular morality makes it subjective, and therefore more adaptable, realistic, and useful.

Out of the closet (atheist) – means we no longer hide something about us. Sexual preferences, political opinions, and religious beliefs are examples. Atheists frequently hide their conclusions regarding the probably of existence of deities, gods, or spirits of any kind. This is to avoid persecution from family, friends, strangers, government, employers, supervisors, plumbers, electricians, painters, small children, teenagers, college students, evangelists, and people in places where most others believe atheists are evil and are people doomed to be damned forever by said non-existent deity.

Religious ministers of any kind, politicians, members of fundamentalist religious families, and Hobby Lobby employees will intentionally hide their lack of religion and belief in any gods for their own protection and that of their families. Others may be semi-closeted by not disclosing or by behaving in cooperation with others as a keep the peace gesture. My personal experience is that I prefer to be out for many reasons. But I keep the peace and suffer severe cognitive dissonance headaches because of it.

Ouija board – is a game that I have not enjoyed playing in many years. Out since the late 1800s, it is played with a board containing an alphabet, a yes and no, a maybe, and goodbye. While I reject divination, spiritualism, and the paranormal, I find such things fun (it is a game). However, in the occult sense it has been blamed for many psychic and psychological disturbances and is often rejected for that reason (as is the game D&D).

So why the answers? That is from the ideomotor effect. The players really do force the planchette (three-legged thingy) over the letters and answers, whether they know it, admit it, or not. Play blindfolded and see (chuckling). Also, good people harbor indecent subconscious, or dark side, thoughts which may be revealed playing the game. If it bothers or frightens you, don’t play.

Occultism – includes alchemy, magick, divination, incantations, magic formulas, and other mumbo-jumbo and woo-woo that people (sadly) believe provide hidden powers for some to control both the natural and supernatural worlds. More BS. At the basic level, this is no more or less nonsense than any religious belief.

A to Z Challenge: Noah’s Natural NDE in Neverland (N)

Natural (and unnatural) – is not good. Unnatural is better. Who is the skeptic now? Try this: dying of cancer is natural. Injecting deadly chemicals into your body so you might live longer is unnatural.

Things present in or produced by nature are natural. Cows making milk when unnaturally inseminated is natural, but humans sucking said milk from cow’s teats and drinking it is unnatural. According to Dr. Scott Peck (The Road Less Traveled) peeing in your pants is most natural.

Natural is not always good, safe, or healthy. Salt is natural but people avoid it like the black death (also natural). Much homeopathic medicine is unnatural but claims to be natural. Anything supernatural is unnatural and you need something like a god for that. Fighting is natural, turning the other cheek is not. Google all natural (space) and what do you get? Soap, makeup and foundation, deodorant and anti-perspirant, dog food (without natural tree bark), face wash and more soap, food and coloring, foot powder and on and on, all of it unnatural. Yet all of it made with natural ingredients. Do you recall the scandal about high fiber bread with saw dust in it? It was natural wood. Fleas on dogs is natural, flea collars are not. This can go on, but that would not be natural.

Near-death Experiences (NDE) – are an interesting phenomenon. I had surgery last year and recovery from anesthesia was panicked and wild for me. They semi-restrained me until I became conscious. I asked what it was that caused my panic and the anesthesiologist told me not to worry, that it was normal and happens often. He did not answer my question. It was not a NDE, but had it been, it sucked. I think it was the medication to bring me to consciousness (shocking?).

Most NDE research and reporting is badly tainted with one-sided interviews intended to imply life after death – heaven or hell. Out of body experiences (OBE) are often folded in. While I don’t question that these people indeed had experiences, I do question how it proves anything since the phenomena is easily explained by neurochemistry. It’s not a god and not a demon. It is biochemistry.

Noah’s Ark – is a myth, pure and simple. When I taught Genesis in Bible Study, I was often asked by skeptical believers if I believed the story, and if it were possible. I thought it a myth then and think so now. I also know that it is a common myth in many ancient religious texts/beliefs, along with a flood of the entire Earth. Floods certainly did happen, but there is a specific amount of water on earth and it never changes. Evidence of the wooden ark has been sought for almost 2,000 years with no success. But I love the Unicorn song and how it explains their absence. See video below to hear it.

Nihilism – is a philosophy many anti-atheists (believers) insist is the only possible choice for one who happens to conclude that an invisible man in the sky is unlikely. Most atheists I know not only reject nihilism but claim the exact opposite about life and its purpose being of high value with little likelihood of an afterlife. I know many believers who wish to expedite death, Armageddon, and a second coming. You must be evil if you don’t see that as being pretty god damn nihilistic.

A to Z Challenge: Magick Marfa Miracles (M)

Magick – is not the same as magic, which is usually the art of conjuring and legerdemain (sleight of hand). Richard Dawkins has another definition in The Reality of Magic, with which I agree. But magick contends to cause physical changes by nonphysical means. It’s associated with paranormal and the occult (astral projection, chakras, ESP, and psychic healing).

Some religious associate this with Satan and call it black magic. To the same folk, if associated with a god, it is white magick or miracles. I consider it appealing in some ways, interesting in others, but mumbo-jumbo in any case. I do like to explain things which I cannot logically explain with the exclamation of pure fucking magic (PFM). These are not bad words, and outside of religion they can be fun and entertaining, for example the Magic Kingdom Theme Park at Disney, or Magic titled songs by ONJ and groups like Pilot, America, Queen, and others. I even wrote a sonnet to magic (read here).

Marfa lights – are included because I have been there at night and looked for them. I did not see them, but I believe that there are lights. About ten miles east of Marfa, Texas, is a viewing area. The Marfa lights, something of an unwanted art culture, and Peter Reading’s book Marfan (also his one-year of residence there) are what the town of about 2,500 is known for. The lights are not caused by ghosts, swamp gas, radioactive bursts, ball lightning, or navigational lights of alien space ships. They are car lights from U.S. Highway 67 in the Chianti Mountains, which is why I did not see them – no cars when I was looking.

Miracle – is a word I try not to use (except in sarcasm). Others use it often without considering the meaning. It has become trite, especially in song. The meaning of miracle is seldom considered. Miracles are supernatural events caused by a god of some sort by defying the laws of nature.

Weather phenomena are not miracles, nor are they punishment for humans being kind to each other regardless of color or sexual preference. Jesus’s face on toast is just toast. Toilet water dripping from a statue is piss water, no matter who drinks it.

Generally, these miraculous events are considered good. Equally amazing but also BS phenomena are things sometimes attributed to the occult. Interesting and weird stuff happens all the time. If you can see it, it’s not supernatural (or you couldn’t). America beating Russia in ice hockey was awesome, but it was not a miracle. It was great hockey.

A to Z Challenge: Nessie and Lycan float under full moon (L)

Levitation – is ascending into the air and floating, defying gravity. Spiritual masters or fakirs (good word) are depicted doing this. I have some respect for spirituality, but none for chicanery and trickery. Shit floats. People don’t. Stamp this one BS.

Lunar effects – can get me into trouble. Yet, I passed up lucid dreaming for this one. I like full moons and I enjoy all the stories and myths. The gravity of the moon physically affects Earth with things like tides. Any effect on humans is unproven, despite numerous studies. The phase of the moon (it is always there) probably has no effect on murder rates, car wrecks, calls to PDs or FDs, wife beating, birth rates, suicide, prison violence, the coocoo’s nest admissions, the demented behavior of nursing home residents, or sleep walking. The list goes on and on.

Lycanthropy – is the delusional belief that you have turned into a real animal. The opportunity exists for role playing a werewolf or any other form of Lycan online, if you want. Also, vampires, elves, and fairies can be assumed. Have fun. All cultures seem to share this nonsense.

Loch Ness monster (Nessie) – is a 1,500-year-old mythical creature that has contributed to a multi-million-dollar tourist industry complete with multi-media centers, internet cameras, and submarine rides in that part of Scotland, kelpies and unicorns notwithstanding. As with religion, belief in the myth is good for business. Fine, just don’t ask me to believe in or donate to either one.

A to Z Challenge: Karma and the Disappearing Wang (K)

Karma – is the consequence of all the good and evil accumulated during a person’s lives. Hindus, Buddhists and others believe the amount and type of karma will determine your state when you’re reincarnated. The sum of the shit you did in previous lives determines your current one.

There is also group karma, family karma, and national karma. Some New Agers and Neopagans also believe in a form of Karma, but generally restrict it to a person’s current lifetime. Very much in the everything happens for reason realm of logic. It’s woo-woo, but a nice way to believe that life is fair and just. Fits with much religious manipulation, Santa Claus logic, and other reward and punishment behaviorally related he’s watching you crud.

Kinesiologist – is how applied kinesiology quackaroos refer to themselves. Applied kinesiology is not the same as the professional discipline and academic area of kinesiology, which is the scientific study of the mechanics and anatomy of human movement. At A&M, the PE Department morphed into the Kinesiology Department when I blinked.

Koro (shook yang) – is a phenomenon I call the cold-water syndrome. This disorder is of male penis shrinkage and retraction into the body accompanied by panic and fear of dying. The delusion begins with Chinese metaphysics and brain washing. Apparently, the cause is abnormal sex: prostitutes, masturbating, wet dreams, anal, or whatever disturbs the yin and yang of the horney male equilibrium. According to a Singapore newspaper, koro has been caused by eating pork from a pig inoculated against swine flu. So, behave or your bod will suck your poker in, and you’ll die.

A to Z Challenge: Junk and Four J’s (J)

Junk Science – is an expression used to describe scientific information considered spurious or fraudulent (fake). The concept is often invoked in political, legal, and religious contexts. The term became popular in the 90s. Recently, it has been invoked to criticize research on the environment or public health effects of corporate activities, and occasionally in response to such criticism. There are books on this. One is by Dan Agin, who in his book, Junk Science, harshly criticized those who deny the basic premise of global warming. It is somewhat different from pseudoscience and fringe science.

Jesus Christ – may have been a (perhaps mythical) Jewish male who allegedly performed miracles to prove he was a god or the son of one. His mother was a virgin or was impregnated by the Jewish god. Christ is rumored to have been killed by Romans at the encouragement of some Jews by crucifixion, an unpleasant form of legal execution common about 2,000 years ago. Maybe the largest religious belief in the world today. The original source of the term zombie, since he was supposed to be dead and then walked around and visited old friends before he went physically to heaven with a promise to return soon. Has been seen with Elvis.

Jamais vu – The opposite of déjà vu, which is a feeling of recollection. Jamais vu is when an experience feels like it is the first time even when the experience is a familiar one. This occurs in certain kinds of amnesia and epilepsy.

Jinni – I wrote about these last year. These spirits of demonology make many appearances in the Koran.

Jogini – are women who are forced into prostitution by a religious custom known as devadasi in India. While this was banned in 1988, that law is not enforced in all parts of India.