Quote of the day - on atheism

What, indeed, is an atheist? He is one who destroys delusions which are harmful to humanity in order to lead men back to nature, to reality, to reason.

He is a thinker who, having reflected upon the nature of matter, its energy, properties and ways of acting, has no need for idealised powers or imaginary intelligences to explain the phenomena of the universe and the operations of nature.

(Translated from the original French - not by me personally, I would add!).

Baron d'Holbach - 1770

Update - 29/10/23. Ask yourself whether the recent atrocities by Hamas in Israel would have occurred if they had followed the above logic. And ask yourself if the equally vicious, brutal response by the Israeli armed forces (on the principle that "If you kill our children, it is an atrocity, but if we kill yours in return that is only collateral damage" - yes, that argument stinks 100%!) if they had followed that logic in return. 

There would still be problems (continued illegal seizure of land by Israel and the potential violent response by the Palestinian people), but I can see no solution to this until both sides agree to talk and discuss the establishment of a two SECULAR state solution.

 

There is as much chance of that happening as there is of me becoming a billionaire!

It certainly won't happen in my lifetime!

Meanwhile I have been listening to the following song on YouTube twice a day for the past week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dsfv3dy5VdA and there is a good English translation available if you look for it.

Recommended listening for some who want more depth about the long-term problem than the Western media are giving us.

I remain neutral. 

Also to remember:

ISIS is not Hamas (go check the recent Syrian War where, among other things, ISIS attacked a Palestinian refugee camp!) - go and read (of all strange sources), the Israeli publication, Haaretz, which destroyed the argument without much difficulty.

Hamas is also not the Palestinian people, just a significant political force within Palestine which claims to be supporting those people (and is actually doing them far more harm than good!). Palestine would do well to be rid of them (peacefully!), but as the Israeli state cannot (or doesn't want to) discriminate between Hamas and innocent Palestinians, they shouldn't be the ones responsible for getting rid of them.

And finally. Zionism is not Judaism. I don't accept any religion as "true", but if people must follow any of these antiquated superstitions, that has to be their choice in a democracy - provided that they keep it to themselves and practise in private. 

Zionism (as practised by the state of Israel) is a political movement, not a religious belief. It is in its most extreme form (as we are seeing at the moment) every bit as dangerous as the nonsense promulgated by Hamas's political wing!