Christianity is an ego trip. This is proven by the attitudes and actions of Christians, as they attempt to force their views on others and indulge in ideas that allow them to view the universe as something that revolves around their life.
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After reading ebooks for years on a PocketPC, I finally bought myself one of these fancy new ebook readers. The Amazon Kindle seems to be the only realistic choice for UK book lovers. I’m extremely impressed, to the point where I think I actually prefer the device to paper. This “eink” technology is amazing. The ebook has come of age, finally joining audio and video in the digital arena.
I quickly got to grips with some software (Sigil and Calibre) that allowed me to convert my new book I, Universe to a format compatible with all the ebook readers: Mobi (for the Kindle) and ePub (for most other readers, such as the Barnes & Noble Nook and Sony Reader). Click below and enjoy …
(If you’re a Kindle user and have only ever purchased books, all you need to do is connect your device to your computer via USB and drop the Mobi version of the book into the pre-made “documents” folder.)
To help promote I, Universe, I intend to dramatise a few of the chapters, presenting an audio recording of the book alongside relevant visuals. Here is the first one …
I have commenced work on an audiobook version of I, Universe. This will take some time to produce, so rather than wait until it’s completed before publishing, I will release each chapter as it is recorded. Enjoy what’s available below. Each link is an MP3 file, and the total running time thus far is about one hour. Check back often for new chapters.
Preface
Introduction
Born to Be Brainwashed
Land of Confusion
The Boogeyman for Adults
Reason Versus Revelation
I’ve decided it’s time to finally release my new book. Originally, I was planning to bring it out at the end of 2012, due to some topics I wanted to research between now and then, with a view to possible inclusion. But you know what? There’s always going to be something undiscovered that I wish I had included in the book. And there’s always going to be something I end up wanting to amend or enhance, as I learn new things. This is a book that will never quite be finished. So, there’s no time like the present …
[ Download Ebook ]
My forthcoming book, which up till now has been called The Dark Wheel, will now bear the title I, Universe. In part, the reason for this re-branding is because I’ve had a change of heart about something. Regular readers will know that I’ve been investigating Satanism for the past couple of years. It has been a very productive inquiry. I’ve learned a great deal and I’ve been able to synthesise something invaluable out of it for myself. But the label Satanist is almost useless are a meaningful identifier. See my recent rewrite of Are you a Satanist? in the FAQ.
So, it’s time to leave the sinister glamour behind and take a breath of fresh air from all the misunderstanding it provokes. It takes too much time and energy to deflect those blows. And in the interests of attracting a more general audience for the book, I hope you like the new cover design: simple but effective. I aim to have the book released by the end of the year.
Examining Michelle Remembers, the book that started the Satanic Panic of the 1980s – a modern-day witch-hunt.
[ Read Review ]
I don’t normally blog about my latest book review, but I’m making an exception, because I’ve just finished a book that took me several months of ongoing study to get through: Josh McDowell’s 700-page volume of Christian apologetics, The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict.
As many of you know, three and a half years ago I deconverted from Christianity, after almost two decades as a Christian. I’ve never looked back, and I’ve never sat on my laurels, either. For some time, I’ve wanted to study something thorough about Christianity – to put my mind through the rigors of the very best of Christian apologetics, to see if I would come out the other side unscathed. And I have. I’m more informed now than I’ve ever been, and more informed than the vast majority of Christians.
Christianity will always be a subject I want to talk about, because of its effect (desired or undesired) on all our lives through its presence in western culture. But in terms of me ever returning to the fold, let’s just say that reading McDowell’s book was like putting the last nail in the coffin. Please check out my lengthy and detailed review …
[ Read Review ]
One of my favourite authors, John Christopher (real name Samuel Youd), died on 3 February, aged 89. I discovered him in the late 1980s, when I happened to borrow The White Mountains from my high school library. To my surprise and delight, I soon realised that I was reading the novel which had been adapted as the television series The Tripods a few years earlier – a series that had such an impact on me that I used to have dreams about it. Christopher’s Tripods saga is comprised of four short novels, which became lifelong favourites of mine, and are given pride of place on my bookshelf as the most read novels.
Christopher is also the author of a fabulous post-apocalyptic disaster novel, The Death of Grass, as well as many other science fiction books for teens and adults. Whichever age group a particular novel was intended for, he always injected his stories with an unapologetic sense of realism about life. A recurring theme in his work was the fight for individualism against mind control. And this perhaps explains my unending fascination with his work. He told an interviewer in 1984:
The apple which tempts my characters is the one that will remove the knowledge of good and evil. I suppose it’s something of a reversal of the conventional Eden story: Freedom of thought is perhaps the greatest good, and needs to be fought for and sacrificed for.
It was my pleasure to correspond briefly with John Christopher a few years ago via email. I had developed an idea for a Tripods spin-off entitled The Freedom Triangle, and was curious about the legal issues involved in publishing it. To my delight, he told me that my idea was highly original. Sadly, though, Disney owned the rights to The Tripods, as a movie adaptation was being planned.
I hope John Christopher’s work will live on, for future generations to enjoy. Check out my reviews of his books.
I attempt to explain why telepathy, psychokinesis, etc., are not yet considered legitimate science, and why attempts at laboratory confirmation have generally failed – while the phenomena themselves are experientially real.
I make a lot of videos against Christianity. This might seem a bit obsessive, when Christianity is an irrelevance to my life. But there is a good reason for it.
For those of you who haven’t been keeping abreast of my book reviews blog, Darryl’s Library, here are my reviews of the 24 books I’ve read over the past year. If you would like to be notified of new reviews as they are published, use the email subscription button on the blog.
- The Devil’s Notebook by Anton Szandor LaVey
- Black Magic by Michael A. Aquino
- A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
- The Book of the Damned by Charles Fort
- The Black Arts by Richard Cavendish
- Listen, Little Man! by Wilhelm Reich
- The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
- From Witchcraft to Christ by Doreen Irvine
- Liber HVHI by Michael W. Ford
- Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger
- Entangled Minds by Dean Radin
- The Taking by Dean Koontz
- Rage by Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman)
- Encyclopedia of World History
- Edgar Cayce on ESP by Doris Agee
- Taming the Beast by Emily Maguire
- Starstormers 5: Volcano by Nicholas Fisk
- Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott
- Liber Null & Psychonaut by Peter J. Carroll
- A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell
- The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
- A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
- Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert
- God Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens
Before you click on the video below, I want you to read the following words and examine how they make you feel:
In this life there will be many struggles. You may suffer; you may fall; you may think that you are alone. But fear not, my child. I am with you. I have always been with you. I’ve been with you when you’ve laughed. In your joy, in your sorrow, I am with you. You are a child of God. You are wonderfully made. You are here for a purpose. And I will guide you. I will lift you up; I will carry you; I will rescue you. For I love you and will never leave you, simply because you are my child and I am your Father.
For me, the words represent wishful thinking that is entirely disconnected from reality, and so they evoke no positive feelings whatsoever. I think of the reality of life for a starving child in Africa and I ask myself, “What do the words ‘I will rescue you’ mean to that child?” Absolutely nothing, that’s what.
For a Christian, I suppose the words communicate some vague sense of positivity about their relationship with God – something that provides warm fuzzies without the necessity for any actual thinking about whether the statements ring true in practical day-to-day living.
Now, watch the following video and take careful note of what’s being done to your emotions and why.
With the aid of evocative music and photographs (especially the cute kid at the end), a few empty phrases are turned into words of immense power. Check out the comments on the video:
- “Amazing I near cried at this. This is inspired by the Holy Spirit”
- “AMEN! In Jesus name…This is so comforting!!!”
- “why did this make me almost cry ?”
- “FANTASTIC. Beautiful and inspiring.”
- “Really inspiring , thx & may God shine his Face upon u.”
- “oh wow…. thankyou so much for making this..”
It’s obvious emotional manipulation, using the tried-and-true tactics of commercial television advertising, and yet there’s not a single Christian in the room who is even remotely aware of how he is being played. Those words either have power – raw, honest, rational power coming from truth – or they don’t. If the words have it, then they should evoke the strong feelings without your emotions needing to be artificially stimulated. If reading the words felt different from watching the video, then you are being played.
Like I’ve often said, religion is a tool that preys upon human weakness – in this case, our need to be loved. Many of us will suck on any teat offered, as long as we don’t have to face the painful truth – that we are not divinely protected by God, and anything might happen to us. If you want evidence that religion today is for weak-minded and non-thinking people, look no further.
I feel like putting together a remix of this video, only substituting the existing photos for shots of starving children, victims of abuse, and horrible accidents. I would leave the words and music the same. Now, that would really mess with your head. Bad taste, maybe, but a damn sight more honest.
A satire on how prophecy really works.
Was Jesus an actual person? Did he do the miraculous deeds that are recorded in the Gospels? Christianity stands or falls on this historical dilemma. I get to the root of why some people opt for belief, and others skepticism.
Thanks to marlonsuniverse for the following video response:
