Sweet Old Lady Morphs Into Hateful Christian Fundamentalist.

There I was, approaching the entrance of Wal-Mart earlier this afternoon and acquiring a shopping basket. An older woman of diminutive stature entered just before I did. She retrieved a sanitary wipe to cleanse her basket's handlebar, then passed me a wipe out of courtesy. It was quite nice of her, I thought; I was going to get a wipe anyway.

She complimented me on the color of my red hair, to which I gracefully responded and explained that it's gotten darker the older I've gotten. Explaining further, my hair used to be a brighter shade of red than my beard is now. Carefully ruffling my beard, I pointed out that my chin hair is starting to turn white. I'm getting older!

Turning to Crystal, the granny asked if she was my girlfriend. I confirmed that she was my spouse, to which the older lady complimented her elegant beauty. I tend to agree; Crystal is gorgeous.

And then... our friendly rendezvous all fell apart.

Her next question was "Do you two have a church at home?"

I felt a lump of disappointment swell in my throat. In an effort to side-skirt the question and politely escape from her crafty claws of entrapment, I stated that there was indeed a church near our home. In this, I did not lie; there are multiple churches within a mile of my house. What followed was a frightening, uncomfortable and altogether unpleasant series of questions and diatribes.

• Crystal and I must uplift each other to better serve the lord.
• We must have children.
• Our future children must have the message of Jesus Christ DRILLED (she said this very emphatically) into their minds, no questions asked. They MUST go to church and they MUST believe, or else.
• We must not have friends whom aren't Christian, otherwise they will drag us to hell.
• Non-believers are definitely not to be tolerated and should not be allowed to live. They're a one way ticket to hell.
• Judgment day is coming, sooner than we think.
• The time for Christians to stand together and defend God from all sinners and non-believers is coming, too.
• We must spread the word of Christ wherever and whenever possible.

I could go on and on, but you get the picture. She transformed from a sweet, innocent old woman into this hateful, fire-and-brimstone witness.

Now you probably know me... I'm an atheist. Typically, I'd have countered this sort of venomous hatred and put her in her place. Considering how old and frail she was, I simply couldn't do it. Honestly, I was worried that anything I'd say in response would literally give her a heart attack or stroke. Imagine how terrified of me she might have been if the nice guy with red hair turned out to be a blasphemous non-believer! The sudden shock could have sent her into cardiac arrest!

So, I bit my tongue, swallowed my pride and nodded in agreement. Slowly inching my basket farther and farther away, I finally saw an opening in her spiel and escaped with a "Have a nice day!" Boy, if she only knew the truth about who she was talking to.

I find it strange how so many people accept this sort of activity as acceptable. Let's swap the roles in this encounter. Pretend I was the one who used a friendly opportunity with a stranger to spread the 'word' of atheism. I'd be held before a judge for disturbing the peace, chastised by the local news and practically run out of town. Thankfully, I can discuss such matters on the world wide web without fear of persecution.

Who really exists behind the mask?

Consider all of the unknown people whom we walk by every day. While out shopping, eating lunch, visiting the library, at school, at work, at the dentist -- how many of those people are Christian? How many are Jewish, Hindu or Muslim? How many are agnostics or atheists? There's a disturbing facade of normalcy that provides refuge to monsters and marauders of free thought from all walks of life. Yet, their particular brand of reality makes it all okay.

I tell you what... I'll never look at another sweet old lady again without wondering if she's a vile fundamentalist whom would rather see me dead.

I'm (Still) Surrounded By Idiots.

Oh joy! I have had the opportunity to spend even more time with idiots today, except this time in person!

While taking my morning exercise route through the park next door, I was approached by a pack of teenagers with pamphlets. There were a bunch of folks playing baseball at the park this morning, so I assume this group figured it was a good place to reach a lot of people. I'll let you guess what type of good message they were spreading.

Go ahead...

*crickets*

Of course, these silly teenagers wanted to spread the word of Jesus. They were accompanied by an older man with a giant cross around his neck. Even though I repeatedly turned down their pamphlets and tried to walk away, they just wouldn't stop hounding me. The older gentleman asked me what my problem was.

Today was not the day.

"Are you sure you want to know what my problem is? Here's my problem."

I looked all the teenagers in the face and told them that they were being taken advantage of. I asked them to please think for themselves and analyze the leaders in their life. I also asked them to please challenge the ideas that they blindly follow and evaluate their merits via logic and science, not words from an archaic book. I told the older man that he should be ashamed of himself for leading these impressionable teenagers astray. Finally, I explained that they were extremely rude for approaching strangers in a park with the assumption that their message is the correct one.

As their jaws proceeded to drop, I walked away. Thankfully, they were gone when I looped back through the park on my way out.

Oh, but my day wasn't over yet. I had more idiots to come!

After dropping packages off at the post office, I ventured to the local Tractor Supply to pick up some pine shavings. As if entering into the Holy Corporate Temple of Country Living wasn't bad enough -- the gaudy clothing and country music makes my skin crawl. I grabbed my bag of pine shavings, which weigh a considerable amount (40-50 lbs), and got in line. Of course, the guy at the register is slow and wants to talk with every customer. The first guy in line can't decided which dog tie out line he wants to purchase, so he walks away and leaves his items at the register. The next customer in line looked like he crawled out of a coffin. He fumbled endlessly through his wallet, only to attempt to pay with a credit card he had no idea how to use. Mind you, about ten minutes have passed at this point. I spent more time in line than I did getting the pine shavings! Finally, the living mummy gets done and I move up to check out. But no... the dumb-ass with the multiple dog tie out lines returns and expects to check out immediately. The cashier tells me I have to wait as soon as I approach so he can check this other guy out.

Enough is enough.

I dropped the heavy bag of pine shavings on the floor.

"You are killing me, man. This guy gets out of line because he doesn't know what he wants, and now you want to let him cut back in line in front of me? Do you see how heavy this bag is? What's wrong with you?"

I turned to the guy who wanted to cut back in line.

"You got out of line. Did you even consider the other folks in line that you're holding up?"

I turned and pointed to the long line behind me.

"You see all this people? They waited in line just like I did. You want back in line? Go to the end and wait, just like everyone else."

I looked at the cashier again.

"Now, check me out so I can get away from you morons!"

He checked me out and didn't say a word to me. I had nothing left to say to him. And to think, it's only 1 PM! I still have eleven hours in the day remaining!

Oklahoma: Atheists and Gays Not Welcome.

There's some outrageous bigotry going on in Oklahoma, but that's no surprise.

A stone monument depicting the Ten Commandments

sits outside the Oklahoma State Capitol Building.

House Bill 1125, which essentially bans atheists from being married, recently passed the Oklahoma State House of Representatives. It is now headed to the Senate, where it will most likely be approved.

How does it work? Well, it's like this. For any new marriage to be recognized, a member of the clergy must approve any and all marriage licenses. Judges and magistrates would have ZERO say in the matter. That means that the power of the legally binding contract of marriage would be solely under the discretion of priests and other respective church leaders. Of course, conservatives, Republicans and religious organizations are jumping for joy over this bill. If approved, it would mean that any clergy member whom did not see fit to wed a couple (meaning homosexuals and atheists) would not have to.

This is a crafty work of legalese meant to circumvent the potential for homosexuals to receive the same marriage benefits as heterosexual couples. They're essentially tacking it onto the backs of atheists as a way around any forthcoming federal legislation. In essence, they get to kill two birds with one stone.

One of the chief supporters of the bill, Republican Dennis Johnson, has been quoted as saying...

"Marriage was not instituted by government. It was instituted by God. There is no reason for Oklahoma or any state to be involved in marriage."

I find it ironic that Mr. Johnson wants to prohibit the bounds of marriage via legislation, but finds that government has no place in the matter. I wonder if he can see the total hypocrisy in that? Have the supporters of this bill even considered that, without a legally binding marriage license, many couples (gay or straight, religious or atheist) would lose health benefits, death benefits, access to community property and child custody? Obviously not.

Perhaps more troubling is the immense power that would be granted to non-elected religious officials whom would act as de facto magistrates of the state government. By officiating the state law in a method that's clearly filtered through religious doctrine, they'd be blatantly violating the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. Should House Bill 1125 be passed by the Oklahoma legislature, it will surely make its way to the Supreme Court.

Oklahoma -- a great place to live... unless you're not a heterosexual Christian.

Islamophobia or Bust.

Skyline of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Go ahead... call me Islamophobic.

Coming from the perspective of the modern Western liberal agenda, that may appear to be the case. I don't respect the Islamic way of life. Islam (as a doctrine) promotes the division of economic classes, xenophobia, sexism, female genital mutilation, murder, physical abuse and a host of other terrible things. I digress, though. I am in no way afraid of Islam nor those whom identify as Muslim. In my life, I've met many wonderful Muslims whom were nothing but kind to me. They treated me with respect and politeness. You see, that's the part that perturbed me in the past. How could someone so nice subscribe to a theocracy that has a near infinite number of faults? It makes no sense.

I could show you numerous photos and videos of violent acts committed in the name of Allah. There are more videos of beheadings on the internet than I would ever care to watch -- as if I would want to watch any to begin with. I won't show you such horrors, though. No one should see such a terrible act as a beheading.

You may say...

"But Jared, most Muslims would never commit such heinous acts. Your position is unfair to those people."

And you would be right -- most Muslims would never cut off a person's head or set them on fire. Nor would they use children as martyrs or rape their own daughter.

Here's the issue I have, though.

By being a member of the Islamic faith, you at least partly condone these actions. Through worshiping the Quran as the word of Allah, you agree to the tenets and principles of the religion found within that holy text. Continuing to identify with a group that regularly condones war, rape, murder and martyrdom is highly suspect. All I know is this -- If I were a member of a group that started to rape, pillage and murder, I'd leave that group.

And yes, I realize that many people have no way of leaving their situation, especially in countries that practice Sharia law. To yearn for revolutionary change, but to be stuck in an oppressive society, must be absolute hell.

This routes me back to my question at the beginning of this article. It took me a long time to understand why Muslims, whom are so polite and kind in person, could be members of such a vile ideology. When able to speak independently and without the gaze of other Muslims, the weight of strict adherence to Islam can be lifted. On an individual basis, a Muslim can be free to act like a normal human being. Essentially -- the radical nature of Islam increases in proportion with the size of the population. It's like the old concept of keeping up with the Joneses, but with Islamic undertones. I realize this is only a theory, but it makes sense to me.

Before I go any further, let me clear the air. Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism and even Buddhism are all guilty of atrocious acts in the name of their faith. When it comes to the concept of shared guilt, I feel the same way about Christians; continued adherence to that faith is a consent to child molestation (however painful that truth may be for you to accept, I stand by it). The same goes with the Jews -- being a practicing Jew implies that you're comfortable, at least on some level, with grown men cutting the foreskin off male genitalia (in some cases using their mouth). I'm not just pointing the finger at Islam. I'm merely highlighting how Islam is the chief offender. One theology has to be the worst... and Islam is it.

All theocracies are guilty.

What really pisses me off is the permission given to Islam by the aforementioned Western liberals. A Jew or a Christian can commit a terrible act in the name of their god and a liberal will call them out on their fundamentalism. Yet, Islam somehow catches a free pass. The liberals defend Islam and say that this is "their culture" and we "don't understand". It's as if criticism of Islam is immediately relegated to the realm of racist hate speech. Automatically, I must be a bigot if I call out the nefarious activities of Muslims.

You couldn't be farther from the truth. I'm just calling a spade a spade.

For that matter, why should we celebrate a culture that regularly abuses women? That makes them hide their face? That cuts their clitoris off? That keeps them from holding a job or driving a car? That keeps them from speaking or voting or doing anything to better their condition? Is that a culture we should really be celebrating?

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

I want to highlight the story of King Abdullah's jailed princesses.

Details emerged last year about four daughters of the recently deceased King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. These four princesses (Sahar, Hala, Jawaher and Maha) have been detained under house arrest for over thirteen years. Why? Because they spoke out against the injustices and crimes they saw around them. Their own father decided it best to lock them away. All this because they wanted to reform conditions for women and prisoners held by the state. What kind of father would do that to his own children? A pretty terrible one, if you ask me.

Yet, King Abdullah has been praised by leaders around the globe as a beacon of peace and prosperity in the Middle East. He has been ushered into the afterlife as a proponent of equal rights and social reform. I am completely appalled by these blind statements of support. Abdullah and the kingdom he ruled with an iron fist is yet another example of Islamic barbarianism. No surprise, given you'd be hard pressed to find any member of the United States government willing to even identify the radicals that enacted the Charlie Hebdo attack as Muslims. The terms of dialogue have steadily changed when it comes to international affairs. No longer will you hear government officials say "Islamic terrorists". Nay, now they've become "radicalized terrorists". Even the Islamic State (commonly called ISIS), has been carefully careened into a secular connotation. Our own president has proposed that ISIS does not represent Islam; they're merely fundamentalist radicals claiming to be Muslim.

Members of ISIS poising for a group photo

Hello! Think, McFly! Think! ISIS, if anything, represents one of the purest interpretations of the Islamic faith. Not only do they believe what they worship, but they practice what they preach! What's even more scary is that polling data of Muslims from around the world regularly shows that support for ISIS is broad and substantial.

A page from the Quran

What do I want you to walk away with after reading this article? I want you to understand that you can criticize Islam and not be a bigot. I don't loathe Muslims -- I dislike the Islamic faith. Never be afraid to speak out against vicious savagery.

Except for Raif Badawi, who has been lashed by the Saudi Arabian government for blogging. He has every right to be afraid.

Art Under Fire - The Charlie Hebdo Assault.

I awoke to the news this morning that artists and creators were under attack... in a very real way.

Charlie Hebdo is a weekly satirical newspaper published in Paris, France. It is globally known for its cartoons and humorous articles which poke fun at the absurdity of religion, ultra-conservatism, politics and ideological extremists. Within the art and comic world, Charlie Hebdo is well respected for their integrity and sense of fairness in criticism. In the past, members of their staff have been attacked by Islamic militants over their cartoons and articles which have depicted various Muslim subjects, including but not limited to their prophet Muhammad. In a 2011 incident, their office building was even firebombed and totally destroyed.

Two of the three gunmen just moments before they murdered a wounded policeman outside the Charlie Hebdo offices. Taken from public security camera footage captured live during the assault.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck their organization again this morning. Twelve French citizens were left dead, of which ten were Charlie Hebdo staff members. Two police officers standing guard outside the building were also slaughtered in cold blood. Another eleven individuals were injured. Eye-witness reports state that the three gunmen whom facilitated the attack were shouting "Allahu Akbar" in Arabic, but also spoke French and said they were "avenging their prophet". As they stormed the offices and took control of the staff, eye-witnesses inside the building provided further gruesome details. Apparently, the gunmen had a specific hit-list of individuals they wanted to eliminate. The barbarians called them out by name one at a time to deliver their wrath. Five of the ten staffers assassinated were artists.

The attackers were swift in their actions. They were masked and carried Kalashnikov AK-47 rifles. As they left the scene of the crime, they exchanged further gunfire with the local police before hi-jacking a new vehicle and fleeing north from the city of Paris. As of this writing, the gunmen have not been apprehended. I will update this article as news develops.

Myself and all artists around the globe take this attack on personal expression and artistic creativity personally. Cartoons are one of the last great bastions of free speech. They convey love, compassion, wisdom, humor, sadness and triumph in a way that anyone can understand, no matter their native tongue. Artists and writers whom create this type of work do so for the love of the medium. The artists and other staff members at Charlie Hebdo did not deserve to die for their craft. I convey my deepest condolences to the families of the dead and injured.

One of Charlie Hebdo's most notorious covers, which depicts a generic staffer of the publication kissing a Muslim man.

We live in a world where individuals do insane acts in the name of their holy deity. Whether Muslim, Jewish, Christian or of any other religion, no one has the right to take the life of another human being because of their beliefs. Much less, to slay someone because of their art work is beyond preposterous... it's disgusting. This type of activity says a lot about the Muslim world. Though the majority of Muslims would not enact such outlandish behavior, their continued adherence to the Islamic cult of death is nearly as shameful.

All I know is this... If I were a member of a group or organization that held other members whom regularly carried out acts of violence, then I would leave said organization. To remain a member is to silently condone such activity, in my opinion.

Religion, no matter the specific faith, is at the heart of this attack and others like it. I won't dance around the facts of the matter. Outdated theology and superstition has repeatedly lead to the death of innocents. We see it over and over again. When will it stop? Most likely, only when humanity has cast aside such childish notions and evolved for the betterment of mankind.