The Folly of CFI-Philippines

As I travel this lonely road from plain skepticism to a more rational meaning of life…well…I sometimes stepped on crap. Here’s what I mean.

Recently CFI (Center For Inquiry) have created a Philippine branch and on my surprise it seem they gave all the responsibility to a 17-year old boy. This boy then claimed presidency on the said organization and called it CFI-Philippines (with the blessing of course of CFI in Washington…that is what he claim). Unfortunately, it looks as if this boy is using the name of CFI for his own agenda.

I find his philosophy quite different from that of CFI and Mr. Paul Kurtz. Different in the sense that he promotes church-bashing, religion hating, smear campaigns and fault-finding. This is quite removed from the principles of free inquiry and humanist ethics that CFI promote.

Because of this, a lot of Filipino non-theists and potential members were turned-off. I myself have decided to leave CFI-Philippines. I was disgusted by the outcome.

Freethinkers

It seems CFI-Philippines do not have any slightest idea what a freethinker is. Jose Rizal, the Philippine national hero and Mr. Poch Suzara’s idol have stated that God was the final arbiter of truth (Rizal-Pastells III,11) yet being a rationalist (Rizal was not an atheist as what other “Filipino atheist” want us to believe) he believe in religious indifferentism. In fact, Rizal was not even a non-theist (he believe in a personal God). Joseph McCabe still included Rizal in a list of past free-thinkers. Therefore, free thought is not synonymous with atheism.

A freethinker is a person who arrives at conclusions, especially in religious matters, by reason and not by authority (p. 474 Atheism: A Philosophical Justification Michael Martin, Temple University Press)

And what kind of reason is he talking about? According to Mr. Arthur San Pedro (founder of The Enlightenment League and Moral Society, Inc. - ELMS) Reason that is principled by ‘critical thought’ and ‘ideals of objective verification’.

Hate based reasoning is not a freethinkers method. I even say that hate based reasoning is base in authority - The authority of pre-conditioned biases and judgments. If you cannot write a simple objective observation then you don’t have any right to call yourself a freethinker!

Humanism

Humanism is simply put as an outcome of a rejection of the belief in supernatural revelation. But rejection of supernatural revelation doesn’t mean contempt. Humanists criticized religious claims base on reason not insults.

Humanism doesn’t mean contempt to god-believers. John Dewey suggested that God can be redefined in a naturalistic terms. That is humanism. According to Archibald MacLeish, “God was the manifestation of the human capacity for empathy and altruism. Human love, created God.” If that’s the case, then humanism create the very thing that CFI-Philippines despise – Human love.

Promoting Humanism in the Philippines

To promote humanism here in the Philippines, a genuine humanist group must focus on problems base on the issues that were tackled by the Humanist Manifesto of 1973, 1980 and 1988 not on church-bashing. Its aims are for the ethical, scientific and philosophical improvement of the Philippines.

Here are the important issues:

1. Education and Literacy
2. Population Growth
3. Unemployment
4. Poverty
5. Corruption
6. Pollution and the natural resources

Speaking of religious concern, instead of religion hating and church bashing, Filipino humanist must focus on issues regarding the unrealistic spiritual attitude brought by religious fundamentalism which only encourage an unrealistic and escapist approach in dealing with social problems. There is also the problem of the separation of church and state and the problem in the issue of birth control and responsible parenthood.

In matters of philosophy, there is the threat of ideologies that attack the objectivity of science and belittle human rights and democracy. These philosophies are counter-productive and promote defeatism.

These problems are not just as easy as a two year plan…a child’s play full of unrealistic dreams of a 17-year old boy and a band of disgruntled anti-theists. But if legitimate and competent Filipino humanists will converge and work side by side, then Secular Humanism in the Philippines will be successful with or without CFI.

All Will Be Revealed - so pay attention!

It finally happened! While I was trying in vain, in a resigned and desultory fashion, to fast-forward through another FBI warning at the beginning of a DVD, I had a sneezing fit. In the midst (or perhaps a nano-moment past the midst) of the sneezing fit, I had a revelation. Let me say that again in my best William Shatner imitation:

I... HAD ... (....) ... arevelation!

I....

Confirmed peon of the Methodist Church (1976)
St. John, the last-known Saint of the Norse Brahmanist Church (e-mails welcome) (1982)
Nichiren Buddhist (Nam Myoho Renge Kyo) (1985)
Delta Mu Delta (1995)
Pagan (2001)
Atheist (2004)
The Hand Grenade of Courteous Debate – Unitarian Jihad (October)
Third High Priest of the Temple of the Invincible Beastmaster (November)
and itinerant Bass fisherman (you bet your (b)ass it’s a religion!)
and now, =POPE= of the Paratheo-Anametamystikhood Of Eris Esoteric (POEE)!

The revelation which was revealed to me and which is mine is:

The Flying Spaghetti Monster is really a manifestation of Eris! What could be more confusing than multiple personalities?
If I interpret what was revealed to me through my pineal gland correctly, Eris made this manifestation one afternoon when she finally tired of appearing as a talking fish (The Fisherman and his Wife). Either that, or she was trying to tell me that she was feeling “not-so-fresh” at the time.

Perhaps this passage from the Principia Discordia's very beginning will explain, but I wouldn’t count on it.

GREATER POOP: Is Eris true?
MALACLYPSE THE YOUNGER: Everything is true.
GP: Even false things?
M2: Even false things are true.
GP: How can that be?
M2: I don't know man, I didn't do it.

Is it a mere coincidence that I came upon this web site, read the Fourth Edition Introduction, then two days later found a copy of The Illumenatus! Trilogy on the swap table at our town dump? Damn straight! And, absolutely true by the way. If you need me to prove it to you, send me $200 and I’ll track down the previous owner, keep the money, and send you something perishable by slow mail.

I am almost sure that Eris was one of a powerful race of beings with sex appeal and bad tempers that The Invincible Beastmaster met in his travels. I hope to have the details of this meeting revealed to me, grid willing.

JOSS STICKS IN THE TEMPLE

Secrets of The Temple Revealed

What religion would be complete without a creation story?

Here is the true story of the creation of the Universe, pieced together from many of the remaining fragents of suppressed text from the Temple of The Invicible Beastmaster.

Book of Trepannicis, Chapter 1.

1. Long before the Beginning of Time, The Beast was in the Universe, and the Universe was The Beast.
2. Whensoever something from Outside the Universe crossed paths with the Beast, The Beast would devour it immediately.
3. And it came to pass that The Beast did eat that which was alive also, and parts of The Beast then became a separate entity from The Beast also, and hence the first life became to manifest in the belly of The Beast.
4. A long time followed, and the life inside The Beast did flourish.
5. After a huge span of time, The Beast became aware of the life within, and set Itself against the parasite life, and moved to destroy it.
6. This was the Terrible Time, and The Beast did fly about and contract itself in great convulsions, for which it did to rid itself of the life within.
7. All inside was chaos, and all that did live was in peril of dying, and all that did not live remained still not alive.
8. Now, at this point in time, the race of The Beastmaster had grown and flourished inside The Beast, and in the ensuing chaos, the superior race were faced with unprecedented perills, as they were buffeted mercilessly, and their cities cast down. And so it was, that many perished, and of those that did not perish were there those that wished to perish.
9. And the race of The Beastmaster then did send forth its strongest and bravest to explore and find out whence came this destruction, and tasked them also to find a way to effect its end.
10. Among those sent thus forth was The Beastmaster himself.
11. And it came to pass that from one of this first band of journeymen, a certain Beastmaster, who was bestowed the title of The Invincible Beastmaster, went farther than any other, even to the sides of The Beast Itself, and cutting a Way with his mighty Axe, was the first living thing to see the Universe outside the Beast.
12. The Beast, feeling Itself wounded, turned and encountered The Beastmaster.
13. With a roar that shook the Universe, The Beast turned back upon itself and dove upon The Beastmaster to devour Him.
14. The Beastmaster, being the wisest of all living things, ran upward toward the head of The Beast, causing The Beast to bite instead upon its own tail where The Beastmaster had been before but was not now.
15. The Beastmaster did keep himself ever before the gaze of the angry beast, and caused It to devour ever more of Itself in an effort to reach and destroy The Beastmaster.
16. The Beastmaster ran thus for an incredibly long period, pursued always by the mighty head and jaws of the Beast until finding himself upon the forehead of the beast, and with no other place to run but into the very jaws, did the Beastmaster then with his mighty axe smite the brow of The Beast.
17. Whereupon this thing was done, did The Beast burst asunder into many fragments and pieces, spewing forth all of his continence and contents.
18. Then was the Beastmaster hurled a great distance, his axe planted deep in the brains of The Beast.
19. Having no other food, this did he eat of, and gained he thus all the knowledge of The Beast and all knowledge of all Things that The Beast did eat.
20. That which was life within The Beast was thus spread across the Universe and that which was of The Beast did also live still, and became they them smaller Beasts of mean and dangerous spirit, but all did fear The Beastmaster for what he had done.
21. And that which was in The Beast but not of The Beast was clean and noble and good and spread and increased, and that which was of The Beast became evil and sought ever to devour all, even unto each other, and once again become The Beast.
22. Thus did The Beastmaster find himself alone for a time in the Universe, and long did he search for his kind, encountering many living things, but never did he see them again.
23. After a time, The Beastmaster called to himself those creatures that were pleasing to him, and using his great knowledge, raised them up to do his bidding.

(End Chapter 1.)

Other Infidels

There are many other Infidel Churches and Ministries who refuse to accept the doctrines of mainstream religions. Some of them include:

Invisible Pink Unicorn, (May her hooves never be shod)

Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

Graveyard of the Gods Ministry

Universist Movement

Church of Reality

WELCOME TO THE BEASTMASTER'S TEMPLE

Welcome to the Temple of the Invincible Beastmaster. If you are amongst the thousands of infidels who refuse to accept the doctrines of mainstream religions, this is a place for you. Seek ye, and ye shalt receiveth.

Regards
High Priest of The Temple of The BeastMaster