I’m simply speechless after reading the following.
From CBS News:
PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Two college students have been charged with sexually attacking a woman on a crowded Florida beach filled with spring break revelers who apparently did nothing to stop it, authorities said.
Delonte’ Martistee, 22, and Ryan Austin Calhoun, 23, were arrested Friday and charged with sexual battery by multiple perpetrators, according to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
The attack, recorded on a cellphone video, happened sometime March 10-12 in Panama City, Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen said at a news conference. Authorities learned of the assault when police in Troy, Alabama, discovered the video while investigating a shooting.
McKeithen described the recording as the “most disgusting, sickening thing” he had ever seen. Several men can be seen surrounding an incapacitated woman on a beach chair.
“This is happening in broad daylight with hundreds of people seeing and hearing what is happening, and they are more concerned about spilling their beer than somebody being raped,” he said. The sheriff said he expected investigators will make additional arrests.
This is the state of the union, and it’s not good.
For related articles, see:
A Broken, Corrupt and Immoral Criminal Justice System
Protecting and Serving – Florida Police Raid 90-Year-Old Woman’s Home; Find No Drugs but Wreck Home
Caught on Video – LAPD Guns Down Homeless Man in Broad Daylight
In Liberty,
Michael Krieger
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Family structure has been destroyed through socialism. Children are raised as an atheistic herd by public schools. Survival of the fittest is the religion that has replaced the true God!
Strange, because I don’t adhere to any organized religion and I think I’m doing alright.
I’m an atheist but I’m not raping or murdering people, contrary to the crusaders spreading the word of god….
Or presidents bombing innocent people shouting god bless America.
Seems to me you do adhere at least partly to some religion because religion is the guard rails of life. This is what happens when you remove the guard rails.
No, not a follower of any organized religion. I meditate sometimes, that’s it.
Somewhere you learned moral limits. We are not born with them. Maybe your parents (which is where most of us used to get them). Maybe reading certain authors. I’m sure you could identify the source.
“Religion” may not be the correct word in your case, but limits must be placed on the human animal or the human part disappears. That’s why Lenin/Stalin/et al tried so hard to destroy existing religion and replace it with the state (as a religion). Religion can also be used for nefarious ends also, so the word is not universally good.
Please don’t conflate religion with spirituality. An appreciation for the elegance of the universe does not require adherence to a political control system rooted in superstition. Religion – the human interference in individual communion with the Divine (pick your poison – God, Allah, Jesus, Flying Spaghetti Monster) – functions as a means of control, not enlightenment. Morality (social responsibility) is not a necessary or sufficient characteristic of religion, rather a consequence of varied social interaction during development (an appreciation of multiple circumstances, consequences, reactions) – the very experiences that are being destroyed by the iCrap gadgetry,TV based parenting, and the ‘Timmy is special’ entitled attitude of an entire generation of lazy, narcissistic parents.
Ok, call it spirituality. Whatever you call it, you learned it. And it is a “means of control”. That’s what morality is. Limits. Guard rails. Moral relativism has been a sickness promoted by the progressives since the beginning of the 20th century. No one is allowed to place limits on anyone else. Well, now we see the results.
Well, no one should place limits on anyone else unless harm is being done to others. There is no such thing as a victimless crime in my view.
The big problem here is that we have laws, but we don’t enforce them on the rich and powerful. So rule of law is dead. That’s the most important issue right now.
I support the death penalty for rape. Rape is worse than murder.
I am not against faith but even in the absence of religion, all human beings understand right and wrong. Call it an innate awareness of Natural Law, or a moral compass, or whatever. We all know.
I suppose we could all list many of the reasons why but clearly the social order is rapidly breaking down.
Why would people do this?
Why did no one help?
I wonder if the Roman Empire looked like this at the end.
Apparently here is a group of people who do not “know”. It is not innate. If it was, we would not need limits (laws) placed on behavior.
I dislike government as much as anyone else, but because not everyone has this “moral compass” there have to be some limits placed on behavior.
If we all had the moral compass then anarchy (defined in the ‘no government’ sense) would be the best form of government: we all do what we want without bothering anyone else. Sadly that’s not what happens when people are left to themselves.
And yes, I’ll bet the Roman Empire looked just like this.
String them up.
The video was beyond belief.
I don’t think you’re doing as well as you think, Mr. Krieger. Whatever good morals you personally may have absorbed during your upbringing in the vestiges of what was not long ago a religious nation (which were given to you by the influences of said religion, whether you realize it or not) are greatly outweighed by the evil perpetrated by the vast hordes around you who have no moral compass, no purpose, no sense of direction.
Lacking direction, their attention and focus naturally turns more and more inward and focused on themselves, and their own tribal groups. Rivalries form and factions emerge. Without a common ground of morality to stand on, what was once a “civilization” devolves and dissipates into civil war and chaos, often followed by conquest by an outside adversary. So no, I’d say you are not doing anywhere near as well as you think without religion.
Your response doesn’t surprise me. Dogmatic religious people tend to be so concerned about other people and so hyper-judgmental, that they never even look in the mirror and see the hypocritical joke that they are.
“Please don’t conflate religion with spirituality. An appreciation for the elegance of the universe does not require adherence to a political control system rooted in superstition. ”
Religion has nothing to do with superstition.
“Appreciation for the elegance of the Universe” is all well and good, but it does not prevent people and nations from committing mass genocide, does it?
What does, if not religion?
“Religion – the human interference in individual communion with the Divine”
The viewpoint you are expressing here is not that of God, but of Satan. Those who follow Lucifer/Satan/Seth are on the wrong path, because they selfishly believe as you do that the individual reigns supreme over everything. But it was not you, the individual, who created humanity, or the Universe; it was the Universe who created you. It is you who was created for the purpose of serving the Universe in general and humanity in particular, not the other way around.
There is no such thing as “individual communication with the divine”…this is only a selfish and foolish notion, unless you live 1,000 miles away from the nearest human without a single man-made artifact (that you didn’t personally create) in your reach. In which case, you have truly cut yourself off from communication with God, haven’t you? and will likely die alone and forgotten.
“(pick your poison – God, Allah, Jesus, Flying Spaghetti Monster)”
All are not equal. God is the Universe. Allah is another name for God. Jesus was a prophet. Flying Spaghetti Monster is a myth, fabricated by unbelievers for the sole purpose of ridiculing that which they don’t understand.
functions as a means of control,”
Exactly. SELF-control, by spreading the knowledge needed for individuals to learn to control THEMSELVES.
“not enlightenment.”
Actually, enlightenment is THE sole purpose of religion. Self-control IS enlightenment.
“Morality (social responsibility) is not a necessary or sufficient characteristic of religion,”
On the contrary, that is one of the key distinguishing characteristics of modern advanced religions.
“rather a consequence of varied social interaction during development (an appreciation of multiple circumstances, consequences, reactions)”
No it isn’t. People don’t naturally choose to be “good.” Without a common moral foundation, there is no definition of “good” to judge anything by to begin with. Any good morals you personally may have picked up unconsciously in life were from RELIGIOUS sources, whether you consciously realize it or not.
“the very experiences that are being destroyed by the iCrap gadgetry,TV based parenting, and the ‘Timmy is special’ entitled attitude of an entire generation of lazy, narcissistic parents.”
You’ve got things exactly backwards. You’re blaming the symptoms for the problem, when you should instead be looking for the actual root of the problem. The answer is staring you in the face, but you’re too blinded by your own ignorance and biases to see it.
Religious is not just a good thing to have, it’s absolutely necessary for civilization to exist. Without religion, civilization is impossible, because the natural religion is selfishness (aka Lucifer, Satan, Seth, etc.) Selfishness leads to factionalism, and “a house divided cannot stand.”
You’ve confused the cause with effect. Lack of religion (purpose, meaning, enlightenment) leads to self-absorbed zombies. They didn’t get there by following the teachings of Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, Osiris, or any other enlightened soul.
Look at the chimpanzees and see how they live; constantly tricking and deceiving one another, uninterested in learning any sort of deep truth or mearning, utterly incapable of working together to achieve anything greater than themselves. One can carve out a niche in certain parts of this world living like that, which is why apes and chimpanzees still exist today. Those humans who reject religion and embrace selfishness, “living for the moment” instead of for tomorrow, are really saying they would prefer to be chimpanzees.
Millions of years of evolution have made us into something different, and yet there’s people who have suddenly decided they are the smartest human alive because they discovered atheism when they were 14.
I should know, because I too was an atheist when I was 14, and only began studying religion from the assumption that it was false, “bearded man in the sky superstition”, etc, all the same foolish strawman your type still uses today to ridicule and mock religion, and for the same reason: because you are living in the remnants of what was once a religious society, and which still calls itself a religious society, but which is totally and thoroughly corrupted.
And so that is your way of rebelling against the obvious corruption, by flailing out against the belief systems which you attribute to be the cause of all the problems.
But what you ignorantly fail to see is that hundreds of thousands of the wisest men from countless generations over tens of thousands of years of years did not fight and die to carry on and preserve this information and teachings just so that you could foolishly deride it all as “myths” and “superstition.” They were trying to teach you. In all ages, there are those who listen to wisdom, and there are those who reject it; guess which group you belong to?
Religion is not just a source of wisdom, it is the ONLY source of wisdom worth knowing. You would understand this if you could only be persuaded to open up your eyes and read the damn text from cover to cover before judging it, and while you’re at it, explore several other religions and compare and contrast their ideas to see if there might be common patterns.
And maybe even spend time thinking about WHY that is, instead of just arrogantly dismissing it all as nonsense.
But you’re too SMART to do that, right?
I’m not sure who this comment is directed at, but I will assume it’s me.
I’m not an atheist. Never have I claimed to be one. I find dogmatic atheists to be as offensive as dogmatic adherents to specific organized religions who think they have it right, and everyone else has it wrong.
That said, I actually agree with much of what you said in the comment above. Enlightened beings of higher consciousness exist, and their connection to the source, or whatever you want to call it, has been instrumental in helping human beings in their evolution.
I’ve read many varied religious texts including the Bhagavad Gita, many Buddhist works, etc. I find great value in such works. The danger comes when people then form new organized religious sects around these people and distort their works. The politically savvy will always manipulate the masses by claiming to speak for those long gone enlightened souls. We can be influenced by such people and appreciate their contributions without becoming dogmatic adherents to the religions formed around their ideas after the fact.
I don’t understand your reply; to which “dogmatic religious people” are you referring, and how does my response have anything to do with that?
I was an atheist decades ago, long before I succeeded in pulling my head out of my own ass long enough to realize that religion = truth and enlightenment.
Your response does not surprise me, as dogmatic atheists tend to be self-absorbed, unable to realize the Universe is bigger than themselves. They are unwilling to judge and critique themselves, and arrogantly reject any suggestion that their religion is false or misguided, regardless of how wise the messenger may be, and so damn themselves to feeling like a complete fool 20 years later when they finally study the subject enough to understand how incomplete their understanding had been.
I don’t know which religion you belong to, but I doubt part of the scripture consists of making things up about people you don’t know.
So please show me where in my entire life I claimed to be an atheist, or supported their dogma? I never once have.
Michael Krieger, I admire your restraint when talking with dogmatic religionists of whatever persuasion. At no point have you said that you are an atheist and he blithely assumes you are one with not the slightest evidence.Kind of like his faith as a matter of fact! He won’t even see the contradiction and hypocrisy in this of course,lacking the self-awareness.I am an atheist and don’t see the need for any religious framework to show me right and wrong, there is a school of thought that says it’s inborn and I agree with Richard Dawkins, that there may be a genetic component!
@ David Cole
‘utterly incapable of working together to achieve anything greater than themselves.’
Utter and total uneducated nonsense! Chimpanzees have been seen to co-operate and even ‘wage war’ as a group, so achieving something together which could not be achieved singly. This is in contrast to what you asserted.
http://www.thewire.com/technology/2010/06/what-chimpanzee-warfare-reveals-about-humans/23984/