An Anti-Theist I Am Not

Do I disagree with theism? Yes. Do I oppose it? Usually. Do I consider myself an anti-theist? No. An anti-theist I am not.

"Anti-theism is active and vocal opposition to belief in gods of any sort and to institutions built around belief in a deity. Anti-theists are not passive atheists; they delight in atheism and delight in exposing the errors, absurdities, and pretensions of theists."
http://www.skepdic.com/antitheism.html

This seems to summarize how anti-theism is generally defined.

Theism is a very broad term covering countless interpretations of God, being an anti-theist would place me in opposition to belief in gods of "any" sort, which I am not. The vaguer the definition of God a person gives and the less certain a person is with their belief, the less against it I find myself to be. To one person God may be the first cause, to another person the universe or nature, to another person it can be some unknown. Why would I have a problem with people investing belief in the concept when presented as such especially when they claim no certainty to it? What real harm could come from that? I may think it is a waste of time and a belief not worth investing in but against it? No.

Theism becomes a problem when individuals and organized religion clearly define what their God is, when they pretend to know what their God wants, and when the belief in God supersedes the verifiable. Once they do this they leave their God open to a bombardment of reasoning which renders their God impossible. The devil is in the details; the arch nemesis of theism. This is the type of theism I am against.

I am an atheist and I am not against theism in its entirety. I may express anti-theistic sentiments to particular gods and institutions; nevertheless, an anti-theist I am not.

The Light

There is a light you cannot see.
A blinding light called clarity.
And if you choose to close your eyes,
there comes a voice "You will die."
The light is might.
It's never wrong.
It's always right.
It sings the same songs
of triumph over all.
With all the answers to life,
united in a fictitious paradise.
This life I lived in a blinding light.
I turned it off to save my sight.

The Devil–all he ever wanted

It is recorded that the devil inflicted pain on to one man and killed ten members of his family with God's consent in order to prove that men only worshipped God because he bribed them. Not only did God put this man through a guilt trip when it seemed the devil’s plan was working, he later rewarded his faithfulness with a bribe, which only reinforced the devil’s initial accusation.

In another story a snake, which many believers teach was the devil in disguise, convinced a human to disobey God. He told the newly created human that if she disobeyed the stipulation their creator gave them, she would be like God, knowing the good and bad. She went along with it and some time later convinced her husband to disobey God's petty order as well. When God realized what happened, he became infuriated and the three of them were scolded and condemned.

All the devil really wanted was to be like his dad, to have what he had, without holding out and without the hypocrisy. But alas, to be like God is evil. It is so vile that you are banished and branded a traitor, an adversary. What does that tell you about Yahweh's character? If he is so great, how could the one angel that most resembles him be so terrible?

The devil exposed a tyrant who relied on bribes and coercion for others to love him. The devil encouraged others to use their free will. The devil is the hero of these stories.

You don’t like the spin I gave these stories? Too bad, what I did is not much different than what most people do with these allegorical stories anyway. A good sense of humour and imagination goes a long way.

Amen. :)-

Who gives a fuck? Why help Ex-Jehovah's Witnesses?

Since 2006 I have spent a considerable amount of time helping persons that have left the Jehovah's Witness organization find support. It all started with a group on MySpace called "Ex-Jehovah's Witness Recovery Group." Many of my closest friends today I met through that group, including my wife Emily. There have been three incarnations of that group due to the fact the first one was taken off from MySpace, and the second was abandoned for the third on Facebook. I also started a YouTube page called "Ex-Jehovah's Witnesses Speak Out," where I post short segments of conversations I have with Ex-Jehovah's Witnesses when my wife and I meet them at different venues. We are not as involved in these activities as much as we were in the past, but we continue to do what we can.

Believe it or not, many of us who do this have been criticized for spending our time helping others with their transition out of this high control group. I have received comments such as "Who gives a fuck?" "Why don't you just let it go?" "Why can't you respect their Religion?" So on and so forth. For all those that think it’s a waste of time to open your heart to persons that genuinely need a friend. For all those who feel it is not helpful to confide in a person that has been in your particular position. Please take a minute to read the following message addressed to my wife Emily by someone we care about very much.

“Have I ever told you how special you are to me Emily? In case I haven't...Let me explain…sweetie…

When I first discovered facebook and the exjw groups, I pretty much opened up about all the pain of my moms rejection of me after I disassociated myself…yada…yada...yada…I was really depressed...borderline suicidal, which I go through at least once a year or so.

I did not know you from Adam, and sweetie…and you picked up on it INSTANTLY....you invited me to not only come to your house...but you even offered to pick me up at the station, and said I could spend the night. My goodness Emily I coulda been a serial killer.

You just went on your vibe and were so open to me…I'll love you forever because of that sweetie!

I used to associate that kind of generosity of spirit, and selfless loving concern (EXCLUSIVELY) with the JWs!!

I seriously thought that no non JW would ever be so loving and open and generous without expecting something in return!
I know better now hon…

I thought that my exjw childhood girlfriends were sweet to me because they had known me forever! But Emily you and Ruben had never ever met me...not even on the phone!
Just want you to know that hon...

People like you make believers out of me. The kind of belief I value and cherish…the selfless goodness that comes from living a bullshit free life!”

Need I say more?

Letter to my Ex-Wife

I found my first ex-wife on Facebook and sent her a message. It was something I wanted to tell her for some time but wasn't able to since we lost all touch over five years ago. This was my message to her. It was written in Spanish and I have translated it for this blog.

Hello ____:

I am not going to send you a “friend request” nor do I expect a response. I just wanted to send you this message. I am not the same person I was, I have the same heart, but I am not the same. I have matured and recognized many things about myself and events in my life. The past is the past, and in regards to our broken marriage I recognize the errors I committed as well. Our reasons for getting married were invalid. I should’ve realized it was a bad idea to marry you from the start and not let myself be swayed by my desperation of getting married. There were many signs indicating that it was a bad idea, and because of a combination of hormones, culpability, and obligation I ignored them. I apologize; I was young and ignorant of many things. I am not excusing the way you treated me, the things you did and said hurt, it was not necessary to go about it in such a manner. However, looking back I understand your desperation and I recognize that you were young (very young) and ignorant in regards to many things as well. Not everything is black and white ____, I no longer see the world that way. I want you to know that I have no bad sentiment, nor resentment for what happened. As they say in English “We didn’t know any better.”

I live in Connecticut, not too far from my family. I have had the opportunity to build a relationship with them that I didn’t have before. I also have found love. My wife and I love each other very much and she is my best friend. I am so very happy. Your tenacity started a chain reaction that ultimately brought me to where I am today. For that a thousand thanks.

Well if you desire my door is always open to you, if you would like to say hello, I am here, if not “no problem!” As I stated in the beginning, I don’t expect a response. I hope you are happy and I desire the best for your beautiful daughter that I see on your profile picture and for David if you are still together.

Ruben Ortiz

Creator

Old paradigms have been destroyed.

Freedom is now spoken and no longer just heard.

Slowly breathing the air around me, and no longer inhaling the poison from deluded carbon based machines.

Reality becomes tangible, flexible, and not built on steps going up nowhere.

True magic exists.

Life is a canvas, and the universe is the paint. We are the artists ready to create.

I am ready. I am human and I am God.

Ruben Ortiz
10/31/08

My Son

This is the image of a poem my father wrote for me about 26 years ago. I was 8 years old and hadn't seen him in 4 years. In my blog "Julio Iglesias is not my Father." I explain the circumstances. This is what he wrote, translated to Enlgish:

My Son

It was six in the afternoon.
I just got off work.
All of a sudden my soul felt the impulse to leave go to a house not too far away.
An hour passed, the clock marked seven.
“Who is it?” Asked Jose, “It’s me Ruben.”
What a surprise, ask my wife, at this moment we thought of you.
I spoke to the one who was your woman and she told me that your son you could see.
I anxiously waited for the arrival of a piece of my heart.
The minutes passed and I grew desperate.
Come up gang, the lady has arrived and she has brought you a gift.
Let’s go up the stairs, as released children in search of a present.
I continued to wait anxiously for my boy’s arrival
He came around the corner desperately and stood by my side
He reached to me with his arms wide open
That got me emotional.
Daddy he said and with great strength he gave me a big squeeze and a kiss as big as his heart. I saw him a second time.
Daddy! He greeted me with great emotion and with a big kiss and hug.
Showing me that he loved me and how genuine his love was.
We said goodbye and my soul was left with a ray of hope.
I thought of the future and his great love.
I thought of his Mother, a woman of great valor who gave me a lovely male child.
Who I love with the bottom of my heart
Who despite his age gave me his love.

I consider this one of my most valued possessions.