Hi Dave,
Thanks for the email and for sharing the extracts from other
people. I never felt you were stubborn.
By the way, that fifth message down displays what I have
found with the religious right. A syrupy sweet exterior but
it is steely hard, intolerant and unloving on the inside.
There's a sign that appears at the local school every Sunday. A
group of people is obviously using school property to hold
religious services. I don't know the people so I guess it's not
an entirely fair comment but their sign reads "Sunshine Coast
Baptist Church". I've wanted to write on it "If you aren't with us,
you'll rot in hell" for that's their real message.
Having said that, I'm not sure that I can go fully over into the
athiest camp. I'd call myself more of an agnostic. I think
there
is the possibility of a god or gods that are not morally directive.
I sure find it absurd when I hear people say stuff like "I got
through that math test (or whatever) with god's help."
Haven't
they read the news that 30,000 kids starve to death every
day in the developing world. Guess god was distracted with all
of our rich concerns and forgot about those kids???
H*****
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 12:51
AM
Subject: removed naked pic from
Internet
Hi everyone,
Just a note to inform you that I have
removed my infamous naked picture
from my Web site which I posted in
February, 1996. It appears that nudity
is a controversial issue in its
own right and that we don't only cover our
privates due to religious
teachings of the past or out of fear of reprisal
from gods.
Besides
my family, friends and work associates telling me that it is
detrimental to
my cause, here are some extracts of what people wrote to me
about
it.
***************************
You speak of how building your
own values and integrity is the job of an
individual. Well, I'm sorry sir
but I don't think you have built your own
integrity. You post photos of
yourself nude online and use profane language
when referring to Jesus and
God. Do you have no dignity? Anyone with moral
values, religious or not,
would not present such atrocities to an open
audience. I came across your
website while doing a school research project
on religion in schools. I'm a
firm supporter of school prayer and teaching
Christianity in schools because
it gives people something true in this
world to believe in, and teaches
moral values that you sir, don't
have.
***************************
Now to my suggestions, I believe
more people would listen to you and your
ideas if you were a bit more casual.
I refer to your posting a nude picture
of yourself, calling yourself an
atheist's Messiah and putting in a link
titled "How I kill
people."
***************************
I m an African asheist who
very recently moved to l live in Canada. I was
delighted to find yr page
this night. I liked yr articles and I think they
help me overhaul and
service my atheism
But yr nude picture a little embarssed and disappointed(?)
me. Yr
credibility suddenly dropped some and according to Hilda who wrote
the best
message on yr nuditiy yr justifying it was even more damaging
to yr reasoning.
I don't want to sound traditional but I don't want to spoil
a starting
relation. Or is it not?
Oh I forgot that grin. I am about yr
age and you
must have been a very teasing person and many
did not like yr
stubborn ways
***************************
But, if you don't mind
some hopefully "constructive" criticism here, there
is still a straining or
stretching of your credibility by using a 25 year
old nude photo of yourself
sporting a full blown erection and insisting it
is "not juvenile stunt". The
basis for this photo, you say, is that as
with the Doukhobors, you associate
it with a display of the "rejection of
wealth and status." Well, this is
where you blow it (excuse the
expression). Assuming that you want to attract
intelligent and discerning
readers, they will know right away that this is a
specious argument for
displaying this type of photo. Never have we seen such
public photos of
Doukhobors. They took of their clothes and paraded down the
streets "au
natural" as a means of attracting attention to their protest,
which, if I
remember correctly, was against the government forcing their kids
to go to
public schools.
***************************
And how
the fuçk is a nude picture of you gonna convince me that Gods a
fraud. You
are one crazed, sick bastard. I hope you live to see the time
when Jesus
cames back to take over the world after the Antichrist. Then all
wird freaks
like you will have their heads lopped off.
Maybe you lost those 31 domain
names because you post nude pics of yourself
on your
sites.
***************************
Lastly, one note of friendly
concern. Your site depicts exceptional
insight and humor and is a great boon
to atheism. I might suggest that the
picture of you naked, although not
offensive to me, does raise a possible
flag in visitors minds about the
ethics and morals of the atheism you are
attempting to convey. It seems to me
to be out of place here. I would
suggest the place for this would be on a
separate site, if necessary at all.
I think it detracts strongly from the
other gifted offerings on your site.
How many religious sites have pictures
of their pastors and preachers
naked?
***************************
I wonder, who your intended
audience is. If it includes religious folks,
whom you want to show the light
of reason wrapped in humor and rational
thought, then your naked picture
almost certnainly will drive them to turn
off the "light" by leaving the
website and dismiss your ideas as deviant
and
degenerate.
****************************
See, I'm not stubborn
after all.
D. Bedford
www.atheists.net