Dear Sir: Masochistically, I ask you to direct me to your reflections on this matter.

 Just skimmed site (as the topic of atheism interests me/I have dissonance and thus uncertainty as to my position on this conglomeration of topics [I am, however, clear that I repudiate "devil worshipers"]). Was glad to see you reference to Isaiah 45:7.

Thought these quotes might interest you:

from Erich Neumann, "Psychological States of Feminine Development": "Only the fact that men cannot exist without women has prevented the extirpation... of this group of 'evil' humans upon whom the dangerousness of the unconscious has been projected."

from Sexual Politics, Kate Millett, "III The Domestic Theme": "...people are little aware... how early the notion of his inherent superiority to girls arises in his mind; how it grows with his growth and strengthens with his strength; how it is innoculated by one schoolboy upon the other; how early the youth thinks himself superior to his mother, owing her perhaps forebearance, but no real respect; how sublime and sultan-like a sense of speriority he feels, above all, over the woman whom he honors by admitting her to a partnership of his life. Is it imagined that all this does not pervert the whole manner of existence of the man, both as an individual and as a social being... Above all, when the feeling of being raised above the whole of the other sex is combined with personal authority over one individual among them; the situation if a school of conscientious and affectionate forebearance to those whose strongest points of character are conscience and affection, is to men of another quality, a regularly constituted Academy or Gymnasium training them in arrogance and overbearingness (Ibid. pp. 523-24. One is reminded of Jefferson's eloquent demonstration of how slavery corrupted white youth even from their childhood.)," p. 103 doubtless that is Mill [see below]).

same source "IV The Revolutionary Substance": "What Mill had thought to be the primordial evil, the inevitable consequences of man's original savagery, Engel's historical account transformed into an oppressive innovation, an innovation which brought with it immeasurable other forms of oppression, each dependent on it. Far from being the last injustice, sexual dominance became the keystone to the total structure of human injustice." p. 120

ditto source "II Historical Background": "Mill... believes 'the mental difference supposed to exist between women and men are but the natural effects of the differences in education and circumstances, and indicate no radical differences, far less radical inferiority of nature' (Mill, The Subjugation of Women [1869], p. 489), p. 9

also from Millett's Sexual Politics: "Freud's theory that the clitoris is a vestigial stunted penis is not only innaccurate but even now, it seems, directly contrary to fact. Recent embriological research leads to the conclusion that the female is the race type" (p. 199).

Awaiting the megrim your reflections will doubtless engender. Barb

Hi Sir: It was with no little trepidation that I hit the link to read an article expounding your position re: homosexuality. I was heartened and edified by your understanding.

I did not read any replies-- could not bear the possibility of being exposed to the same old same old. A couple thoughts: First, I want to take this opportunity to assert that homosexuality is NOT a choice, generally (not that you implied it is). People who are only homosexual when they are incarcerated are called (among gays and lesbians) "Gay for the Government." Why would anyone choose to be homosexual? Because they enjoy being told that they are "sinners," that god hates them, and that they are going to hell? "I'll set you on fire myself!" Well, MOM, since you have out the combustibles, may I trouble you to light my last cigarette?"

"Sometimes a good habit [here, honesty] will get you killed quicker than a bad habit [here, smoking]".

Yes, being homosexual is something we do to win friends and influence people (people unclear on the meaning/implications of the holocaust).

However, I must contest your estimation regarding the percentage that homosexuals constitute in a given population. People say 10% and this has been the general consensus for years because it is apparently accurate, notwithstanding that, unlike with heterosexuals, nobody's going to kill you or someone who loves you enough to be with you (despite everything society will do to them if they do) just because of the gender you naturally are attracted to. Here in my city, a major western city in America, we in the community know that the homosexual proportion of the entire population is about 10%-- of this, 3% are lesbians and 7% are gay men. At a local gay-friendly religious institution (a church that marries gays and lesbians--the reverend is bisexual but has been in a long-term lesbian marriage for about 15 years) the percentage of the congregation that identifies as homosexual is 10%. I think this fact is illustriative. Consider that perhaps not many homosexuals would even think about darkening the door of any church (for reasons we take to be good ones)-- even one that has taken the clearly unpopular and politically inexpedient position of supporting nay marrying homosexuals. Yet of this small percentage who would go to a church, and in this one particular congregation, the percentage of homosexuals is 10% This would tend to lend support that in any given population, the percentage of homosexuals might tend to hover at about 10% Far from agreeing with your positing that the population is LOWER than 10%, I assert that the number of people who would be open ("out"), or would act on their feelings would be a great deal higher than 10% if the ubiqitous and grievous societal oppression/stigma were somehow lifted. Only extremely brave (and in this perhaps not smart) people would identify publically as homosexual given the evident risks to security (whether that be to social position, livelihood or life).

"Social outrage is power protecting itself; it is not morality," Intercourse, Andrea Dworkin (R.I.P.), The Free Press, N.Y., '87.

"Courage is not courage if you are not afraid."

Regarding bisexuals: I am willing to accept the possibilty that some people have within them the natural proclivity to be attracted to both genders. Aside: the concept of the duality of genders has been demonstrated to be a politically interested and enforced fallacious projection of "reality"; that a good number of babies are born with clearly indeterminant gender incontrovertibly demonstrates that this is a fact and a natural genetic expression of life on Earth.

I digress. It is my hard-won experience and opinion that many if not most bisexuals, perhaps more than having some sort of biochemically based orientation in the true sense, are more likely exhibiting the fact that their primary response is sexual. Bisexuals are not popular in general among homosexuals (in this way, they are not unlike "partials" [those with partial sight] among the totally blind {read: reviled}]). Perhaps this is because they are "straddling a barbed-wire fence with their (AND your) genitals." Perhaps even more than other groups, bisexuals are generally esteemed by homosexuals to be more likely to not take responsibility for sexuality.

A few reflections on satanism: Mainly I contest the assertion that "To be a Satanist, you have to be born one." In my estimation, this is true, but not in the sense that I perceive the author of said sentiment means. To wit: SOME people who are drawn to satanism do so because they agree with the tenets/lifestyle/theory behind it. They are negative sadists. But where I draw a distinction is regarding those who are indeed "born" into satanism-- not in the metaphysical sense (those that "satan" had preselected/predestined-- certain "demonic souls" ["the chosen ones"] that I understand [perhaps mistakenly] the satanic emailer to be alluding to)-- No. I am referring to the poor misfortunates (the paucity of words) who are the children of devil worshipers--those born into Ritual Cult Abuse and/or Satanic Masonic Abuse. Regarding these I would refer anyone who thinks that they would like to be "born" into satanism in a REAL way, or to those who need external verification of the deleterious effects of acting like that to the following sources: Satan's Children: Case Studies in Multiple Personality,

Dr. Robert S. Meyer, G.P. Putnam's Sons, N.Y., N.Y., '91; and Ghost Girl, Torey L. Hayden, Little, Brown, & Co., Boston, '91.

Multiple Personality Disorder has only recently been recognized as a category of mental illness, called Dissociative Disorder (characterized typically by not only multiple distinct personalities but out-of-body experiences [the shattering of the personality {read: the person}]). Interesting to me are the parallels between these types of "bodily" experiences, and those almost uniformly reported as experienced by those who have nearly died or who have died and have been resuscitated. Clearly Dissociative Disorder is ALWAYS concomitant with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Dissociative Disorder is the (new) worst of the diagnoses in terms of severity of identity disturbance.

"A loving orientation toward the Other is the basis of my desire to feel-with her; without this orientation, I would apprehend the intentional object which is the Other's emotion in a spirit of detachment or, what is worse, in a spirit of cruelty; in such a spirit, I might even take pleasure in my "vicarious visualization" of the Other's misery." S.B. '04

I would encourage satanists to renounce their association of sophistication with negativity. Noetically yours.

that's a little disingenuous.

I didn't really follow the skull reference, but regarding the joint, perhaps you should know that on March 17, '08 (St. Patrick's Day) I celebrated a year of continuous sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous.

Let me restate the crux of my point:

Perhaps upon reflection, and were this not immediately apparent on the face of it, it DOES seem a bit myopic to oppose let alone disrespect one half of the human population (unless they've got their collective foot on your throat). Let alone to simultaneously take on and oppress the men of every other race on the planet. If you like, please see Stupid White Men, a book recommended some years ago to me by my friend, the white man, Russell Edge. It is my understanding that this book was also written by a (white) man whose name escapes me presently; maybe because the book, as well as the person who found it to be instructive were men and white men at that, this will make them more credible to you. I suppose I shall eventually find time to read it.

A (white) man, my friend, the biker, Kevin Rosecrans ("Pink"), once made a distinction that clarified things for me: "'Ignorant' means you honestly don't know any better, so you get a 'bye'; 'stupid' means you knew better, and did it anyway, so you get thumped."

You know how you said that you "despair" when otherwise extremely intelligent people espouse xtianity (paraphrase)?

Yeah.

Other things being EQUAL, I should very much enjoy discussing anything you should like. But realistically, I have enough interested wickedness in my life.

I wish you well.

"Be kind-- everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." Plato

clearly not-- fortunately someone diagnosed as schizophrenic at 5 (the youngest on record) i have that covered.

guess i got my answer. blocked you as a sender. it has always been my policy to give the other "guy" the last word. I'll make an exception for your CASE.

Capital idea!

I have been reading your site, there's sooo much material here it's sooo cool. I am an atheist in Mississippi and just got internet a couple of weeks ago. I found a link to you on the Atheist Toolbox where I have been "chatting" with some very nice people and I have been reading and reading. Until recently I kind of thought that me thinking the way I do was/is a reaction to life in Mississippi. I have been this way for as long as I remember. I used to go to a Presbyterian church as a child, and genuinely loved our minister but the religion thing never took. I remember counting in church. (I counted everything in that church-ha!) I honestly believed that more educated places like England didn't have problems with religion. It's so interesting to find out that others share my thoughts and my exasperation with religion. I am learning so much from your site I just had to drop you a line to thank you for such an excellent job. I have more reading ahead, but I am just forever in your debt for all the links and information here. I read your e-mail page and so I get that your busy and there is absolutely no reply needed, I just thought that sometimes it helps to know one's work is appreciated- and yours very much is.

Cheers and thanks!

I just wanted to say that a lot of us god haters just hate because we have seen too many hurt kids and abused creatures. I have grown into the label Atheist but I never gave up my Church of Satan membership because it was a powerful learning experience for me. They do not encourage joining or ritual and it was reading LaVey as a teenager that got me from Marilyn Manson type crap to real" I am an atheist and it's ok." Often when a Christian gives me that what if your wrong/Pascal's Wager bull that is where I pull my anger from to say that even if I could for a second believe in god I would only hate him. And that "god hater"-ness as you put it is because I have picked up one too many injured animals off the side of the road, and seen one too many kids being burned with cigarettes (or starved, or.....I could go on.) I happily admit to being angry at any entity that would claim to be in charge of this place and I share your misanthropy. Just wanted to say my bit- and still reading and enjoying your site!!

Back in the days when horses were used in place of the automobile, if a horse outlived his usefulness he was sent off to the knackers.

Although it is rarely done now, several fox hunting groups would honor an age old tradition of slaughtering and feeding retired horses to the hounds, as a way prolonging their usefulness and supporting the pack.

I love horses, but unless there is an emotional attachment to a horse, it is a huge waste to let their meat go unused.

Thank you.