THE JOURNEY PART ONE

I began my journey out of religious fundamentalism while in college, studying to be a minister in the Church of Christ. I came to doubt my religious upbringing of what I saw as the hypocrisy in the fundamentalist church in which I grew up, and I began to be concerned about the failure of my religion to explain why a loving God permitted the birth of babies deformed by a drug the mothers took in the 50s and 60s.

I also began studying books I just ran across in the library. I was particularly taken by Bertrand Russell and his book Why I'm not a Christian. I thought deeply about life and the truth about what is real. I began a quest for the discovery of truth and reality. It was almost easy to escape the shackles of religious fundamentalism. There was a new world to discover, and the library contained all the information I could ever cram in my head. My studies took a backseat to my attempts to understand life and what was real. By the time I graduated, I was no longer a Christian. I don't know when that total break happened, although it did happen while I was in college. When I went to law school, it was easy to continue the journey, which I did in earnest, again shirking my law studies for the more critical examinations of truth and reality.

During the next few years, I was coasting along, knowing that the fundamentalist religion was wrong and that there was no God. However, I began a narcissistic, hedonistic enjoyment of life as I had discovered it. I became gainfully employed and pursued a career fueled by ambition and booze. And as I became successful, I didn't pay much attention to servicing the need to explore truth and reality further.

There were years when I didn't think other than in my chosen profession of being a lawyer. However, by the time I reached my 60s, I returned to my examination of life, true to my belief that the unexamined life was not worth living. I questioned everything and confirmed my atheism. But some of the things I learned when I was religious had really formed my political beliefs. I had the need to help my fellow man for reasons other than religion back when I was in law school. I spent time joining and picketing for the NAACP and became a presidential elector for the Socialist Labor Party in the election of 1964. I sent off for all the Socialist Labor Party literature.

In my 60s, I became what I considered to be a Liberal Democrat, but I didn't really do much to involve myself in politics. In my 70s, I became serious about confirming my atheism and struggling to help others see the fiction in religion. I also worked with how I would come out of the closet in my writing. In some of my blogs, I would say things clearly indicating my position, but I often would delete what I had written. In my 80s, I have become a little bolder, and now that it appears as if retirement is being thrust upon me. I am close to deciding that I will spend the rest of my life finding ways to combat the scourge of mankind, which is religion. God is imaginary. God is a delusion. Religion is a poison. The harm religion has done to our species far outweighs the modest good it provides some believers. I can't believe people shirk reason and facts in favor of blind faith.

So here I am on the eve of my 84th birthday, thinking about what I will do with the rest of my life. It has something to do with my passion for reality and truth-telling. So, I'll do some writing, hiding it in my Row Your Boat Gently blog. But beyond that, I want to actively help people who are having difficulty breaking the bonds of religion. I'm drawn to the service group called journeyfree.org as a template for something I might set up or after which I might pattern what I intend to do.

YOUR BOAT

We lack empathy.

What's wrong with me? Empathy? This is capitalism. It's a dog eat dog. I want mine, and I like yours too. The Gallup Poll called. The first question was, what needs fixing? Education system. Half are stupid. The need for a moral compass. More than half don't have one. I should have said unbridled capitalism. European countries are ahead of us because they muster the will to fix the problems.

Half of us want to lock up the other half. That's civil war. My savant friend says the ship will right itself. No, Sam, it will not. It's sinking.

The golden rule started in 500 BC with Confucius.

Like humanists today, Confucius did not see 'the true way' as following religious codes but as based on reason and humanity, stressing the importance of benevolence, respect for others, and looking pragmatically at individual situations rather than blindly following traditional rules.

AMERICAN SOCIALISM?

Right. There is none. Not even a whiff. The far-right sees it in their imaginations. They need to find out what it is. They attack those with the slightest lean to the left of the center as socialists. They are against a government that could preserve the freedoms they enjoy if strengthened. 

Yet we need the control elements of socialist thinking that FDR set in motion. Reagan duped the nation and conditioned the right for a cult mentality, creating a gulf between the haves and the have-nots. Demigods can now fool the generations brought up in the broken educational system into believing that freedom is antisocial. Socialism is the straw man the cult members view as the left-wing enemy.  Properly defined, it is the very thing they need.

We need stronger laws to protect democracy, freedoms, and rights, including the right to work, freedom from the poison of religion, progressive redistribution of wealth, guaranteed health services, and minimum living standards for workers and the retired. We need to take care of people as we do in the military. We need all leaders to take an empathy test and pledge if elected. We need our thought leaders to oversee and intervene in our educational system, devoting a paid month a year to truth and reality disclosure.

The American experiment is doomed. We are in our last days.  After man-made climate change fails to decimate society, religion will devour the species with its poison.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

SPIRITUAL IS AS UNREAL AS THE HOLY GHOST

I recently participated in a string of LinkedIn posts involving whether the workplace needed spirituality. I had a real problem with this. A bunch of people, with a few exceptions, insisted that the workplace required more spirituality. My first question was whether the workplace needs anything and whether adding something like spirituality is anything more than someone's idea of starting a new fad, such as the Peter principle dogma from the last century.

But my real question was whether spirituality has any meaning at all. You start with the word spirit. That sounds supernatural to me. I live in the natural world and believe that is all there is. There's no evidence of the paranormal. Some people believe in it, but that does not mean it is true.

My next question is, what does the word spirituality really mean? Does it represent some new concept of management that is appropriate in the business world? What does it mean? Nobody had an answer to that one. A word that has no meaning does not advance the management of people in business or otherwise in life.

The next problem is if it has any meaning at all. It is akin to and a surrogate of religion. I think most people use it as a euphemism for religion when they don't really want to speak of religion; any dogma introduces all kinds of issues about whether there is a God, about what religion is the right one, and if it's Christianity which denomination, which branch of which denomination, which church, which sect and so on.

Of course, the issue of God is an impossible one. We are all agnostic since none of us knows. People believe, but that does not mean that it's true. There is no evidence of a God, which nature can't explain. And then which religion and on and on and on.

It is silly to attempt to introduce religion into the business world. For what purpose? All the concepts of morality are well established in our species, and most have preceded religion for a long time. Spirituality in the workplace doesn't really mean anything. We cannot define it, and it smacks of religion. I'm concerned because the religious right is insidious and tries to worm its dogma into all aspects of life. It needs to leave business alone.

We all know the traits of a good leader. First, the leader must be intelligent and talented, above and beyond those he leads. Then, he must have honesty, integrity, empathy, and transparency, to name a few of the virtues with which we are all familiar and to which all leaders aspire. We know very well what our business leaders need. We don't need to introduce some new fad such as spirituality, especially since we cannot define it, let alone explain how it should enhance the workplace environment. As a former CEO  and Marine Corps officer, I know what it takes to improve morale and get the troops moving. What's needed is more Marine Corps officer training in the workplace. Frankly, if we turned over business to Marine Corps officers, I think their version of “spirituality” is just what we need.

TRUTH AND REALITY

 

The excesses of capitalism and the failures of education have finally caught up with us. Here we are in the 21st century with anywhere from 30 to 40% of the American people so stupid as to vote for Donald Trump. And, of course, Donald Trump exists because of the various excesses of capitalism and the failures of education.

We have demonstrated and witnessed the lowest lows to which the species can fall. Trump did not work miracles. In fact, all he did, since he's a con man and a grifter, was recognize he could take advantage of many stupid people. So, he went to work. It's not so much work; it's just speechifying because he was good at that. But it's all a bunch of nonsense that he spews around. People are falling for it left and right. They need to learn what's good for them and what is right and wrong.

One of the main features of American society today is the absence of a collective moral compass. Religion does not promote morality; in fact, quite the opposite. Religion promotes immorality in that the religious right supports the likes of Donald grab them by the *****, Trump. He does nothing but lie, and nobody calls him on it. The religious people are just salivating that he is their champion. That’s backward. There's no moral leadership. Name one person in power who demonstrates the ethical leadership ascribed to Jesus of the Bible (there is no proof he ever existed).

I'm not going to be around much longer. And, of course, I will cease to exist. For all intents and purposes, I will never have existed at all. However, I spent my life searching for the truth, and the truth is unbridled capitalism is immoral and antithetical to the species' survival. Religion is the bane of all creation and stands in the way of survival. Religion probably will be the cause of the extinction of the species. And I am convinced that this species will bring about its own demise. My point is that today's American experience demonstrates that we're on the road to extinction. The wealth gap is so significant right now it's almost insurmountable. The lack of education is appalling. The evidence is overwhelming that 30 to 40% of Americans will bring down all institutions favoring autocratic leadership. And who knows where that's going. The best proof of that? Hitler

I just don't have time to do anything about this. Not that I could if I did have the time. I really feel powerless. Not even my vote counts. It's all canceled by the rednecks. Perhaps the closest I came to doing something about it was when we demonstrated that we took to the streets (on behalf of the NAACP and the Socialist Labor Party). I just don't think you can do that anymore. There are too many guns. Too many crazy people. Ultraconservative. Radical. 

I want to make this my last will and testament, whatever that means. I am sure that there is no life after death. I will be extinct. Just as I was before I was born. I leave behind a bunch of failures to help fix society. I could have done more. I should have done more. I was tied up in my own egocentric experience. At this stage, I'm trying to pass on truth and reality. That's all. There's no sense in fooling ourselves about what life is all about. It has no meaning. You make of your life what you can. There's no purpose in life. It happens. Randomly. And all you can leave behind is your thoughts about how things are.

There's no such thing as faith. Faith is belief in the absence of any kind of critical thought at all. It's a cop-out. Faith is just like a god and all that ****. It is the cop-out for something we don’t take the trouble to try to understand. I guess that's one thing I'm saying is that I have taken the risk. Yes, that's why I really want to say this. I have taken the trouble to really understand what this is all about. And. I'm trying to pass it on.

I'm not trying to create some literary masterpiece; far from it. I'm just trying to leave behind something of me. Somebody will read it, and there'll be a lot of people who will agree with me. And say it a lot better than I do. They would have taken the time and pointed out this all happened before me. I'm not saying anything new. Great people have gone before me, saying the same thing. Even more people will be coming after me who will say the same something. I was critical in my thinking to question everything. And to come up with my own conclusions about what's real and genuine. We really need to place a premium on that these days because we have a guy going around who is a monumental liar. And he's got everybody else lying at the same time.

It has gotten to where Americans are now known primarily as liars. Everybody lies. And it's the way you're supposed to act. We're entering an age of total immorality in the experimental society in which we live.  We now realize that 30 to 40% of people do not know morality. And they think that it's all based on religion. Religion today is the breeder and sustainer of immorality. That's where it's all coming from. The religious right. They're hypocrites. Their so-called beliefs are immoral. And they blindly follow a charlatan who would be king.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

 

The moral code ascribed to Jesus is a good one.  It is the one I learned as a boy and to which I try to adhere today.  But this is only one such code, and versions of it have been around for a long time.  The Jesus code is more than a moral code.  It forms the basis of democracy, fairness, and the treatment of all people as sharing in the environment, the fruits of the climate, and the means of production.  I used to think the tax code was at the core of our efforts to create equality and fair treatment.  Wrong.  The body is a refreshed and uniform moral code combined with controls on capitalism.  I am not a Christian because man has corroded the teachings of Jesus.  Moreover, he is among us with the same sound principles (assuming he actually espoused them).  I am an atheist for all the reasons I stated in my first email (the universe is because it is, and we evolved by natural law).  And I believe that if we magically rid ourselves of religion, we would discover our true self-worth and the ability to exercise goodwill toward each other.

 

For our species to survive, we must organize ourselves into democratic groups.  This is one of the great moral principles.  Only through democracy can we treat each other fairly and equitably.  Yet capitalism, left unchecked, devolves into oligarchy.  This is the present-day history lesson of the United States.  Democracy cannot survive unbridled capitalism.  The horrid inequity of income disparity today demonstrates how the abuses of capitalism erode democratic institutions.  Although I believe the means of production should remain private, our democratic institutions must control the abuses of the capitalists.  Through democracy, the people can exert the necessary moral control of the abusers and effectively manage the means of production.

 

Religion's hook is eternal life.  We all fear (do not want) death.  So, at our most desperate hour, we came up with eternal life.  It's a myth.  See my first installment.  The randomness of the universe and its asymmetry (yes, Sheldon and Amy were right), the absolute rule of evolution of the species, and our overdeveloped sense of self have assured our ability to contrive a heaven about which we know nothing, and we would no doubt hate if we actually experienced it.  See Mark Twain for instructions on how to play the harp.  Religion is our Achilles heel.  It probably will bring down our species.  We do all kinds of horrible things in its name.  We are good when we love each other.  We do evil (yes, we came up with it) when we abandon our innate moral code and return to morality.  We do have a natural ability to be good.

 

Our species has been capable of writing and observing moral codes.  The Bible, not divinely inspired, is one example of some honest code writings.  Other authors have done even better.  Bertrand Russell, after whom Russell is named, comes to mind.  What's missing today is moral leadership.  Some 35% of our species in America have lost their ethical way.  Religion is mostly to blame.  For the species to survive morally, it must eschew religion.  Alas, I don't see hope unless, for example, we subjugate capitalism and replace it with a form of socialism that allows controlled private enterprise.  

 

The universe happened.  Earth happened.  The laws of nature that created them are only partially known.  We have searched in vain for a meaning because we are self-conscious and have an ego.  This has made us futilely attempt to ascribe events to religious nonsense.  And religion has been the scourge of the species.  The rest of the animal kingdom is not so afflicted.  We should reunite with the rest of the animal kingdom and use our overdeveloped brains to create a just and equal society.  Above all, we should use those brains for good and eschew evil.  We have that capability.  So does the rest of our animal kingdom.  Read Karl Marx and Dave Barry. 

 

I studied psychology in college and devoted myself to focusing on human behavior.  The current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in DC has an anti-social behavioral disorder.  He is a malignant narcissist and pathological liar who is so insecure in his own skin (because he knows he lacks essential intelligence and a moral compass) that he projects his failings onto others.  As he claims of others, he is a man of low intelligence who overcompensates for his shortcomings with loud, abusive language.  He has no sense of ethics and morals and was reared by his parents to lie and even kill, if necessary, to succeed.  He is an asshole and a crook.  He also is a white supremacist, nationalist, demagogue, and would-be dictator.  He has no sense of the Constitution or American History.  He is, in short, an oligarch who is too stupid to see what other dictators think of him or what he is doing to undermine democracy in the world.  Should we survive his time in office, we should relegate him to the trash heap of history where Hitler, Stalin, and others of his ilk reside.

 

I hate the word "spiritual".  I think it is a word we use to describe an emotion when we cannot or choose not to tell it some other way, like the concept of a god.  When words fail, mainly when we cannot or will not try to understand an experience, we ascribe the cause to a god or something spiritual.  We can have a broad spectrum of thoughts and emotions, including the highest form, often expressed in our music.  However, we should not fool ourselves into thinking something godlike or spiritual is going on.

 

We have formed moral principles over thousands of years.  Good for us.  We have recorded them in various ways, including in the Bible.  I was the beneficiary of early Bible training.  My first sermon was 1 Corinthians 15:33: "Beware, evil companionships corrupt good morals."  Frankly, that is the only sermon I preached or care to remember.  We pass along our sound moral principles and our evil beliefs and practices.  Indeed, the immorality of the political and religious right will forever be passed to new generations, and we can do nothing about it.  But those of us with a solid moral code can also take heart that we are passing on our principles.

 

I tried hedonism.  I drank because I liked it, and it fed my sexual promiscuity.  I did not believe in monogamy.  I think it is unnatural among primates.  In part, hedonism was my gateway to a new life after religion.  The problem was I hurt many people, including my wife and children.  Getting sober was, first and foremost, a survival instinct.  But being straight allowed me to lift myself to a higher moral ground. 

 

It’s high time we amended the United States Constitution.  The forefathers had many good ideas, but we need an overhaul after a few hundred years.  I would do away with the Senate and elect the People’s Assembly members (House of Representatives) of the legislature every four years.  I would keep most of the amendments, except I would do away with the second amendment.  I also would do away with the Electoral College.  Three branches are a good idea, and their equality should be maintained.  I also would limit the term of the President to one four-year term.  I also would favor another amendment eliminating political action group funding and limiting political contributions to individual contributions to candidates and their parties.  I would make it clear that corporations are not people.  I would prohibit political advertising on television and the Internet.  The Constitution should clearly provide equal rights to all, and I mean all.  The right to universal health care should be written in the Constitutional amendments. 

 

In the end, it really is all about morality.  The golden rule.  Jesus, if he existed at all, was a socialist.  The golden rule preceded him.  Socialism takes place on the highest ground of which we primates are capable.  I hold no hope for the future of the species that fails to find the truth that fairness, equality, and justice for all is the only way a society can exist without polarization and collapse.  The haves and have-nots eventually will fight it out to the death.  Almost everywhere you look today in the United States, something significant is broken, probably beyond repair.  Examples are legion.  Perhaps the best one is the perversion and control of right-wing religion.  Total hypocrisy.  No allegiance to the golden rule.  Capitulation to political hacks just out to gain more power.  The Constitution must be amended.  Economic inequality must be equalized.  The government must control the excesses of capitalism.  Moral leadership must prevail.  To say nothing of addressing climate change caused by human beings, reforming the tax system, and placing the proper emphasis on education.  Perhaps the best sign of the collapse of democracy is the utter failure of the educational system.

 

The one currently occupying the Oval Office has but one legacy and contribution to America.  He has shown us our dark underbelly and everything wrong with American society.  At least a third of Americans are stupid and immoral.  And he has energized them into actions designed to destroy democracy.  He has committed the highest crimes by eschewing intellect, reason, factual inquiry, and critical thought.  He is totally without moral guidance and, therefore, incapable of ethical leadership.  Quite the opposite.  He revels in committing crimes and encouraging evil actions.  He has decimated America’s reputation abroad and made us a laughingstock.  He is totally without any redeeming qualities.

 

Religion is the antithesis of critical thinking and reason.  Religion asks us to abandon critical thinking, scientific inquiry, logic, and defense.  We are asked to leave all this in favor of a belief that defies science, logic, and motivation.  The word faith is illusory.  There is no such thing.  It is just the absence of all sense and understanding.  Who created the god?  Another god?  Infinite regression.  We did.  We also invented all religions.  Heaven?  Read Mark Twain.  No one wants to play the harp and not enjoy sex.  What is it anyway?  Religion is at the root of much evil in the world.  If the species is to survive, it must relegate religion to the fringes and imprison it.  The Christian religion is the most baffling.  A trinity?  A god disguised as a man who dies and then returns as a god?  A father-god who is all good and wise who allows human suffering of the innocent?  Who has not shown empirical evidence of his existence and whose non-existence is readily apparent? 

 

I do not want a funeral.  I am not going anywhere.  I will cease to exist.  The end.  Cremate me and read these writings.  That’s it.  The end.

 

Education is the key to all aspects of life as a human being.  Education makes us human beings and teaches us everything we must to survive and thrive.  I was fortunate to be educated early at University School, a secondary school located on the campus of Indiana University and staffed by teachers and student teachers from the University.  At college, I decided to read as many books in the library as possible in four years.  Since then, I have studied religion, philosophy, literature, English language, law, and science.  Life is learning.  All the time.  The law instructed me to think critically and to revere the facts.  In short, my life has been a search for truth through education.  That should be everyone’s pursuit.  We should put our resources where they count – in education.

 

Race.  Racism is rampant in the world, particularly in the Republican Party.  It is illegal, immoral, and anti-Christian, although the so-called Christians are its primary practitioners.  I am proud to be the great-grandfather of two mixed-race boys.  I am humbled by the superiority of others of other races.  I look up to them and try to do my best to honor them.  The war of the races will go on and doom the species.  However, education can ameliorate the short-term pain and suffering caused by white supremacists.  If and when moral leadership returns, we may be able to make strides toward fair and equal treatment for all.  Don’t expect the religious people to do it.  They have a vested interest in racial segregation and abuse.

 

The search for truth.  I do not believe there is any meaning in life or purpose for life.  The universe happened, and life on Earth happened.  But once alive, everyone should search for the truth in everything, including what we can do with our lives.  Facts.  Reality.  First and foremost, we need to know what is real and fake.  That is where critical thinking comes in.  Then, we should seek the reality of what we can accomplish.  Education is the foundation.  I had no idea I could be a lawyer until I hit the books and went to class.  Over time, I discovered that I could be a good lawyer.  I had just enough ambition to hit my ceiling.  But all the while, my principal effort was to separate fact from fiction.  Around age 75, I began telling myself that each day was as good as possible.  I continue to remind myself that each day is the best I will experience as I age.  

 

I hate the word spiritual.  It has no meaning.  People who feign disbelief (they probably actually believe in god) use it as a crutch to describe what they think is a higher emotional state.  Actually, there is a side of the brain for emotional intelligence.  Some people really live a lot of their lives there.  Most Americans do not.  They are incapable of the highest level of emotional intelligence.  They are superficial and lost in materialism.  I have just listened to over an hour of IL Volo, the DVD of the newest three tenors.  Music like that takes us to the highest emotional intelligence of which we are capable.  To call moving in that sphere spiritual is degrading and stupid.  Human beings are capable of the kind of emotionally intelligent experience that IL Volo brings.  That’s as good as it gets.  People brag about so-called religious experiences.  Balderdash.  IL Volo is as high as we can go and as high as we should wish to go.  And when we live there, we are as godlike as possible.   There is no god.  Nothing is spiritual.  Music is our most outstanding achievement.

 

On aging.  Every day, I tell myself it will never be any better than today.  But I also tell myself this is the best day of my life.  I can relax and do pretty much as I please.  I am not in perfect health, but my brain still functions.  I am still capable of love and empathy.  I can see the small, good things; the small, bad things don’t bother me.  I would say I am the happiest, the truly happiest I have ever been.  I wish I could do a few things, but I can avoid looking back without much effort.  I don’t have much to look forward to, but that does not bother me.  I can live in the moment for once, knowing I don’t know how many more I have left.

 

I am reading Joy Reid's new book, The Man Who Sold America.  I jumped to the end to find the only good news: more than half of us disapprove of Trump.  Faint hope.  I keep hoping someone more intelligent than I will show us the way out.  I also am rereading my favorite book by Mark Twain.  Think about how many great people were atheists:  Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Katherine Hepburn, Charles Steinmetz, Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell (after whom Russell was named), and Carl Sagan, to name a few.  Letters From the Earth is a satirical masterpiece of man's foolhardy attempt to elevate himself to immortality.

 

If I were running for president, I would:

1. Attack the current resident of the Whitehouse by pronouncing him guilty,
2. Because the Russians interfered in the 2016 election,
3. Because they wanted him to win,
4. And he invited them to help him win,
5. And they continue to interfere on his behalf,
6. And he continues to invite their assistance,
7. And he tried to shut down the investigation of Russian interference,
8. Thereby committing a crime for which he should be convicted and sentenced to jail just like any other common criminal who obstructs justice.

I would repeat this message in every speech until the idiots we live with cannot get it out of their vacant heads.

 

Simply put, the United States is just fucked up.  The First Amendment must be amended to prevent all hate communications and actions.  The Second Amendment needs to be abolished.  It was intended to allow arms when we had no standing military.  The Electoral College needs to be repealed.  It was designed to prevent a Trump, not elect a Trump.  The rich should be taxed at least at a 50% rate.  Military spending should be reduced and the money transferred to education.  Government single-payer health care should be provided to everyone.  Social security payments should be increased.  All guns should be strictly controlled, and required gun licenses should be issued only to people in law enforcement.

 

I predict the end of the United States within the next 10 years.  If we stay on our present course, we will devolve into a civil war with states succeeding from the union.  The big question is what happens to the military.  Whoever ends up controlling the military will dictate the future.  If unity is maintained, it will only be because the military controls and a dictatorship follows.  Bloodshed is inevitable; all the blood will be traced to the Republican Party and its greed.

 

For the record, the current resident of the Whitehouse is a liar, a cheat, a racist, a white supremacist, a white nationalist, a fascist, a would-be dictator, a serial adulterer, a misogynist, a malignant narcissist, an insecure, overcompensating projector of his failures on others, a failed businessman, a fraud and a conman.   He is anti-America, a wolf in sheep’s clothing who lies to his supporters and seeks to undermine the society Americans have structured.  If he is not impeached, as he should be, he must be voted out of office and prosecuted for his crimes.  America will never be the same and is surely doomed if he is reelected.

 

 

Well, it is 2020.  I lived to work.  I did not work to live.  Now, I must reorient my life.

 

I have supported Bernie Sanders for President since he decided to run years ago.  He is my kind of democratic socialist.  Perhaps I can devote myself to his election.

 

Most thinking people have awakened to the fact that Christianity has long forsaken rational morality. Morality is well conceived in our ability to reason and to be open to societal expectations. The faults of today's Christianity have never been more exposed than today's Trumpism. Trumpism confirms Christianity's narcissism and denial of the socialism of Jesus in the Gospels. Trumpism is without a moral compass, a perversion of the human capacity to reason, and a con. Rational, open minds must unite to overcome this reversal of evolution.

RELGION OR CLIMATE CHANGE, TAKE YOUR PICK

Religion or climate change dooms the species. They race to make us extinct. I think this experiment has failed. The Constitution worked for a while but was an invention relevant only to its time. Most European countries are way ahead of us and have done a better job of adapting to the progress of the species. 

One or two examples are all it takes to prove this point, and the list is legion. The Second Amendment. You can't blame the framers. Blame the Supreme Court. Worst decision ever. Got it totally wrong and caused millions of needless deaths.

The Electoral College. Speaks for itself. It was ill-conceived even for its limited practical use at the time.

 On and on. I'm old enough to see the picture, and it's not pretty. Free market gone awry. Failure to control capitalism's greed. Alas, I was too myopic in my youth.

 More broadly, the scourge of mankind is religion. It will kill the species. Science discovers truth and has taught us how to survive.  But the countervailing force of anti-truth seeking is poison, which will devour mankind.