Friday 26 June 2015

The Anxious Atheist Part 1 – Why I am not Religious.










I was walking down the streets of Cambridge the other day enjoying the sunshine, when I passed by a group of people handing out free Christian literature bearing the slogan: ‘What does the bible do for you?’

I ignored them but the slogan triggered something in my head which I was certainly not expecting. For the best part of my life I have been a non believer. I don’t actually think I can recall ever truly claiming to believe in God because even as a 4 year old at a Christian school, I could tell the bible stories told to us were just fairy tales with a Christian twist.

But the slogan of what the bible has taught me, gave me what has to be the real reason I’ve never believed in a god nor an afterlife and it’s quite simple: religion does not work for someone with anxiety.
All Saints Church, Bishop's Stortford - where I was forced to go at school.

As I’ve mentioned on here several times before, I suffer from Asperger’s Syndrome, an area of the autism spectrum, and one of the symptoms of this is anxiety. In my day to day life I face attacks of worry and scares usually triggered by the actions of others or because I don’t know how things I do will turn out.

And in religion, particularly the Christianity that was bestowed upon me by my schooling, you have to be aware of all your actions and decisions and anything moral or doable because if you do something that might offend the holy father, you’re going to end up in hell for all eternity.

Now for somebody who is made anxious by something that may appear trivial to another, having to think long and hard about everything you do and having to turn to a 2,000 year old text which contradicts itself a horrendous number of times, then religious faith really isn’t the way to live your life.

I have thought about why I don’t believe in an afterlife and I’ve come to the conclusion that death being the end of everything is quite satisfying for me. Knowing that we’re all heading for the same ending is very pleasing and has a sense of equality to it. I’ve been striving for equality all my life, and I have noticed, that regardless of how equal society is becoming day by day, only true equality exists in the graveyard.
 
Bishop's Stortford Cemetery - where I usually go.
Anyone in your cemetery could have been a billionaire or a flea-ridden peasant in their life but they lie side by side in peace and harmony. Everyone has their own story and we live in a world where we are constantly told to compete against one another to feel successful, be it financially or educationally.

Religion holds such an attitude as well. Regardless of how much people say ‘let the lord have mercy upon your soul’, all religions function around the principles where its followers can compete against others to be ‘the good guy’. Now being religious DOES NOT make you a good person, nor does doing more things deemed good than others, such as giving more to charity than your next door neighbour, etc.

This is essentially every reason why I have never felt the need to worship someone or something or have faith. If I were to break faith down, I’ll tell you that faith is something you HOPE to be true, because you can easily lose it or withdraw yourself from it. I’ll add too that science is different from faith because it is evidence based and can weigh up the pros and cons in a manner that faith cannot. Being told to be faithful and having to watch every move you make or every thought or feeling that enters your head is not something good for a person with anxiety on so many levels.

If you are anxious about life and are seeking a way forward, then turning to a set of ideas where you must have the burden of your god upon you at all times, then that for me does not aid a problem like anxiety, it actually makes the problem worse. I have been prone to panic attacks and severe stomach aches in my lifetime which have all been brought on by worries, particularly of other people. Because I feel the need to be cautious around lots of people, can you imagine just how much pain I would feel if I were thinking and worrying long and hard every day about what the holy father might say to me on judgement day?

And the idea of the apocalypse and judgement day is also something I cannot recommend to someone who worries a great deal and finds it very hard to control themselves.

Now I’ll just round up with a statement of neutrality and say that I am not against people being religious and if you disagree with everything I’ve said here, that’s absolutely fine. This is a statement explaining why I don’t need to worship someone or something and why I feel much better knowing there is an end to the road that is life. I also will say that science is an ideal explanation to many of the curiosities I hold because I can apply it to humanity. I cannot apply such deep and contradicted things like the love of god nor the symbolism of the son of man to people’s lives and understand how it can work. Yes science can be dehumanising, but ethics comes into science more than religion in my opinion. I have many memories of being told to stop questioning religion ethically from a very young age.

This is why I don’t do Jesus. I don’t do Allah. I don’t do Vishnu nor the many other gods/goddesses or whatnot that people follow. But if you do, then that’s fine because we all have the freedom to believe and not to believe.

I am going to be making this the first in a series of posts that explain my stance on religion and on atheism, secularism, humanism and how I think society should treat faith.

I’ll see you again next time when I explain why faith schools should not exist and religion should stay out of politics.

Thunderbirds Vlogs Ep. 10 - The Uninvited






Today in our weekly visit to 2065, we get a glimpse of what we'd be fighting against had Ming the Merciless come down to Earth and taken control of maniacs like ISIS.

Also I do hope John did take a shower after all that time alone in the space station.


Friday 19 June 2015

Thunderbirds Vlogs Ep. 09 - End of the Road





It seems International Rescue has romantic connections in the future world of militant road laying corporations.

Ever wondered how a road will be laid in 2065? Look no further, Anderson has the answer.


Friday 12 June 2015

Thunderbirds Vlogs Ep. 08 - Desperate Intruder





Today we join our heroes in the Egyptian desert, researching some legendary treasure. Only their exploits are being watched by the nemesis of International Rescue: The Hood!

Seriously, he's tried to stop them about three times now. The Tracy's must have some idea there's a mad man following them.


Wednesday 10 June 2015

Poetry: Eternity Excommunicated - Canto 2



6.      Time to run, time to fly, away from nestled parasites, into the crimson sky, away from the crowd, out on the run, terror trail behind us, hearts beating like a drum. I travel the stone road, forever I ponder, the trails ahead, what beings lie yonder. Acing the livery, whisking the strength, all passions I drink to, below all contempt. I cry for the brave, as the city walls fall, curse me my father, for I am the sin, ravens dine well on the flesh of thy men, while child of heart, cried wolf in undone.

7.   I watch from the vines, I stare from the shore, Under stones watered hither, I swim through times yore. Joining the dots, On the rocks down below, Eyes will uplift with the mind held above. Quicker than falcon, Thunder and Light, the whispers in darkness descend hence tonight.


8.      Olden ones stir, high priest shall devour, The loins of bright acolytes burn skilled depths of power. Awaken my warrior, awaken my bride, from slumber arise to stand elden trial.

9.      It grabs again, it’s on my mind, that chivalrous calling from the warrior’s side. Man lies in ashes, withered in dust, wounded by cupid’s prevalent lust. It had me whipped then cast into jail, so now I stem high and arise in denial. The vale of the time grows woodland a calling, whence I shall take flight when the dawn comes stained in mourning.


Monday 8 June 2015

Comic Con Report: May 2015 - With Added Nerds and Melniboneans.



I know this is a little bit late, but here it is now: my review of the first MCM Comic Con of 2015. 


And what a con this was. For the first time ever I embraced full on cosplay of my all time favourite fantasy character: Elric of Melniboné. This included a DIY costume which stood out in the crowd, for not that many fantasy buffs in this country have heard of the works of Michael Moorcock, nor of the exploits of the Eternal Champion. 





At my side was Caroline, this time cosplaying as Enid, the cynical teenage outcast from noughties cult comic book classic: Ghost World. Complete with t-shirt and a very well fitting wig.



So without further ado, here are a few snaps of the many wonders we laid eyes upon that day.

A geek and a Melnibonean take on London.


My not so Little Pony.












Admiring Big Hero Six.
I am the Dragonlord!

Elsa and Cinderella exploring their similarities.
Natalie Portman in her Leon days.

Kawaii!
Kawaii!




Cat Ears! Never leave a con without them!




Being tempted by the Black Blade.

















Take up the sword!
Taming the dragons.


















Bought myself an Evenstar.

Ain't he cute!





























A magnificent turnout – though it wasn’t as busy or wide as the October one. This was because only one half of the Excel had been used for the con, unlike the autumn one.

As well as the brilliant costumes which included people from many animes and several of my favourite tv shows like Firefly, we saw some exhibits of up and coming movies. One was the very impressive Batmobile from the new DC flick.


Plus a guest appearance was made by one of the many vehicles in the new Mad Max film: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_Max:_Fury_RoadFury Road. Caroline and I watched that sci-fi action flick last week, and I can safely say, that it is the most feminist science fiction film I’ve seen in a very long time. I won’t spoil it for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, but it’s nice that Max isn’t the protagonist.



Plus, for anyone wondering about the feminist aspects of the film, I’ll just say that that is my opinion. Above all, it’s a science fiction movie, and how you interpret it is up to you. For me, I can’t think of anything more pro-women in the action movie canon.



 Cosplay: A World Without Prejudice?



Now one new thing I noticed about the cosplayers this year, was the number of disabled cosplayers who didn’t let their physical feats get in the way of their expression of fandom.

I remember seeing several boys in wheelchairs dressed as Spider Man and Deadpool, which I was certainly impressed with. As well as the gender fluidity of cosplay, no other form of prejudice seems to come into the world of ultra fanboy/girl-ing
.
The great thing about cosplay – and the main reason I do it – is because it’s a world where anyone can be whoever or whatever they want to be regardless of who they are. Anyone can be a fan of anime, comics, science fiction, movies, video games, etc. and when we all congregate every year to share our love of all these things – nobody looks down upon us.

However, that does not excuse the problems of harassment and male privileges that exist in many circles of fandom, namely video games as we’ve seen in the past – but with all the right people getting together to share their love of all cultural products, we can certainly make progress.

I like to think that Mad Max: Fury Road will help break down the tropes we see in many science fiction and action movies in the near future. And if you’ve read my past posts on cosplay and MCM, you’ll see that I have praised cosplay many times. But that does not mean I am not aware of problems facing certain fans, namely female fans – but I do know that progress can be made and I am one of those people helping to tell the world about how sharing a fanatical love of pop culture can help bring people together.

The reason I do these reports is because I want to show the whole world how cosplay is a good tool for peace and equality in the world of popular culture. In cosplay there are no problems with race as anyone can be a fan and dress like their favourite characters. Think of the big number of westerners who always dress as Japanese animated characters without doing anything stupid like make their eyes look Asian.

Being able to share your fandom is what I love about cons and cosplay. It feels like you’re in a world devoid of prejudice for a limited time only. 

MCM never ceases to amaze. Keep up the good work all you kids who make it worth going.