Short takes from a perverse alien culture

Purity balls are creepy indeed; I took the time a while ago to write a better pledge. It's available on Daylight Atheism if anyone wants to take a look; the direct link is here

EWW! Now MY computer has been besmirched. Is your incinerator still fired up?

As a final year med student I recently rotated through paediatrics, one discussion we had one day on child abuse was centred on its very broad definition. I really wanted to suggest religious indoctrination as a form of child abuse, really what chance has any child of becoming a normal rational human being with such intense "brainwashing". In the preview here, one child says he was saved at 5..... oh come on.
This indoctrination really does comdemn children to grow up to be non-questioning, self righteous zealot. Its truly truly scary.... get 'em while they are young.

f***in' fanatic brainwashing child molesters... really disgusting....

For anyone who doubts Richard Dawkins' case for the religious indoctrination of children being a form of child abuse:

First, watch Jesus Camp

Next, watch the videos of Arab children taught to hate Jews they've probably never met or becoming ecstatic at the thought of becoming suicide bombers.

Finally, remember how society views - and treats - those who exploit children for sexual purposes and try to think of a reason why fanatical Arab clerics or the Becky Fischers of this world should not receive the same treatment.

I am now heading over to Tech Services to get a new laptop. Thnaks soooo much PZ.

The bushies want to push abstinence until 29. Anybody care to visualize a 29 year old woman sitting on daddy's lap? Okay, all together now: Who's your daddy!? Who's your daddy!?

The bushies want to push abstinence until 29. Anybody care to visualize a 29 year old woman sitting on daddy's lap? Okay, all together now: Who's your daddy!? Who's your daddy!?

Candyfloss laced with arsenic

Wow. I read about those purity balls before, but never imagined they could be that freaky.

Now I have to nuke my desktop from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

Well, at least we don't have to worry about Ted Haggard holding a daughter on his knees. Now a son, that is a different question.

Ewww. I seriously thought that purity balls were going to be something you washed your clothes with.
bernarda - It seems that besides being an horrid man, Haggard is a repressed homosexual, not a pedaphile. Big difference.

Although I am unclear on what the father swearing to "cover" his daughter intends, I do know what stock breeders mean by that term.

Well, that was disappointing. I had an entirely different mental picture of what "purity balls" were all about.

What Would Jesus Regurgitate (WWJR) after viewing that video clip?

What Would Jesus Regurgitate (WWJR) after viewing that video clip?

Loaves and fishes?

Well, that was disappointing. I had an entirely different mental picture of what "purity balls" were all about.

I'm glad it wasn't just me.

OK, just seen the first minute of the video (couldn't stand much more if it) and I now know it is not about gonads, or it is about avoiding gonadal activity in relation with daughters? I'm not sure I should post this, it's all too friggin' weird. But what the heck, it's a weird world. At least it's not boring, except maybe for the daughters......

Well, that was disappointing. I had an entirely different mental picture of what "purity balls" were all about.

I'm glad it wasn't just me.

Or me. It took a while to gather up the courage to actually click that link.

I'm perplexed by the discussion of religious indoctrination as child abuse. I infer from that that human beings are programmable, deterministic meat-computers. I was reared Southern Baptist but worked myself free of the incongruities, inconsistencies, and existential shams of that belief system. I'd rather think that not using one's own judgement to drill through the rock of dogma is merely a sign of a lack of integrity, mental laziness, and immorality.

How can a 5-year-old be "saved"? That's not old enough to have any mental capacity for that kind of decision-making; it can only be the result of indoctrination. Lots of 5-year-olds still believe in Santa, fer pete's sake. Even the lunatic, medieval, pre-Vatican Catholic Church considered 7 the age of reason, and that's still pretty young.

Tim B - most people are intellectually lazy, and don't question things they were brought up to believe. And have the critical thinking skills of 5-year-olds.

But Tim, think of what more you could have accomplished not having had to 'drill through the dogma'. It's not there from birth; the dogma is piled on and sets like concrete.

As an aside, did anyone catch the South Park last night? Their message boiled down to "atheism is a religion, too" and "why does Dawkins have to be mean?"

Lots of 5-year-olds still believe in Santa, fer pete's sake . . .

. . . and that he's Jesus's older brother.

Stogoe, you haven't heard? Parker and Stone blew their whole reserve of trenchant satire on the Isaac Hayes send-off. Sad to see, but then, nine years of not sucking is pretty impressive for a TV show.

Yeah, I know. SG-1 only had 8 (or 7 if you want to dump on Corin Nemec for season 6).

I watched both episodes of South Park. I thought the point was that dogmatic aspects of atheism didn't come about until Dawkins married Mr., er Mrs. Garrison. I believe the line they used was something like, "She taught us if people have different beliefs you, you can be a jerk to them." When Cartman went back in time and stopped Dawkins from marrying Garrison the future scientists got along with each other.

Another site complained that South Park creators really don't have a vision and therefore aren't effective satirist. Maybe that's the problem with the episode.

By the way, "I will crush you like a clam on my tummy" is now my favorite threat.

The otters were beautiful. Love the otters. Another problem I saw is that we atheists probably have much more important things to war about than naming ourselves. Like coming up with a symbol. ;)

Jesus Camp was filmed at a Bible camp literally around the corner from where I grew up. Keep in mind the camp itself hasn't shut down, this wacko who is featured in the movie just rented the place for a week a year and they apparently aren't letting her come back. Not like the average bible campers there aren't weird enough. As my dad said after I called him when I found out about the movie, "They've been hootin' and hollerin' over there since I was a kid."

Jesus Camp was filmed at a Bible camp literally around the corner from where I grew up. Keep in mind the camp itself hasn't shut down, this wacko who is featured in the movie just rented the place for a week a year and they apparently aren't letting her come back. Not like the average bible campers there aren't weird enough. As my dad said after I called him when I found out about the movie, "They've been hootin' and hollerin' over there since I was a kid."

I have mixed feelings about the Jesus camp shutting down. According to another report I saw, they closed (for a while, at least) because of vandalism (several thousand dollars' worth of property damage, I think), which meant that they no longer felt safe there.

If this is the case, then they're shutting down for the wrong reasons. It'll also feed the "Christian persecution" paranoia.

You know, while I won't go so far as to say my daughter should be allowed to have sex as young as she wants (there's really a huge consent issue once you get into the lower teens, along with the predictable responsibility issues), I sure as hell won't be making her take a purity pledge, only make her promise me that whatever she does she does of her own free will, only when she feels she's ready, and with all appropriate precautions taken.

But I don't have a daughter yet, so I guess I can't fully appreciate the value of polishing the shotgun when she enters middle school.

I friggin hate that macho bullshit about "polishing the shotgun."

Not to take it out on you Brian, but the whole thing implies that the teenage girl couldn't possibly have sexual wants or desires of her own. Oh no, Daddy has to punish the boyfriend because his daughter couldn't possibly like teh sex or be the one to suggest it in the first place.

The video in question has myseriously disappeared from the face of the earth. Or from YouTube, at any rate.

However, a couple of promo clips for the PB are up at the producer's site: One Hat Design

Gaak. It's still up at Google Video:

Carenet Purity Ball DVD Preview

Bleccchhhhhh.

I liked the suggestion for Mother-Son Purity Balls, except I was thinking of a more direct form of "purity", and a different kind of "balls":

The ritual of the Mother-Son Purity Balls involves a mother taking her adolescent son to a special clinic where his testicles are removed and stored in liquid nitrogen until a week before his wedding day.

See? Problem solved. His purity is ensured until marriage (he won't be dipping the wick, or even polishing the shotgun, until they're re-attached), and after marriage he can make all the snowflake babies he (or God) wants.

I noticed this thread after checking my website referrer logs today. "anomalous4" linked to my site saying I produced the YouTube video. This is incorrect... I have no connection to that video. However, I was hired to produce two promo videos for a local purity ball in IL, and as such have a few comments to make:

I am 30 years old and just got married five months ago. My wife and I were both virgins when we got married, and each of us considers ourself a gift to the other person. I can guarantee you that our sex life is in no way diminished because of our lack of "experience" or "practice". In fact, I would argue it's so much better than it ever would have been otherwise. There are no comparisons going on in our minds between our spouse and past lovers. Every step of intimacy we took was together--a unique experience for us both--and it was so incredibly special. There is a bond between us now that is not shared with anyone else in the world. I am so thankful that my wife kept herself fully for me, and she's glad I kept myself fully for her.

When I become a father someday, I want to do whatever I can to help my children keep themselves wholly for their future mates so they can experience the same amazing pleasure and happiness I did. That doesn't mean I'll treat them harshly or lock them up in the basement until their wedding days... it means I'll love them and earn their trust and teach them so they won't want to give themselves away prematurely.

People who think these purity balls encourage incest, or the ownership of one person over another, or some sort of erotic love between a father and his dauther have got it completely backwards.