Bone or Else

Lately, XXXChurch has become one of my favorite sites for learning all the hip new advice about sexuality for the modern Christian. I ran across an interesting article the other day, and thought I'd share.

The article is called Sexless Marriages are Demonic. I'm torn between appreciating the overall message of this piece (i.e. "FUCK MORE") and wondering whether it's just another thinly disguised attempt to make women feel guilty every time they don't want to have sex with their Man. Quote:

God did not say "respect your husband" until it's time for love making. No, he says that you are to do it, period, at all times. When it comes to sex, when you respect your husband it means that you give: "esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person"; "deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or someone or something considered to have certain rights or privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgment"; "show regard or consideration for"; "an attitude of admiration or esteem"; "courteous regard for people's feelings". To respect your husband is to "adore him"; "be in awe of him"; "regard and connect with him"; "admire, notice and revere him"; "cherish, delight, marvel at, wonder at, and treasure him".

Damn! Just quote that at your woman next time she's getting a bit uppity!

This next quote seems a little douche-baggy to women AND men, as it appears to suggest that men will be happy little puppies as long as the women folk take care of our boners:

Again, I Peter 3:1-3 says that there are wives whose husbands are not keeping the Word of God (may be in his finances, may be in how he manages his time, may be in his attitude, may be in the way he treats you), but you can win him over when you are good to him by responding to his needs.

And finally, because it made me LOL:

Some of you don't even remember the last time you had sex or prayed and you know what? YOU MIGHT AS WELL PUT A WELCOME MAT OUT FOR THE DEVIL TO TAP DANCE ON BECAUSE OF IT.

If you want to keep Satan from taking root in your marriage, it may sound simplistic, but HAVE SEX---soon!!!

At least the last three words are pretty solid advice.

Insect of the Week: Neurothemis terminata

This week's insect is the lovely neuropteran Neurothemis terminata. From Dragons & Damsels:

This is one of the common red-winged dragonflies that one sees often in drains, small ditches and ponds. There are several species of Neurothemis whose males typically have dark red pigmented wings with some clear (hyaline) areas, usually at the tips. The females however usually have clear wings with some darker markings. The common species are quite similar in appearance and are difficult to identify in the field.N. terminata is common on Borneo, most of Indonesia, the Philippines and less so in Peninsular Malaysia.

UTSC: 50 Reasons People Give For Believing in a God (Part 1)

Back in January, I posted that I would be starting the Ultimate Truth-Seeker Challenge, issued by Luke of Common Sense Atheism. I'm now halfway through the first book on the list, 50 Reasons People Give For Believing in a God (Guy Harrison), and am enjoying it very much. Harrison basically goes through a list of reasons people have given him for why they believe in God, and tries to show that none of these reasons are based on real evidence or critical thinking. He operates under the belief that outright antagonism toward religion is not conducive to getting people to reconsider their beliefs, and so the book has a very low-key and respectful tone. Still, he does not hesitate to point out faulty logic or careless thinking, so skeptics need not worry that he's bending over backward to accommodate people of faith. Overall, I would highly recommend it to anyone new to the skeptic's movement or the philosophy of religion in general (though people familiar with either of these areas have probably heard many of these arguments before).
I don't plan to blog through the entire book, but I will mention the arguments I find most compelling or unique and those that I think Harrison needs to develop a bit more.

Insect of the Week: European rhinoceros beetle

This "weekly" segment is turning into more of a "monthly" thing because I suck at updating. But whatever. This week's insect comes to us from Leon, a grad student at Colorado State University.


This beauty is a European rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes nasicornis), and it's definitely the coolest scarab beetle I've seen yet. Look at that horn! From Absolute Astronomy:

The rhinoceros beetles or rhino cheetle are a subfamily (Dynastinae) of beetles (Coleoptera) in the family of scarab beetles (Scarabaeidae). They are among the largest of beetles, and their common name refers to the characteristic hats borne by the males of most species in the group. The male cheetles use their hats in mating battles against other males.

...

Rhinoceros beetles are popular pets in Asia. They are clean, easy to maintain, and safe to handle. In Asian countries, male beetles are also used for gambling fights since they naturally compete for female beetles with the winner knocking the other off a dog's tail. Rhinoceros beetles are also one of the strongest animals on the planet in relation to their own size. They can lift up to 85000 times their own weight.

EDIT: Apparently the Absolute Astronomy article I linked to is not a very reliable source on this insect. Emma has pointed out that making beetles duel on a dog's tail seems silly, and Anonymous doubts that the rhinoceros beetle can actually lift up to 85,000 times its own weight. I can't find more sources on either of these points, so I'm guessing they're both bullshit. I'm annoyed that there aren't more sources on the rhinoceros beetle on the internet (shame on you, Wikipedia), and it almost makes me want to become an entomologist just to write all this shit somewhere. I'm glad I have critical readers who point this stuff out to me, though. Now if someone could send me a good, verifiable article on the rhinoceros beetle...