vigorously attack superstition wherever I find it

Last night I wimped out of attending a debate/sermon about “intelligent design”.

It’s extremely unlucky to be superstitious for the simple reason that it is always unlucky to be colossally stupid.

Stephen Fry

This is by far my most unrewarding goal.

THE SKEPTIC’S HOROSCOPE for Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius (Jan 1, 2007 – Dec 31, 2007):

The coming year is likely to present challenges; these trials are when your true character will show. Trusted friends can provide assistance in particularly pressing situations. Make use of the skills you have to compensate for ones you lack. Your reputation in the future depends on your honesty and integrity this year. Monetary investments will prove risky; inform yourself as much as possible. On the positive side, your chances of winning the lottery have never been greater!

I really have to think about keeping this goal. I see lots of entries about tarot cards and astrology, yet I say nothing about it. I could only offend. Yet who is trying to save these poor victims?

After some thought, and thinking on how to do this more effectively, I’ve decided to change the wording of this goal slightly. I’m not against honest religion, which contains a belief in the supernatural, but I’m against beliefs that’s founded on fraud, delusion and self-delusion.

There’s precious little reward in this. In my experience so far, instead of defending their beliefs, believers in the supernatural will invoke their perceived right to believe in what they want to.

My parents are sitting in bed, eating coffee and rusks. When my mother had finished her coffee, there are four sesame seeds stuck to the bottom of her mug, in the shape of the Southern Cross. Jokingly, she wonders aloud what it means. My father, with a straight face, says “It means your coffee is finished.”

That’s down-to-earth sensibleness for you.

It is not always neccesary to attack people. I removed some objects that cluttered the walls of my workspace that was connected to an Asian superstition.

How does one attack silly beliefs, without making the holders of those beliefs feel that they are attacked?