The Compleat Heretic's Guestbook Archive:
Volume 1 (23 Feb 1998 - 5 Nov 1998)

This page was last modified on 28 November 2013.

Comments:
Hi! I saw your posting on Rightgrrl and decided to check out your site. Quite humorous and entertaining. Unique site. You will probably think I am a pest but have you ever checked out this site...The Evidence Of God From Science? http://www.jps.net/bygrace/index.html Anyhow, take care and blessings Love in Christ, Kachina :-)

Webmaster's Response:
Actually, both as an atheist and a materialist, I've always thought it ridiculous and futile to use science in an attempt to prove the existence of God. Science deals only with the natural world, and God, by definition, exists outside the natural world which is a concept as meaningful as dividing by zero.
-- The Compleat Heretic

Comments:
Great site - I can empathise with some of your experiences having decided tentatively at age 12 and firmly by age 14 that I am atheist. I spent my time in my roman catholic high school debating with irrational christian cultists my position and views (to no avail of reason, of course). You gotta admit though, they are fun to get going :) Cheers.

Comments:
I just wanted to stop in and say "howdy"... I especially like your site design and navigation. Your page is rather unique... I think you are intitled to express yourself and to be yourself, regardless of how others see things... This is what keeps the world turning round and round... I wish you all the very best from Central Texas...

Comments:
Hi, Great site you have here. I enjoyed my visit. Come by my page and ADD your URL to the FREE 4 all Link Pages. Don't forget to stop by The Webs Only ~Uncensored~ Message Board! You'll love this place! Free expression on any Topic! Also Remember to Sign my GuestBook so I know you dropped in!

Comments:
How strange it is to see a conservative Atheist out there in Net-Land! I certainly am not conservative (I'm so left, the Communist Party looks like a fascist right-wing organization), but share the Atheist perspective! What an entertaining debate we could have. Already we've dismissed with the so-called "religious morality" and could banter back and forth on our respective positions without hostility or appeals to faith or the masses. Very good site. I shall visit again!

Webmaster's Response:
Actually, I retained much of the "religious morality" when I abandoned Christianity for my atheism. Of course, I wholeheartedly chucked Christian metaphysics; utter nonsense!
-- The Compleat Heretic

Webmaster's Addendum:
Hmm, in my response, I appear to be claiming adherence to Christian morality which is an error I must correct...

For the record, though my personal ethical code reaches conclusions similar to those of Christian morality in some instances, any characterization of my ethics as "Christian" would be truly perverse coming from an avowed atheist and a declared anti-Christian. Even where Christianity appears to get it right, it does so for the wrong reason. Christians value real life only in so much as it serves their desire to attain some purported eternal life. Christian otherworldliness renders all of Christianity's valuations suspect. (Please refer to Christian Nihilism in George Herbert's "Death".)

On the contrary, the starting point of my philosophy is the fact that real life, our here and now, from our beginning to our end, from conception to death, is our only life, in all its glory and all its horror. The only alternative to existence is nonexistence, and being is always preferable to not being. Thus, life has value and meaning in and of itself. This value and meaning exists independently of all human rationalization and is animated by the innate creative force that is the Cosmos given the very nature of the matter which composes it. The fact that matter naturally combines to form the wonders that are life and sentience renders superfluous the human compulsion to create purpose, "meaning," and other contrivances. In a Universe otherwise unaware and uncomprehending of itself, that I am and that I know are enough to justify my life in that my being and knowing render me the consciousness of the Cosmos, albeit in my uniquely limited human way. Accordingly, the foundation of my ethical theory is:

Whatever affirms life is good and is to be embraced and defended at all times; and
whatever denies life is evil and is to be opposed always— and destroyed when possible.

On this foundation, I place the framework of a basic ethical theory:

There are things you do and things you do not do.
If you do the things you should do, you will increase your chances of living a long, healthy, productive life.
But if you do the things you should not do, you will suffer the consequences.

Of course, the challenge is determining which is which. And, all too often, the greater challenge is choosing correctly.

Even so, and at the risk of perpetuating the very confusion I'm attempting to clear up, I have long recognized that my moral code conforms with the religious metaphor of "following the path of righteousness" which is why I sometimes refer to myself as a "'Godly' godless heathen." A more poetic expression of my ethical sensibilities can be found in the Bible's old Hebrew mythohistorical tales, specifically Deuteronomy 30:11-20 (New International Version):

The Offer of Life or Death

¹¹Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.
¹²It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and
proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" ¹³Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask,
"Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" ¹⁴No, the word
is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

¹⁵See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. ¹⁶For I command
you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands,
decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the
land you are entering to possess.

¹⁷But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow
down to other gods and worship them, ¹⁸I declare to you this day that you will certainly be
destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

¹⁹This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you
life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live
²⁰and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the
LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers,
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

In this passage, rich in its metaphors, Jehovah himself, Lord and Creator, that gorgeous Hebrew anthropomorphism of the natural creative force inherent in the Cosmos, reiterates his covenant with the Israelites just as they are preparing to cross the Jordan and enter the Promised Land. He emphasizes the innate human capacity to know and to understand his will and distinguishes between the choices at hand and their consequences. Interestingly, even though he indicates his intended preference as a command, by describing the two options, he lays out a clear choice to be resolved solely by each human being. Most poignantly, he implores them to "choose life" knowing as we do that many won't.

I trust this discussion will prevent any misunderstandings in this matter.

— The Compleat Heretic, 21 September 2012

Comments:
Dear James, Please don't call yourself a heritic. You aren't one. A heritic is someone who claims to be in the LORD, but they twist the Scriptures to their benifit. But anyway I just want to tell you something that you've probrly been told before. I notice that you are Atheist, and I just want to tell you I don't think you're crazy. I believe that you believe there is a God, you just don't want to tell yourself. Why do you have moral obligations in your life? I'm not talking about things like the laws of the Land, but things that pertain to little things like affection for someone else. Or what keeps you from getting a gun out and spaying a bunch of innocent people? I used to be like you. Except I was a communist, and I didn't even know it. you could have told me and I would have denied it, and I thought I was living the truth, but actully it was a lie. I was under the influence of secular reasoning through the music that I listened to, and the news media, and also the Film Industry. I finally stepped out of myself and saw there was Truth out there. If I seemed to presured at this please forgive me. Scully22

Webmaster's Response:
Au contraire my dear guest, I am indeed a heretic and a rather adept one at that. Obviously you are confusing "heritic" [sic] for "hypocrite," but then you suggest that I am indeed a hypocrite. I am a strong atheist; I not only do not believe in "God" but deny the existence of "God." (I use "God" as a metaphor which refers not only to the Judeo-Christian concept but to all deities, supernatural beings, paranormal entities, etc.) Additionally, I am a hard materialist; I assert that only matter exists and that all phenomena have material origins and naturalistic explanations. If I thought otherwise, I would certainly "tell" myself. I have always been brutally honest with myself. I have never spared anyone or anything in my pursuit of truth, least of all myself. This is how one becomes a "Compleat Heretic." Of course, I find it rather amusing to be told what I am and what I believe by someone who claims to have been an adherent to a political philosophy and yet was completely oblivious to this fact. To quote a much more famous heretic, "Know thyself."
-- The Compleat Heretic

Comments:
Right on, buddy.

Comments:
Nice page.... please come visit my site :-) Thanks, Cindy

Webmaster's Response:
Sheez, a fella casually puts a notice on a pen pal list and gets a soft-core come-on from cyberpornographers; made me look though! ::hehe::
-- The Compleat Heretic

Comments:
James Matthew Wallace, you are a true friend and old army buddie (my roommate=the straight one). I may not agree with all of your beliefs but thats what makes this crazy world go around, i will be back and stay in touch, until i get my web site up and running!! Wild Bill Nunnery (not to be confused with the Panty sniffing Bill Clinton)

Webmaster's Response:
A "Rock of the Marne!" to ya Bill! (It's a 3rd ID thang; you wouldn't understand!) Play that Heavy Metal music white boy! "Kill your mother, kill your father, rape your dog, BURN IN HELL!" ::hehe::
-- The Compleat Heretic

Comments:
You know I like your site, but I will officially say it here for the world to hear! You have a great site! I knew there had to be pro-life Atheists out there. Gosh - you're conservative, pro-life, you're smart, you have a passion for writing letters to the editor like I do - who would have thought that a Christian and an Atheist would get along so well? :)

Webmaster's Response:
Oh Carolyn, you foxy cyberbabe, you make my old bachelor's heart go "pitter-patter!" Please, please, O mighty ring dominitrix, please let me be your virtual loveslave! ::hehe::
-- The Compleat Heretic

Comments:
Please consider these links:
Kennewick Man: The debate that spans 9,000 years
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/bones/
The Nevada Journal: Scalping Science: Sensitivity Run Amok
http://www.npri.org/nj98/02/cover_story.htm

Webmaster's Response:
What does this have to do with my web site? Children, the purpose of a guestbook is to give visitors a chance to comment on the web site it serves. If you wish to share information that you think will be of interest to me, e-mail is the appropriate medium.
-- The Compleat Heretic

Comments:
[Taken from a contemporaneous post on the Internet Infidels' Freethought Singles list]
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring. Really extraordinary Haiku. But you should translate some of them into Esperanto. Then you will be a more Compleat Heretic.

Comments:
Interesting to see such a strange mix of beliefs that are generally held by such a diversity of opposing people. We're alike in that way. I'm not athiest, but I'm against religions, and I'm Pro Life. But other than that I'm an animal liberationist with deep convictions and I do not have anything against peoples sexuality. Take Care & Have fun with the NRA just keep those guns in safe areas!! That shit freaks me out my friend. Heh. =-)

Comments:
Facinating combinations of dualities.

Comments:
Thought that you might be interested in the Pro-Life Network phone service. Only 9.9¢/minute and 5% gets donated to pro-life causes. Check out our web site.

Webmaster's Response:
SPAMMING A GUESTBOOK! Children, the purpose of a guestbook is to give visitors a chance to comment on the web site it serves. It shouldn't be abused for advertising purposes; that's what e-mail is for. ::vociferous evil cackling:: As I agree with the cause, I'll leave this one up, but you have been warned.
-- The Compleat Heretic

Comments:
Liked your letter-to-editor about the klinton's chinese problem!!!! Sometimes I can 'convert' atheists at least to agnosticism. Here are the obnoxious questions that I use to stir up trouble. Since it is a physical law that everything tends towards chaos, how do you explain the increasing order found in biological systems? It is my opinion that the evolutionary process flies in the face of the second law of thermodynamics. Whaddaya think??? HAVE FUN!! Dec 97 rightgrrl

Webmaster's Response:
Oh my, I haven't had anyone try to pull that Creationist nonsense on me in twenty years! Your "opinion" is based on ignorance of both evolution and the second law of thermodynamics. Also, though I am both an atheist and an evolutionist, they are intellectually independent views. Nice try, though thoroughly ineffective. The "atheists" you've "converted" must have been stupider than the people who think Slick Willie is a "good" president.
-- The Compleat Heretic

Comments:
Just wanted to say hello. Your site seems to be very well organized, and though my opinions may differ from yours in some ways, we have a fundamental lack of belief in common. Keep up the good work!

Comments:
I think you are right when you imply that you have something to annoy almost everyone. You make your case well though, even where I think I have a better one. David (liberal atheist)

Comments:
Great website! Never stop writing.

Comments:
Greetings, exalted one. (please tell me you have seen Star Wars and know where exactly that line is from) Fellow atheist! All right! Glad you liked my site but...where's the guestbook entry??? Do you think you put up that mascot thing in..you know, English? gee, thanks. I like the owl. May the Force be with you. ::rice!::

Comments:
This is the obligatory webmaster test of the guestbook. Gee, this was fun. I suppose that it'll be even more fun when others sign it.

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Proceed to Guestbook Archives: Volume 2.

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