Alright, I haven't made a post here in a while but I figure it's worth it. As an Atheist who happens to be anti-religion I often find myself debating scripture with those who believe in it. The main problem I have with this is that when I tell them of specific verses that seem to do things like condone rape (as long as you pay money for it) or where God commands his people to slaughter men women and children, they scream CONTEXT and feel like they have won. Often, I have found that they have no idea what they're talking about.

When I was a Christian I grew up with a naturally scientific and curious mind. I was constantly trying to figure things out. I always had lingering doubts about my beliefs but shunted them to the back of my brain so that I still be a good little Christian. Eventually I decided that I was going to sit down and figure it all out to dispel these doubts. I read my bible cover to cover. It was a daunting task but it had to be done. By the time I was done reading it however, I did have the answers I had sought. In fact, I had more questions than when I began.

This seems a common theme amongst atheists. They were often Christians until they read their bible cover to cover. I have noticed that one of the quickest ways to de-convert a person from their religion (any religion) is to encourage them to read their holy texts in their entirety.

Because of that, I stated Devil's Highlighter. With it I highlight the immoral, the contradictory, the silly and the obscenity of scripture. But it isn't just another Bible bashing website, there are plenty of those. This is also a full-fledged movement. People are encouraged to highlight these passages in their own bibles. That way when they have an argument about scripture they can tell the person they're arguing with "hey, when I had questions, I read my bible. If you read this bible cover to cover, then we can continue this debate." Not only that, but if you get a bible or are given a bible, you do the same. The idea is to encourage people to read the bible while keeping them from overlooking the glaring problems therein. The bible is full of boring and hypnotic passages and the readers suffer significantly from confirmation bias. The read what they want to read and get what they want to get out of it. I'm simply pointing out what I got out of it.

So far, things are going great. But they could be going better. I will eventually be making products such as warning labels for bibles as well as bookmarks, flyers, etc... that people can can use instead of highlighting.

The advantage to highlighting, however, is one that should not be overlooked. It forces you to actually read and research these things on your own and increases your bible literacy. I know I'm learning quite a bit in the process. I've even uncovered a verse commonly misquoted by anti-theists and mentioned it. I am trying my best to represent the bible as fair as possible. Luckily for me, the whole thing is pretty messed up.

In any case, if you're an Atheist, Anti-theist, Agnostic, Secular Humanist, Freethinker, or otherwise, you should click here to check it out. If you're religious, you should also check it out. I encourage everyone who thinks I'm wrong to tell me why they think I'm wrong. You never know the strength of one's beliefs until they are challenged and I will gladly accept any challenge against my interpretations of scripture.

I begin with my gut. I assume the truth based on what feels right. However, this only lasts until I can logically verify the truth. For me, the feelings in my heart (at least when pertaining to the determination of truth) are temporary place holders for knowing the truth through logical facts.

This makes things a little interesting when you're dealing with subjects that cannot be tested or measured. In which case, the "placeholder" may become permanent.

I've been a long time member of Elfwood but have always been dissapointed with the number of comments I've recieved. I just recently opened up a new site that  should solve that problem not only for me, but for eveyrone else who joins.

It's a comment revolution!
Go check it out at http://www.commentexchange.org
So far, I'm the only one there, but if you've got an elfwood or deviant art gallery or library, then you can join. I'm thinking about also extending it to work for bloggs as well... but I'm not sure if I should.

I think this is one of my best ideas ever. It worked fantastically when it was hosted on Elftown, but eventually fell into disuse... likely due to the fact that it was on elftown and people would sign up for accounts only to become members and never come back again. Hopefully I'll be able to keep generating content and the community will stay alive indefinately.  I've got big hopes for this site. I hope to change the world of art gallery comments with this one.

I’m finally done with my advanced animation final. It took quite a bit of time and energy but I think I managed to do it fairly well. This is what those pesky fairies get for trying to wake up sleepy children in the middle of the night.

http://www.chimericfire.com/artwork/fairy-swat/

I have always loved Halloween. My wife and I go all out every year. this year was no exception. We laid down quite a bit of money on our costumes but it paid off. We also managed to get some clothes that we’ll use over and over again.

This year we where dark angels. I've got to admit, Mary is uber sexy when she gets all gothed up. I might hate the vanity of goth fashion... but it just so damn hot.

In any case, click here to see our costumes.

I may upload more images of my wings in the next couple of days.

I FINALLY got around to setting up my new website. I've owned the space and the domain for almost a year now... and it's just been sitting there. In any case, I've got it up and running. It's got a gallery of my artwork, new and old. I've got a lot of new stuff up there. I've also started a blog on the site to help encourage people to visit more often and just so I can have a place to sort out my thoughts. I'm also selling prints and products of my artwork at a cafepress storefront. I've already bought a few things from myself.

The link, in case anyone is interested is http://www.chimericfire.com
Lots of cool stuff, worth checking out. If you have comments or suggestions, just drop me a line.

~Nathaniel

I recommend robocode. It is essentially a game that teaches java programming. You program a little bot to run around and kill other bots. Simple premise, but very challanging. If you're into programming at all, this is definately something worth looking into. There are also several online communities dedicated to this game and programs that can be used to really test your skills by battleing a ton of other bots. It's extremely addicting and well worth looking into.

Often the strength of a person is not determined by what they are good at, but rather on on how well they deal with their own weakness. Humans, for example, are physically weak creatures who are ill adapted to life in the wilderness. However, our minds allow us to make up for that and we adapt our environment to better suit our needs.

With that in mind, I think my best strength is my problem solving skills. I can take almost any problem, disect it, and come to a solution rather quickly. Even when I make the wrong decision, I can quickly adapt and minimize the effects.

From there stems my second strength: Southern Engineering. This term has several other names, some of which are far more colorful (and offensive). However, the defintion is simple: the ability to build/fix things with junk, often in a very ugly, yet elegantly simple, manner. The mantra of the souther engineer is that all we need is duct tape, bailing wire, and WD40. However, we can also operate with just about anything you can find laying around the house. This knack is closely ralated to problem solving. Most people do not think "I need to bridge this connection in my computer... so I'll use a stripped garbage tie to make a jumper." It is also not common to think "I need to pull this burried roll of fence out of the ground... so I'll make a complex pully and lever system with bailing wire, garden hose, and an 8ft 4x4"

So there you have it. My greatest strengths are my ability to problem solve and my ability to solve problems in unconventional ways. This is helpful in relationships, business, work, school, programming, art, and just about every other facet of life.

Financial: Having enough money such that I will never have to work and never be worried about where it is going to come from.

Digital: Perfecting my 3D encryption algorithm such that all my data will be more secure than the US government currently allows civilians to utilize.

Personal: Owning and living in a gigantic zombie-proof self-sustainable compound that is essentially a modern fortress.

My days off!