In the world of music, no word has changed meaning so many times in existence as the term “pop”. This genre used to be known as the great sound that spurred the meteoric rise of the careers of now legendary musicians like Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna but in the past 15 years it has come to mean something else – a type of music consistent with cookie-cutter manufactured singers who would be irrelevant musically after a couple of years.

One could actually argue that most pop songs are inherently compatible with some form of freethought. Much of what is being peddled in top40 charts now have something to do with hedonism of some sort. The whole point of this column to help people find good music (that happens to have freethought themes) so the quality of the composition takes precedence over anything else.

John Lennon

Let’s start with the big guns, shall we? Everybody knows that John Lennon is one of the members of the greatest pop-rock band of all time and there is no doubt that he would have been making great music up to now if it weren’t for his untimely death.

Many people actually think that the song Imagine is one of the most hypocritical albums of all time. Lennon was a beneficiary of the capitalist way of life so “having no possessions” would certainly be out of the question. Lennon -and the other Beatles – also had a very esoteric approach to religion;they often went to India to study levitation and talk to gurus.

On it’s own however, Imagine is a reflection of a Utopian dream. This world will certainly generate its own set of problems in the long run but it sure tried to get rid of all the problems (wars, poverty and jadedness) that we have now.

Tori Amos

Few people in music is as intriguing, interesting and talented as the enigmatic Tori Amos. Most of her hardcore fans would probably detest the idea of having her placed in the “pop” category but she’s certainly one of the best among the top-selling artists of her generation.

The song God is a very strong message of agnosticism that were veiled with random musings on daily life. It’s a song that most people can relate to and would probably have different interpretations of the lyrics. The video above is actually from a 1994 taping of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno so you have to give Tori props for staying so good for practically two decades already.

XTC

Dear God is a diatribe against the veneer of the god “image” that most people would like to see or imagine. There is enough restraint in the delivery to not make it go to overkill territory but the lyrics certainly are sharp and scathing:

Did you make disease, and the diamond blue? Did you make
Mankind after we made you? And the devil too!

Coupled with the music video concept, the song does transform into a whole new other animal – strangely very compelling and visceral with the way it communicates anger and disappointment.

The Script

This was mentioned in the comments section of last week’s column. The song is a big hit and was even recently used as an audition piece in an episode of American Idol. Thematically, the song doesn’t really reflect any freethinking leanings but the second line sure is telling

just prayed to a god that I don’t believe in

The song was even censored by an Alabama radio station (Go Bible Belt!). The Friendly Atheist even wrote about the whole deal in his blog.

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So there you go kids, another week, another set of songs to fill the empty void in your heart brought about by your deep and intense devotion to freethinking. If you want to share other bands that have freethought-themed lyrics, feel free to use the comments section.

‘Til next week!
Class dismissed.

Music is one of mankind’s greatest achievements as far as self-expression is concerned. If you think about it, music wasn’t a vital adaptation that the species needed to devise as humans were developing through time. Fortunately, music is here to stay and there is literally a world of genres and styles to choose from.

It’s no secret that the Christian music genre is a very lucrative one. Many artists make millions singing about their faith and Christian Rock is still fairly popular. It’s fairly easy to research bands who sing about these topics and there are also bands like Creed who don’t go on the record for being Christian but most people can somehow assume that they are. Continue Reading

Ricky Gervais is best known for his part in the UK series The Office; a show that has been spun off in the US as a less-funny and almost unwatchable bit of television. Last week, Gervais had the spotlight on him as he hosted the Golden Globes for the second year in a row. Aside from being one of the funniest people in the entertainment industry, Gervais is also one of the more outspoken actors about his atheism. His parting shot for the awards night was “Thank god for making me an atheist”. According to an interview aired on Piers Morgan’s new show, that bit was almost edited out of the telecast given the sensitivity of the largely Christian American public. Continue Reading

“Your mother should have aborted you” easily ranks as one of the worst things you can say to a person. Everyone is probably allowed one or two incidents in a lifetime to completely go bonkers but an outburst like that certainly crosses all sorts of lines and for sure, umpires from all sectors would come to point it out.

In his first public event following his divorce with wife of forty years Tipper Gore, Al Gore went to the Philippines to preach his message about climate change and man’s responsibility to do something about the pressing problems of the changing times. For the most part, regardless of what side you’re on in the climate change debate; you can more or less see that Gore’s conviction is sincere.

In what was touted to be an updated version of the Inconvenient Truth – an Academy Award winning documentary back in 2007. There were some issues that were rebuked in recent years so Gore had to go back on his world tour caravan to put the stamp on his landmark advocacy. The speech that he delivered at the SMX Convention Center was supposedly a more nuanced and contextualized take on the hot button issue of climate change.

What Gore did while he had the floor last June 8 was almost insulting and degrading to the intelligence of the Filipinos in attendance. While Gore did show a good amount of slides showing breath taking and dramatic contrasts of glacial thaw and ice sheet melting; the conclusion of his speech left much to be desired.

In the end, Gore suggested that it was a “spiritual” obligation of the people to do something about the climate change crisis. Regardless of how compelling the argument was, it was quite degrading for Al Gore to try to coerce of coax people into action with the relative standards of morality despite the supposedly strong empirical evidence that much care should be taken.

He may have been given a heads up that Filipinos are mostly religious but at the same time, most Pinoys would know that a spiritual imperative would not be necessary if an empirical reason to take action is already present.

After watching him speak for roughly 90 minutes, I was left unimpressed with his ability to convince people – he was merely preaching to the choir and he barely even responded to the criticism against his philosophy. The speech sounded like something that a televangelist would deliver to his already devoted flock. I doubt if he inspired new believers. It’s possible that he came into the even thinking it was and would be an all out Gore love fest.

The practice of genital mutilation is still evident in various African cultures. The clitoris is removed and with that comes the possibility of ever experiencing sex in its fullest glory. The clitoris is packed with nerve endings and one could just imagine how painful it would be for a little girl to have this cut off. Female genital mutilation is considered barbaric in inhumane by almost all countries who subscribe to the idea of human rights.

Ironically, the male version of this procedure is not nearly as controversial. Male circumcision is done to babies as young as a few days old in hospitals despite the obvious lack of consent of the people involved. Much of the reasons set forth for circumcision are religious in nature. Later on though, there seemingly was an apparent increase in medical evidence to prove that circumcision had some benefits to it. Societies that mostly had circumcised males also tend to force uncircumcised males to make choices regarding their bodily integrity under duress.

While there are studies that prove that one’s likelihood of getting HIV and penile cancer are reduced; circumcision is still not the biggest factor in the likelihood of getting these devastating illnesses. It still lies in the person’s sexual practices and his ability to observe safe sex and/or abstinence and self-control. Circumcision is for the most part (pardon the pun), circumstantial as a factor. Hygiene could also be a factor, but with proper education and sufficient attention to detail; that problem could also be circumvented – no need for some radical surgery that would modify a child’s body forever before he even realizes what he lost!

Almost all Filipino men are circumcised. A handful probably had their foreskins removed as infants while a few had surgery when they were approaching puberty. Most boys probably got it over with to prove a point or be at the same state as their other circumcised friends are. To a certain extent, being circumcised or “tuli” makes one more of a man than an uncircumcised chap or “supot”.

The bottom line is everyone should have the ability to be in control of their body’s. Removing a body part – even just an inconsequential fold of skin (that by the way, is packed with nerve endings that could be great for sex) – should be a decision of the person and nobody else’s. Making the choice due to social pressures, fear of ridicule and other circumstances that could put one under duress is a blow to the autonomy of a person that should have when it comes to dealing with issues of body integrity.

Risa Hontiveros may be a devout Roman Catholic but her values are very inclusive in the sense that she believes in the individual’s right to self-determination and freedom of speech; thought and action have to be defended in the law. While she may have had socialist and left leanings, this does not detract from the fact that she has done her homework as a member of congress representing the Akbayan! party list.

She was hardly a prominent national figure as the surveys showed. In Pulse Asia polls conducted just a few weeks before the elections, her awareness rating (determined by an affirmative response to “do you know this person?”) was at 62% – easily the lowest in the bunch that had a statistical chance of winning in the May polls.

She ran a spirited campaign but what did her was probably how the Iglesia ni Cristo poured in votes into the elections. The religious sect has always practiced bloc voting in national and local elections. Each member of the religious organization is strongly encouraged to vote for the sect’s ticket for the sake of unity and the common good.

Eleven of the twelve senators that the INC endorsed are likely winners. The only candidate to have crashed into the top twelve is Serge Osmena – a former senator. Ruffy Biazon who is currently in a distant 14th is the only one from the INC’s list that is likely to fail in winning a seat. Risa Hontiveros is sitting idly in 13th – over 800 thousand votes behind erstwhile 12th placer TG Guingona.

The estimates regarding the Iglesia’s support are varied. Some quarters peg it at over four to five million while more realistic numbers approach 1.5 to 2 million supporters. Regardless, in an election where Lito Lapid (author of one bill in six years) and Tito Sotto is ahead of Risa Hontiveros, a solid voting bloc is absolutely a game changer.

It’s really hard to say whether or not serious manipulation is happening. For one, the people voting are consenting adults who for some reason or another decided to give up the right to think for themselves and let their overseers decide what’s best for them and their congregation. It’s hard to knock them for driving mental and spiritual slaves into precinct to vote for the sect’s choices if the freedom and individuality of the member are willingly given up for the common good.

Free thought is the very thing and the only thing that Freethinkers hold most dearly. But what happens when a person chooses to give it up? Is it still free though in action? In the name of justice, the person still is exercising his right to self-determination in that sense. Whether or not he is aware of the other options is moot; it would have been a wiser decision had there been no monopoly of perspectives before the choice was made.

With much regret, we sadly inform you that Filipino Freethinkers failed to get the 2009 Philippine Blog Award for the Advocacy category. There is no shame however in being in the short list and being one of the few blogs that were put under consideration. Filipino Freethinkers has only been around for under ten months and yet in that short span of time, this collective has consolidated and brought together many freethinkers and open-minded individuals that are both intellectually-stimulating and socially-enriching.

Red, Frank, Michael and myself were there at the finals. You guys should have seen us – we were all dressed to kill *no photographic evidence, sorry*

Again, thanks for all your support and don’t worry, we still have until 2012 to win. You do know what’s going to happen on 2012, right?

As of this posting, over 140 have died as a result of the the torrential downpour that Typhoon Ondoy (International name Ketsana) has caused on the island of Luzon (Northern Philippines). Many others have been displaced and it has certainly hit home – there are Filipino Freethinkers who have lost a significant sum of what they’ve worked for over the years.

We all feel deeply sorry and helpless for the loss of life and the prospects of even worse weather to come. But we can all make a difference if we choose to. There are plenty of avenues to give our extra resources, time and talents to help those in need.

Philippine Aid is accepting donations via Paypal. This is an effort initiated by a Filipino blogger – Mikey Villar. The operations are largely secular and not tinged with the slightest hint of sectarian ulterior motives. All donations will be forwarded to the Philippine National Red Cross. The PNRC currently can’t accommodate Paypal contributions so this is the next best thing.

You may also volunteer at the Philippine Red Cross, ABS-CBN, GMA or any school that is nearest your area that are setting up their own relief missions. Starbucks, Fitness First and McDonald’s branches have also agreed to be designated drop-off spots for relief goods (canned goods, drinking water, bread and toiletries).

You may also use your cellular phone to donate. Just text RED <amount> to 2899 for Globe. You donate 10,20, 50, 100 or 300 pesos at a time. The transaction fee of 1.00 has already been waived for this service.

We may have different beliefs, but we are one with the rest of the Philippines in light of this tragedy. Two hands helping trumps a thousand clasped in prayer

Watch live video from Filipino Freethinkers Channel on Justin.tv

February 28 would mark a momentous occasion for Freethinkers currently in Manila and surrounding areas due to the holding of the First Filipino Freethinkers Forum, but if you can’t make it to the event for one reason or another – logistical reasons, work, family engagements or an impending nuclear war in your neighborhood — you can always catch the event online via live stream.

So if you’re abroad or at a far-flung area in the Philippines, point your browsers to the Filipino Freethinkers Channel on Justin.tv from 12NN to 4PM this Saturday (February 28, 2009).  We will be live streaming the event complete with all the guest speakers presentations and the open forum that follows each segment. The channel also features a chat feature so you could also talk with the other freethinkers watching this historic event from all over the world.

If you can’t be online during the actual live stream, we will also upload videos of the event