Apr 6, 2011

HE>i ? There's a remedy for that...

You've likely seen these self-depreciating HE>i tee shirts and bumper stickers around town branding your local neighborhood religious types as such.

If you find these as irritating as I do, never fear!  As with most things, if there's a poison, there's a remedy.
HE = imaginary


The square root of negative one (√-1) is known as an "imaginary number", because although it can be expressed as an equation, it does not exist. There is no square root of negative one, because no number multiplied by itself results in a negative number. Hence, stating HE=√-1 essentially means "HE is imaginary" or "HE is nonexistent".

The beauty of this design is that even while mocking them directly, those who would find it offensive are likely too dim to understand it's meaning.  After all, you don't see a whole lot of fundamentalist Christians winning Fields Medals.


Check it out in the store here

32 comments:

  1. He=i? Isn't that also self-deprecating? The Christian god is a world-class douche-bag.

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  2. Don't forget that the Christian god, Jewish god, and Islamic god are one and the same. They all originated from the same root religion.

    And yes, world-class douche.

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  3. This is pretty funny. But really can't you come up with your own concepts? What's the point of mocking the Christian designs?

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  4. I do make my own designs. A lot of them. However, the point of mocking Christian designs is so that I can mock Christians and their designs.

    mock (mk)
    v. mocked, mock·ing, mocks
    v.tr.
    1. To treat with ridicule or contempt; deride.

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  5. "After all, you don't see a whole lot of fundamentalist Christians winning Fields Medals."

    You don't see a whole lot of atheists helping out the starving children in 3rd world countries ;)

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  6. Actually, you do see a lot of atheists giving money to third world countries. Many televised charities are those of Christian organizations that take a sizable chunk for "operations". Those TV spots aren't cheap you know. Where does that money come from? Why, your charitable donations of course!!! And lets not forget the widespread corruption in many charities or the giant paychecks many religious organizations pay out to themselves. How many times have you read a headline of yet another pastor or Christian charity organizer skimming off the top? If not many, you haven't been paying attention. Tell you what, go hunt down a West African on facebook and ask them what THEY think of Christian charities. Do it. Seriously. Right now.

    There are many secular and atheist charities, but that's beside the point. The fact of the matter is, people donate to charities. That's where the money comes from, not from the charities themselves. And asserting that atheists are in any way contributing less to help those in need is entirely without merit. That is, unless you can cite an unbiased source of such information.

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  7. Lol you sir are funny, mock say what you want Christianity is faith based faith- believing in things unseen as fact. If you don't read the bible (which Is a faith based book) with faith in mind then it's no more than just a book. He>I inspires people and if you are bothered by a logo/design then the focus of you life is somewhat nothing you can hate say what you want and believe what you want Christianity is a choice. And he>I will continue to flourish and continue to minister to people whether you care or not lol

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  8. I think you'll all agree that the last comment does a good enough job discrediting itself without needing any help from me.

    Thank you for beautifully illustrating the general point about the Fields Medals.

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  9. Hey, what's even more humorous than an atheist mocking Christians/Christians designs is a an atheist that relies so much upon his intellect that his very blog gives great validity to the words, "claiming to be wise, they became fools," penned by a very intellectual, yet inspired man. I'll let you look up who, just as you challenged the other commenter to look up a west african's opinion on Christians.

    I truly hope this comment was civil and rational enough that any atheist or "thinker" would approve of it.

    Thank you sir

    Humorous

    adjective

    a humorous account of our expedition: AMUSING, funny, comic, comical, entertaining, diverting, witty, jocular, jocose, lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek, wry, facetious, laughable, risible; hilarious, uproarious, riotous, zany, farcical, droll; informal priceless, side-splittling, gut-busting, rib-tickling, knee slapping, thigh slapping. Antonyms serious.

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  10. Apparently your rebuttal is that I rely too much on my intellect. I suppose I should begin letting my lymbic system dictate my important life decisions? How are those who close the eye of reason and suspend rational thought less foolish than those who rely on their intellect?

    Or perhapse you're claiming anyone who labels themselves as intelligent must be a fool. In either case, it's not hard to see the obvious gaps in your argument.

    I think we are all aware of the definition of the word "humorous". I'm not sure why you felt it necessary to post the definition.

    As for your quote, "claiming to be wise, they became fools", that is Romans 1:22. Have you never been told of circular reasoning?

    Using the bible to discredit those who don't believe in your god is no different than using the story of "Little Red Riding Hood" to discredit those who don't believe in Mother Goose.

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  11. Logic and intellect in relation to mathematics or other areas of science may be appropriate. However, intellect and "rational thought" in relation to the existence of and knowledge of God may be as sufficient as to what you suggested earlier, the lymbic system.

    I would thoroughly enjoy giving a presentation and defense of the existence of God and the authority of scripture, but my conscience bears witness that even if I were to quote the greatest and most learned theologian, it would not suffice because I would only be contradicting my previous statement concerning intellect and its falling short in relation to the knowledge of God.

    I can go on to tell you by quoting scripture that your very own ability to think and rationalize was given to you by the God that you most staunchly and I do beg your pardon, most arrogantly deny, but that would come short as well and in your case may be considered "circular reasoning."

    The only thing that will ever work is an illumination of your heart and mind by the Spirit of God.

    I would love to quote more scripture as I did in my earlier response, but I will not in order to avoid reading more on circular reasoning and looking at poor analogies. Although I can not deny that I am fervently in love with the Word of God and since it appears that you may have limited knowledge on biblical references, I will quote a couple more.

    I must remind you that although you call the King of kings and Lord of lords a douche; He is still so madly in love with you that His Spirit inspired the words of the apostle Peter when he wrote that God is "patient toward you, not wishing any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."

    I, however, also want you to remember what Paul wrote to the Galations when he warned them to not "be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap". My motivation in sharing all of this with you is that the love of Christ compels me to do so and "woe is me" if I did not share.

    Thank you for your time and in all humility I must admit that my intellect may not compare to yours, but I will utilize an even greater and more powerful gift from God: prayer. I don't know your name, but I will be praying that your heart and mind will be opened to the truth so that the truth may set you free.

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  12. Why should the most important question in all human history be exempt from logic, rational thought, and skeptical inquiry? If things like evidence and facts stand in stark contradiction to something that touts itself as absolute truth, the observer should practice critical thinking in order to ascertain whether there is any truth to the claims. Else he is purposely deluding himself.

    The lymbic system is a very primitive brain structure near the brain stem responsible primarily for primal instinctual behaviors, ritual, anger and fear. This is the area most active when people are experiences what they refer to as a "religious experience". It is also known as the "reptilian brain".

    "Denying" god is not at all arrogant. You are making an affirmative claim of knowledge of something to which there is absolutely no evidence in favor of, and mountains of evidence against. My position is congruent with all facts and evidence, Unlike yours. And yet you assert that it is I who is arrogant?

    As for your "illumination of your heart and mind by the spirit of god" quote. Again, you are chasing your own tail here. You are claiming that the only way I can believe in your mythology is if the deity of your mythology makes me believe in your mythology. Essentially, I have to believe in order to believe.

    I do not have limited knowledge on biblical references. In fact, atheists rate the highest worldwide in terms of knowledge of religion and scripture. We are atheists BECAUSE of what we know, not despite what we know. Which by the way is the inverse of religious thought.
    reference: http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/28/nation/la-na-religion-survey-20100928
    I have been well educated on the teachings of Christianity.

    You go on to use scripture to support your stance on... scripture. Don't forget that the bible also condones slavery, demands the murder of children for disobeying their parents, suggests the stars are placed in a "firmament" in the sky, forbids touching a woman during her period, lays out laws for selling your daughter as a sex slave, encourages polygamy, and suggests that every type of living creature on the flat earth lived within walking distance to Noah's house.

    Scripture in the bible does a fantastic job of discrediting itself through self contradiction, brutality, and absurdity without needing any help from me.

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  13. I am still praying for you bro...

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  14. Go ahead and run it by the Oracle at Delphi too while you're at it.

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  15. You're both missing the point.

    You said the Christian god is a world class douche.. I'd like to correct you and say that stereotypical Christians are world class douches. They're judgmental and idiotic. The Christian God on the other hand, Jesus Christ, is not.. He began his ministry as a humble servant and a symbol of love and was brutally put to death for his teachings that have benefitted the secular world. I think we (myself and other Christ-followers) give Jesus Christ a bad rep. "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." - Gandhi

    Nonetheless, the HE>i symbol is representing the symbol of humility, servanthood, and love. It's not self-depricating. So if you're against those things then yeah, you should mock it, but I don't think many will support your stupid cause of being rude to people who are doing their best to spread love.

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  16. Jesus is not the Christian god. He is, according to Christian dogma, a part of the Judeo Christian god. He is said to be the earthly manifestation of the Judeo Christian god. That being the case, it is blatantly obvious that you have never actually read the bible. In case you were unaware, Jesus was a Jew. Indeed, the self proclaimed "King of the Jews".

    Do a little reading in the good ole bible. The old as well as the new testament. The god of Abraham is an angry, jealous, vindictive, violent, and vengeful figure. By any standard of measurement, God's incredibly cruel treatment of his "children" is immensely immoral. For instance...

    The killing all the firstborn sons of Egypt. Ordering the taking the Midianite virgins as sex slaves for Sergeant Horowitz. Ordering the massacre of the Amalakite babies. Ordering the execution of women who fail to bleed on their wedding night to prove their virginity. Demanding the execution of misbehaved children. Demanding the execution of those who deny god. (God demands that you kill me by the way. better get on that.) This list could go on page after page if need be.

    And let's not forget about the countless classics like Abraham and Isaac, or of poor Job. People just tend to ignore most of the bible and focus on the parts that make them feel good or the parts that they think can still be applied to the modern world.

    You are right however, the HE>i symbol IS representative of humility and servitude. I would say that is a pretty good explanation of something self-depreciating.

    This symbol does not spread love, it spreads the belief in the largely dis-proven mythology of a vengeful and angry god belonging to a small bronze-age tribe of middle eastern desert dwelling goat herders. One that has immense negative social impact on the world.

    A populous that denies history and facts in favor of fantastical mythology and the questionable morality it demands is nothing if not detrimental. And so to those who promote the perpetuation of such a world, I do not apologize for being rude.

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  17. Believing in any form of Evolution takes more faith then the bible. The theory of evolution is just that - a theory, and for it, and in turn, atheism, to be held on a pedestal above Theism is pure arrogance. Any educated theist could point out just as many flaws in Darwin's theory, or whatever it's "evolved" into now, then an atheist could in Christianity.

    The point here is your so called "reason" is clouded by the very thing you despise in Theists - blind allegiance. A 1st grader could ask questions about evolution that could not be answered by the most celebrated scientist on the planet. "Where did it all come from?" a child would ask. "The Big Bang." would likely be the answer, but what happens if the child follows up with another question? "Well, where did that come from?" Sure, there's some complex explanation for those questions, but how far do they go? Can we really explain, or find any scientific evidence for, the big bang? No, we can't, just like we can't "prove" God exists.

    Your religion takes as much faith as anyone else's, buddy.

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  18. Marc.

    Perhaps you have heard of the heliocentric theory of the solar system? The germ theory of disease? How about the theory of gravity. Heard of that one?

    The word "theory" in scientific usage is not the same word as the one used in common language. It is not a guess or conjecture. It is a unified explanation of a phenomenon supported by facts, laws, and evidence. What you're thinking of is a hypothesis. Of which Evolution is not.

    If you'd like to ask me a question about evolution, any question, I'd be more than happy to answer it for you. That really is beside the point however, because evolution is far from the only bit of fact that contradicts the bible. Evolution is not an alternative to religion any more than astronomy. Evolution does not, and was never meant to, disprove the actual existence of any gods whatsoever. It does however disprove much of genesis and other bits of the bible here and there. Not because that was it's purpose, but rather because a middle eastern tribe of nomadic desert-dwelling bronze age goat herders weren't very good at guessing the structure of life on earth. Under the circumstances, you can't really blame them.

    The heliocentric theory of the solar system (the one that states that the sun, rather than the earth, is at the center of the solar system) also directly contradicts the bible. As do thousands of other known facts.

    Evolution just happens to be the thing Christians focus on the most because it is the most elegant and striking contradiction to a central theme of the bible. It is FAR from the only thing the bible has gotten wrong.

    As for the "origin of the big bang", that has nothing to do with evolution. That is astrophysics. Physics and biology are not the same thing, but thank you for pointing out another thing the bible has gotten wrong.

    The big bang happened. It is no more a "guess" than the theory of gravity. What happened before that is as yet unanswered because time and space did not exist at that point, making evidence gathering quite difficult.

    Scientists don't claim to have all of the answers, especially the answer to what happened before the big bang. There are a few hypotheses (different from theories mind you) but nothing has been proven. What WOULD be arrogant is to claim that one DOES have absolute knowledge about such things. Things with no evidence to support them. Things like young earth creationism.

    Look, there was a time when lightening wasn't understood, and what people said is that god was responsible. There was a time when nobody knew what caused a rainbow, and people said it was god's creation to show us that he would never again destroy all life on earth by means of water. There was a time when nobody knew what the moon or sun or stars or planets were, so people wrote in the bible that they were god's lights that he placed in a layer above the (flat) earth called the "firmament".

    Things humanity did not yet know is where god has always lurked, but that which we do not know has shrunk significantly since the dark ages when religion ruled the world and continues to do so still. The gaps in our understanding is shrinking by the day, to the point where the tiny cracks people have left to shove god have to reach all the way back to the beginning of time, when time and space did not even exist in the literal sense of the terms.

    I'd say that's quite a losing battle for those who would prefer to persist in dis-proven mythology.

    Want a little icing on the cake? According to the bible, dragons, giants, and even unicorns are real. Yes, unicorns are real. Whether they are invisible and pink however remains to be determined.

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    1. Dear Aristotle's Muse,

      After reading the whole conversation thread up to March 10, 2012, I must thank you for your posts, this one in particular being my favorite. I even read all your links! I sure wish I could construct arguments that are as elegant, cogent and well written as yours. I've read Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, James Randi, and many others for the purpose of both educating myself and helping me communicate better, all with very little improvement over the last few years. (...sigh...) My favorite little book lately has been "Letter to a Christian Nation" by Sam Harris, one of my all-time favorite authors. You'd like it very much if you haven't read it already.

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    2. I've actually never read an "atheist" book. I've read all of Sagan's work and much of Hawking's and Tyson DeGrasse's stuff too, but nothing specifically about atheism itself. I couldn't really tell you why.

      I have watched many videos of Hitchens, Harris, Dawkins etc. however.

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  19. I love posts about God, Jesus... They get people thinking. Those that do believe in Him and those that don't. Thank you.

    HE>I

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  20. i come on to google images to find He>i because its what i believe adn i find a bunch of STUPID people saying that God is imaginary. i hope you have fun in hell. ill be praying for all of you sad people in hopes that youll see that your nothing with out the Lord. John 3:16. God gave up his son for the sins of the earth and he died on a cross for you, and you DISGRACE him by daying that he isnt real?
    WITHOUT HIM YOU WOULDNT BE ALIVE! so i think anyone who agrees with the person that wrote this article should really take a good look at themselves and think b4 u post:)

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    1. The only logical conclusion one could possibly draw from the history of judeo-christian religions and the contents of their holy books is that they are simply the primitive mythology of a few scattered semi-literate tribes in the deserts of the middle east during the bronze age.

      We are not atheists because we "hate god" or because we "don't want to be morally responsible" or are "afraid to admit the truth" or are "too proud" or that we don't know enough about religion. We are atheists because we know so much about Christianity (and other religions)to understand what they are and where they come from.

      If you'd like to discuss this matter and why so many people know your god isn't real, you can find me on facebook. http://www.facebook.com/aristotles.muse

      I'd be more than happy to fill you in on the facts.

      Remember, you are an atheist too. You are an atheist about all the thousands of other possible gods worshiped around the globe. I simply believe in one fewer god than you do.

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    2. Anonymous,

      It is unfortunate that you feel the need to insult others. This doesn't improve your argument at all: you can't make yourself look good by making others look bad. It's similar to yelling. Yelling doesn't make you more right, it only makes you more loud.

      So, Who Would Jesus Insult?

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  21. as you burn in hell, discuss with the devil what he thinks about this. i'm not being mean, but if you happen to think that God doesn't exist, therefore you don't believe, well then the sad reality of this is that you will be in hell. you will be eternally condemned. i truly hope the gospel reaches you and the Holy Spirit opens your eyes. i will be praying for you in your ignorance. my God is a merciful God.

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    1. After all that, you cap it off with "My God is a merciful God"? You don't see the glaring lapse in logic there?

      The reason I don't believe in your god isn't because of my "ignorance". It is precisely for the same reason you don't believe in Zeus or Gaia or Zoroaster or any other possible god. It is because of no evidence in support of such gods and mountains of evidence against. (including YHWH a.k.a. the god of Abraham a.k.a. "your" god) I know your god does not exist for the same reason you know the easter bunny doesn't exist. Because it's ridiculous.

      Thanks for the threat of everlasting damnation in eternal hellfire though. Such a nice thing for a good Christian to say.

      Tell you what, if you convert to Classical Greek Olympian, I'll put in a good word with Hades to give you good treatment in the underworld. Otherwise, you can expect to forever have your liver pecked out by a ravenous crow every day for eternity. Zeus is a merciful god.

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  22. You're joke "logo" is too niche, guy. It's not funny if you need a blog to explain it. SOMEBODY needs a hobby/girlfriend/workout routine.

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    1. See, what you've come across here is something that exists in a place where you do not live. That place is called "the rest of the world". See, if someone were to make a joke about Cracker Barrel and put it on a shirt, someone from Toronto wouldn't understand it. It doesn't make it a bad joke, it means the person doesn't live in a place where the subject matter is relevant.

      This subject matter is relevant to those living in Hawaii and to a lesser extend, the west coast of the United States.

      If you didn't get it simply because you didn't know that there is no solution to √-1, that's not a failure on my part, that's all you buddy.

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  23. I am so sorry that some legalistic Christian shoved God and religion down your throat in the past. The God I serve is a God of freedom. Yes, God was violent and cruel in the old testament,and he created many laws that I will never understand, but he sent Jesus to die and set us free from the law and of this cruelness. We are made to be free, not to pointless rules, which unfortunately many christians tend to follow subconsiously and this plays out badly on others, not reflecting the true charater of Christ. You seem to be a very intellegent person and I admire your attention to detail and your belief in your convictions. I am also strong in my beliefs and convictions, and actually I plan to get this tattoo'd on my foot soon. But I am sorry that Jesus was forced on you in the wrong way. If I am wrong and religion wasnt shoved down your throat, please disregard this message and have a great day.

    HE>i

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    1. You seem like a nice person and I appreciate your candor.

      Anyway, Jesus wasn't shoved down my throat. Not any more than the average American anyway. You've made the common mistake of assuming an atheist does not believe in god because he is angry with god or angry with christians. The reason I don't believe in your god or any other god is that all of the evidence indicates that they do not exist.

      It's like assuming I don't believe in unicorns because I am angry with unicorns or because when I was a kid all of the adults kept trying to make me play with My Little Pony.

      No, I don't believe in unicorns because unicorns aren't real. I can't prove that they are not real, and neither can you, but it's pretty ridiculous to assert that they are regardless because all of the evidence consistently correlates with each other and shows that they are not.

      It wouldn't matter if the large majority of the population believed in unicorns or if the bible said they were real (it does by the way), I would still not believe in them. Just the same way I do not believe in Thor, or Mithra, or Herecles, or Dionysus, or Horus, or Yhwh, or Jesus.

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Please keep all comments civil. Please keep any arguments rational.

Thank you.