Mississippi Atheists

Brave Mississippi Student Stands Up for Separation of Church and State

2013-05-16T05:11:00.001-05:00

As you know, the American Humanist Association is suing Northwest Rankin High School (Flowood, MS) for allegedly forcing students to attend an assembly where members of Pinelake Baptist Church subjected them to proselytizing and sectarian prayer. While most of the mainstream media coverage of the suit has assumed that the plaintiff must be an atheist student, it appears that this is not the case. One of the plaintiffs, Gracie Bedi, has courageously revealed herself in an effort to clear up the misinformation surrounding the motives for the suit.

I abandon anonymity not to call attention to myself, but rather to call attention to the case and better validate its purpose. As a student at the high school, I have been privy to the thoughts and analysis of my peers, and what I’ve heard has been incredibly disheartening. Rather than reviewing the case as one of constitutional rights, I have been written off as an angry atheist, a scorned student, and even as a greedy child looking only for profit. Allow me to defend myself against such harsh conclusions.

In addition to explaining that she is not an atheist but a Christian, Gracie describes the purpose of the lawsuit as being "about out constitutional right to be free from the government promoting these religious beliefs." So what we appear to have in Gracie is a Christian who understands why separation of church and state is important. Outstanding!

I take issue with the fact that my peers and I were forced to attend a preferential religious sermon by a public school administration. The government, and Northwest is indeed a government for all intents and purposes, has no place in dictating the religion of the governed.

Gracie goes on to note that she is not doing this to get back at the school, a school with which she has been quite happy. She also points out that this is not about trying to earn money from the suit, explaining that a legal victory would only require the school to pay for the legal fees incurred. I encourage you to take the time to read Gracie's excellent letter for yourself. I applaud her courage and hope her suit succeeds.

H/T to Godless in Dixie

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Neil Carter Interviewed for Interview an Atheist at Church Day

2013-05-05T09:25:00.001-05:00

Here is Neil Carter of Godless in Dixie being interviewed at the Meadowbrook Church of Christ in Jackson as part of Interview an Atheist at Church Day.

Big thanks to Hemant Mehta (Friendly Atheist) for bringing this to my attention. He always seems to know far more about what is happening with atheists here in Mississippi than I do.

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Public School Students in Mississippi Forced to Attend Christian Lectures While Teachers Block Exits

2013-04-28T07:46:00.001-05:00

Map of Mississippi highlighting Rankin County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The separation of church and state is under attack here in Mississippi. We have teacher-led prayer taking place in our public schools in clear violation of the U.S. Constitution and considerable case law, and our elected officials seem to be determined to remove any legal obstacles to having even more of it. Under the guise of religious freedom, they are seeking the freedom to impose their particular brand of evangelical fundamentalist Christianity on the rest of us.

And now, right on the heels of news that Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny Dupree is using city resources to promote religion through his annual prayer breakfast, even more disturbing news out of Mississippi is starting to gain national attention.

According to The Raw Story, Northwest Rankin High School in Flowood is being sued by the American Humanist Association after allegedly forcing students to watch a Christian video and attend a sectarian religious presentation given by church officials.

The school has held at least three mandatory assemblies about finding hope in Jesus Christ this month, according to the lawsuit. The assemblies showed a video laced with Christian messages about overcoming personal hardships through Jesus Christ and were allegedly led by local church officials.

Students attending a public high school in our state were allegedly required to attend assemblies where they got to hear all about Jesus offering some sort of blood sacrifice for our "sins." The lawsuit alleges that the assemblies wrapped up with prayer "and teachers blocked the exits to prevent students from leaving." So much for religious freedom, huh?

This lawsuit should be a clear victory for the American Humanist Association and will hopefully serve as a wake-up call to those in our state who appear to view public schools as little more than an opportunity to push their superstitions on a captive audience. If you are interested in joining the American Humanist Association to support their efforts, you can do so on their website.

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About Mayor Dupree's Prayer Breakfast

2013-04-27T10:03:00.003-05:00

English: Mississippi gubernatorial candidate Johnny DuPree at a forum sponsored by the Mississippi Democratic Club (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have been trying to get additional information on Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny Dupree's prayer breakfast, which is scheduled for May 2, 2013, in spite of a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation explaining that government promotion of religion is unconstitutional. Here is what we know so far:

The city government's website is being used to promote the prayer breakfast.
The prayer breakfast is being held at the Lake Terrace Convention Center.
Tickets for the event are being sold through the city's website using a form that instructs attendees to make their check's payable to the "Mayor's Community Activity Fund."
Those with questions about the event are directed to a city employee at a city telephone number.

The exact amount of money the city is spending to lease the convention center, promote the event, book the talent, etc. is unknown. The Freedom From Religion Foundation has filed an open records request to obtain this information.

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Hattiesburg Mayor Goes Forward With Prayer Breakfast

2013-04-26T09:19:00.003-05:00

Here is what Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny Dupree had to say after the Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter to his office urging him to cancel a prayer breakfast supported with public money (i.e., our tax dollars):

Hattiesburg is a praying city. We all understand what prayer does, how powerful prayer is. Personally prayer has done so much for my family, and people that I love. So we'll continue to have the prayer breakfast.

The Mayor appears to have no understanding of the law, the scientific studies which have debunked prayer, or the fact that there are several atheists living in his city. We are part of the city. We understand that prayer accomplishes nothing and has no power. We also recognize that the mayor's belief that prayer has helped his family is wholly irrelevant to whether he is entitled to spend public funds to promote religion.

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A Blog's Got to Know Its Limitations

2013-04-15T15:16:00.001-05:00

Cover of Magnum Force (Deluxe Edition)

Some of you will recognize that the title of this post is a play on one of Clint Eastwood's famous lines from Magnum Force: "A man's got to know his limitations." I am writing this post to explain some of the limitations of this blog in the hope that it will reduce some of the confusion I am encountering.

It is important that you understand that Mississippi Atheists is just a blog. If our traffic is any indication, it is not even a particularly popular blog. While it has had some wonderful co-authors over the years, most have disappeared along the way. There are now no more than three of us now that contribute on what could be called a regular basis, and even that might be an overly generous description. I say this not to take anything away from those who have contributed and continue to contribute. Without them, this blog would have ceased to exist a long time ago. Rather, I say this because some people regularly assume that this blog is something it is not and never has been (e.g., a state-wide atheist organization, a large activist group, and the like).

I am routinely asked how people can join our organization, but there is no organization to join. I am periodically asked by news organizations if our media representative would like to participate in an interview or give a comment, but we do not have a media representative. And I am often scolded for not doing more to advance atheism, the separation of church and state, and other common goals in Mississippi.

If this blog was something other than a blog, this would all be appropriate. But it is only a blog. I share your frustration that more isn't being done in Mississippi. It would be great if Mississippi had a state-wide atheist organization or at least a state-wide group of activists who could be called to action when our shared values were threatened. But this blog is not that organization. We are just 2-3 people doing what we can to keep this small blog going in the hopes that we can provide something of value to atheists in Mississippi.

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In Iain Banks, We Are Losing One of Our Own

2013-04-12T11:39:00.000-05:00

Fellow Mississippi Atheists, it seems we are losing one of our own in the sad announcement of Iain Banks' late stage gallbladder cancer (He is marrying his longtime love as well).

I had heard of Scottish writer Iain Banks, long recommended by fellow readers, but hadn't read him yet. First an interview with him discussing atheism, second is writer Val McDermid's article in the Guardian.

http://rationalist.org.uk/articles/2832/qa-iain-banks

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/apr/03/iain-banks-my-fife-friend?mobile-redirect=false

--P.K. Atheist

Atheist Rights

2013-04-10T20:40:00.001-05:00

English: Sam Harris (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The recent attacks on Sam Harris have given me pause. I recommend you follow the links and catch up if you haven't been following this flap. Nathan Lean's hit piece may be read here, and Glenn Greenwald's unscrupulous misrepresentation may be read here. Sam Harris' response may be read here.

But the essence is just this: Harris has been misquoted and misrepresented in a deliberate attempt at defamation, for no other reason than speaking the truth with clarity and precision.

What strikes me about the attacks is that they are unscrupulous and dishonest, but it was this post by Lean that made it clear to me that those who attack the so-called new atheists on ridiculous trumped up and baseless grounds have absolutely no interest in helping the Muslims who are poor victims of "Islamaphobia" (what a ridiculous term). This is all about defaming the vociferous and brutally honest new atheists. Sam Harris, the face of new atheism, has endured the brunt of those attacks.

Harris is a man I deeply admire because he is an academic in the best sense. He takes academic honesty, academic integrity, seriously. In every word he writes, it is clear to me that he lives those values. Those values are at the core of his identity. He reminds me of Socrates, who was no respecter of persons, and, as a friend of mine is fond of saying, without the protections afforded by academic freedom, and in the United States the freedom of speech, Socrates always drinks the hemlock.

We might as well have a debate about the existence of Santa. Anyone with a normally-developed brain knows the emperor wears no clothes. Harris recognizes this, which is why his writing doesn't address the validity of god-belief, but the horrible ways people behave in the name of religion. I myself have tired of arguing about god with stupid and desperate and emotionally stunted people. It is settled. God-belief is ridiculous, and few people really have it. Religion is all about the trappings, the community, the powerful memes that exploit our human herd instincts. Nothing more. For those reasons people defend stupid ideas and do horrendous things.

I am tired of people who can't be honest with themselves. That is not my problem.

It is the horrendous things that I want to make the central point of this piece, and from here I can make it rather briefly. My argument is just this: All around us, we find hatred. Our arguments are mispresented and misquoted. We are defamed. We are libeled. We are the subject of unmitigated hatred because we tell the truth.

Atheist activists who waste time debunking creationism, for instance, are wasting their time by picking the low-hanging fruit. Nothing is to be gained by arguing with stupid people about things that have already been settled.

How many of you have received death threats for being an out atheist?
How many of you have lost friends and family?
How many of you have suffered from bigotry and discrimination?

Atheist activism has to start focusing on our rights to basic human dignity, to respect, and to acceptance. We have to start fighting against libel, against hatred, against bigotry. Our cause, I'm convinced, has to make human rights its focus.

I believe that sooner or later, as the fundamentalists become more and more irrelevant, and therefore more dangerous, we are going to see an escalation of violence committed against atheists. Christianity is, at it's core, a violent religion with exceedingly stupid, desperate, and emotionally stunted adherents, and combine that with the dishonest charlatans, the unscrupulous commentators, who gladly lead the herd to do ridiculous things, and I foresee a real disaster on the horizon. We have to fight for our dignity. We have to focus our energy fighting for our basic rights to exist, and to speak the truth, to an irrational world.

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Will the Statement on Civility Help?

2013-04-03T05:59:00.001-05:00

English: Atheist Badge:The design of the A-letter originates from the outcampaign.org - "Scarlet A" Deutsch: Atheist Kennzeichnungsplakette (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

During a recent meeting of the leaders of several national secular organizations, an open letter to the secular community was drafted calling for greater civility in online communication. I posted the entire letter on Atheist Revolution (see Secular Leaders Address Incivility in the Atheist Community) and expressed by support for it. It is not perfect, but it strikes me as a worthwhile step.

Now the question becomes whether it will help. Will the atheist community use the letter as an opportunity to engage in some meaningful reflection, or will it be dismissed without much thought? If you answered "both," I think you are probably right. Some atheists will undoubtedly give the letter serious consideration; others will reject it and keep doing what they are doing. This is inevitable, in part, because our goals are diverse and because some have found incivility to be quite profitable.

In any case, my hope is that the letter helps to bring about at least some elevation in our discourse. The issues with which we wrestle ought to be more important than the personalities involved.

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The Controversial Harassment Post at Atheist Revolution

2013-03-31T08:48:00.002-05:00

The following post has been cross-posted at Revolutionary Atheist (Tumblr). I thought it was worth sharing since I know there is some interest in what has been happening in the larger atheist community.

I’ve been mired in a bit of a controversy over at Atheist Revolution, and here is a brief summary of what happened:

I wrote a post in which I examined the legal definitions of harassment and sought to explore some of the common accusations of harassment I have seen in the atheist community to see which ones fit the legal understanding of harassment.
Someone affiliated with Atheist Alliance International tweeted a link to this post.
Ophelia Benson and Rebecca Watson expressed their outrage to Atheist Alliance International for promoting a post with which they disagreed.
The president of Atheist Alliance International posted a public apology for tweeting my post and removed the tweet from the organizations Twitter tread. The apology incorrectly characterized my post as having “trivialised harassment of women in the atheist community.”
I posted a brief response to the apology in which I pointed out that my original post made no mention of the harassment of women and had not trivialized anything. As a few commenters on my blog noted, my original post actually opposed the trivialization of harassment by those who characterize anything with which they disagree as harassment.
The president of Atheist Alliance International left a comment on that post in which he explained the contents of his apology.
Finally, I posted my reaction to his comment and attempted to clear up any remaining misunderstandings.

For the record, it does not bother me that Atheist Alliance International deleted a tweet promoting my post or even that they issued a public apology in response to external pressure from persons associated with Freethought Blogs/Skepchick/Atheism+. I do believe that they made a mistake in characterizing what I wrote as being directed at women or as trivializing harassment; however, I believe that this situation reveals a larger problem in our community that is far more important than how Atheist Alliance International handled this situation. I think there is a lesson here:

If any behavior that offends someone or any words with which someone disagrees can be labeled “harassment” solely on the basis of one’s emotional reaction to them, then harassment ceases to have meaning.

I’d like to conclude by saying that I really appreciate the outpouring of support I have received from many in the atheist community. Your words of encouragement have been heard and had an impact.

On Coming Out, Atheist is a Bad, Bad Word

2013-03-25T17:47:00.004-05:00

Coming!!! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My new year's resolution was to be out of the closet, and here it is March and I'm still on the wagon. I've been out in the social media, out on my personal web page, and just generally out all the way around. I'm in my mid-thirties, relatively secure in my job, my friends, my own skin, and it was time. It feels good.

One can find plenty of coming-out testimonies, plenty of pleadings and arguments that beg closeted atheists to come out, but I don't want this piece to pander or beg. One has to make his or her own decisions about such things, and a person's reasons for being in or out is his or her own business. All of our circumstances are different. Years ago, for instance, I wasn't comfortable enough in my career to be out, and that situation has improved enough that I'm willing to risk it.

But notice that I just used the word risk. I'm sure many of Mississippi's atheists feel a great deal of societal pressure to stay in the closet, or perhaps even jump back in. In my own life, things had to align just right, and so I was in a double-bind. Showing Mississippi that I exist is perhaps the most important reason to be out, so that people can't demonize atheists quite so easily, yet coming out opens one up to the demonizing.

On facebook, my being out has had the unexpected consequence of demonstrating that the word atheist is still a very, very bad word among many of my fellow Mississippians, and that was brought to my attention by members of my own extended family.

My grandmothers are still alive, both in their 90s, and each of them was informed about my atheism by members of my family. What struck me about this situation was a phone call from my mother, who told me both grannys asked her about it, very much concerned, and that she lied to them. She told them that I was not an atheist because if I was, well, that would have been far too much for a 90-year-old to bear. They are too old to deal with such horrible news was her sentiment, expressed in only slightly milder words.

My own mother insulted me right to my face. Being an atheist is a bad, bad thing, and if I won't stay in the closet, dear ole Mom will try to stuff me back in. I brought the insult to her attention. I'm an atheist, and I'm proud to be an atheist, I told her. As far as I'm concerned, dear ole grandma can know it, too. I shouldn't have to hide my identity from the very people who are supposed to love me no matter what. My own children could do nothing to switch off my love, so I was willing to risk it with Granny. Mom wasn't feeling so frisky, though. She chose to maintain the lie.

I, for one, am sick of one of the core features of my identity being treated as if it is some deep flaw, some awful defect. I am an atheist, and I am proud to be one. I struggled to get here, to overthrow my childhood indoctrination and live a life devoid of wishful thinking and superstition. I base my views on evidence, not divination, and I try to do good with my life, to have a positive impact on the people in my life. So much human potential is wasted on things that don't exist, and it saddens me. I am no longer willing to let it slide. I don't care if you are my 90-year-old grandmother. I am going to be who I am because that is one of the surest things I can do to make this world a better place than it was when I got here.

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Activists Mobilize as Mississippi Promotes Prayer in School

2013-03-25T05:13:00.001-05:00

American Civil Liberties Union (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As you have undoubtedly heard by now, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed a bill requiring public schools in our state to develop policies under which students will be permitted to pray at sports events, school assemblies, and even over school intercom systems. This bill, HB 638, was passed under the guise of protecting students' religious freedom; however, we recognize it for what it is: an effort to bypass Engel v. Vitale and Abington School District v. Schempp, returning to the days before 1962 when prayer in school was inescapable.

David Silverman, the president of American Atheists, referred to the legislation as "an overt act of hostility against minority religious beliefs and atheists, disguised as religious freedom." He is correct. Implementing this law will further marginalize atheists and religious minorities throughout the state.

Public school students and teachers have always had the right to pray in school, and this is a commonly exercised right here in Mississippi. What they have not had the right to do is impose their religious views on others through public, school-sanctioned prayer. Mississippi is aiming to change that with this new law.

The law was written to bypass the prohibition on formal school-sanctioned prayer, and it does so by permitting students to deliver public prayers as long as they are accompanied by some sort of disclaimer from the school. This transparent charade must not be allowed to stand.

The Time for Activism

Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, Freedom From Religion Foundation, and Americans United for Separation of Church and State are widely expected to fight this new legislation, which takes effect on July 1. Unfortunately, they probably will not be able to do so until a school implements the law and causes harm to countless children in the process. These groups will need complaints in order to act, and their typical actions will include letters attempting to educate state officials on the law. Since their new policies will have the cover of this new state law, it seems unlikely that school officials will give in to the pressure from these groups. This means that it might take the family of a child adversely affected by the law being willing to come forward as a plaintiff.

None of this means we just have to sit on our hands in the meantime. Now is the time for church-state activists to mobilize. There is at least one important thing we can start doing now: we need to educate our fellow Mississippians about why this legislation is a bad idea and how it will affect atheists and other religious minorities throughout our state. We need to drum up public opposition to this legislation.

Fortunately, this is not the sort of fight we atheists should have to wage on our own. I suspect there are at least a few Jews and Catholics here in Mississippi who are less than thrilled at the prospect of their children being exposed to evangelical fundamentalist Christian prayers on the school intercom each day. I suspect we can find some allies for this fight. And we are going to need them.

I realize that opposing legislation that is likely to be as popular in our state as this seems like an uphill battle. There is no getting around that. But again, most things worth fighting for are not easy. And this is definitely worth fighting for.

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Update From Atheist Mom of First Grader Facing Teacher-Led Prayer in School

2013-03-21T05:41:00.002-05:00

Here is an update from the atheist mother of a first grader who contacted us to share her frustration about teacher-led prayer in her daughter's public elementary school.

I just wanted to follow up as you were so kind in sharing my frustration:

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) has sent a letter to the school superintendent (cc: school principal) regarding my complaint, anonymously. I am so grateful! They very eloquently pointed out that "Parents, not teachers, are entitled to decide what religious ideologies to expose their children to." They also requested that all administrators and staff be informed that they are not permitted to direct, encourage, or participate in religious exercises with students.

The FFRF expressed that they would let me know if they received a response, as requested, from the school.

So.....I looked up the school superintendent's bio:

Ben is deeply involved in Lamar County and the local area being an active member in the Heritage United Methodist Church, as well as many other Christian and family organizations in the local area, state and nationwide.

We shall see.............

Devout Methodist or not, I would hope the superintendent understands the importance of complying with the law and the vulnerability to a lawsuit if he does not. This is a great example of how the Freedom From Religion Foundation can help with church-state violations. Thank you for the update, and please do let us know what you hear next.

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Thoughts on School Prayer From PK Atheist

2013-03-07T06:05:00.001-06:00

A stachue of santa claus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here is a contribution from PK ATHEIST about the recent post on prayer in a Mississippi school.

Regarding the illegality -- if she chooses to do something -- I would think she would want to contact not only the Freedom from Religion Foundation but the ACLU of Mississippi and the Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The only way I can see that this could be at all remotely legal (not that that bothers Mississippians) is if one of the moms started the prayer. They've been using that kind of fiction you know in some ways like that prayer at the pole crap (Regardless I would keep all three of the above posted I think and be sure). The ACLU of Mississippi has had some success I believe with letters to these school districts, the Freedom from Religion Foundation too, and Americans United as well. Americans United is at www.au.org She could turn them in anonymously at any of them I would think especially if she didn't give her name as then they couldn't inadvertently let it slip.

Regarding her daughter. I think she might want to consider telling her daughter about Santa soon and doing it as my minister father did when I was 6. He wrote on the blackboard that Santa Claus was the spirit of Christmas and giving, a symbol of giving to others. I immediately second doublechecked that this wasn't going to affect gifts -- it wasn't -- said "okay" and we went on from there. Santa Claus continued in our household throughout the rest of his life and continues in my adulthood too. School kids do their version of telling one about Santa and that is why my dad didn't want to wait. (One had of course already heard rumors though I didn't want to disappoint him and tell him that.

My road to atheism really started as a preschooler with my father having told me firmly there was no such thing as ghosts and my then mulling over the Trinity & "holy ghost" business in the hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy." She might want to explain to the child that god is a symbol a lot of people use for trying to guide people ethically and that somewhere along the way some people think of him as real instead of an embodiment of a concept of how to be good (or however she sees it). If she doesn't share her position & foster thought on it, it won't be the entrenched one it seems to me as there is something to what you hear under age 7 having a great impact.
She might mention to the school principal how RUDE it is for those who are Jews or atheists or who believe in complying with the law without mentioning that she herself fits in one of those categories? The school principal may not know, may welcome straightening out this teacher.

There was one in another local school district in the 80s who had students praying for points, a story I may share later.

PK ATHEIST, my two cents

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Prayer in a Mississippi School

2013-03-06T16:35:00.002-06:00

I just received this post from a reader. See if you have any ideas for her. Assuming that this is a public school, I have to think what she observed was not legal. I'd consider contacting the Freedom From Religion Foundation, as I understand they can often contact the school without having to identify the family involved.

Please let me share my frustrations.

I am an atheist mom of a first grader. I share with my daughter, vaguely, my belief that god is 'make believe'. I do this vaguely simply because I love that she believes in Santa Claus and once she gets old enough I will have the two to compare because I believe that god, like Santa, is pretend and fiction.

Today was 'Meals with Moms' day at my daughter's school in Lamar County so I happily took off work to attend. Before leaving for the lunchroom with all the moms and excited daughters, the teacher said 'its time for our blessing' and commenced to recite the 'god is good' kids prayer. I looked in awe as EVERYONE in the room, including my daughter who bumped me to close my eyes, bowed their heads!

Help! How do I address this without my daughter being an outcast or treated differently??

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Complain Now to Create the Future You Want

2013-02-24T08:12:00.000-06:00

Future Music Festival 2011 (Photo credit: Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer)

Every single time I have ever complained about a church-state violation to someone in a position capable to doing something about it, the immediate response with which I have been greeted has been the same: surprise followed by the statement, "Nobody has ever complained before." I suspect that this statement is often accurate. After all, this is Mississippi. It seems probable that no one had previously complained. But the important thing is that somebody has now complained. And no that some one has complained, what is this person prepared to do about it?

Speaking out is often difficult, especially in an environment that can be downright hostile to nonbelievers at times. But we cannot assume that every one of our neighbors is acting out of bad intent. Some really do not know any better. They have grown up in Christian privilege and have never had a reason to question it. Some are willing to correct their behavior when we explain why it is problematic. And believe it or not, some even apologize once they understand the nature of the problem.

I really believe that this sort of complaining is one of the ways we atheists can assist future generations and leave our world a somewhat better place than we found it. The battles that we fight today should be easier in the future because of the groundwork we provide now. Ours may be the first church-state complaint, but that might be all some take. And for those who do require more, at least the next one won't be the first.

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Dan Barker to Speak in Hattiesburg

2013-02-17T11:29:00.001-06:00

University of Southern Mississippi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dan Barker, Co-President of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, will present "Losing Faith in Faith" (his personal story of moving from Christian pastor to atheist), on Saturday, February 23, at 3:00 pm in the Gonzales Auditorium (Liberal Arts Building 108) at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS.

This event is being sponsored by the Secular Student Alliance at Southern Miss.

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Operation Christmas Child: Harmless Charity or Harmful Evangelism?

2013-02-12T06:17:00.000-06:00

Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes ready for shipping. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A post from tduck, a new contributor who resides in northeast Mississippi:

Operation Christmas Child is a “global Christmas gift exchange” project created in, 1990, by Dave Cook and operated by Samaritan’s Purse. Those who Participate in Operation Christmas Child are asked to pack a shoe box with a variety of useful items (toys, school supplies, hygiene items, hard candy, clothes, and the like) and then the box is wrapped up and sent to needy children overseas.

I was in high school when I first learned of the organization and I thought, “That’s so nice, I’ll have to be sure to participate.” I soon started thinking of what gifts I should put in my box, so I went online and found a video about the organization and how I should pack my box. After watching the video, I was shocked by what they put in after you have packed it. Inside the box, they put a Christian leaflet (in the country’s native language) designed to indoctrinate the young and naïve into the Christian faith. “Officially” the leaflet is four pages long and tells the story of the life of Jesus Christ. However, the dropping off of boxes is often accompanied by the distribution of bibles as well as a bible lesson and the signing of a religious "pledge card."

Since the introduction of the program, Operation Christmas Child has distributed more than 70 million shoeboxes in more than 130 different countries, almost all of which are traditionally non-Christian. After the “kindness” given by Jesus and his followers, these children are almost certain to convert. I personally question the harm that such a project is doing, not only to foreign affairs but to the children themselves, who are likely to be persecuted for their new beliefs. How would Christians feel if their children were given a Quran? They would be furious.

Furthermore, the chief executive officer of Operation Christmas Child is right wing fundamentalist Franklin Graham (son of evangelist Billy Graham). In regards to Operation Christmas Child, Franklin Graham was quoted as saying,

[Operation Christmas Child] is about introducing children and their families to god’s greatest gift - His son, Jesus Christ. As long as evangelism is the focus, God will continue to bless it.

I have not yet participated in Operation Christmas child, nor will I. Even though children all over the world need help, evangelism is not the way.

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Tornado in Hattiesburg

2013-02-11T07:44:00.000-06:00

DCP_0033.JPG (Photo credit: vjack)

Until yesterday, I could not say that I had ever heard what a tornado sounds like up close. I thought I had once before, but I really hadn't. I learned that yesterday afternoon when a large tornado touched down west of Hattiesburg and continued well into town, carving a path of destruction along the way.

Shortly after I heard the tornado siren going off for the second time, I started to hear a strange whistling sound that was becoming louder and louder. A quick look out the window told me that this was the real thing. The sky, which had been fairly bright only moments ago, was now dark. I became aware of what I can only describe as an abrupt change in air pressure and an odd tingling sensation - it was almost as if the air was becoming charged with electricity. The lights started to flicker, alternating between being fully on and only about halfway on. It was as if everything was on a dimmer switch being turned down halfway.

I turned off my computer and ran through the house unplugging everything. The sensation of electricity in the air increased, and the loud whistling now sounded more like a howl. This was not looking good.

I know one is supposed to get away from windows and move to an interior room during a tornado warning. The problem is that we get these warnings so often and they last so long that I'd practically have to live in my closet to do that. There was something different about this one though, and so I decided it was time to get to the closet.

On the way to the closet, I paused in front of my back door. The last time I saw the trees moving like that was during Hurricane Katrina. The howling sound was even worse, and I could feel the wind blowing through the frame around the door. It was so strong it felt as if the door could be blown in. Into the closet.

A preliminary damage assessment, consisting of me walking around in the rain with a flashlight was promising. Many downed tree branches, a few on the roof, but nothing too serious. I'll be heading outside this morning to take a more thorough look once I have a bit more light.

The campus of the University of Southern Mississippi sustained major damage. It sounds like 4 buildings were badly damaged. Many neighborhoods between where I live and the university were also damaged. Some of my friends are still without power, some have roof damage, and some had their air conditioning/heating units ripped from the ground and tossed across the street. A few apartment complexes where students live seem to be missing large portions of their roofs. If you have seen the same photos and amateur videos being collected by the local media, you'll know that I was lucky and that today will be the beginning of a prolonged period of clean up in the Hattiesburg area.

I hope those of you in the area came through this one okay too.

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Confederate Battle Flag Flies Over Mississippi Supreme Court

2013-02-09T06:58:00.001-06:00

The "Confederate Flag", a rectangular variant of the Battle Flag. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If I believed in signs, omens, and that sort of thing...

On February 8, 2013 at 3:20 p.m., the Confederate battle flag could be seen flying over the Mississippi Supreme Court in place of the state flag that usually occupies that flagpole. The flag was removed later that day, and the Court is expected to issue a statement explaining what is being described as a mistake. As Cottonmouth noted,

Not good timing for a mistake like this, coming right on the heels of new nullification bills being filed in the Mississippi Legislature.

I agree.

While I really hope this was a genuine mistake, I do find myself wondering if that is really the case. The day before the Confederate battle flag was raised over our state supreme court, we learned that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rejected Mississippi's proposal for a state-run health insurance exchange. Is it really just a coincidence that the wrong flag was raised one day later? I hope so, but I'm skeptical.

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I Can Remain Silent No Longer

2013-02-08T17:58:00.001-06:00

English: Blogger and Broadcaster (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(Note 02/12/2013: vjack did not write this post. If you'd look, you'd notice that his style is very different from mine. Stop harassing him. If you want to complain, do it in the comments section. I am reading them. Thanks.)

(Note 02/11/2013: I can see how this can be read to contain the no true Scotsman, which I had hoped to avoid. I, like most freethinkers I know, support women's equality and women's rights. I know no one wants to hear a white man say this, but I am well tuned-in to the plight of women and the obstacles they face. In the many lectures I've attended on the subject, I've heard some amazing people bring far more nuance to this issue than I've ever heard coming from the skeptic feminists, and I wanted to make that point. I wanted to make the point that I don't see these self-described feminists practicing feminism so much as sexism. I've never seen them pass on a chance to impugn men for the most ridiculous reasons. If I had the no true Scotsman, they have the ad hominem in spades. Thing is, men who are sympathetic to these causes are being turned away in droves while the sexists poison the well. I have never attended an atheism conference, always wanted to be more active in that regard, but I doubt I will make the effort, and I know many fellows in the same boat. It didn't have to be this way, but here we are, a movement splintered. They can call it feminism if they like, but I call it sexism. All people deserve respect for their basic humanity. Back to your regularly scheduled post)

I usually try to restrict my posts to things at least sort of relevant to us godless Mississippians, but I need to cast a wider net here, and this is an outlet that will at least reach a few people.

I have ignored this hoping it will go away, but it is clear to me that it is only getting worse and to maintain silence about it is no longer feasible, so here it is: I am horrified by the likes of non-academic feminists such as Rebecca Watson and her gang of bullies. What a self-absorbed person Watson must be to continue to pour poisonous bile into the well that all of us, as atheists, must share. I am horrified, truly horrified, by the damage she and her ilk are doing to atheism activism. I am ashamed of the unreflective ignorance that permeates nearly everything that comes out of their keyboards.

Looking at Watson's Twitter feed, and this one that she promotes, one doesn't have to scroll very far to get his or her fill of bile. It doesn't take long to see that she is not doing activism, but stoking the fires of sexism just for kicks, just for the attention. I can find no other reasonable explanation for her behavior. The sexism that is commonplace in her writing is appalling, and it is working against all of us. She and her gang of bullies seem completely unaware that they are undercutting their own so-called feminist positions by continuing vilify, to make a mean-spirited joke of good men.

If you have never had the experience of hearing a good academic feminist speak, a good sociologist speak, please do so. You will understand that feminism is not what Watson is practicing, but instead awful hatred without critical reflection, seemingly without any thought whatsoever. It is perfectly okay per her thinking to disparage males in the most sexist, degrading ways (Think Lorena Bobbitt), but the highest sin if anyone so much as offers her the slightest well-meaning criticism.

She and her ilk have attacked some of the brightest and best in our movement, including Richard Dawkins, who was disparaged for being a "wealthy old heterosexual white man", Sam Harris, who is routinely misrepresented, if not slandered, by PZ Myers and his gang of trolls, and Michael Shermer, one of the most reasonable and nice men one could hope to meet, and who wrote this all-too-reasonable response to this mess.

If any of these so-called feminists thought one iota about gender, took the responsibility to inform themselves before they opened their mouths, they would know that gender has a pernicious effect on both sexes. They would know that no one gets a pass in this life. Both men and women suffer from gender expectations, gender conditioning, gender biases. Watson and her ilk are so uncritcal of their own ideologies, so ironically un-skeptical, that it never seems to have crossed their minds that both sexes suffer from culturally-sponsored stereotypes. But to them, to call attention to that, that men suffer too, is cause to callously giggle, which, ironically, highlights the problem men and boys face every single day.

Consider that studies show female babies are nurtured, spoken to, touched and caressed, far more than their male counterparts.
Consider that children are abused, both male and female. Consider that the violence perpetrated on boys tends to be especially violent because they happened to be born male.
Consider that males who were sexually abused as children tend to repeat that behavior as adults, caught in a vicious cycle of victim-hood.
Consider the boys are taught from their earliest inklings that crying makes them "sissy". Consider the emotional stunting that such inculcates in our boys.
Consider the higher rates of suicide among men, and ask yourself, would a more realistic emotional sensibility help that? If men were taught to deal with their emotions, to express them in a healthy way rather than hide and bury them, would such help men become better people?

And how does our society treat those victims of masculine gender indoctrination? Why, man up, of course. Grow a pair. The vicious cycle continues, generation after generation. Examples abound, but suffice it to say, males suffer from gender, too.

What the Watsons of the world fail to understand is that nurturing boys would help both sexes. Of course it would. We are all people, and what hurts men, hurts women. What hurts women, hurts men. This isn't a one-sided issue, and any feminist worth his or her salt knows that and it permeates everything they do.

For emphasis, I'll repeat: gendering harms both men and women. If Watson and her gang of goons had one shred of education about those matters, took the time to do the research, took a course from a sociologist, they would know that, and they would stop propagating their sexism. They are tinkering with forces they do not understand, and I am horrified about all the damage they are doing, not only to atheism, but to men and women the world over.

Their behavior, their vitriol, is appalling, ignorant, disgraceful. I would rather spend time with the most virulent fundamentalists than spend one nanosecond with Rebecca Watson and her groupies. Truly, they are uninformed bigots, and at every opportunity, their bigotry should be called out. They should be marginalized so the adults in the room can get back to the business of making this a more reasonable world. There, I said it, and I hope I can inspire you to say it, too.

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Mississippi Republicans Want More Guns and Jesus in Schools

2013-02-05T17:24:00.003-06:00

Location of state of XY (see filename) in the United States (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Of all the problems with education in Mississippi, chronic underfunding, poor performance compared to other states, underfunding, and underfunding, what is the House Education Committee worried about? Why, typical conservative causes, of course, namely prayer and guns in school, as in, they want more of each. They want teachers to pack heat in schools. Yes, Republican logic mandates that we solve the gun problem with more guns.

Jesus, were he alive today, would no doubt want to shove Christian prayer down the throats of everyone, and no doubt he would be the biggest, most perfect gun nut one can imagine. He would have a safe full of semiautomatics, an NRA membership, the whole nine yards. You think you’ve seen gun-nuttery, imagine the son of god with an AK. The dude never misses. Enough said.

But in all seriousness, the Republicans want prayer in school, Christian prayer of course (is there any other kind?), and forget that they are lawmakers who should, at the bare minimum, know the law, should understand that the first amendment prohibits the state endorsement of religion, any religion, because the government is not in the religion business. But, as we know, the second amendment is sacrosanct among conservatives. The first amendment, not so much.

Illegal to Possess Alcohol in Some Mississippi Counties

2013-02-01T05:59:00.001-06:00

English: Breckenridge, Colorado liquor store. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have lived in a "dry county" in Mississippi for several years now. I know that means that I cannot purchase alcohol without driving to a reasonably sane county to do so. What I did not realize until a few days ago is that merely possessing alcohol in a dry county is a criminal offense, punishable by up to 90 days in jail or a $500 fine. The law in question is Sec. 67-3-13 of the Mississippi Code.

Believe it or not, this law is actually enforced. In a recent post over at Atheist Revolution, I describe how I saw "possession of beer/wine in a dry county" listed among the charges on which someone was recently arrested not too far from where I live.

Preventing anyone in our state from buying alcoholic beverages on Sundays or prohibiting residents of "dry counties" from buying beer without having to drive a distance is not enough for the Southern Baptists who run our state. Apparently, it is also a criminal offense merely to possess beer or wine in a dry county.

Evidently, news that prohibition was repealed over 75 years ago has not yet reached Mississippi. This law needs to change.

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We Need to Preserve Abortion Rights in Mississippi

2013-01-25T07:27:00.001-06:00

State Seal of Mississippi. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is sounding increasingly likely that Mississippi's only remaining clinic where women can receive abortions and other forms of reproductive health care will soon close due to legislation passed explicitly for this purpose. Far from valuing religious pluralism, our legislators and governor seem determined to impose their particular form of fundamentalist evangelical Christianity on our state. It does not seem to matter to them that there are many non-Christians here; they are perfectly willing to deprive everyone of services with which they have religiously-based objections.

You may recall that Mississippians defeated a personhood amendment not so long ago (Initiative 26). Voters were given the opportunity to end reproductive freedom for women in our state, and they voted against it. Instead of respecting the will of the voters, our Republican legislators and governor wrote a new law that would close any clinic providing abortion services in our state (HB 1390). This is how convinced they are that their particular set of religious beliefs is the only right one.

Abortion (and reproductive rights more broadly) is often cast as a women's issue, but it should also be an issue of importance for anyone who values religious liberty, the separation of church and state, and the right to make one's own health care decisions without government interference.

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Left Behind in Mississippi

2013-01-01T14:26:00.000-06:00

left behind (Photo credit: Gustavo Devito)

We heard a great deal about the "nones" in 2012, those who reported being religiously unaffiliated in survey after survey. Throughout the U.S., their numbers are increasing while Christianity appears to be in decline. Well, maybe not throughout all of the U.S. Here in Mississippi, I have not seen much evidence to convince me that Christianity is losing any of the influence it enjoys. If trends continue so the the U.S. becomes somewhat more secular, will Mississippi be left behind clinging to superstition?

I suppose the argument could be made that we've already been left behind in a number of other areas. Looking at the proportion of our citizens living below the federal poverty line, our infant mortality rate, the educational achievement of our children, and many other indicators, we've already got quite a bit of catching up to do. It ought to be clear by now that the pervasive influence of evangelical fundamentalist Christianity and conservative economic policies have taken a real toll on our state over the years.

I know it is the first day of a new year, and I am supposed to have a more hopeful tone. I suppose we could tell ourselves that we're at the bottom and that things can only get better. I'm not sure I believe that. The hostility to atheism and anything other than the far-right Fox "News" sort of conservatism that runs rampant here is a heavy burden, one that will likely take generations to overcome. I guess my question for you today is whether you think we've started the process of overcoming it or not.

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