THE ATHEIST DIARIES

A lesson in Logic

2009-04-18T13:09:00.003-04:00

Now first off please understand that not all "logicians" are atheist and not all atheists are logicians. But I think that a firm understanding of logic is good for everyone; that is atheists and theists. (If your agnostic or something and feel you don't fall into those two categories it's still good for you.)

Logic defines and expands what we all do naturally when making decisions.You'll learn about various fallacies that are commonly mistaken as good arguments. You'll learn the benefit of identifying emotional bias and separating it from your logical process. When I took my first class on logic(intro the Logic) it changed my life. The information presented allowed me to decipher the world far more clearly. I've found a great way to share this experience with all of you. MIT's Open CourseWare is a collection of classes that MIT is offering for free to anyone with Internet access. I found on their site Logic I and Logic II in addition to many other great looking philosophy courses. I'll include the links below, let me know how they work out for.

Also please share your experience of learning logic. Like I said for me it was a huge event I hope it is for you as well.

Logic I -- http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Linguistics-and-Philosophy/24-241Fall-2005/CourseHome/index.htm

Logic II -- http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Linguistics-and-Philosophy/24-242Spring-2004/CourseHome/index.htm

Linguistics and Philosophy course listings -- http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Linguistics-and-Philosophy/index.htm#grad

~Richard

Rationality

2009-04-17T14:38:00.001-04:00

It can be a painful thing at times I think.That need to separate our emotions from our decisions. But it is indeed a need. I don't so much say this in response to any crazy actions by some theist group. Instead I say this about the tea parties and the protests they host.

As I watched the coverage of these events people haplessly tossed out terms like fascist, or tyranny, or "taxation with out representation". Now any rational person can see what is the most most obvious problem with these protests. In a tyrannical or fascist state such protests would not be tolerated. In our they get gross media coverage.

These tea parties are fear mongering at its worst; blatant appeals to emotion by people that hardly understand the words they are using to make the appeal. It saddens me.

I know it's a bit off topic but I just had to vent.

Coming Soon: Texas Freethought Convention

2008-06-17T16:30:00.002-04:00

The Texas Freethought Convention will take place on October 26th, 2008 in Austin, Texas. We will meet at Saengerrunde Hall (Scholz Garden). The event runs from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. and includes speakers, live music, de-baptism, and an oral history video. There will also be events designed for children. Cost is $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and children (PayPal will be active on the site soon). For more information, email thecommittee [at] texasfreethoughtconvention [dot] com.

Religion and the DMV

2007-10-04T13:22:00.001-04:00

I was at the DMV today, getting plates for my new (used) car. This particular branch was selling license plate frames for a variety of interests: fishing, being a parent/grandparent, sports, colleges and universities, etc. The one that bothered me, though? The one that said "What Would Jesus Do?"

I don't think a state agency of any kind has any right whatsoever to sell paraphernalia with religious phrasing or imagery. No, this isn't as bad as forcing children to pray in school, as people who don't believe in Jesus can simply not buy the plate frame. The point is, though, the state should not be receiving revenue from any sort of religious item. The state needs to be free of religion.

At the very least, the DMV should be selling frames that encompass all beliefs. One for Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Pastafarianism, Rastafarianism, and of course, Atheism. If it's going to insist on selling religious-themed vehicle decorations, it should at least make a point of including all religions.

I'm going to look into protesting this issue. It's simply not right.

What is your opinion?

2007-09-27T20:07:00.000-04:00

As a man with long hair, I must say that I feel for this guy. I want to hear everyones opinion on if this guy should be fighting the school or just say screw it and cut his hair.

LEAKEY, Texas -- A high school student in Leakey, Texas, was ordered by his school district to cut his hair, but said religious values ban him from cutting it.

Full story at: http://www.clickondetroit.com/education/14218984/detail.html

Court papers filed on behalf of God

2007-09-22T14:25:00.000-04:00

This is an update on the previous post Nebraska Senator Sues God. It seems that God has decided to fight back (or his sheep anyway).

Two court filings in response to a lawsuit brought by Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers were filed on behalf of God, according to John Friend, clerk of the Douglas County District Court in Omaha, Nebraska.

"This one miraculously appeared on the counter. It just all of a sudden was here -- poof!" said Mr. Friend. In one filing, St. Michael the Archangel is listed as a witness.

The response argues that the defendant is not subject to the jurisdiction and laws of the court. According to the response read by Friend, God said, "I created man and woman with free will and next to the promise of immortal life, free will is my greatest gift to you."

Reports say that the papers were filed by "King Cobra", a lawmaker in Nebraska.

Chambers had sued God for "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants." Chambers, an agnostic, argues that his lawsuit is "frivolous" and "anybody can sue anybody."

I find the comment of Mr. Friend most interesting. I wonder what he means by "...all of a sudden...", does that mean he was staring at an empty desk one second, and the next instant it was there, or does it mean that it suddenly appeared while he was gone taking an extended break in the toilet?

Hit the comments and let us know what you think of this rather issue (for want of a better word).

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Court_papers_filed_on_behalf_of_God_respond_to_lawsuit_by_Nebraska_Senator

Nebraska Senator sues God

2007-09-18T12:20:00.000-04:00

It's about time! It's not for the reasons that I would really prefer, but it will be interesting to see where this goes. I love the last sentence of the article, take a read. Hit the comments and let us know what you think.

Nebraska state Senator Ernie Chambers, who represents legislative District 11 in North Omaha, has filed an unusual lawsuit on Friday. According to court documents obtained by Wikinews, Chambers has decided to sue God, looking for a judge to issue a "permanent injunction" against the highest power.

Chambers says in his suit that god has spread fear across the globe causing "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants. [God also caused] fearsome floods, horrendous hurricanes, earthquakes, plagues, famine, genocidal wars, birth defects, terrifying tornadoes and the like" and he wants the courts to order God "to cease certain harmful activities and the making of terroristic threats."

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Nebraska_Senator_sues_God

Prisons Purging Books on Faith From Libraries

2007-09-13T11:48:00.000-04:00

Some interesting things happening in prisons.

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: September 10, 2007

Behind the walls of federal prisons nationwide, chaplains have been quietly carrying out a systematic purge of religious books and materials that were once available to prisoners in chapel libraries.
The chaplains were directed by the Bureau of Prisons to clear the shelves of any books, tapes, CDs and videos that are not on a list of approved resources. In some prisons, the chaplains have recently dismantled libraries that had thousands of texts collected over decades, bought by the prisons, or donated by churches and religious groups.
Some inmates are outraged. Two of them, a Christian and an Orthodox Jew, in a federal prison camp in upstate New York, filed a class-action lawsuit last month claiming the bureau’s actions violate their rights to the free exercise of religion as guaranteed by the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Traci Billingsley, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Prisons, said the agency was acting in response to a 2004 report by the Office of the Inspector General in the Justice Department. The report recommended steps that prisons should take, in light of the Sept. 11 attacks, to avoid becoming recruiting grounds for militant Islamic and other religious groups. The bureau, an agency of the Justice Department, defended its effort, which it calls the Standardized Chapel Library Project, as a way of barring access to materials that could, in its words, “discriminate, disparage, advocate violence or radicalize.”

Continued

This seems to be a rather slippery slope to be taking. First it is taking books from prisoners, on the slim chance they will help prisons become a recruiting ground for terrorist group; how long till books are banned from the general public for the same reasons. Then, if you really want to take it to extremes, a purging of all religions that don't fit a specific criteria.
This is not so much a religious issue, as an issue of all freedoms.

Let us know what you think, hit the comments.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/10/us/10prison.html?_r=1&ref=books&pagewanted=all

Get thee to a nunnery!

2007-09-12T23:33:00.000-04:00

The most recent issue of Bust magazine reports that there is an influx of young women joining convents. While they don't provide any specific statistics, I wouldn't say their reporting is entirely flawed. I know three girls from my high school who joined convents within five years of graduation. While women aren't running off to convents in droves, it's happening.

Of course, I'm not particularly thrilled about this news. But the funny thing is, if I had been born 100 years ago (or before), I would have faked Catholic belief and joined a convent. I am childfree (choosing to not have children), and one of the best ways to escape parenthood was to be a nun. Even 100 years ago, birth control wasn't as reliable, and abortions were illegal (and the ones that were performed were pretty dangerous). Granted, not every single woman who didn't want kids had to join a convent. But it was probably the most reliable form of birth control out there. And for many women, life in a convent was their best chance at anything more than basic education. While they may have been fed quite a bit of religious propaganda, they were still able to read and study. I would rather be forced to study a religious text every day for the rest of my life than not be allowed to read or work. Life in a convent would never be ideal for me. But had I been born into a situation where my rights were significantly curtailed, I'd be willing to fake belief. My childfree identity is so strong that I would rather be confined by a religion I don't believe in than be confined by motherhood.

Perhaps my hypothetical willingness to be a nun makes me a "bad" atheist. But being a fake Catholic is something I would only do under extreme circumstances; it's not something I have to worry about today.

What religion?

2007-09-10T14:36:00.000-04:00

Does this sound like something you would hear in your daily life?

To conclude, I invite you to embrace Christianity, for the greatest mistake one can make in this world and one which is uncorrectable is to die while not surrendering to God, the Most High, in all aspects of one’s life – i.e., to die outside of Christianity. And Christianity means gain for you in this first life and the next, final life. The true religion is a mercy for people in their lives, filling their hearts with serenity and calm.

While reading a transcript of Bin Laden's most recent tape, I found a paragraph that just sounded so familiar to me. I realized that I had heard something similar from a Xian missionary a few years before. With a few changes, we got the above paragraph.
What struck me is how similar religions really are. I'm not talking about the books, I'm talking about the people who profess the belief. An extremist in one religion would be as extreme if they held a different belief. When it comes down to it, it is about power, and control over the masses; the most extreme tend to want that power and control - it doesn't matter where it comes from.

Here is the original quote:

To conclude, I invite you to embrace Islam, for the greatest mistake one can make in this world and one which is uncorrectable is to die while not surrendering to Allah, the Most High, in all aspects of one’s life – i.e., to die outside of Islam. And Islam means gain for you in this first life and the next, final life. The true religion is a mercy for people in their lives, filling their hearts with serenity and calm.

Copy of the transcript: http://www.nowpublic.com/bin-laden-transcript
The ABC transcript (PDF) : http://abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/transcript2.pdf

Recent Study shows how the mind handles myths

2007-09-05T17:03:00.000-04:00

An interesting article on how the mind works, when confronted with myths. When applied to religion, you can get a fascinating picture of belief.

The research also highlights the disturbing reality that once an idea has been implanted in people's minds, it can be difficult to dislodge. Denials inherently require repeating the bad information, which may be one reason they can paradoxically reinforce it.

Indeed, repetition seems to be a key culprit. Things that are repeated often become more accessible in memory, and one of the brain's subconscious rules of thumb is that easily recalled things are true.

Many easily remembered things, in fact, such as one's birthday or a pet's name, are indeed true. But someone trying to manipulate public opinion can take advantage of this aspect of brain functioning. In politics and elsewhere, this means that whoever makes the first assertion about something has a large advantage over everyone who denies it later.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/03/AR2007090300933_pf.html

Books and Missions

2007-08-14T10:41:00.000-04:00

It's textbook-buying season again. I buy almost all of my books at half.com. This can be tricky if you have professors who are sticklers about having specific editions, but this time around I managed to get all the books from my seminar for about $40, which is a really good deal.

The books have started to arrive. Yesterday, I opened one looking for an invoice, and a little card fell out. This card thanked me for purchasing my book, because the funds from the purchase were going to support their missionary work in impoverished nations.

Of course, I was a little upset about this. I just wanted to buy the cheapest book available, not support religious mission work abroad! For one thing, I think I would have serious qualms about missionary work even if I was religious. People in impoverished countries need a combination of financial and technological help, and secular education that will teach them to use and develop technology, so that they will one day be able to help themselves. While some mission organizations do claim to be helping financially or medically, I don't think humanitarian aid should come packaged with religion. It's one thing to try to help people in a famine-ridden country develop new methods of agriculture; it's another to impose on their pre-existing beliefs and try to change them. (Of course, there are some people who claim that "American" interference with medical and industrial technology is just as harmful as attempts at conversion, but I think there's a difference between trying to alter someone's spiritual beliefs, or lack thereof, and trying to keep people from starving or dying of AIDS).

At first, I was annoyed with myself. I wondered if I should have checked up on the seller. All I did was look to see if they had a decent rating, because they had the lowest price on the book I needed. It never occurred to me before to look further and see where the money was going; I didn't think I had to. So today, I went and checked out this particular user's profile. It doesn't say anything about the couple doing the selling being religious, or using the proceeds of their book sales to fund missionary work. Ultimately, I had no way of knowing until the book arrived.

When buying from just about anyone, you don't really have control over where their money goes. Still, I would have liked to know in this case, because I would have bought a more expensive book than contribute funds to something that offended me on a very personal level. But I had no control over that, and I have to accept that.

Ultimately, I'm still deciding what to do about feedback. They're some of the fastest shippers I've ever worked with on Ebay/Half. They were very honest about the book's condition. I feel my feedback should reflect them as sellers, not as religious people. They are great sellers. Still, I don't like that I unwittingly gave money to missionary work. I think ultimately, I'll focus on their selling strong points.

Suspect in Colorado anti-evolution death threats case is missing

2007-07-21T00:43:00.000-04:00

Wikinews is reporting on the apparent flight of Menachem "Michael" Korn. Michael Korn is a possible string of anti-evolution "death threats" that were sent to biology faculty at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The article is located here.

Links:
http://en.wikinews.org/
http://jesusoverisrael.blogspot.com/
http://www.colorado.edu/
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Suspect_in_Colorado_anti-evolution_death_threats_case_is_missing

Harry Potter and the Clash with the Sabbath

2007-07-19T10:59:00.000-04:00

"Israeli Minister Warns Against Harry Potter Sales"

The international released of the seventh Harry Potter book conflicts with the Jewish Sabbath in Israel. Due to time differences, the book will launch in Israel at 2 a.m. on Saturday. Booksellers are contractually bound to launch at this specific time - and yet an ultra-Orthodox government official intends to fine every bookstore which participates. All stores which are open during the Sabbath are required to pay fines, although Eli Yishai seems to be particularly fervent about going after the bookstores.

Of course, the revenues from this book will likely offset the cost of the fines, as well as the mandatory overtime they are required to pay their employees. I know that Israel is governed by the laws of Judaism, and that they can't necessarily make a special case for one book. And yet this article points out that "most Israelis are secular." I find it frustrating that although Israel seems to be a somewhat secular country, it's still bound by these laws. But perhaps Israeli citizens nonetheless prefer the sense of tradition.

I think what frustrates me most is how restrictive rules can be, without leaving room for much personal interpretation. I was discussing the Sabbath issue with my fiancé, who often breaks Sabbath rules because things which the Torah forbids are actually ways he relaxes and enjoys the time off. Playing his musical instruments, writing stories and poems and songs, are all ways for him to rest and not focus so much on work. And yet these things still count as "work," and so technically, he's not supposed to partake in the things he finds most relaxing and rejuvenating.

Harry Potter is a book that brings many people great amounts of joy. And reading the novels certainly isn't work, unless for some reason a teacher has assigned it. I know that in several bookstores in the U.S., employees are asked to volunteer to participate in the book's release, and do so willingly because they see it as part of the fun. But I suppose ultra-Orthodox members of government aren't going to incorporate many ideas about personal interpretation, especially when the book's release is going to violate a pretty big rule: exchanging money on the Sabbath is definitely forbidden (so every time my fiancé and I spend money to see a weekend movie . . . ).

I understand why the Sabbath rules for businesses are in place. But I'm frustrated that government officials are so unforgiving. What about someone who finds a great deal of enjoyment in his/her business? Everyone needs a day off now and then, but I am definitely someone who really enjoys doing a little "work" every day, because my academic writing, while part of my career, is nonetheless enjoyable for me, much more so than the less-demanding part-time job I have to help pay for school. If Israel is becoming more secular, if individuals are making more personal interpretations of their faith, why isn't the government becoming more secular as well? As I mentioned above, it could be a respect and appreciation for tradition. But it still seems to me that eventually, a more liberal government would come into being.

Metaphor

2007-07-17T10:35:00.000-04:00

The image is some filler from the Dresden Codak webcomic. And I think it can be interpreted as a great metaphor for atheism. The hole in people's chests is something which many people fear or are insecure about. In the third panel, people turn to religion, wanton materialism, or dependence on others in order to fill this void in their lives. But the narrator, as we find out, ultimately doesn't feel the need to fill it. He doesn't see it as a source of emptiness or incompleteness; he feels his life is fine with a hole in his chest. And in a way, this hole contributes to his life, in the fact that it can provide amusement.

Atheism doesn't necessarily give us a source of entertainment. But I think that it contributes to our lives. We're all a lot like this narrator; we don't see our lives as lacking or empty. We're content. That doesn't mean we like everything about the world; if something bothers us, we're going to change it. But we don't need deities or toys or relationships to make our lives complete; we do that for ourselves.

Soulforce.org

2007-07-12T09:55:00.000-04:00

I play clarinet in a gay/straight alliance concert band. Last night, one of the trombone players showed up wearing a t-shirt from Soulforce. I didn't get the chance to ask her about it, but I was very curious, so I went to their website this morning. The header on their website states that their goal is to create: "Freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious & political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance." The mission statement goes on to elaborate their points:

Spiritual violence is the misuse of religion to sanction the condemnation and rejection of any of God’s children.

Misusing religion and/or God to support society’s bias against sexual and gender minorities also inappropriately justifies psychological, legal and physical violence against them. Some zealots blatantly articulate spiritual violence against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people when they scream "God Hates Fags."

Mainline churches may be less blatant and more sophisticated, but they are no less guilty of spiritual violence. It is just as violent spiritually when pastors and parents—quoting scripture—condemn and reject members of their congregation and their family. When this happens, God’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender children also feel condemned and rejected by their Creator as well.

Based on their mission statement, this site is definitely targeting people who are both homosexual/transgender and also struggling with their religious beliefs. And although I'm an atheist, I think this is a worthwhile organization. This group is attempting to do some serious good in the religious sector of society. Although spiritual people themselves, they recognize that there is a lot of hypocrisy in religion. And I think it's great that they're making an active effort to break down the anti-gay attitude in many churches today. My particular stance as an atheist is that I don't necessarily want to "convert" people to atheism, just as I don't want religious people to try and convert me. What I want to see is people being critical and questioning of their beliefs (this goes for atheists, too). And this organization is doing just that.

I think Soulforce has the potential to do a lot of good in the world. And something tells me that they wouldn't mind help from atheists or agnostics; I'm willing to be that they're a pretty tolerant group. Although this a religiously-oriented group, I think their goals to increase tolerance for homosexual/transgender people will help pave the way for other forms of tolerance as well.

What happend before the Big Bang?

2007-07-02T18:55:00.000-04:00

I ran into a rather interesting blog post from Phil Plait, who runs the Bad Astronomy site. He has a nice post on a theory called Loop Quantum Gravity, apparently this may be able to tell us what happened before the Big Bang. He has a couple paragraphs towards the end that have some pointed remarks about creationism. Well worth a read.
In an earlier post of his, he has this video embedded - it has some nice arguments against creationism.

http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2007/07/01/what-happened-before-the-big-bang/
http://www.badastronomy.com/bablog/2007/06/26/evolution-versus-creationism-astronomy-edition/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM5iNrZfBK0

Ban The Bible?

2007-07-01T13:21:00.000-04:00

The wonderful Secular Humanist Society of New York publishes a monthly newsletter called "Pique". I just received the July issue Yesterday, and found a fascinating little article about the Chinese, the Bible, and indecency:

"More than 800 Hong Kong residents have called on authorities to reclassify the Bible as "indecent" due to its sexual and violent content.

The complaints follow the launch of an anonymous Web site - http://www.truthbible.net/ -which said the book "made one tremble" given its sexual and violent content, including rape and incest, and that the Bible's sexual content "far exceeds" that of a recent sex column published in the Chinese Univeristy's Student Press magazine, which had asked readers whether they'd ever fantasized about incest or bestiality.

If Hong Kong's authorities do classify it as "indecent," only adults over 18 will be allowed to buy the Bible - sealed in a (we assume plain) wrapper with a statutory warning notice."

With all the sex, incest, rape, sodomy, bestiality, murder and just general brutality that is in the Bible, I am in absolute agreement that this is a book that should only be in the hands of those over the age of 18 (or maybe, even 21). Also, this is a fictional book that is used to brainwash millions of children everyday, around the world.

Do you agree that the Bible should come with a warning lable? Tell us what you think!

http://www.shsny.org
-Nycnontheist

Latest Religious News

2007-06-28T10:17:00.000-04:00

Pope backs adult stem cell research

I am really pleased about this news. When I'm not being a grad student/writing instructor, I do web design and other media writing for the Stem Cell Research Center at my university, so over the past six months stem cell issues have become incredibly important to me. I think this news shows some serious progress in the way religion views scientific research. Unfortunately, I don't see the Catholic view on embryonic stem cells changing anytime soon, which is a little frustrating, because if you're actually paying attention to the research, you'd see that scientists have been finding ways to access embryonic stem cells without actually killing embryos. The findings are not yet confirmed, but science is moving in that direction. Still, I just don't see those opinions changing in the face of new evidence. Look how long it took the Pope to develop this opinion on adult stem cell research!

I'm not saying that stem cell research of any kind needs the backing of religion. Scientists are getting along just fine without Catholicism condoning their work. However, I'm happy about this news because I think it shows that some religions are recognizing the value of stem cell research and regenerative medicine. No, there isn't going to be full acceptance of stem cell treatments anytime soon, but these things take time. This is a small step in the right direction towards the acceptance of scientific research to treat heart attacks (by regenerating damaged heart muscle), cancer (they help replenish areas damaged from cancer surgery, as well as re-establishing the immune system), and a whole host of other severe conditions. Scientific research is starting to be seen as a positive part of society.

Three Assumptions

2007-06-26T11:31:00.000-04:00

Last night, I was thinking back to a conversation I had with a friend, Russell, in college. Russell was an atheist philosophy major, and one of the most intelligent people I've ever met. He argued that belief in a god was impossible because there were three major assumptions that people (mainly Christians) made about god that contradicted each other.

These three assumptions are:

God is all-powerful
God is good
There is evil in the world

According to Russell, these three assumptions cannot be true at the same time. If there is evil in the world, either God can be good but not all-powerful (and therefore he cannot eradicate evil), or God is all-powerful but not good (and thus he chooses to allow people to suffer). You can figure out the rest of the permutations.

I really like this argument, but it troubles me that it's not incredibly detailed. I think that if I were a professor and Russell were my student, I'd ask him to revise this and expand on his ideas. I say this because I am sure there are many religious people out there who would find loopholes in his reasoning based on the fact that it lacks explication and explanation. Of course, you can't fault him too much; it's something that came up in a lunchtime discussion in the campus dining hall. So while I wouldn't consider his argument complete yet, I think it's definitely worth our consideration.

UK knocks out ID

2007-06-25T20:02:00.000-04:00

Today has been a great day for articles. This article from The Register mentions how ID is not considered science, and will not be taught in the UK. I say great for the UK, they are one step ahead of the US now.

Feel free to ignore this part, it's just me rambling on.
For some odd reason this reminds me of a time when I was at a county fair. I was walking by one of those religious booths, you know the ones that give away those really small bibles to everyone. I must have been about 12 at the time. One of the people in the booth stopped me, that was before I was smart enough to keep walking, and asked me if I believed. I informed the person that I did not (wrong move), this got him talking to me about how god must be real, and how I should believe. I can't recall too much of it, but I do recall one of his arguments (this is not an exact quote) "Take the nose for example. If god didn't design us, then our noses could have grows upside down, then anytime it rained we would drown!" I politely informed him that if that happened then the upside down nose trait would not be passed on, and we would never know about it, so it would look like design, but would in fact be evolution. He ignored this and continued on about the nose and design. It was at that point that people will ignore what they don't like, and continue to believe no matter what.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/06/25/id_not_science/
http://www.theregister.co.uk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_design

No challenges on money to religious charities

2007-06-25T18:26:00.000-04:00

I ran into another article for everyone to read. In this one "The Supreme Court ruled Monday that ordinary taxpayers cannot challenge a White House initiative that helps religious charities get a share of federal money".
In the US a citizen has the right to challenge government programs that promote religion. I won't go into the subject of religious organizations getting government money (that a whole other post), but I would like to point out that we no longer, effectively, have the right to challenge the White House on the dispersement of funds going to religious organizations - the First Amendment be damned.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070625/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_faith_based

Atheists Split On How To Not Believe

2007-06-25T09:37:00.000-04:00

The title of this article may sound quite funny, but the subject is near and dear to my heart. Before I started this blog, I was a happy, complacent atheist, for the most part. I would still get on my soap box when needed. But those days are long gone and I now find myself fluctuating between a "new atheist" and a "militant" one. Yet I do have my commonsense worries, in that I feel strongly that all atheists, agnostics and secularists should unite to form one strong voting block in this country, and we can't do that if we atheists start forming ourselves into splinter groups. So read on and see what you think!

Atheists Split On How To Not Believe
By Jay Lindsay
Reposted From: Associated Press

Atheists are under attack these days for being too militant, for not just disbelieving in religious faith but for trying to eradicate it. And who’s leveling these accusations? Other atheists, it turns out.

Among the millions of Americans who don’t believe God exists, there’s a split between people such as Greg Epstein, who holds the partially endowed post of humanist chaplain at Harvard University, and so-called “New Atheists.”

Epstein and other humanists feel their movement is on verge of explosive growth, but are concerned it will be dragged down by what they see as the militancy of New Atheism.

The most pre-eminent New Atheists include best-selling authors Richard Dawkins, who has called the God of the Old Testament “a psychotic delinquent,” and Sam Harris, who foresees global catastrophe unless faith is renounced. They say religious belief is so harmful it must be defeated and replaced by science and reason.

Epstein calls them “atheist fundamentalists.” He sees them as rigid in their dogma, and as intolerant as some of the faith leaders with whom atheists share the most obvious differences.

Next month, as Harvard celebrates the 30th anniversary of its humanist chaplaincy, Epstein will use the occasion to provide a counterpoint to the New Atheists.

“Humanism is not about erasing religion,” he said. “It’s an embracing philosophy.”

In general, humanism rejects supernaturalism, while stressing principles such as dignity of the individual, equality and social justice. If there’s no God to help humanity, it holds, people better do the work.

The celebration of a “New Humanism” will emphasize inclusion and diversity within the movement and will include Pulitzer Prize-winning scientist E.O. Wilson, a humanist who has made well-chronicled efforts to team with evangelical Christians to fight global warming.

Part of the New Humanism, Wilson said, is “an invitation to a common search for morally based action in areas agreement can be reached in.”

The tone of the New Atheists will only alienate important faith groups whose help is needed to solve the world’s problems, Wilson said. “I would suggest possibly that while there is use in the critiques by Dawkins and Harris, that they’ve overdone it,” he said.

Harris, author of “Letter to a Christian Nation,” sees the disagreement as overblown. He thinks there’s room for multiple arguments in the debate between scientific rationalism and religious dogmatism.

Harris also rejected the term “atheist fundamentalist,” calling it “a silly play upon words.” He noted that, when it comes to the ancient Greek gods, everyone is an atheist and no one is asked to justify that to pagans who want to believe in Zeus.

“Likewise with the God of Abraham,” he said. “There is nothing ‘fundamentalist’ about finding the claims of religious demagogues implausible.”

Some of the participants in Harvard’s celebration of its humanist chaplaincy have no problem with the New Atheists’ tone.

Harvard psychologist and author Steven Pinker said the forcefulness of their criticism is standard in scientific and political debate, and “far milder than what we accept in book and movie reviews.”

Dawkins did not respond to requests for comment.

A 2006 Baylor University survey estimates about 15 million atheists in the United States.

Not all nonbelievers identify as humanists or atheists, with some calling themselves agnostics, freethinkers or skeptics. But humanists see the potential for unifying the groups under their banner, creating a large, powerful minority that can’t be ignored or disdained by mainstream political and social thinkers.

But Epstein worries the attacks on religion by the New Atheists will keep converts away.

“The philosophy of the future is not going to be one that tries to erase its enemies,” he said. “The future is going to be people coming together from what motivates them.
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Purity Ring and religions

2007-06-22T23:18:00.000-04:00

While reading some Oddly Enough articles today, I came across this one. It is about a girl who is not allowed to wear her Purity ring to school due to the school's uniform policy. Here are a couple of good pieces from the article:

"It is really important to me because in the Bible it says we should do this," she told BBC radio.

So the bible told people to wear a ring with a reference to a specific bible scripture on it? Some how I think not. Oh, did I mention that her parents "help run the British arm of the American campaign group the Silver Ring Thing"? I can't help but think that her parents are pushing this more than she is. I sense a political agenda...

"What I would describe as a secular fundamentalism is coming to the fore, which really wants to silence certain beliefs, and Christian views in particular," he said.

Okay people, what do you think? Should she be allowed to wear a piece of jewelry to school, because it has a religious significance to her? Even though there is no reference to it in her actual religion? I wonder how this would be playing out if it was a wican who wanted to wear a pentagram to school - would the family still hold the same stance on the issue? I'm thinking not.

Here is a problem with religions, each and everyone. Once you become the largest religion in an area, then you think that you should be able to do anything you wish - sounds like a bully doesn't it. The needs of other religions are not seen to be as important. Then when someone says to that religious group that they can't do something, the their reaction is that everyone hates them, and is trying to silence them - sounds like a spoiled child. This isn't the fault of the religion, it is the fault of the people who are associated with that religion. I don't have a problem with religion, any religion, I have a problem with some of the people who follow that religion. The same can happen to any group - it doesn't have to be religious groups.

What do you think, hit the comments and tell us.

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSL2270307520070622?=undefined&sp=true
http://www.silverringthing.com/index.html

Hotel bibles

2007-06-21T23:21:00.000-04:00

I have wanted to write on this topic for a while, for a few reasons, but have never gotten around to it. For most of my working life, I have worked in hotels. Before you ask, I can't get you a cheap room.
As far as I know, I would love to be wrong on this, all hotels in the USA* carry Gideons Bibles in their rooms - at the very least all major brands do.

Okay, so we know that most, if not all, hotels in the USA* carry bibles in their rooms. I think that what we need to ask ourselves is:

Why do the hotels put bibles in their rooms?

The bibles are free, Gideons will provide hotels with as many free bibles as they request. What does a hotel have to loose by putting a free item in a room?
The hotels feel that by putting a bible (and a Book of Mormon at Marriott properties), they will appear to be a wholesome establishment, which makes the guests more content.
It has been done for a very long time Gideons was founded in 1899, and it was done before that.

What can we do about it?

As much as I love the bible disclaimer stickers, I just don't think they are the way to go. *IF* they are noticed by the hotel, or brought to the attention of the hotel, then the bible is simply replaced with another; believe me, hotels have stacks of bibles in their housekeeping areas. The stickers do two things, entertain people who don't believe, or serve to make religious nuts feel that they are correct about atheists being evil satan worshipers; one is good, the other very bad.

So stickers and other forms of vandalism are out, what else is there? Play the fair card. If every non-xian (atheists, and people of a different faith) all did this, bibles would most likely start to become a thing of the past.

The Fair Card

The fair card? What the [expletive of your choice] is that? The fair card is rather simple, ask the hotels to be fair. Ask the hotels to not only provide a copy of the bible in every room, but also provide a copy of any religious text you can think of. This will do two things. First, cost the hotel money, somethings most hotels don't have a whole lot of. Second, be a really big bother for the staff in general. By the way, this works not only for hotels, but for any institution, to pick anything out of the air, government.

Why does this work? Hotels are a business that strives to keep customers returning, if they feel that it is worthwhile enough to the guests, then they will start to add other religious texts to the rooms; as more texts get added, the more difficult, and expensive it will become - so you will start to see the texts disappearing from the rooms, and moved behind the front desk for people to ask for.

Dos and Don't of talking to a hotel. If you have a problem, a normal problem, you talk to the hotel staff or management first, then you contact the hotel chain customer service. In this case, skip the hotel staff, and talk to the customer service staff right away, they keep tabs on the complaints, and that will get seen by the decision makers.

Do - write or call each time you stay in a hotel, each effort helps.
Don't - contact them if you have not stayed in a hotel - unless it is a general letter to the company.
Do - be courteous, but forceful in telling them that you want X literature in your hotel room.
Don't - demand that all literature gets put in the rooms, you will be ignored.
Do - inform them that you will have to start staying somewhere else if they can do as you ask.
Don't - inform them you feel they are stupid.
Never tell them what you believe in, or in our case, don't believe in.
Don't - take the bible from the room, this will only go to show the hotel that there is a greater demand for them.
Do - feel free to move the bible around in the room, any ol' bin you can find will do.

I think that is all for now. Hit the comments and let us know what you think, I look forward to readings everyones thoughts on this.

* I'm not sure about other countries, though I assume that it would be fairly similar in Europe, South America, etc.