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Ingroups, Outgroups, and Pharyngula
2007-07-29 16:26:00
Alonzo Frye, author of Atheist Ethicist Journal, wrote a recent post in which he took issue with my support of a statement made by PZ Myers about a map of America showing the density of religious believers. I think he made several good points that should be considered, but I stand by my support for what PZ said.In the original Pharyngula post, PZ Myers indicated that the map demonstrated,the concentration of ignorant, deluded, wicked, foolish, or oppressed victims of obsolete mythologies in the United States, with the lighter colors being the most enlightened and the dark reds being the most repressed and misinformed.Since the map in question was designed to show the density of religious believers throughout America, I expressed my support for this statement.Alonzo's first issue is whether PZ actually intended his comment to be take seriously. He quoted PZ later referring to the comment as a "casual and flippant comment." If the issue is whether PZ deserves the criticism he has rec...

Know Them By Their Deeds: Methodist Volunteer Held in Molestation
2007-07-28 22:14:00
According to The Arizona Republic, a youth fellowship volunteer was arrested for allegedly molesting a 13 year-old mentally retarded girl. Police reports and court records indicate that 39 year-old James Ward Chapman III admitted to inappropriate touching. As is generally the case with this sort of offense, it appears that this was not Chapman's first foray into sexual depravity and that the church had prior warnings about him.Police indicated that Chapman has generated prior complaints of inappropriately hugging teen church members, and Rev. Dan Morley confirmed that teens have complained to him about Chapman. One cannot help but wonder why the church permitted Chapman to continue in the youth fellowship after receiving multiple complaints about inappropriate behavior."The complaint was that he was engaging in too much interaction with the youth . . . too much hugging," he said. "We discussed boundaries, and he was no longer working with the youth fellowship group."The response of...
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New Blog: Shared Difference
2007-07-28 13:16:00
"Shared difference, self-belief, and a rational humanism" is the tagline for a new blog by James C Buckley, Shared Diff erence . Although Shared Difference is still in its infancy as a blog, I really like where it is going. As a therapist, Buckley brings an interesting perspective to his writing that will help make his contributions stand out in the secular blogosphere. Check it out.Tags: secular, blog, blogs, blogosphere, humanism
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Pope Acknowledges Reality of Evolution
2007-07-27 14:19:00
I know that the Pope is irrelevant to many of us and what he says may be of little interest. However, there are still many Catholics who value what he represents to them. Thus, I am happy to have received this article from a reader via e-mail. The Pope has acknowledged "much scientific proof in favour of evolution."Speaking to an audience of 400 priests, the Pope addressed the creationism-evolution "controversy," noting,This clash is an absurdity because on one hand there is much scientific proof in favour of evolution, which appears as a reality that we must see and which enriches our understanding of life and being as such.Not surprisingly, he still insists on creating a role for archaic superstition by claiming that evolution leaves many questions unanswered. Ah yes, the god of the gaps may be smaller and smaller, but as long as there are gaps, we'll get to hear about it.The Pope is starting to sound like a bit of a Deist, isn't he? He now accepts evolution but still tries to ...
More About: Reality , Evolution , Ality

Opposing Religious Extremism: More Religion Not Answer
2007-07-26 12:50:00
Most American Christians are brought up believing that religious extremism is a serious problem in the Middle East. They define religious extremism almost exclusively in terms of that associated with Islam. They are correct about the dangerous of Islamic extremism, but they tend to overlook the Christian extremism right here in America. Religious extremism is a global problem which knows no boundaries and which has vast implications for shaping the future of our world.Writing for Spencer Speaks, former Denver Post columnist and feature writer for The Chicago Tribute Jim Spencer has crafted an interesting article on this important subject. Starting with the recent act of Christian terrorism at the University of Colorado and the protest in the U.S. Senate by Christian extremists, Spencer asks whether it is time for us to examine religious extremism right here in America.When the crazies think God is on their side, they know few limits.And while Spencer is quick to point out that Ameri...
More About: Religion , Answer , Extremism , Posi

Dogfighting and Christian Morality
2007-07-25 12:32:00
Debunking Christian ity asks whether Christians find Michael Vick's dogfighting morally reprehensible. The assumption is that Christians will say "of course," opening the door to some version of the problem of evil. However difficult it may be to consider that this assumption might be wrong, there is some evidence that it may be exactly that.As reported on ChristianNewswire, Dr. Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Pastoral Associate of Priests for Life, views animal cruelty as little more than an opportunity to oppose a woman's right to a certain medical procedure. Evidently, Dr. King believes that the real significance of the Vick case is that it highlights "the disparity in societal protections for animals and unborn humans.""The appalling cruelty to dogs described in the complaint against Michael Vick immediately reminds me of another kind of cruelty that is not only not punished, but is protected by our authorities," said Dr. King. "I'm talking about the inc...
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Educating the Public About Atheism
2007-05-13 15:17:00
We atheists can learn a great deal from other social movements that have helped to reduce bigotry and encourage equitable treatment. Civil rights, women's suffrage, and gay rights all contain valuable lessons, but it seems to me that the plight of the GLBT community may have the most to teach us. We share many things, but one of the most important may be the issue of our visibility.Just as many Americans used to (and some still might) claim to have never known a homosexual person, many now claim to have never encountered an atheist. They may acknowledge the existence of atheists in some distant blue state but not in their heartland community. And yet, we are there. Like many in the GLBT community, many of us try to conceal our lack of belief because we fear the consequences of revealing it.What we can learn from the gay rights movement is that one of the key steps to improving our situation is to increase our visibility. Increasing numbers of us are "coming out," but one area where...
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COG #66 at The Atheist Experience
2007-05-13 14:35:00
If a little godless reading on Mother's Day sounds as good to you as it does to me, head over the The Atheist Experience to check out the 66th Carnival of the Godless.
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Cameron and Comfort: Asshats on TV
2007-05-12 14:50:00
When I first heard about the evangelicals vs. atheists debate scheduled to be televised on ABC, I had little interest. Kirk Cameron is a joke, and learning that he would be part of it really told me all I needed to know. I saw no reason to blog about it because everyone else was. And yet, I somehow found myself watching it anyway. Maybe I was simply a victim of the hype. After watching the episode of Nightline which aired the debate, I am not sure who I am most embarrassed for: Cameron and Comfort , the atheists, or the show that aired this.As absurd an unoriginal as everything Comfort said was, I have to give him some credit for at least trying. He presented the tired argument from design in the same way you have heard it presented countless times. It was not any more compelling this time than any other time I've encountered it. But until he started showing artists renderings of "transitional animals" to attack evolution, he at least managed to keep it together for the most part.Th...
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Organizing Atheists: Difficult But Necessary
2007-05-11 13:31:00
Organizing atheists is often likened to herding cats. Because "atheism" refers to nothing more than a lack of acceptance of the theistic belief claim (i.e., that some sort of god or gods exist), atheists appear to have little in common besides what they do not believe. And yet, there do appear to be a few issues on which most atheists, secular humanists, and freethinkers agree and can be united (e.g., opposition to theocracy, a preference not to be bombarded with pro-religion messages, disgust over anti-atheist bigotry, etc.). However difficult organizing atheists may be, this does not mean that it is impossible or that it would not be advantageous.Imagine that you are a local politician, perhaps a member of your city council, school board, or similar body. Someone brings a complaint to you about a local ordinance, expenditure, or policy. While listening to the complainant, you realize that you agree with them. They have made a strong case for the position, and you think that they a...
More About: Atheists , Theist , Diff , Organ

The God-Given Right to Hate
2007-05-10 12:48:00
The latest target of Christian extremists appears to be pending hate crimes legislation (HR 1592), and this is a huge issue for them. If you have any doubt as to how important this bill is to Christian extremists, Google "hate crimes Christian," and you'll see what I mean. Could it be that these Christians are actually upset because they want the right to hatefully oppose and discriminate against certain groups? I can't help being reminded of Cheney's insistence that he retain the right to torture at will. What is really going on here, and what is at stake?From what I heard on NPR, the goal of the proposed hate crimes legislation is to extend federal protection to gender and sexual orientation. According to DefCon, this is troubling to Christian extremists because they do not think homosexual Americans should have this sort of protection under the law. DefCon makes the case for Christian extremists' opposition coming from their opposition to homosexuality, but it is more than th...
More About: Hate , Given , Right , Give , The Go

Why Atheist Bloggers Discuss God
2007-05-09 12:05:00
Posting at God is for Suckers!, Stardust had a bit of fun with a comment from a Christian troll (see here). The comment was as follows:If there is no God and you really don’t care, why do you insist on maintaining a blog site that states over and over that there is no God and you really don’t care. Who are you trying to convince?It turns out that this is a very common question from Christian visitors to atheist blogs. It is one that I have been asked and have previously answered here. However, I think that Stardust's brief response is worth highlighting.To answer this question, Stardust posted an interesting video clip. However, she first said,We are trying to convince YOU that you need to give up the sky daddy beliefs or keep your religion to yourself and out of our secular government, our public schools and institutions, and our bedrooms….honestly. (And also stop trespassing on our private property with your bible-thumping — our homes are our ” PRIVATE sanctuaries” aw...
More About: Atheist , Bloggers , Logger , Blogg , Disc

Church and State Blurring in Missouri
2007-05-08 12:38:00
According to the Associated Press via the News Tribune, a bill designed to increase cooperation between the state of Missouri and faith-based organizations passed the Missouri House with a wide margin. This bill requires the Department of Social Services "to coordinate with faith-based organizations" in providing services to the needy. The Missouri Senate already passed the bill, so it is now headed for the governor.Since faith-based programs have not demonstrated their efficacy (and are actually judged by different standards, at least at the federal level), this sounds like a problem for Missouri taxpayers. Being asked to fund faith-based programs without evidence that such programs work as well as their secular alternatives should be a concern. Then again, I suppose if there was evidence that such programs worked, they wouldn't need to be called faith-based, would they?Tags: Missouri, church and state, government
More About: Church , State , Church and State , Stat

New Blog: Religion *is* a Problem
2007-05-08 02:40:00
The atheist blogosphere continues to grow, but we always have room for another quality atheist-oriented blog. I'd like to introduce you to a great new one: Religion *is* a Problem . This blog deals with "specific instances of harm and suffering caused by religion and religious faith around the world." What a great idea! Something tells me that there will be no shortage of material.I hope that every post I make to this blog will help someone - religious or not - to see that religions are not benign organizations that only do good. Rather, that they cause and allow real harm and suffering, grotesque crimes against humanity, and wholly unnecessary conflict.Religion *is* a Problem joins my blogroll, and I look forward to reading more great posts on the harm caused by religion and religious belief.
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What Have I Learned About Evangelical Christians?
2007-05-06 18:16:00
Awhile back, I posed a series of questions to current or former evangelical Christians . Thanks to all those who responded. Before reading this post where I will do my best to summarize what I learned, I recommend you review the previous post so you understand the rationale for my questions. Okay, now we'll continue and see if we can't all learn something about evangelical Christians.I'm organizing the rest of this post in a question and answer format, starting with each of my questions followed by a summary of coherent responses. For the sake of brevity, the summary of responses will be just that - a summary.What are evangelical Christians taught about the value of proselytizing?Many of those who responded made reference to the Christian bible and how it is regularly interpreted as commanding believers to preach to others. They evangelize because their god commands them to do so or as a way of honoring their god. Others indicated that they are driven by the strength of their beli...
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Three GOP Presidential Candidates Reject Evolution
2007-05-06 14:21:00
I seem to be in a minority here in the United States, and not just because I am an atheist. I seem to be in a minority of people who wants a president to be much smarter than I am. I find this far more important than whether I'd like to have a beer with the person. George W. Bush has been an embarrassment to America, and I hope that the next president can restore some semblance of intelligence to the office. Of course, this will rule out three of the current Republican candidates because they reported during their first debate that they do not believe in evolution.Those of you who do not live in the bible belt may have a hard time understanding how anyone in this day and age could disbelieve evolution, but it does not surprise those of us who live here. Still, I admit that my first reaction upon hearing that 3 of the 10 Republican candidates do not believe in evolution was one of surprise. It isn't that I'm surprised to hear that Tom Tancredo, Sam Brownback, and Mike Huckabee den...
More About: Evolution , Presidential , Candidates , Side , Three

Fired for Being an Atheist: Christian Extremism in the Workplace
2007-05-05 19:32:00
Currently making the rounds on atheist blogs is this Associated Press story printed in the Boston Globe. The Maine Human Rights Commission has concluded that there are "reasonable grounds" to support a DeCoster farms manager's claim that he was fired because of his atheism.In fact, it sounds like the manager, Cacy Cantwell, was told by his boss, Austin "Jack" DeCoster, that they might need to "part ways" because of Cantwell's lack of theistic belief.Cantwell, who was provided housing he shared with a non-married partner, two of his children and three of her children, said he was criticized by DeCoster, a devout Christian , who didn't approve of the living arrangement.On another occasion, DeCoster brought up God in a conversation, and Cantwell responded by saying he was an atheist and didn't believe in God.Cantwell told the investigator that DeCoster put his hand on his shoulder and told him: "I can't have someone like you here. We might need to part ways."Looks like a fairly cle...
More About: Workplace , Atheist , Extremism , Place

Pro-Life Atheists and Unwarranted Inferences
2007-05-05 13:13:00
Most Americans associate the pro-life movement with conservative Christianity, but the two may be separable. Are there atheists opposed to abortion who would like to see Roe v. Wade overturned and who have non-religious grounds for their position? If so, what are there grounds?I think these are interesting questions in their own right, however, I would guess that finding honest answers to them might not be the goal of Tim's blog post. No, I suspect that what Tim is trying to do is suggest that I made an unwarranted inference by assuming that the individual I described in a recent post must be Christian.The thing is, even if we discover that there are hordes of atheists who oppose a woman's right to choose, that does not necessarily mean that my inference was unwarranted. When we hear of someone in America attempting to bomb a health clinic, Operation Rescue immediately springs to mind, as do the Christian extremists who advocate violence against physicians who work in women's hea...
More About: Life , Pro-Life , Ferenc , Atheists , Theist

Atheist Assaulted for Car Window Sticker
2007-05-04 19:37:00
A Myrtle Beach, S.C., man was assaulted and robbed by a group of men offended by an anti-Christian phrase the man (an atheist) had attached to his car window to protest the National Day of Prayer. What was this offensive phrase, and what exactly happened?The police report is available on the web, however, I am no longer linking to it out of respect for the victim in this senseless hate crime.Tags: atheist, atheism, Myrtle Beach, assault, crime
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God Wants You to Abuse Your Children
2007-05-04 19:06:00
According to the Bethel Baptist Church, parents are informed in no uncertain terms that failing to discipline their children by repeatedly hitting them with a rod violates god's will. That's right, their god wants them to abuse their children. Forget for a second how absurd it is to be concerned with the will of something that does not exist and consider the implications of this message.According to Inside Bay Area, Bethel Baptist Church, which also runs a 200-student Christian Academy, "discourages parents from using their hands and recommends using a 'rod' or flexible stick to swat children until their will is broken." Until their will is broken!Don't think this type of discipline is child abuse? It turns out that California law is not especially clear either. In fact, Stacie Buchanan, the Division Manager of Contra Costa County Child ren and Family Services, acknowledges that determining what is and is not child abuse according to California law can be difficult.Determining a...
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Comment Policy
2007-05-04 14:20:00
The increased presence of Christian trolls on this blog has prompted me to do something I probably should have done a long time ago: develop a comment policy. I'd like to encourage everyone to review this policy before leaving comments. I have heard the increasing complaints, and I'm now far less tolerant of disruptive trolls.IntroductionFirst and foremost, please understand that this is an atheist blog. The author is an atheist, and the intended audience is made up of atheists, secular humanists, and other freethinkers. Of course, I welcome theists who are genuinely interested in learning something. However, those interested primarily in argument, antagonism, or proselytizing should go elsewhere. You see, blogs are not intended as places for readers to debate each other. This is what forums are for, and I can recommend some excellent ones that value atheist-theist debate if it would be helpful.March of the Asshats: What is a Troll?There are several forms of blog trolls, ranging f...
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Christian Terrorism: Alive and Well
2007-05-03 12:17:00
"Why is it that the media and the government never calls the 'pro-life' groups who plant bombs at women’s clinics what they are: terrorists?" This question, asked by Zuzu at Feministe is certainly a good one. Unfortunately, we now have another occasion to ask it.A bomb was found in the parking lot of the Austin Women's Health Center in Austin, TX. Fortunately, police were able to detonate it safely without injury to anyone. And yet, this incident should serve as a reminder that Christian terrorism is alive and well."We know that when abortion is in the news, we also see clinics targeted for increased violence and disruption," said Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation. The group put out a memo to abortion providers around the country, urging them to be alert.As Zuzu recommends, it is time to recognize such acts for what they really are - terrorism. For more on this disturbing report, I encourage you to check out Austin Cline's post.Tags: abortion, Christ...
More About: Terrorism , Error , Christian Terrorism , Alive

Christian Bible is Poor Basis of Morality, Part II
2007-05-02 12:28:00
In a recent post in which I pointed out that the Christian bible is a poor basis of morality, many interesting comments emerged through the sea of argument between a handful of Christian trolls and regular readers. I realized that my initial post did not do justice to the points I was trying to make. This is an elaboration on that post.In my previous post, I offered the example of Exodus 34: 13-17 to suggest that the Christian bible cannot seriously be viewed as any sort of guide to moral behavior. I noted that the Christian has a few options for dealing with passages such as this one, one of which is to interpret them away through the standard claim that context is lacking and that additional study is needed to arrive at the "right" interpretation. My previous post criticized this viewpoint as being arrogant (which it is), but that does not do justice to the far more important problem with such claims.This is how Richard Dawkins expresses the more important problem to which I refer...
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Censorship, Personal Safety, and Unorthodox Atheism
2007-05-01 12:13:00
Convinced that atheists have nothing to fear from believers and that to suggest otherwise is just being paranoid? I want to draw your attention to a disturbing account over at Unorthodox Atheism .After Reed lent his copy of Dawkins' The God Delusion to an atheist friend, the friend's father found the book, took it so that his son could not read it, and contacted Reed in what sounds like a threatening manner. Picturing Reed obsessively checking his locks and actually sleeping with a baseball bat makes me sad. It makes me sad for we atheists who must always consider scenarios like this before speaking our minds, and it makes me sad for open-minded Christians who strive to practice tolerance.I think that Reed handled this difficult situation extremely well. It is a good thing he had the foresight to alert personnel at his school since his friend's father actually showed up to demand that he be punished for distributing atheist literature. Evidently, the father refuses to acknowledge ...
More About: Personal , Safety , Censorship , Person

Karl Rove Is An Atheist: More Evidence and Implications
2007-04-30 12:49:00
It seems that there is tremendous interest in the possibility that Karl Rove is an atheist. The recent post in which I quoted Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, as saying that Rove "is not a believer" generated more hits than any other post in the history of Atheist Revolution. In this post, I'll consider other evidence that confirms Hitchens' statement and discuss the implications of Rove's atheism.Hitchens' on Karl Rove and BushWe start with Christopher Hitchens. What exactly did he say, and what was the context of his statement. During an interview with New York Magazine, Hitchens was asked whether he thought an openly atheistic candidate would ever be elected in the United States. He answered in the affirmative and was then asked whether anyone in the Bush administration has ever disclosed atheism to him. He replied,Well, I don’t talk that much to them—maybe people think I do. I know something which is known to few but is n...
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Hurricane Katrina Woes Continue to Plague Bush Administration
2007-04-29 21:28:00
According to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), the United States government squandered the offers of international aid which poured in following Hurricane Katrina . The story appeared in today's Washington Post, and it will be interesting to see if it receives the attention it deserves.In one exchange, State Department officials anguished over whether to tell Italy that its shipments of medicine, gauze and other medical supplies spoiled in the elements for weeks after Katrina's landfall on Aug. 29, 2005, and were destroyed. "Tell them we blew it," one disgusted official wrote. But she hedged: "The flip side is just to dispose of it and not come clean. I could be persuaded."How about some accountability? How about explaining why so much money never reached the Mississippi and Louisiana residents in need?Tags: Hurricane Katrina , Bush , Mississippi, Louisiana, government
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Calling Current and Former Evangelical Christians
2007-04-28 14:38:00
Like most Americans, I was indoctrinated with Christianity during childhood. In my case, this was a progressive and fairly liberal form of Christianity that bore little resemblance to the fundamentalist or evangelical forms which currently seem so popular. As a result, I have a difficult time understanding the motivation of those who describe themselves as evangelical. In this post, I'd like to pose a few questions to those who currently or previously considered themselves as belonging to an evangelical form of Christianity.To elaborate a bit on the background for the questions that will follow, I should point out that I had virtually no exposure to evangelical Christianity until approximately age 17. The Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Catholics I grew up with all shared a common perspective that religion was a private matter. At some level, I think we knew that arguing about differences among the various denominations would accomplish little besides hurt feelings. Relig...
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Secular Humanist First, Atheist Second
2007-04-16 12:30:00
I am an atheist, but I am an atheist because I am first a secular humanist. Atheism is not my starting point but where secular humanism has led me. I focus this blog on criticizing religion and other forms of irrational belief, with Christian extremism spending the most time in my crosshairs. However, it is time to give secular humanism more of the attention it deserves.What is Secular Humanism?Secular Humanism is much broader than atheism and entails many things that atheism does not. This will be easy to grasp if you remember that atheism refers to nothing more than the lack of belief in any sort of gods. So what is secular humanism?Start with humanism itself. According to Paul Kurtz, "Humanism is an ethical, scientific, and philosophical outlook" which can be traced "back to the philosophers and poets of ancient Greece and Rome, Confucian China, and the Charvaka movement in classical India." Humanism is an optimistic stance, entailing "confidence in the power of human beings to s...
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Fired For Refusing Church
2007-04-09 12:30:00
Christians seem to have such a difficult time understanding what it is like to live as an atheist in such an overwhelmingly Christianized culture. Rather than try to imagine what their own experience would be like if they were to live in a Muslim country as one of a handful of Christians, many prefer to call us evil and dismiss us outright. If we'd just conform to their shared delusion, we'd be accepted. Perhaps we'd even be allowed to keep our jobs.According to this story out of Arkansas, a plumbing company apprentice (who we have no reason to believe is an atheist) is suing his former employer, claiming that he was fired for not going to church. As if that wasn't troubling enough, it seems that the fired plumber was accused of being a drug user, told he could not clear himself through a drug test, and was instead ordered by his employer to attend one of two specific evangelical churches.Christians, what do you think about this? How would you feel if you were ordered to stop go...
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Atheist-Theist Dialogue: One Obstacle
2007-03-28 12:30:00
Is it possible for atheists and theists to have a meaningful dialogue? Forget for a second whether such a dialogue would be beneficial and consider whether it is possible. If so, what might it look like? As atheism becomes more common, this question will be asked even more frequently by both atheists and believers. I see one fairly massive obstacle to such a dialogue, and I am not sure what it will take to overcome it.The obstacle can be illustrated best with the following quote from Daniel C. Dennett (italics added):"..can we public atheists have productive conversations with believers? Certainly. We can discuss every issue under the sun...respecting each other as citizens with honest disagreements about fundamental matters that can be subjected to reasonable, open inquiry and mutual persuasion... As long as those who are believers will acknowledge that their allegiance gives them no privilege, no direct line to the absolute truth, no advantage in moral insight, we should be able t...
More About: Atheist , Dialog , Dialogue , Theist , Dial