11.27.2009

The Question Christians Must Answer

chamomiles

In a recent post, The Secular Thinker (update: link no longer active) asked the question that many of us ask again and again when pondering Christians and what they profess to believe:

If you really believe that God exists, wouldn't you do everything you possibly could to praise and please him. The Bible sure thinks so, yet so many "Christians" take it only half way. They believe what they want to believe, and they ignore what they don't. If they could only step back and see what is going on there, perhaps they would realize the paradox of their beliefs.

I cannot count the number of times I have asked the same question. While I have received many answers, none are even remotely satisfactory.

11.24.2009

How to Write an Anti-Atheist Hit Piece

Reward of the Atheist

Disclaimer: I am using the article referenced in this post to demonstrate the point I am trying to make about the manner in which the sort of anti-atheist hit pieces with which we are all too familiar are written. I am not claiming that the author of this particular article was necessarily trying to write such a piece. For all I know, the author is an atheist trying to raise public awareness about the subject of his article.

I draw your attention to a recent article written by Fred Swegles for The Orange County Register. If you read the article, you will see the extremely common set up for an anti-atheist hit piece perfectly illustrated.

The Set Up

Swegles' story deals with a resident of his city, San Clemente, asking questions about whether a promotional banner erected by the city violates separation of church and state. The banner depicts part of the San Clemente Presbyterian Church, including a Christian cross that is part of the church.

The good news is that the city manager evidently consulted an attorney, decided that the citizen had a point, and asked the Chamber of Commerce to replace the banner.

11.23.2009

Psalm 109:8 Reveals Christian Extremist Hate

281_Fascism.jpgI have repeatedly used this blog as a platform to call attention to the dangers of Christian extremism in the United States. Unfortunately, this label has still not caught on. Far too many remain content to view religious extremism as something Muslims do that doesn't apply to Christians. I used to think that the explanation was as simple as people not wanting to acknowledge that Christianity could be every bit as dangerous as Islam for fear of offending the Christian majority that controls the U.S. I'm not so sure about that anymore. Even atheists have been reluctant to apply the Christian extremist label to practitioners of this form of extremism.

As you have undoubtedly heard by now, Christian extremists in the United States are rallying behind an obscure passage from their bibles to promote imprecatory prayer against President Obama. That is, they are praying for the death of their president and encouraging others to do the same by spreading this meme of hatred through a variety of commercial ventures.

Psalm 109:8 seems innocent enough at first glance.
Let his days be few; and let another take his office.
They are unhappy with President Obama and want him replaced, ideally by Sarah Palin. However, the problem with this becomes readily apparent when we examine Psalm 109. Take Paliban Daily's suggestion and look over Psalm 109:1-19. Paints a very different picture, doesn't it?

Read in context, it is painfully clear that "let his days be few" is indeed an imprecatory prayer. This line is not referring to President Obama's time in office, but his time among us. Psalm 109:9 makes this extremely clear.
Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
These Christian extremists are praying for the death of our President. This is Christian extremism on display for all to see. As Paliban Daily notes,
They are openly praying and asking you to pray that the President of the United States be cursed by their god, that he die and his family suffer horribly in poverty and aided by none until they are all wiped out.
Where is the media on this? Where is the outrage? Where are the so-called moderate Christians? Is a religion that shields this sort of thing simply to preserve it self really worth maintaining?

I hope to see everyone with an outlet (e.g., a blog, a podcast, a local newspaper that accepts letters to the editor, etc.) talking about this and referring to Christian extremism. This sort of thing can be ignored no more.

11.22.2009

I Am An Atheist Because...

evolution

Why are you an atheist? When someone learns of your atheism for the first time, I think it makes sense to expect that the why question will soon follow. It is a fair question, especially for those of us who live in areas that are especially hostile to atheists. The thing is, this question can catch one off guard because providing a complete answer can be a lengthy exercise. I'll give you the extra short version of one of my more commonly used answers below, and I'd be interested to hear yours too.

11.18.2009

When Tolerance is Not Viable

dog in Santa hat

Astreja asked a thought-provoking question over at ExChristian.net (update: link no longer active), "Where do we draw the line between tolerating or attacking someone else's weird ideas?" I suppose that "tolerating" in this context likely refers to remaining silent on the subject of someone's beliefs even if one does not agree with them. Thus, we might rephrase the question to be one of how we decide to speak out and criticize a belief versus keeping our thoughts to ourselves. I suspect the decision usually boils down to our estimation of the likelihood that a particular belief will be harmful, doesn't it?

When I encounter a parent telling her children about Santa Claus, I find it unfortunate that someone would lie to one's own child merely for entertainment purposes. However, I feel little need to say anything. The potential for harm here seems trivially small. Perhaps the child will learn the valuable lesson that adults cannot always be trusted. I cannot say the same for the Muslim parent instructing his son in the virtues of martyrdom or the Christian who tells her daughter that her Jewish friends will go to hell because they have not been "saved." The potential for harm seems much greater here.

11.15.2009

What I Like Most About Christmas

war_on_christmas.jpgI know we're still in November at Thanksgiving hasn't even happened yet, but that has not stopped Christian extremist groups such as the American Family Association from whining about the "war on Christmas." It seems that this has been such a great source of fundraising for the far right that it has become an annual tradition. Well, it also happens to be what I like most about Christmas.

You and I both know that there is no war on Christmas. This is nothing more than a marketing ploy. But you know what? It is also a showcase for Christian extremist idiocy, and I happen to find it quite entertaining. Why? Because one does not have to venture far into the manufactured controversy before discovering that the "war on Christmas" shines a very bright light on the subject of Christian privilege.

11.12.2009

What's So Bad About Religion?

Imagine no religion

I have never met an atheist who would claim that religion is the source of all evil in the world and that a post-religious world would necessarily be some sort of Utopian paradise. In the interest of full disclosure, I have encountered more than a few atheists online who say things that make me suspect they may believe this; however, I am reasonably confident that these atheists are a small minority. Many atheists long for a post-religious world, but we are realistic about what it would involve. We do not imagine that perfection would be at hand if only religion would slip into the dustbin of history. Progress, yes; perfection, no.

The far more common view among the atheists I have known and most of those I have encountered online, and the one to which I personally subscribe, is that religious belief (i.e., faith) facilitates evil in a way that few other organizations or belief systems are capable. This is an important part of what is so bad about religion.

As Steven Weinberg famously said,

With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.

Again, the claim is not that religion is somehow the source of all evil but that it facilitates a particularly devastating form of evil.

11.02.2009

Satanism, Atheism, and Anti-Theism

Anti-Christian/Satanic button taken from a pai...
Anti-Christian/Satanic button taken from a pair of pants. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I knew that this series was going to be controversial when I started it. Misconceptions about Satanism abound, even among atheists. And the suggestion that atheists might have something to learn from Satanists has already been criticized even though I have not written anything about it yet.

In the first part of the series, I explained that many Satanists, at least those involved in the Church of Satan, do not worship Satan but are atheists who adopt a strongly anti-theistic position and use Satanic imagery and symbolism to shock. In this post, I'll examine the relationships among this form of Satanism, atheism, and anti-theism. The next post will discuss whether atheists could learn anything from Satanists.