7.29.2012

Chick-fil-A: The Taste of Bigotry

Chick fil a bigots 2012
Back in 2009, I wrote that I thought atheists should avoid Chick-fil-A because they were in bed with Christian extremist groups like Focus on the Family. It made little sense, I reasoned, for an atheist to spend money at a Christian establishment that made it a point to push Christianity and promote Christian extremism.

In 2011, I revisited the subject of Chick-fil-A. I noted their support for the Pennsylvania Family Institute, an anti-gay organization, and again suggested that those interested in equality should probably find an alternative source for their processed chicken habit.

7.15.2012

Why Its Tough to Discuss Sexism in the Atheist Community

SexismWhat I wrote on the subject of the the freethought bullies meme was promptly characterized as "another repetition of the hissy finger-pointy meme." Not quite what I was going for, but I won't be losing any sleep over it. I wasn't planning to revisit the subject of sexism so soon, but I've been asked by a couple of people to provide a concise explanation of what I meant when I suggested that there was a division in the atheist community. So I want to address that in a somewhat different manner.

7.14.2012

Church Vandalism in South Carolina

church vandalism

A couple of churches in South Carolina were recently vandalized with anti-religion and pro-atheist messages. I join others in the atheist community in condemning this act. I think it reflects extremely poor judgment on the part of the perpetrators, and it accomplishes nothing constructive. I hope they are caught and have to do quite a bit of community service.

Hemant Mehta (Friendly Atheist) has been in contact with one of the pastors and is raising money to support a local secular charity.

It’s a gesture to show that, while we have very serious disagreements about the nature of God, we all want to help our communities and make this world a better place. It’s possible to work together toward that cause. It’s also a slap in the face to the vandals — if they wanted to prove anything, they failed.

I understand that some atheists are strongly opposed to much of what churches do (although this is certainly not the case for all atheists). Vandalizing churches has to be one of the least effective ways I can imagine to oppose what they do. There are plenty of other (legal) options for expressing one's opposition to church. Those who resorted to vandalism accomplished nothing.

7.12.2012

Freethought Bullying

Screaming manI should have written this post a few months ago. I should have written it long before Thunderf00t and Greg Laden were expelled from Freethought Blogs (FtB). I should have written it well before Paula Kirby's now infamous letter and the many heated responses it has generated. I should have written it before there was any serious talk of harassment policies at atheist conferences. I am ashamed that I didn't write about this months ago. It is with more than a little apprehension that I say the following: I think there might be some truth to the seemingly outrageous claim that a few of the bloggers at FtB are acting like bullies.

7.11.2012

Existence of Atheists Offends Christians

Of all the messages I've seen on atheist billboards, this has always been one of my favorites. It is brief, simple, and tells atheists that there are others like them. Oh, and it also offends Christians in every location where it has gone up.

Since there is absolutely nothing even remotely offensive about this billboard, the inevitable conclusion is that many Christians are offended by the fact that there are atheists. If that isn't bigotry and hatred, I'm not sure what would be.

7.02.2012

Mitt Romney is a Mormon

Mitt Romney is a Mormon

Mitt Romney may have been the first presidential nominee from either of the two main parties in the United States I can recall who did not use nearly every opportunity to talk about his faith during his campaign. Had one not known that Mitt Romney is a Mormon, one could be forgiven for wondering if he might be an atheist.

The Romney campaign almost certainly knew that roughly 18% of Americans polled at the time said they would not vote for a Mormon for president. Their solution was to have their candidate avoid speaking directly about his Mormon faith whenever possible. Romney did refer to his faith on occasion, but he did so in an unusually vague manner, often omitting the part about being a Mormon and attempting to steer the discussion away from it.