Truth and Blasphemy

When we talk about blasphemy, the focus naturally goes to efforts by religious extremists to pass anti-blasphemy laws, criminalizing the criticism of their religion. It makes sense that this would be the focus since this sort of thing is antithetical to free expression and democracy.

It also makes sense that we, as atheists, would be particularly worried about the implications of such laws. We would likely be among the first targets of such laws. But as this image shows, there is a somewhat different way to think about blasphemy - as a term used by religious authorities to describe any teaching that goes against their doctrine.

The fact that our planet revolves around the sun instead of being the center of the universe was once considered blasphemy. One could be punished merely for suggesting the possibility. The fact that species evolve was once considered blasphemy (and still is throughout much of the American bible belt). From this perspective, blasphemy seems to be little more than what organized religion does not want you or I to know.

Suffrage and civil rights were once deemed blasphemous, affronts to what the church considered "sacred" and "holy." Interracial marriage was once deemed blasphemous because it was "unnatural" and "against god's will." We still see such hang-ups with same-sex marriage today by some religious extremists.

Accusations of blasphemy are about social control and the preservation of obsolete dogma. Cries of "blasphemy" and efforts to enact anti-blasphemy laws should be recognized for what they are: efforts to undermine reason and social justice.

On Blasphemy Day, Mock Away

Happy International Blasphemy Day! This is a day I used to take for granted, or rather, this is a day where I used to take my freedom to commit blasphemy for granted. After recent developments, I will not make that mistake again. Too many nations have bowed to pressure from religious extremists and enacted anti-blasphemy laws. The subject was recently raised at the UN. And even here in the U.S., there has been international pressure to consider something along these lines. While President Obama stood his ground, who knows what future administrations might do? We cannot take our rights for granted.

American Humanists' Approach to Islam

The American Humanist Association has a post titled "A sensible Humanist approach to Islam" at Secular News Daily that is worth reading. Since this topic has been on my mind quite a bit lately, I wanted to share a few brief reactions to the post.

First, I agree with their reminder that those committing acts of violence do not represent all Muslims. While it is true that we do not hear nearly enough from moderate Muslims, I suspect that is due to their understandable fear of reprisal and the refusal of our corporate media to cover anything moderate these days. I certainly do not blame all Muslims for the violent acts committed by a few.

Without Struggle, There is No Progress

If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of many of its waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will…men may not get all they pay for in this world; but they must certainly pay for all they get.

- Fredrick Douglass

These words by Fredrick Douglass have stuck with me over the years like few others. This has been one of my favorite passages since I first read it back in high school. I find myself remembering Douglass' words whenever I am tempted to whine, feel sorry for myself, or give in to pessimism.

Am I a Feminist?

Among the many questions I am asked, one of those that has been the most difficult to answer has been whether I consider myself a feminist. It is difficult because there are many different definitions of feminism out there, and the person asking the question is rarely willing to specify what he or she means by feminism. I have to pause to ask about the questioner's understanding of feminism so I know how to answer, which tends to be perceived as oppositional or evasive.

According to the narrowest definition I have heard, and one that seems quite popular in the atheist community these days, a feminist is one who supports the equality of women (i.e., equal rights). I've even come across some people who insist that the meaning of feminism is limited to the issue of equal pay for equal work. Using these narrow definitions, I am definitely a feminist. Politically, socially, and economically, I do indeed support equal rights for women. The thing is, these narrow definitions do not adequately capture how I think of feminism.

Public Executions for Those Who Criticize Islam

I was watching some news show the other night. I am not certain which one it was, but since the PBS Newshour is the one I've been watching most of the time, it is my best guess. They are one of the few shows I've found that consistently reports international news, and I've tired of all the skewed coverage of U.S. politics where everyone has been pretending that we only have two candidates running in our upcoming election. In any case, they were reporting on the latest Muslim violence over an Internet movie trailer and inspired me to expand some of my recent thoughts on the matter.

Is There a Market for Atheist Products?

Bloomberg Businessweek asks an interesting question: Can the godless market evolve beyond bumper stickers? In other words, is there really a market out there for atheist-related products? In one sense, the answer would be an obvious yes. Most of us could go online and find atheist-oriented products (e.g., books, t-shirts, bumper stickers and automotive accessories, jewelry, and the like in a matter of minutes. But what the article is really asking involves the potential for growth in this tiny niche market beyond what we are currently seeing. That is an intriguing question and one which I am not sure how to answer.

The quote in the article that got my attention was this one:

That works out to about 15 million Americans who describe themselves as “convinced atheists,” more than many mainline Protestant denominations, Jews, or Muslims.

Religious Objections to Vaccination

You are a parent, and you have a child in elementary school. Like most parents, you took your child to the doctor for vaccinations. Doing so was required by your child's school district, but you would have done so anyway because you recognize the value of vaccinations in protecting the health of your child and reducing the spread of communicable diseases. With me so far?

Now suppose that you learn that a child in the same class as your own child was not vaccinated. It would be natural for you to wonder why this other child was not required to be vaccinated like yours was, and you might also wonder what is wrong with this child's parents. If you guessed that the answer to both questions was religion, you'd be correct.

We Can Benefit From Exposing Ourselves to Diverse Views

If you express controversial views on the Internet, many people are going to react by unfollowing, blocking, de-friending, unsubscribing, and the like. Not only are they not interested in your perspective, they want to pretend it isn't there at all. They find your disagreement with their worldview to be threatening in some way, and they'd like to wish it away.

Atheists know this all too well. We regularly have religious believers go out of their way to tell us that they are unfollowing, blocking, or muting us. I've always found it quite amusing that someone would need to tell me that they are doing this. What is less amusing is when persons we regarded as our friends in real life or even our family members do this. I've only had a couple of friends do this to me, but I've heard about it happening on a much larger scale to many atheists.

Atheism: Making The World We Want

This is a great quote from the first book I ever read on atheism, Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian and Other Essays on Religion and Related Subjects. It has always captured one of the most inspiring and intimidating aspects of atheism: it is up to us to make the world in which we want to live.

Superstitious belief has done its share of damage, but we can improve our world through the pursuit of reason, the application of skepticism, and perhaps a bit of humanism. Organized religion has caused considerable harm, but we can help to hasten its demise and reverse much of the harm it has caused. Nobody would ever suggest this will be easy; it may take generations. The question for each of us to ponder is how we will contribute.

What Search Terms Reveal About Visitors to Atheist Blogs

Almost anybody who writes about blogging seems to agree that monitoring traffic is essential. Of course, the collection is the easy part. Figuring out how best to use the information provided by Google Analytics is another matter.

I like to use Google Analytics to examine the search terms bringing people to Atheist Revolution. I almost always find some surprises. Here were the top 5 search terms for July:

1. atheist
2. atheism
3. athiest
4. christian god
5. noelle nikpour

Music and Atheism

I've enjoyed listening to many different kinds of music for as long as I can remember. My parents had a kick-ass classic rock and folk record collection back in the day. The Stones, Beatles, Doors, Janis Joplin, and all sorts of others from the late 60s and early 70s. When an uncle died in a car accident at a young age, I took his massive collection of 70s hard rock cassettes nobody else in the family wanted. I had never heard of many of the bands, but this was how I first heard Bad Company, Mott the Hoople, Slade, Black Sabbath, and many others.

As I grew up and got more into music, I finally understood what people meant when they spoke about having a soundtrack to their lives. There are songs I can hear today that bring back vivid memories of particular times in my life. I might not recall the exact date, but I remember exactly what I was doing, what was important to me, and why the music mattered. There has definitely been a soundtrack to my life, and it has been a fairly diverse one.

Why Atheism Plus is Perceived as Divisive

I think I was about 5 or 6 years old at the time, and my family was living in California. The crime rate in the city where we lived was rising but hadn't gotten really bad yet. My friends and I were allowed to play around the neighborhood with what now seems like a surprising lack of adult supervision. The summers were hot, and I rarely wore shoes. My feet were used to the scorching pavement, and it didn't bother me. If the few photos I've seen of myself at the time are any indication, I looked like a happy kid - a kid who needed a haircut and a bath much of the time - but a happy kid. I do not have many clear memories from this time, but those that stand out generally confirm that this was a positive time in my life.

I remember letting a friend borrow a new ball I wasn't using one day. He promptly lost it, did not tell his parents, and refused to replace it. I did what seemed natural to me at the time. I stole one of his beloved toys when he wasn't looking. I'll never forget being dragged to his house by my mom, forced to apologize and return the toy. The lesson of the day was that "two wrongs don't make a right." The fact that he mistreated me did not give me the right to mistreat him. It was a good lesson.