10.31.2012

Watch Out for Halloween Evangelicals

Halloween evangelism

There are no shortage of scary stories perfect for Halloween. You have heard all tales about people injecting drugs into the candy they distribute or passing out apples containing razor blades on Halloween. These urban legends have been popular for decades and remain great fodder for scaring parents. You have heard the ancient myths about Halloween being the night when the "world of spirits" is somehow closer to ours and "evil" is close by. This stuff is old news and probably isn't going to scare any self-respecting freethinker. But there is something else going on this year, something even spookier that just might get those hairs on the back of your neck to stand at attention.

It seems that the Campus Crusade for Christ, an evangelical fundamentalist Christian organization, wants to use Halloween as an opportunity to convert you. Yes, you read that correctly. They've decided that Halloween is the perfect opportunity to spread their preferred delusion. Better prepare yourselves, heathens! Your very sanity could be at stake this Halloween.

Selling the Supernatural

ghost

While complaining about the abundance of entertainment-oriented television shows masquerading as educational that present the supernatural as if it was based in fact, I received a much needed reminder from my readers. The supernatural sells. This is why there is so much of it on TV, and until the audience tires of it, it is here to stay. Shows on the paranormal are big year-round, but especially as we approach Halloween. They will soon be replaced by even less interesting drivel about angels and Jesus.

Don't get me wrong - it doesn't bother me that this stuff is on TV. I do not have to expend much effort at all to avoid it. What does bother me is that the very same channels that hold themselves out as having some educational value seem to be the ones pushing it so hard. They lend an undeserved credibility to the subject matter. At least, they used to before they sold their credibility.

Bigfoot, alien abductions, monsters, ghosts, angels, and so on. It is amazing how popular this stuff is today! There wasn't nearly as much of this sort of thing on the air when I was a child; however, I did usually watch it when it was on. I remember thinking that investigating these sort of paranormal phenomena was what scientists did. Fortunately, I would eventually learn that what real scientists did was far more interesting than this stuff. I'd like to think everybody was this lucky, but I know better. There are plenty of adults today who take this stuff quite seriously.

10.30.2012

Evidence of God

Proof of God

Most of the atheists I've met online and in real life agree that they are atheists primarily because the evidence to support the existence of any sort of god is insufficient (as in completely absent). I'm right there with them. The lack of evidence is the reason I'm an atheist too. This is why it makes so much sense to respond to questions from a believer about why we are atheists by explaining that are do not believe in their preferred god for the same reason they do not believe in the preferred gods of others: lack of evidence.

10.29.2012

Obstacles to Atheist Activism: Introduction

obstacles
Activism, in any context, is about changing the world for the better. It involves the perception that one's present circumstances are less than ideal and the motivation to act in order to reduce the gap between what is and what could be. Activism can be hard work, although it does not always have to be.

I thought it might be interesting to pull together some thoughts on the many obstacles to successful activism by the atheist movement and see how we might be able to overcome them. My tentative plan is to write a series of posts, each examining a different obstacle and taking a look at some potential solutions. In this post, I want to note a couple important assumptions I will be making in the series and which I believe must be explained before beginning.

10.28.2012

Too Much Television Programming Presents Supernatural as Fact

Exterior of the Edgar Allan Poe House and Muse...
Exterior of the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here in the United States, educational material has always been rather scarce on television. There have been a few notable exceptions for programming aimed at young children (e.g., Sesame Street) and adults (e.g., Nova), but they represent a tiny proportion of what one finds on network and cable TV. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as we could simply recognize that TV is not the best place for educational material and look elsewhere. What I think might be a bad thing, however, is that there are far too many entertainment programs masquerading as educational.

Take a look at the History Channel, Discovery, the Learning Channel, the Travel Channel, and others that offer the pretense of having some educational value (i.e., content is typically presented as being factual). I suspect that some of these channels do include some educational programming, but it is minimal compared to their entertainment-oriented content, and the distinction between one and the other is rarely made explicit to viewers.

10.25.2012

Personal Experience vs. Science

Science

Given the choice between one person's experience (including my own) and scientific consensus, I tend to go with science. I received an email in response to a recent post about the influenza vaccine in which a reader suggested that I was "falling for Big Pharma's shit just like the religious folks fall for the Bible's shit." The author, presumably an atheist, went on to use the argument from personal experience to dismiss my suggestion that I'd prefer to rely on science over superstition when it comes to my health. Specifically, she wrote that her two children "have never had a vaccine of any sort" and have never been sick with anything worse than a typical cold. Clearly, that proves...well...nothing.

I know I should not be surprised to hear something like this from an atheist. We atheists can still accept conspiracy theories, support the type of pseudoscience in which the Huffington Post traffics, or prefer not to exercise reason at all outside of the question of gods. We can be irrational, especially when we've managed to convince ourselves that we are right and others are wrong. And I suppose we can even dismiss science when it suits us to do so. We can do all of these things because whatever else atheists are, we are still fallible humans.

10.24.2012

Schrödinger’s Rapist

schrodingers cat is off todayIf you are a regular reader of the more feminist-oriented of the Freethought Blogs, Skepchick, or other feminist blogs, odds are good that you have heard of Schrödinger’s Rapist. Even if you actively avoid such blogs, you've likely encountered reactions to Schrödinger’s Rapist on other blogs. I have read the infamous Schrödinger’s Rapist post a few times, and I'd like to share my reactions. I suspect that they may be a bit different from what you've read elsewhere.

Background

To provide a bit of context for my comments, I want to point out that the Schrödinger’s Rapist post is highly derivative (i.e., unoriginal). I read a few very similar articles back in the 1990s when I was learning about feminist and multicultural theories in graduate school. Some dealt with women and rape in virtually the same way; others dealt with the subtle forms of racism experienced by members of many ethnic minority groups.

What these articles had in common was that they were tools designed to inform readers about privilege. When I note that Schrödinger’s Rapist is derivative, I do so not to criticize it but to place it in this broader context. Being derivative in this case is a good thing, as the post belongs to this tradition. This is why it sounded so familiar when I first read it.

10.20.2012

Flu Vaccine vs. Superstition

Get the Shot Not the Flu

I got a flu shot yesterday. It seems kind of early in the season, but this is when flu vaccine is widely available around here. I've been getting a flu shot nearly every year for at least the past 10 years. Getting the flu is no fun, and I'm exposed to it fairly often at work. Better safe than sorry.

I assume that my Southern Baptist neighbors who insist that the earth is only 6,000 years old and that evolution is a Satanic deception of some sort are not interested in flu vaccines or any other type of vaccines. If the influenza virus doesn't evolve (because "evilution" is a myth), they'd never need more than one vaccination in their lifetime anyway. But why bother to get vaccinated at all when they can simply pray away any illness that might befall them?

The strange thing is that they still seem to get sick, especially the parents with young children at home. Illness seems to sweep through their entire families on a regular basis. They regularly show symptoms I rarely seem to experience, and they end up missing work far more often than I do.

I think I'll stick with science. It has worked much better than superstition so far.

10.19.2012

Do Atheist Blogs Need To Use Trigger Warnings?

Trigger warning

Help me understand something. What is going on with what seems to be a growing trend where atheist bloggers, as well as others communicating online, attempt to warn their audience of certain kinds of material with the phrase "trigger warning," often in caps or set off in some way?

I'm seeing it quite a bit lately, particularly on blogs focusing on gender issues. I am well aware that such warnings have a history in certain feminist circles, usually to warn emotionally vulnerable individuals (e.g., rape victims) of content that is likely to be upsetting. I get that, but it seems like this warning is now being used so inconsistently on so many different subjects and with such a diverse audience that I'm not sure what meaning it is supposed to have. Besides, I have a very difficult time believing that the audience of the average atheist blogger is truly as fragile as the bloggers seem to think they are.

10.17.2012

Circumcision

CircumcisionShould it remain legal for parents in the U.S. to have their infant sons circumcised for reasons other than medical necessity?

Should atheist parents ever consider having their sons circumcised, and if so, why?

I recognize that some in the atheist community have strong feelings about these questions. I have seen several people referring to male circumcision as "mutilation" and characterizing parents who opt for the procedure as abusive. I don't believe I've written about this controversial subject yet, for what may strike some of you as a fairly strange reason. You see, I am not sure what to think about it. I have not yet made up my mind one way or another.

10.15.2012

Feeling Disillusioned With the Atheist Movement

feeling disillusionedFor the past few months, I've gradually recognized a subtle change in my attitudes toward the atheist movement. It has happened so slowly that it kind of crept up on me, but I think it is fair to say that I've been feeling somewhat disillusioned with some aspects of the atheist movement. I'm not really sure why. I'm hoping that my thoughts may become a bit clearer as I write this post. This is one of those that I begin with no idea where it will lead me.

To set the stage, I should note that doubts and feelings of disillusionment are nothing new for me. In looking back over some old posts, I can see them emerging in late 2010. I noted the stagnation in our movement as a source of frustration. I started writing about the importance of atheists being willing and able to look beyond our own experiences. In early 2011, I noted that we had vast but unrealized potential. I point this out merely to explain that I've felt this way before and will almost certainly feel this way again. It tends to be a temporary thing where I'm bummed out for awhile and then eventually get back on track. I have no reason to think that this time will be any different.

10.12.2012

What Religious Leaders Think of the "Nones"

Organized religion is feeding you liesWhile many atheists celebrate the recent poll from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life showing a record number of respondents in the U.S. report no religious affiliation, religious leaders are struggling to make sense of the numbers. Is organized religion really on the decline, and if so, why?

For such a complicated phenomenon, there are almost certainly many causes. Still, I suspect that one is more important than the rest. If I had to pick one reason I suspect we are seeing a decline in religious affiliation, it would be the culture war being waged by fundamentalist Christian organizations such as the Catholic Church and the Southern Baptists. Essentially, they are giving religion a bad name in the eyes of the younger generation. By waging war against same-sex marriage, women, and a host of other issues, these groups have made themselves far less appealing.

I realize I may be engaging in some wishful thinking here. Perhaps I see this as the main reason for the decline because I want it to be the case. I just know that when I talk to young adults, I'm far more likely to hear support for same-sex marriage and confusion over why religious organizations continue to be on the wrong side of history than I remember from my youth.

10.09.2012

Unitarians Seeking Those With No Religious Affiliation

UUA Logo

I attended church regularly for the first 14-15 years of my life. In addition to attending the same church with my family, I've been to several others. Sometimes it was with my family after they were invited to try out the church their friends attended; other times it was with friends who invited me to join their family at church. I've been to Methodist churches, Presbyterian churches, Lutheran churches, Catholic churches, and at least a couple others I cannot specifically recall.

As soon as I was old enough in my parents' eyes, I stopped going to church regularly. I've still been quite a few times since then, but not without good reason. I was married in a church, have been to several church weddings, funerals, holiday services, and the like.

10.02.2012

Reasons for Atheists to Address Islam

Violent Muslim protest

Atheist bloggers in the U.S. are often criticized for not focusing more on Islam. Sometimes, this criticism comes from atheist readers outside the U.S., especially those in areas where Islam is more prevalent; other times it comes from Christians who think that theirs is the only correct religion. As someone who has received his share of this criticism, I'd like to acknowledge that it is indeed valid. Many of us in the U.S. probably do not write about Islam as much as we should. I have explained why I focus primarily on Christian extremism multiple times (see "Why I Focus on Christianity"), but I do recognize that Islam warrants attention here as well.

With the latest wave of violence from Muslim extremists upset over a YouTube video, we have an excuse to address Islam again. I've argued that condemnations of this violence should be accompanied by strong defenses of religious criticism instead of condemnations of the video itself. I've also noted that some Muslims clearly believe that criticizing Islam should be a capital offense. Criticizing Islam is clearly illegal in many Muslim nations, and some Muslims believe it should be illegal everywhere. That is, they want to see blasphemy laws passed abroad to stop criticism of their religion.