11.25.2013

Others Do Not Always Share Our Perspectives

Oven roasted turkey, common fare for ...
Oven roasted turkey, common fare for Christmas and Thanksgiving celebrations. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
One of the things I have always noticed about the people with whom I interact regularly, regardless of the context or where I am living, is the difficulty many have in looking beyond their own experiences and realizing that not everyone shares their perspective. I am sure that I have my own blind spots and that I probably am guilty of doing this at times. And yet, I am equally sure that I go out of my way to prevent doing so. I rarely assume that everyone else thinks like I do, shares my experiences, or values what I value. In fact, I am more inclined to assume that they probably do not. But from most of my daily interactions with others, I seem to be an outlier in this regard.

Unfortunately, I do not have the opportunity to have daily offline interactions with other atheists. This means that what I am about to suggest is based on little evidence and is more conjecture than anything. I think that atheists and members of religious minority groups may have a somewhat easier time avoiding the sort of error I mention here than those who belong to the religious majority in a particular area.

11.24.2013

Speaking Ill of the Dead

Detail of the Guanajuato mummies, Mexico. Blac...
Detail of the Guanajuato mummies, Mexico. Black and white version. Photo taken at Museo de las Momias de Guanajuato. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Social convention dictates that when someone dies, even someone who was utterly despicable in many ways, we are supposed to wait an acceptable amount of time before publicly criticizing them. It is thought to be unseemly to appear to celebrate someone's death even if that is what we might feel like doing. Why? In part, this is likely due for the consideration of any family the deceased may have left behind. We recognize that family members may be grieving, and we have little desire to rub their faces in how awful the person they just lost really was. It probably also has something to do with our difficulty reconciling our image of ourselves as civilized with idea that we might want to celebrate someone's death. And I'd also guess that the social prohibition on speaking ill of the dead has roots in ancient superstitions, beliefs to which a large portion of humanity continues to cling (e.g., belief in spirits).

In a recent post about the passing of talk-show "psychic" Sylvia Browne, blogger Hemant Mehta (Friendly Atheist) noted that many well-known skeptics held little back in the statements they released about Browne's death. While stopping short of celebrating her death, the statements appeared to converge around one important point: Browne hurt a large number of people during her life. We might be reluctant to appear to celebrate her demise, but we have the sense that the world is a bit better without her.

11.23.2013

Empires Crumble From Within

Julius Caesar statue

With Black Friday approaching, we in the U.S. find ourselves in an odd situation when it comes to our economy and the question of how our economic recovery is coming along. On one hand, the stock market is booming and corporate profits are again on the rise. This suggests that an economic recovery of sorts is well underway. On the other hand, unemployment remains high, jobs are scarce, and the middle class appears to be shrinking. Consumer confidence seems questionable when many indicate that they will be spending less on gifts this year. Undoubtedly, the rich are doing very well. They have seen a true economic recovery. The rest of us, not so much. Is it any wonder that the public is not happy with the direction the U.S. is heading?

In many respects, it seems fair to say that we have two very different economies. The rich are not only getting richer and benefiting tremendously from our present economy; they are increasingly able to live their lives without ever coming into contact with the rest of us. Out of sight, out of mind perhaps. But the point is that they really don't have to worry much about us.

11.21.2013

Ridicule and Mockery of Religious Beliefs

why I mock religion

There is a scene in The Waterboy where Adam Sandler's character, Bobby, answers a couple of questions in a college class by repeating incorrect information he learned from his uneducated mother.
Professor: Now, last week we talked about the physiology of the animal brain as it pertains to aggression. Now, is there anyone here that can tell me why most alligators are abnormally aggressive? Anybody? Anyone? Yes, sir. You, sir.
Bobby: Mama says that alligators are ornery 'cause they got all them teeth but no toothbrush.
What happens next? The class laughs at Bobby, and the professor delivers a gentle mocking. Bobby looks around the room, almost as if he is surprised by the reaction of his classmates. He tries to answer another question with similarly poor information and is again greeted with laughter and ridicule. And eventually, Bobby appears to learn not only that there is a social consequence for providing blatantly incorrect information in class but that his information may in fact be incorrect. He begins to learn.

11.19.2013

Here in Mississippi...

The Miracle of Christ Healing the Blind by El ...
The Miracle of Christ Healing the Blind by El Greco, c. 1570 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here in Mississippi, nobody asks whether I believe in gods. They assume I believe in one - the same one in which they believe. No one asks whether I am a Christian. They assume I am and behave accordingly. And while I am frequently asked where I attend church, I have yet to be asked if I attend church. They all assume that I do. When it comes to matters of religion, much of this state seems to be afflicted with a form of "cultural blindness," an affliction in which everyone takes it for granted that everyone else believes as they do. I have little doubt that this is merely another manifestation of Christian privilege.

I cannot think of many examples outside of religion where this happens. The overwhelming majority of Mississippians are politically conservative, and I have certainly encountered some who assume that I share their political ideology. But most seem to realize that not everybody shares their political views. I have had people ask me about my political views instead of assuming that I share theirs. It is also true that many Mississippians continue to struggle with sexual orientation. I have had some assume that I am heterosexual (which I am), but I have had others ask first. And I have encountered even more people who know enough to use the sort of language that does not force them to make assumptions of any sort (e.g., asking about a relationship instead of a marriage or about a partner instead of a spouse). This still lags behind what I have experienced in other parts of the U.S., but it is a step in the right direction. No, the cultural blindness around here seems to be primarily about evangelical fundamentalist Christianity.

11.14.2013

The Only Book You Must Believe Before You Can Understand

Jester reading a book
Jester reading a book (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Of all the books I have ever read and studied, I have only encountered one where I have been told repeatedly that I cannot understand it unless I first believe everything it says. Yes, I am referring to the Christian bible and the magic that protects it from being deciphered by non-Christians. This claim has always struck me as being thoroughly ridiculous and has led me to laugh in more than a few faces. It is not that I dispute the need to interpret some books, reading meaning into the author's words. Many books require this, and I can accept that the Christian bible might too (although interpreting what many claim is at least divinely inspired strikes me as arrogant). What I dispute is that the claim that one must believe a book prior to being able to understand it is anything but nonsensical.

I studied many books during my years in school. I don't mean I read them, although I did that too. I mean I studied them in the sense of critical analysis and interpretation. In elementary school, this largely focused on reading poets like Robert Frost and discussing what they were communicating. By grade 5, we were reading some of the less complex literary classics like To Kill a Mockingbird, and this would continue into junior high. In high school, the books become more complicated (e.g., Moby-Dick). The complexity continued to increased in college where I encountered everything from short stories written by African authors, modern literature (e.g., Beloved), and classic non-fiction relevant to my major (e.g., Man's Search for Meaning). Graduate school would bring more focused technical non-fiction reading, necessary due to the increasing specialization.

11.12.2013

Changing My Mind About Online Harassment

English: Infographic on how Social Media are b...
English: Infographic on how Social Media are being used, and how everything is changed by them. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Online harassment (i.e., cyber-harassment) has been a hot topic both in the atheist community and in the mainstream news media for some time now. Many of our attempts to discuss the subject have been impeded by the use of vastly different definitions of harassment (i.e., should we use existing legal definitions or those that have been promoted by some atheist feminists?) I certainly recognize that this can be problematic, but if online harassment is truly a problem in our community and elsewhere, it seems that we need to find ways of discussing it even if such discussions end up being somewhat unpleasant.

In this post, I want to tell you about a conversation I recently had with a woman on the subject of online harassment. This was an actual face-to-face conversation offline. We initially disagreed quite sharply and I was even mocked a bit. But in the end, I was persuaded that I've been mistaken in some of my beliefs about online harassment. I think that I've underestimated its potential to do real and lasting harm.

My Skepticism About Online Harassment

There are a few things relevant to online harassment of which I have been skeptical:

  1. Claims that being quoted accurately is harassment,
  2. Claims that disagreeing with someone or criticizing their ideas are forms of harassment,
  3. Claims that merely attempting to communicate with someone on social media is a form of harassment, and
  4. Claims that publicly defending due process via social media is harassment.

I remain skeptical that these things - labeled harassment by some atheist feminists - are forms of harassment. I do not think they warrant labels like "abuse" or "harassment" at all.

11.11.2013

Why There Is An Atheist Movement

S is for Secularism
S is for Secularism (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Throughout the life of this blog, I have heard from several of you on a similar theme: atheism is not a movement and is an insufficient concept around which to build a movement. I have heard the arguments, and while I may not agree with every point made in support of this position, I think you have raised some good ones.

My own views on this topic have changed a bit over the last several years; however, I continue to believe that there can be (and should be) something that can be called an atheist movement. And that thing I want to call the atheist movement is not the same thing as the secular movement we all recognize. It is much smaller, much less influential, and not everything I wish it was. And yet, I am still glad it exists.

But how can there be a movement around not believing in gods? Easily. It happens when people who do not believe in gods face discrimination and bigotry because they do not believe in gods. The atheist movement is about promoting atheism and celebrating the atheist part of one's identity. It is about protecting atheist civil rights. It is about combating anti-atheist bigotry.

11.10.2013

The Immoral Person was Never a True Christian

A sign posted by the Connecticut Valley Atheis...
A sign posted by the Connecticut Valley Atheists in Rockville's Central Park in December 2007. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Every group of people will have some some bad apples, individuals who commit bad acts that are not consistent with the values held by the rest of the group. Consider the example of Christian parents who kill their children by depriving them of life-saving medical care, resorting instead to ineffective prayer. Most Christians recognize that this is horrible parenting, that allowing a child to die like this is criminal, and want nothing to do with such parents. Some will readily disown such parents, and they should be praised for doing so.

Clergy who molest children provide another example. Aside from a few hopelessly brainwashed members of their congregations, few religious individuals are going to argue that child molestation is acceptable or consistent with their values. Most religious people recognize that sexually assaulting a child is a criminal offense and agree that one who does it should be punished. Some will publicly disown a member of clergy who commits such an act.

Among atheists, one will find bad apples too. It is inevitable that some atheists will commit crimes and other acts which are inconsistent with the values held by the vast majority of atheists. We should not be surprised when this happens, and we should not be reluctant to disown those who engage in such behavior.

11.06.2013

Supreme Court to Hear Oral Arguments in Greece v. Galloway Today

United States Supreme Court building.
United States Supreme Court building. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in Town of Greece v. Gallowway this morning around 10:00 am. This is a case secular activists will be watching closely, as it is expected to have far reaching implications for the separation of church and state.

The case centers on the common practice of invocation prayers to begin city council meetings; however, some are predicting that the court could open the door for prayer at government meetings more broadly. For more information about the case and how Americans United for Separation of Church and State has been working to protect our interests, see the information compiled here.

A worst-case-scenario sort of ruling in Town of Greece could have the effect of abolishing important legal precedent around the Establishment Clause, opening the door to sectarian prayer at government meetings. Here's how Jesse McKinley (The New York Times) recently summarized what is at stake here:
On Wednesday, the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether those prayers — almost always delivered by Christian clergy members to the assembled audience — violate the First Amendment clause that prohibits the establishment of religion. The court’s ruling, expected next June, could be one of the most significant church-state decisions in 30 years, and could affect the nature of such invocations in municipal meetings nationwide.

11.05.2013

Intoxication, Consent, and Sex

Drunk Pumpkin
Drunk Pumpkin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It it possible to be under the influence of alcohol and consent to sex? Of course, it is. Many of us have done so on multiple occasions. But what if someone is not just under the influence but what we would label drunk? Can a drunk person still consent to sex? It depends on how drunk such a person is, as there are many degrees of drunkenness. The fun, happy sort of early-stage drunkenness almost certainly involves some impairment in judgment. An individual is such a state might be said to have "beer goggles" and could end up having sex with someone to whom he or she was not previously attracted. But impaired judgment is still a distance from non-consensual sex. The individual who does this may have some regrets, but being tricked in some manner or raped are not usually among them.

At the same time, it is important to acknowledge that there does appear to be a point past which it is difficult to argue that consent of any sort is possible. The sort of drunkenness that we might call "blacking out" would be an example. A person is such a state can still function to some degree, but it is tough to argue that anything he or she does here is consensual. In fact, an individual in such a state may be so impaired that he or she is unable to give meaningful consent. It is in this area that it probably makes the most sense to talk about how something that could look like consensual sex to an observer is not in fact consensual.

11.04.2013

Assertive Atheism in the Face of Christian Ignorance and Bigotry

Penn Jillette book I hope everybody had a great JesusWeen. I was surprised to discover that the local Wal-Mart does not sell bags of Christian bibles in the Halloween candy aisle for distribution to the neighborhood children. Thanks for ruining my JesusWeen, Wal-Mart! Oh well. November is here now, and I suppose it is time to move on and leave all the fun behind. Next up on our list of annual holiday themed subjects will be the garbage about how atheists cannot be thankful on Thanksgiving because we have no gods to thank. I suppose the Christians who insist on making this silly claim every year are incapable of experiencing feelings of gratitude toward their fellow humans. How incredibly sad for them! But this is not a Thanksgiving post, and we have most of November for addressing such things.

In this post, I'd like to address a topic about which I have been thinking a great deal lately: patience. And by patience, I am really thinking of how patient atheists have been with religious believers when it comes to the ignorance and bigotry that frequently comes our way. This is particularly true for those who represent the public face of our community to the news media. We have taken great pains to be civil, to be polite, and even to be respectful when met with ignorant statements made about atheism and about atheists. We have smiled in the face of these statements and sought to provide what might be described as firm but gentle correction. For the most part, I think this has been successful. I doubt we've changed many minds in the media, but I imagine some in the audience have questioned their preconceived notions about us.