12.26.2013

Atheists Call on Pope to End Clergy Abuse

Pope Francis in March 2013 (cropped)Pope Francis certainly has received a lot of attention from the mainstream news media in the U.S. this year. As you have undoubtedly heard, he was selected by Time as their person of the year. Even those of us who think that there were better choices for this honor generally agree that the Pope has had a great impact so far (at least in the sense that he has generated considerable media buzz). Moreover, there is little question that some of the places where his views appear to diverge from that of his predecessor are being viewed favorably by many people. Whether he will have a significant impact beyond the hype is yet to be determined.

In the first Christmas address since taking the helm of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis called on atheists to join with religious believers to work toward global peace. Not surprisingly, the mention of atheists in this address has been receiving considerable attention around the atheist blogosphere. Is he serious? Does he really value our inclusion, or is this just an effort to mute our criticism or convert us? I think it would be fair to characterize the reaction of most atheists as hopeful but skeptical.

Global peace is a worthwhile goal, and I am perfectly willing to work with religious believers as an equal partner in pursuing it. I realize that not all atheists agree with this position, but I am willing to work alongside religious believers as equal partners on all sorts of shared goals. If the Pope is sincere in his apparent desire to work with us in this way - and I will admit to being highly skeptical of this - then this could be a positive step.

12.25.2013

Some Atheists Do Not Celebrate Christmas

christmas 2007
christmas 2007 (Photo credit: paparutzi)

The politics of the "war on Christmas" are well known, and it is no secret that conservative groups have found it to be a lucrative means of separating gullible Americans from their money. To the extent that Christians feel that their holiday has been ruined, a brief look in the mirror should be all that is necessary to identify those responsible. As they have largely turned their backs on their own bibles and embraced the commercial aspects of holiday, they have managed to secularize Christmas far more effectively than the secular progressives they love to demonize ever could have accomplished. That is, Christians have willingly participated in the commercialization and secularization of Christmas.

Meanwhile, many atheists celebrate a secular version of Christmas that is difficult to distinguish from the secular version of Christmas celebrated by many Christians. Others have suggested the creation of other secular occasions distinct from Christmas. For an atheist determined to celebrate something in late December, there are quite a few options.

12.24.2013

How to Help Someone Online Who Appears to be Suicidal

suicide prevention lifeline

Encountering someone on the Internet who appears to be suicidal can be a scary and overwhelming experience. It is normal to feel powerless when we encounter such a person. You want to help, but what can you do? You might not even know the person in real life, and they could live far away from you. It may be impossible to know what sort of local resources are available in their area. Fortunately, you may have at least one option you might not have realized.

If you live in the United States, you should know about the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a project of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The Lifeline has a page offering suggestions for how to help someone you encounter online who appears to be suicidal, and it includes information about how to report someone as potentially suicidal on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social media platforms. I'd make sure to pass the number for the lifeline along to the person as the first step before making a report, but it is not hard to imagine circumstances where reporting could be helpful too.

Rethinking 'Happy Holidays'

Happy Holidays text 3
According to a recent survey by the Public Religion Research Institute, only 5% of U.S. adults report that they do not celebrate any holidays in December. And yet, as Tom Flynn (Center for Inquiry) noted in a post, 5% is more than twice the commonly reported size of the Jewish community in the U.S. (2.2%). But the number of people who do not celebrate December holidays was not what was so interesting about Flynn's post; the truly interesting part was what he had to say about the "happy holidays" greeting we hear so often this time of year.
Think about this. Decades ago, the American Jewish community, which then comprised perhaps 3 or 4 percent of the population, was able to compel the shift from "Merry Christmas" to "Happy Holidays" simply out of respect for Hanukkah. Today the nation is more diverse, and "Happy Holidays" also allows for folks who celebrate Kwanzaa, Diwali, Festivus, and (in some years) one or another Islamic Eid. The group that "Happy Holidays" disregards is, of course, those who aren't celebrating anything this time of year. Many who celebrate nothing this month presumably find it annoying, even disrespectful, when others share a greeting that casually assumes that everyone is celebrating something as year's end draws near.

12.22.2013

How Satanists Can Help Preserve the Separation of Church and State

Domestic Satanism
Domestic Satanism (Photo credit: Thawt Hawthje)
It is almost Christmas, so what better time of year than to address the subject of Satanism. We have a Catholic "demonologist" in the news making absurd pronouncements about how secularism has "left an 'open door' for the devil," efforts by the Satanic Temple to erect a statue next to a Ten Commandments monument in Oklahoma, and a potential legal battle brewing in Florida after the Department of Management Services rejected a holiday display from the Satanic Temple. As you may have guessed, this post isn't really about Satanism as much as it is about the separation of church and state.

I, for one, am thrilled to see Satanists attempting to contribute holiday displays. Why? Because this might finally open the eyes of some Christians to what happens when Christian displays (e.g., nativity scenes) are allowed on government property. This is how separation of church and state works: The state may decide to allow no religious displays whatsoever, or they must allow all of them.

Top Catholic 'Angelologist' Says Secularism Has Left 'Open Door' for Devil

English: Bytča (Nagybiccse) - mosaic in the ca...
Bytča (Nagybiccse) - mosaic in the catholic church (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Have you ever had the experience of watching a horror movie and having to reassure yourself (e.g., "Its only a movie") repeatedly? I haven't had this experience in awhile, but it was fairly common in my youth. In these moments, we remind ourselves that what we are seeing is not real, that it is fictional. If I were ever to become truly scared, I'd make myself think about how the filmmakers accomplished the special effects as a way of reminding myself that I was watching a movie.

Don't you suppose that most people who watch horror films (and any other genre) know that what they are seeing isn't real? I've always assumed this, but I'm not so sure lately. I am starting to think I may have been mistaken to think that most people are capable of easily distinguishing reality from fiction.

Take the example of Father Renzo Lavatori, described by Raw Story as "a top Catholic Church 'angelogist'" in a recent post. This man apparently believes in angels. For real. And the Catholic Church evidently agrees, so much so that they have different levels of "angelologists" so that it makes sense to talk about Father Lavatori being a top one.

12.19.2013

Taking Back Skepticism From Those Who Promote Division

Skepticism educator James Randi at a ...
Skepticism educator James Randi at a lecture at Rockefeller University, on October 10, 2008. In the above photo he is holding an $800 device advertised as a dowsing instrument. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Conservative Skeptic wrote a thought provoking post, Let's Take Back Skepticism (update: link no longer active), that is sure to divide readers. He raises some interesting questions. For example, can someone buy into a particular ideology so completely that one ceases to be critical of this ideology and still be a skeptic? He says no, and I am inclined to agree. Political orientation is one of the first things that comes to mind. I suspect we all know people who are thoroughly un-skeptical when it comes to the conservative political views or their liberal political views. Such individuals may be skeptical in other areas of their lives, but they are certainly not being skeptical when it comes to their political views.

The most intriguing question was what, if anything, those of us who are committed to skepticism should do about "the pseudo-intellectuals that constantly convey nonsense to the world." I assume he's talking about the drama bloggers who use skepticism when advantageous but refuse to apply it to their ideology. They cloak themselves in the mantle of skepticism and then disseminate information that is thoroughly un-skeptical to an audience who may then form erroneous impressions of skepticism. At the worst, one could imagine how this might come to tarnish public impressions of skepticism.

Identifying Oneself as an Atheist is a Revolutionary Act

The Radical's Arms
The Radical's Arms (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
We know what atheism means. It refers to the lack of theistic belief, and that is all. An atheist is someone who does not accept the the claim that god(s) exist. But this post is not about the definition of atheism; it is about the socially constructed meaning the act of identifying oneself as an atheist carries in religiously oppressive environments.

The meaning of identifying oneself as an atheist (though not the definition of atheism itself) is somewhat fluid, changing as a function of the time and place. There are many parts of the world, for example, where identifying oneself as an atheist today means something quite different today than it did 30 years ago.

What I would like to submit for your consideration here is the following thought:
In a religiously oppressive environment, merely identifying oneself as an atheist is a revolutionary act.

12.18.2013

God Belief Declining in the U.S.

Jesus Resurrection 1778
Jesus Resurrection 1778 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The results of a new poll from Harris Interactive were released a couple days ago with a title that is sure to grab your attention: Americans' Belief in God, Miracles and Heaven Declines (update: link no longer active). The poll is based on 2,250 adults surveyed between November 13 and 18, 2013. Here are a few of the highlights that stood out to me:

  • 74% of U.S. adults report god-belief; however, this number has dropped from 82% in previous polls conducted in 2005, 2007, and 2009.
  • Belief in miracles, heaven, the resurrection of Jesus, the survival of the soul after death, hell, the Virgin birth, the divinity of Jesus all showed drops when compared to 2005 data.
  • Belief in evolution has increased from 42% in 2005 to 47% in 2013.

While this looks like progress, it also looks like fairly small progress in the sense that the percentages are not vastly different. Still, the numbers at least appear to be heading in the right direction.

Big Question 4: Tolerating Diverse Ideas Among Atheists

diversity
We have arrived at question #4 in our series of the six big questions that divide atheists, and I am finding this one the least pleasant to address so far. For the most part, this is because I consider it to be the most potentially divisive of the questions considered to this point. It isn't just that people disagree on this one; opinions seem to take on a moral quality we don't see with many of the other questions. That is, someone who disagrees with one's answer to this question is often viewed as a bad person.

The other part of my distaste for this question is that it seems to be the question where Atheism+ best fits, and I feel like I've written as much as I want to about that subject. My hope is that we can find a way to meaningfully address this question without having to revisit the Atheism+ stuff here. I agree that it is a relevant example, but I think the question is much broader. Even if Atheism+ had never existed, I think this question would have eventually become relevant.

The fourth question on our list is the following:
How tolerant should atheists be of diverse ideas within our own community and those who hold them? Some atheists are interested in purging the community of ideas they find unacceptable (e.g., conservative political views); others believe that there is strength in diversity and that our community is big enough for those holding what may be unpopular views to be included (i.e., "big tent" atheism). I'm inclined to include much of the Atheism+ (and Freethought Blogs/Skepchick) debate here because much of it seems to boil down to whether we must chose a single ideology (i.e., liberal politics married to third wave feminism) and banish those who do not agree with it from our community or accept others who might have some different opinions.
So the crux of the question involves how we deal with ideas in the atheist community with which we may disagree and those who hold them.

12.16.2013

Religion Does Not Belong at Public School Graduation Ceremonies

6.23.10UCHSGraduation2010ByLuigiNovi22
6.23.10UCHSGraduation2010ByLuigiNovi22 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Imagine that your son or daughter is graduating from public high school or a state college. You are a devout Christian, and you provided your child with the best Christian upbringing you could manage. It was successful in that he or she shares your faith. You are incredibly proud to attend the commencement ceremony today at the school. But something unexpected happens that really makes you uncomfortable. One of the student speakers at the ceremony delivers something that sounds a bit like a prayer and references Allah during it. Strangely, it does not seem like anyone in the audience took notice.

The commencement speaker is introduced and steps up to the podium. She shares some of the generic life lessons with the graduating students speakers at such events typically mention tells. One of them includes the importance of religious faith in guiding one's life. She shares that her Muslim faith has been a key part of her success and that she hopes the graduates will find "Allah's purpose" for them.

How do you feel about Muslim prayers and references to Allah dominating your child's commencement ceremony? Nobody mentioned your god or Jesus. Instead, they spoke of Allah, and nobody in the audience seemed to mind. As you struggle to wrap your head around what you just witnessed, I'd venture a couple of guesses about how you are feeling.

12.15.2013

Who Ruined Christmas?

Christmas gifts
Christmas gifts. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For a slight majority of people living in the U.S., Christmas is a religious holiday. And yet, those who celebrate Christmas here are more likely to participate in secular traditions than religious ones. So while a majority report believing that Christmas is a religious holiday, the manner in which they choose to celebrate the holiday suggests that the secular aspects of the holiday may be even more important.

Assuming that you are a "bible-believing Christian" who thinks that Jesus - and not axial tilt - is the reason for the season, who is to blame for the extent to which Christmas has been secularized? It had to be those evil secularists and their "war on Christmas" who eventually succeeded in turning Christmas into something far different from a celebration of Jesus, right? I mean, they are the ones who complain when you erect nativity scenes in government buildings. It must be their fault. They are the ones seeking to ban "merry Christmas" and prevent you from putting that plastic Jesus on your yard. Many people have accepted this narrative without realizing that those who push it are raking in the money for doing so. It is little more than lucrative propaganda.

12.12.2013

Big Question 3: Is There An Atheist Movement?

Molecule Man
Molecule Man (Photo credit: Secret Pilgrim)
This post will address my thoughts about the third of the  six big questions over which atheists have disagreed, one I almost did not include in the original list. Before doing so, we should briefly take stock of where we have been so far. Since this post will bring us to the halfway point in working our way through the questions, it will be a good time to take a short break from the series for some other posts I have in mind.

After explaining why I think it is meaningful to discuss points of common disagreement among atheists, I shared my thoughts on the first two questions here:
In this post, I'll take a look at the third question:
Is there an atheist movement that exists independently of the secular movement, and if not, should there be one? Some atheists insist that there can be no such thing as an atheist movement because atheism is not the sort of thing that can bring people together; others believe that it is meaningful to think of an atheist movement that is distinct from the secular movement even though the two have much overlap.
The reason I almost omitted this one from the original list is that the number of atheists I have encountered arguing that there can be no atheist movement, atheist community, or anything of the sort because atheism is insufficient for bringing people together is quite small in comparison to those taking the other side of this question and seems to be at least partially based on the misconception that talking about a group of people necessarily involves redefining words. So why did I decide to include it? I suppose the primary reason is that I see quite a few misconceptions about atheism and secular activism rolled up in this question.

12.11.2013

Big Question 2: Do Ridicule and Mockery Have a Place?

Ray Comfort
Ray Comfort (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Having addressed the first question (anti-theism vs. secularism) on the list of six big questions that divide atheists, it is time to move on to the second. Of the six questions, this is probably the one I find easiest to answer. This does not mean that it is an easy question to answer; it is not. I think I find it a bit easier than the others because it is the first of the six questions with which I struggled. I encountered it as soon as I started Atheist Revolution. I had to answer it for myself early in the life of the blog, and I have had to revisit it several times since.

Of the six questions, this is also undoubtedly the one I have had directed at me the most by visitors to this blog. I expect this is because so many atheists have pondered it themselves when considering how best to interact with religious believers and how best to respond to religious claims. It seems to be the sort of question almost every atheist will need to answer at some point in time. And I imagine this is also because we will adopt opinions of other atheists based on how we answer this question and on what their behavior tells us about how they have answered it.
Do ridicule and mockery have any place in how atheists respond to religious belief? Some atheists say we should avoid such tactics (e.g., "don't be a dick") because they are counterproductive or make us look bad; others say they have their place in our repertoire.
I wrote about this question as recently as last month, so it is no surprise that my views have not changed since then. I believe that ridicule and mockery do indeed have a place in the repertoire of atheists. At the same time, I acknowledge that they can be used excessively or inappropriately. Moreover, while I think they can play a role, I would hate to think that they are all an atheist can muster in his or her interactions with religious believers.

12.10.2013

How to Be More Active in the Atheist Community

"Beware of Dogma" billboard...
"Beware of Dogma" billboard of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A comment left on a recent post highlighted a subject about which I used to write frequently but have neglected as of late: how can someone new to atheism be more active in the atheist community without having to be fully "out" about one's atheism? This is an excellent question and one that deserves more attention than I have been giving it lately. There are many ways for people who are new to atheism and not yet able to be completely open about their beliefs to get involved and be more active in the atheist community.

Learn More About Atheism

The time in between when one first realizes that one no longer believes in gods and when one decides it is safe to be more open about it is a perfect time to learn more about atheism. Along with secularism and freethought, atheism has a long and distinguished history. It has received more attention in recent years due to a number of factors, but it has been around awhile. The point is, there is much to learn.

Fortunately, there are a number of excellent books on atheism, atheist blogs one can read, websites on atheism, YouTube videos, and podcasts. Plenty of information is now available that can be used to hone one's understanding of the relevant issues. If one thinks that atheist or secular activism might be in one's future, having an advanced understanding of the issues will be an asset.

12.09.2013

Big Question 1: Anti-Theism vs. Secularism

Now that I've identified what I think are six of the big questions that divide atheists and clarified that I think it is meaningful to discuss common areas of disagreement among atheists, I'd like to move on to consider the various questions, devoting one post to each.

I do not consider the initial list of six to be exhaustive by any means. In fact, a couple other possibilities have already been suggested for inclusion that may be worth adding to the list. While more may follow, but I'd like to start with the original six and see where it leads.

Here is the question I'd like to consider for this post:

Should atheists work toward the total eradication of religious belief, or is it sufficient to stop those who would impose their religiously-based morality on the rest of us? Some anti-theistic atheists argue that we should stop at nothing short of ending religion and that it is a mistake to seek religious allies who may share our goal of secularism; other atheists believe that secularism should be our primary goal and are perfectly content to work alongside religious secularists when it may be beneficial to do so.

For the sake of brevity, I am using the "anti-theism vs. secularism" title. I realize that this is overly simplistic and that there is more going on here than that; however, it does seem relevant in the sense that anti-theism generally aims for the eradication of religious belief and secularism has a different focus.

12.07.2013

Discussing the Questions That Divide Atheists

Atheist-No-Symbol
Atheist-No-Symbol (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In my recent post, 'What Are The Big Questions That Divide Atheists?', I listed six of the biggest and most enduring areas of disagreement among atheists I have encountered. I asked readers what I had missed, as I would be very surprised if this list turned out to be comprehensive in any way.

A perusal of the comments received at the time I am writing this post suggests that many readers were not terribly interested in this question. Many of the comments were responses to one or more of the six areas of disagreement or criticisms of the idea of addressing areas of disagreement among atheists. I am not going to address any of the six questions yet because I had planned to write posts about each of them. Instead, I'd like to address the criticism about how the entire enterprise is flawed because we can't meaningfully talk about disagreement (or agreement) among atheists.

Cephus wrote:
The problem is, there aren't any questions that divide atheists, there are questions that divide people who happen to be atheists. Atheism is the lack of belief in gods. That's it. Full stop. There is nothing else to being an atheist. There are no questions involved. The only way to fail at being an atheist is to believe in a god. Then there are subjects that people who happen to be atheists may or may not agree on. Those are not atheistic subjects. They are not related to atheism. They are something else and need to be treated as such.

That's something all of these activist, political, social-thinking atheists need to get through their heads.
There aren't any questions that divide atheists? I disagree. I think there are several.

12.05.2013

What Are The Big Questions That Divide Atheists?

Science and Religion are portrayed to be in ha...
Science and Religion are portrayed to be in harmony in the Tiffany window Education (1890). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As atheists, we may have reached our answer to the god question in different ways, but we share the same answer in that we do not believe in gods. On the one question of whether gods exist, we atheists are unanimous. But as many readers of this blog are fond of pointing out, we do not necessarily agree on much else.

I've tried to highlight other areas where at least most of us agree, but I'd like to explore a different question in this post: What are the big questions that divide atheists? In other words, what are the primary sources of disagreement among atheists?

I have started to pull together a list. Again, I am seeking to identify the big ones that have received the most attention and caused the most debate. I realize there are many little ones, but I think they can generally be subsumed into one of the larger ones I have listed below. For example, we often hear a great deal about atheists being divided over whether to celebrate religious holidays this time of year. I suppose it could be argued that this deserves a spot on the list, but I see it as difficult to separate from #1 below.

12.04.2013

The Individual Christian is Not Usually the Problem

woman in white

It does not bother me in the least what an individual Christian chooses to do in his or her home or church. The Christian can believe as much absurd nonsense as he or she wants, can pray for whatever he or she wants, and can cover his or her home with tacky Jesus decorations, and so on. All of this falls under religious freedom, and it would not occur to me to try and stop any of it. As long as the Christian isn't harming anyone, what he or she does really isn't my concern.

The point at which I begin to take notice of what Christians are doing is when they, usually after joining with other Christians, decide to impose their religious beliefs on others. Church-state violations are the classic example of this. The group of Christians may decide that our government should no longer remain neutral on matters of religion (i.e., secular) and should instead give preference to Christianity over all other belief systems. This is problematic and requires secular activism.

12.03.2013

The Day the Atheist Movement Died

Dawkins at the University of Texas at Austin.
Dawkins at the University of Texas at Austin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Some events are said to define generations. Everybody of certain age at the time remembers them vividly and reports that things were never quite the same afterwards. The assassination of JFK, the Challenger disaster, the Rodney King verdict, the suicide of Kurt Cobain, and 9/11 are just a few examples. There are plenty of others that may resonate with you depending on your age and where you live.

It also makes sense that different events would impact subgroups of people in different ways. For example, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. or Medgar Evers, while having an undeniably broad impact in the U.S., are likely to have been particularly important to those involved in the Civil Rights movement at the time. The Stonewall riots, while also influential on American society as a whole, were likely to be especially important for those involved in the LGBT movement at the time. Some events of this nature even seem to end up defining mass movements.

12.02.2013

The Politics of the War on Christmas

Glass ornament with snow Austin Cline (About Agnosticism/Atheism.com) brings us news of a 2011 poll about the so-called 'war on Christmas' we secularists are allegedly waging in the U.S. The results may be a bit dated, but that does not make them any less interesting. And while most of the findings were predictable, there is at least one surprise.

Based on these 2011 data, the U.S. population appears to be about evenly divided on the question of whether there is any sort of war on Christmas. I suppose this will be a surprise to some, but it makes sense when one considers that we seem to be about evenly divided on nearly everything these days. Things get more interesting when one digs below the surface and examines finer distinctions showing that belief in this particular form of nonsense varies by political orientation and region. For example, Republicans are far more likely to believe that there is a war on Christmas (58%) vs. Democrats (22%). Similarly, conservatives are more likely to agree (61%) than liberals (21%). It should also be no surprise that belief in the Christmas wars is higher in the South. One surprise, as Austin notes, is that the difference between the South and other regions is not more pronounced.

12.01.2013

When Athletes Pray

The Mount Tabor High School (Winston-Salem, No...
The Mount Tabor High School (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) baseball team prays before a conference-championship game against West Forsyth High School. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When an athlete prays before a game, privately or publicly, what does he or she pray for? Does the athlete ask for the strength to play well and to perform his or her best, or does the athlete ask for a certain outcome (i.e., "Please let us win"). It seems to me that the athlete who prays for something other than victory might differ in some important ways from the one who prays for victory. Such an athlete seems to expect far less from his or her god than the individual who prays for victory. Take the example of praying for the strength to play well. Why would someone do this instead of praying for victory? Could it be that such an athlete understands - perhaps not consciously - that there aren't any gods out there to grant victory? Praying for the strength to play well almost seems more like meditation than prayer in the sense that one is almost calling on oneself to summon strength from within rather than asking for divine intervention.

The athlete who prays for victory seems different somehow. Such an athlete seems more likely to be a true believer, believing in the sort of god we hear the most about. And I suppose that makes some sense. If you truly believe in the sort of god who takes a genuine interest in human affairs and is susceptible to influence through prayer, why wouldn't you pray for victory? Are we not told that through prayer, all things are possible?