This video is worth viewing. Dan Savage, speaking to journalism students, makes the very good point that the bible is full of rediculous, as well as horrible, policies that are no longer followed in modern society. He goes on to say, in essence, that it is time to add the church's stance on homosexuality to the list of ideas that need to be abandoned. You will see that this notion is offensive to a few members of the audience, and they walk out. Perhaps this is the first time these teenagers have had an adult tell them the bible is wrong. The message flies in the face of what is drilled into their heads week after week on Sundays. They walked out, but perhaps with the attention this video has received, they just might ponder his words a bit more, and maybe if they open their minds they will see what he said makes sense. Maybe they would be more accepting of a few more people in this world. Maybe, just maybe, one or two of these kids might question whether the bible is nothing more than a collected group of myths, and it is not the ultimate authority on how to live life after all.
DOs and DON'Ts for the Reason Rally, March 24, 2012
DO stop by the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. While you are there, you will have great fun if you randomly comment to passersby "This isn't like anything I learned at the Creation Museum!"
DON'T speak to anyone you don't personally know while in the elevators. Just don't.
While walking the mall, DO try to enjoy a gelato, the official dessert of atheists.
DO carry a red sharpie with you to make a null set symbol over the word god on the monetary bills you will be exchanging for goods and services.
DON'T make a pig of yourself at the baby buffet. With abortions running rampant in this country, there is a shortage of this fine delicacy. Save a leg or "wing" for your atheist neighbor.
For Odin's sake, DO check your spelling on your hand made signs. This is a gathering for secularists, not Tea Party members! Make us proud!
Now it's your turn. What DO or DON'T do you recommend? I'll add your good suggestions to the list.
Do you find the smugness and sense of privilege displayed by the religious in America appalling? It can be witnessed daily, from the reconfirming of the "In god we trust" motto to the blatant pandering of our political leaders to the majority religion, which at this time is held by Christianity in all its configurations. Though the headlines can be a source of dismay, it is encouraging to know that the number of us who embrace reason over dogma is growing. We are the minority, but as a collective we are making our voices heard, and we are gainingground. We need to continue to fight for our rights, lest they be removed altogether.
These are some words of inspiration for the secular minority, keep fighting the good fight!:
Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual).
Ayn Rand
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.
Marcus Aurelius
It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.
Samuel Adams
There is something wonderful in seeing a wrong-headed majority assailed by truth.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Never be afraid to stand with the minority when the minority is right, for the minority which is right will one day be the majority.
William Jennings Bryan
It does not prove a thing to be right because the majority say it is so.
Friedrich Schiller
The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.
Ralph W. Sockman
The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking.
A. A. Milne
The moment a mere numerical superiority by either states or voters in this country proceeds to ignore the needs and desires of the minority, and for their own selfish purpose or advancement, hamper or oppress that minority, or debar them in any way from equal privileges and equal rights -- that moment will mark the failure of our constitutional system.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The restriction of religion to private life therefore does not necessarily threaten the vital interests of the majority religion, if there is one, and it protects minority religions from tyranny of the majority.
Phillip E. Johnson
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain
All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.
Thomas Jefferson
I recently read an article where the writer proposed that there are no atheists, in response to an atheist's admission that he simply "doesn't know" what caused the big bang. The writer concludes that since there isn't a definitive answer to what happened at "time zero", it leaves the possibility of god as an option, which in turn, would make anyone who does not believe in a god to be an agnostic at best.
This is an argument of semantics. Consulting Wikipedia, an atheist is defined as one with the specific position that there are no deities, whereas an agnostic would state that the truth value of certain claims, especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, is unknown or unknowable. I find myself having to agree with the author that he, by definition, is technically correct. Even Richard Dawkins, in reference to his Spectrum of Theistic Probability, admits to that he can not say definitively "I know there is no god".
With that in mind, I still consider myself an atheist. I'm a 6.9 atheist, like Dawkins. I accept that if actual, verifiable proof of a higher being comes to light, I will not stand blind to the data and deny it. But I simply do not believe there will ever be proof, and am comfortable with my position that there are no deities. This is the same as saying there is not an Easter bunny leaving candy for children, nor leprechauns at the end of the rainbow and unfortunately no Flying Spaghetti Monster offering his noodly appendage to mankind. I can not absolutely prove these fictitious characters do not exist, but I am confident this is true.
I recently visited my mother's grave site during a trip back to my hometown. She died in 1982, when I was twelve. I wish I could say I remember so many things about her, but in reality, my memories are few. At the time of her death, our family did not regularly attend church. I had, however, attended a service or two, and was taught that there was a heaven and hell, and held the belief that praying was a good thing. My mom had been sick with a common cold, and had spent a few days in bed. I do remember praying for her to get better, and praying that if she died that she be able to go to heaven. Why I thought she was going to die, I don't know. I was just a kid worrying about his mom, I guess. But then she did die, from a deep vein thrombosis, AKA a blood clot. It was a devastating part of my childhood, and certainly affected how I was raised.
My father remarried when I was thirteen, and as a result we started attending an ELCA Lutheran church most Sundays. I was actually into church. I felt welcomed, and loved, and being there made me feel special. It helped me cope with the loss of my mother, too, in that I felt she wasn't really gone, but sitting in the clouds in heaven instead. The christian god I learned about was in control and I was taught that everything happens for a reason. Was I a believer in what the church preached? Well, a lot of it didn't make sense, but I chanted the Nicene creed along with the other worshipers in the congregation, sang the gospel songs proud and loud, and tried to believe the words I were saying were true. I think sometimes I believed, and other times I was confused about it. For me, it wasn't about the worship, it was about a community filling a void that was left by my mother's death.
I do not have any recollections of people offering condolences following my mother's death. I'm sure I must have heard the phrases "Your mom is in a better place now" or "God needed another angel". I hear these phrases quite a bit, being a nurse and being in an environment where people often breathe their last breath, their death caused by illness or accident. The permanency of death is emotional, and I understand religion to be a coping mechanism for dealing with grief. Though these words may be heartfelt from those that repeat them, I find the sayings unfitting. In these situations, I will usually offer the words "I am sorry for your loss". Witnessing the death of other people's loved ones often reminds me of my own loss, and my empathy for the friends and family of the deceased is genuine.
Going back to see where my mother is buried left me in a contemplative mood about her death. A blockage occurred in a vein, depriving oxygen to the vital organs of my mother's body, causing them to cease functioning. As an atheist, I find the biological science behind her death to be of greater comfort to me than a religious explanation. The intricate functions that sustain life were interrupted, plain and simple. Emotionally, I miss her and I am sad for the loss of not having the opportunity to know her better. But, it is a consoling fact that nothing and nobody "took her away" from me and my family. There was no "Master Plan" being followed, there was not a higher power choosing to end her life, leaving behind a bereaved husband and five children to ask "Why?" I know now that my mother is not watching from the clouds while tuning a harp, nor is she thirsting for water in a pit of eternal darkness. She simply ceased living at the age of forty-six, and is gone. I accept that. I am grateful for her life, and that she was able to give life to me.
Dear god, I am asking that you alter the natural state of global weather patterns and focus precipitation in my local area. I am praying to you, oh lord, for rain. I ask this in your name, Jesus Christ, Amen.
First of all, if there was a god in charge of making things meteorologically happen, to produce weather at will, then it would be justifiable to blame the sky daddy solely for tornadoes, hurricanes and floods. In fact, it would be within our rights to be really pissed off about it. If I thought a omnipresent being was controlling the weather, I'd be saying "What the $%*# is wrong with you, A-hole, causing all this damage and loss of human life." But for atheists, though fully aware these natural disasters cause grief, there is comfort knowing that personal loss through events such as these are simply one of life's truths. In other words, shit happens. There is no rhyme or reason as to why bad things happen to people, it is simply a matter of circumstance. The same goes for periods of drought. The weather is going to do what it is going to do, and bowing down with your hands clasped together isn't going to change it. Thor is not charging up his thunderbolts, and Jesus isn't blowing clouds your way.
Secondly, praying for rain is absurd because the ability for it to be answered is 100%. It is a given that no matter where you are in the world, you will receive some sort of precipitation eventually. A prayer for rain is a sure bet. There is zero chance that it won't be answered. Even the driest place on earth, the Atacama Desert in Chile gets some rain, even if it is only an average of less than .004 inches per year. So if it is guaranteed, what is the point of asking for it in the first place? I suppose people pray for timeliness, for it to rain soon, and perhaps folks are more specific about the quantity desired. Well, that can be a bit disappointing I guess. I would refer you back to the previous point, which is that there isn't a god actually in control of it. If your prayer isn't answered post haste, well, that would be because you are talking to yourself while on bended knees, friend.
It is wasted breath to look to the heavens and ask for a divine drenching. But fret not, the drops of H2O will come in due time, with or without your pleas.
This is an ad I found while perusing through a Christian magazine. Considering the source, I am not surprised by the symbolism used...there is obviously a Christian cross and bible being used by the soldier. The text is what is interesting to me. It reads:
As a chaplain in the Navy, you'll find limitless ways to employ your faith as you guide thousands of dedicated men and women who serve our nation. Think of it as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to serve your God, your nation, and your beliefs. To learn more about full-time or part-time opportunities, call 1-800-USA-NAVY or visit Navy.com.
What blatant proof that there is promotion of Christianity over other religions (or non-religion) in the military. Your god and your beliefs? This calls for evangelizing, plain and simple. What about the dedicated non-christian men and women who serve our nation? Is this a call to convert their sad souls? Why would I, as a taxpaying U.S. citizen, want to help pay the salary of someone who is proselytizing while working in a government setting. It violates separation of church and state. The goal of the chaplain should be to help the soldier according to the soldier's own belief system, whether that be Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Wicca, or any other choice, including the non-belief of atheism.
Perhaps there are corresponding ads in magazines of other religions, I don't know. I'd like to see a Muslim, with the Quran in hand and star and crescent symbols in the photo, with the same text underneath. I bet that doesn't exist.
