The Damned

graphic by James Ellis

I follow the hashtag #atheism on twitter in order to keep abreast on what people are saying about religion and other controversial subjects. Often the content contains thoughtful discussion or bits of news that interests me, but much of it resembles typical “zinger” one-liner material: pithy 140-character messages that resemble confrontational bumper stickers instead of well-balanced arguments against religion. Yeah, I’ve done it too. I admit it! Twitter is the safe-haven of the verbal jab.

I spotted one such “zinger” today:

FlyingFree333

(Flying Free)

Without faith there could be no genocide, no racism, no bigotry; faith breeds evil. #christian #jesus #bible #god #atheism #islam #muslim

On 29-4-2011 13:30:22 from Twaitter

I’ve certainly heard this hyperbolic argument before, and as an atheist I do not agree. I realize you cannot easily present a reasoned argument for an enormous claim like this on twitter, but even if there were paragraphs of explanation behind it I’m not sure I would ever be convinced that the sole reason for racism, bigotry, and genocide is faith. To avoid an argument about vocabulary; “faith,” could easily be replaced by “religion.”

I am far from being an expert, but I think there are sociological, psychological, and economic causes unrelated to religion that cause these problems in the world. Religion is certainly used to justify many horrible actions such as genocide (e.g. Deuteronomy 20:16-18) and slavery (e.g. the Curse of Ham). However, I do not think all religions or faiths bring about these results, nor do I think ruling out other causes for the evil in the world is wise.

I’d really like to have a discussion about this claim. Is faith the cause of genocide, racism, and bigotry?

And as a side question: What do you think about these kinds of pithy statements on twitter? Do you think they help anything or perhaps give atheists a bad name?

Isaiah 42:26 “I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine.”

Considering all of the flesh eating, dead body raising, and nonsensical grunts and moans contained in the Bible, it’s a wonder that George Romero and Robert Kirkman aren’t having to pay royalties.

For many nonbelievers, it is impossible to escape the fact that zombies are a fairly accurate metaphor for people that willing shut off their thinking caps in the name of faith. It’s also an odd coincidence that many of these people also happen to symbolically feast on flesh and blood. I would argue though, that to truly be a lamb of God, one must first become a brain dead flesh eating zombie (God’s words, not mine). The Bible is rife with verses and commands supporting anti-intellectualism and if it is to be believed, God would appear to want zombies more than sheep.

Since most everyone knows about the traditions involving the Eucharist, I would like to briefly highlight God’s opinions regarding human zombification (aka anti-intellectualism). One must not look for long to find God’s first attempt at keeping man as a stupid pet animal, for instance; In Genesis, humanity’s very first mistake against God was the horrific act of simply seeking knowledge. Furthermore, the Old Testament also claims that people’s reasoning abilities are unreliable and deceptive. It goes as far to warn that: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

Because the Old Testament commands that people should not rely upon their own intellect and understanding, Christianity has inherited a system by which few can escape. By teaching that we are incapable of truly understanding things, Christianity has given us a population of people that no longer see a need to even try. Not only can Christianity turn reasonable people into zombies, it can turn zombies into couch potatoes. At least zombies are motivated enough to seek out brrrrraaaiiiiiiiinnnsss!

What it all really comes down to though, is that the authors and editors of the Bible had very specific motives to their writings. There is one sure fire way to keep people in line and that is to get them to willingly shut down their reasoning powers. Can it be any wonder that governments all around the world have seized upon Christianity?

A continuation of a series of commentary on the Sam Harris and William Lane Craig debate.  This is an opinion piece.

Part 1, 2, 3, 4

The video being reviewed can be found here.  My apologies for not getting this published sooner, I have been busy working on course work.

Sam Harris has the stage at the beginning of this video and has been talking about how the God view of morality isn’t moral.

Harris begins this video with the assertion that God is cruel and unjust because of the suffering given to innocent people.  To think that God is moral is to ignore the suffering of other human beings.”Given the misery being heaped on some innocent child at this instant, this kind of faith is obscene.”

Harris asks if God wants to morally guide us with a book why give a book that punishes imaginary crime such as witchcraft, or lighting a fire on the Sabbath (I hope you don’t smoke). On the faith side of things God doesn’t have to be good because what ever God commands is by definition good.  However we must ask if the genocide of the Amalekites is a good thing.  In my view genocide is always a bad thing, no matter who commands it.

Harris points out that if God exists then Yahweh is psychotic and those that follow his commands aren’t much better. It is psychopathic because it is totally detached from the well-being of human beings.  Also according to divine command theory, suicide bombing is a moral action. The only criticism that a divine command theorist can assert is that they are listening to the wrong god.  Dr. Harris says this isn’t to say that all theists are psychotic.  ”The true evil of religion is that it allows sane people to believe, by the billions, what only lunatics could believe on their own.”

Harris points out that it is a strange god that makes the requirement for salvation belief in bad evidence. He also points out that Christianity is a religion that celebrates human sacrifice. Sam Harris finishes with the statement that if there is a less moral framework than the one that Dr. Craig proposes then [Harris] hasn’t heard of it.

William Lane Craig starts with the answer that atheism is the less moral framework, since atheism has no grounds for objective moral values.  I would disagree since atheism has no moral duties to kill people it is intrinsically more moral than anything based on the Bible. Craig continues on to pontificate about how great God is and that the evidence of the poor moral fibre of God presented by Harris is a red herring. However, I think that WLC is just trying to deflect some rather strong points against his standpoint.  As it stands WLC must either give up the Bible or he must give up the idea that God is moral. WLC continues to try to discount Harris’ arguments saying that it is immaterial to the debate that God is cruel because that is not what he is talking about.  But I again disagree, if God exists and is cruel then he is not a solid foundation for objective morality. Harris self-promotes his website, again I’m not sure what he is thinking, I think that he is very unprofessional trying to hawk these products during what is supposed to be a serious debate.  WLC gets back to trying to discount Harris’ arguments instead of disprove them.  I find this entire section to be vaguely insulting to me as a viewer that Craig thinks that I am so simple as to buy this rhetoric. WLC finishes and Harris takes his podium again and in the last few seconds of the video says the Dr. Craig has a charming way of summarising the arguments of his opponents in a way that they did not give them.

Comedians … and usually only comedians. The rest of us need to be polite and respectful of other beliefs—or so I’m told.

Here’s a hilarious gem from David Cross of Arrested Development fame. If I could see a live routine, I’d be in heaven (riding in the back of my hot pink Hummer limo with St. Michael acting as my chauffeur).

http://youtu.be/B2QqrvSryQA

Hat Tip: The Good Atheist

A believing science teacher? I’d like to see one of these in its native habitat. Granted, this blog isn’t active anymore, and these posts are a bit old, but I find these tiny snippets tantalizing, and I’d love to see more. I am so fascinated by people who study and work in professions that lend themselves to the rational and critical mind and find those studies uplifting to their faith.

I teach evolution as a theory-because it is.  I believe in creationism, yet I do think that organisms have changed over time, but not to the extent that every living thing on this planet evolved from one single-celled organism.

…But so many times I feel like teaching is a great way to be Gods hands and Feet–and to love and make a difference in so many peoples lives…So as I thought more about it, I realized that perhaps it is better for my students to hear about Evolution from a Christian–(even though I do not tell them about my beliefs) than someone who is a strong advocate for Evolution.  I always say prayers.  All the time for my students, my school, and the things that I teach…So hopefully I’m doing the right thing–even if it is a little contradictory.

And another:

There are those moments in life, when you experience or see something that just touches your heart, to the point where you think, “This is one of those things-where it seems impossible to me that anyone in this world couldn’t believe in God.”

What brought this thought to my mind today is my current Biology unit. Protein syntheis. … I know this sounds like gibberish, but the real fascination is that these [DNA and mRNA] molecules are living–something is pushing them to keep going every day. They’re so tiny. We don’t even think of them, but they keep growing, replicating, and changing. The only explanation I can find for this phenomenon is God. He is what keeps us living, and going, and at a molecular level, our proteins synthesizing.

Isn’t it interesting how our perspectives and conclusions can differ so drastically?

For a group of people that are so convinced that they are correct, Religionists sure do seem to have a complex when it comes to allowing others to seriously consider what they believe. They seem to have an even greater complex in allowing others to freely determine whether they are convinced or not. If you are a person that has failed to be convinced, you can expect that there will be many attempts to you force into line. You can expect that there will be laws that say that you cannot hold office, money that says that you trust the Religionist’s god, a motto that says that you are living “Under God”, and many other attempts of making sure you don’t fall through the Religionist’s crack. Many Religionists like to say that we have free will, but they sure don’t seem to support that for nonbelievers. On closer examination, it appears more like we are being told that there is no escape from the appendages of religion. One must ask why Religionists need it to be this way. Could it be that someone is so unconvinced by their own beliefs that they feel a need for special exceptions to shore up their own doubts? Just a thought, but if Religionists ever expect to win over nonbelievers, they will only do so by first offering up an argument for the existence of god that is free of any and all coercion. Knowing the current arguments inside out, I highly doubt that they are even capable of it. Religionists would only have to compare their current Church and State violations with how oppressive regimes maintain power and they would see that their belief has become tyrannical and defeating of their own stated purposes.

photo by MissTessmacher

What do you think about debating with theists? In your discussions and debates with theists, do you try to convince them their god does not exist? Do you ever try to help people leave religion/faith behind? What do you think about atheists who (for lack of a better word) “evangelize” others?

Go ahead, share your opinion!

“I refuse to prove that I exist,” says God, “for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing.”
“But,” say Man, “the Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn’t it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don’t. QED.”
“Oh dear,” says God, “I hadn’t though of that” and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic.

- Douglas Adams from “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” – 1979

An article on ChristianityToday.com asks the question: Why are there still atheists? “Still” is in reference to Romans 1:19-20 and Psalm 19:1 (as well as Creationists—young- and old-earth alike) that declare God has made it plain that he exists through the things he has made. The author, Shawn Graves, argues that the lives Christians lead and their own words must also be the illustration of proof that God is real.

I am relieved that Graves (more so than Jim Spiegel in a previous piece for the same website) acknowledges respectfully that atheists have rational, evidence-based objections against the Hebrew god Yahweh.

Spiegel asserts that for many atheists, it’s not “cool, rational inquiry” that led to their atheism. Rather, in many cases it’s complex moral and psychological factors that produce atheism.

… Surely some people accept atheism due in part to such powerful motivational factors. For some atheists, it’s not merely a matter of evidence. Yet, as Spiegel grants, these motivational explanations don’t hold for all atheists. Consider some of the personal essays found in Philosophers Without Gods: Meditations on Atheism and the Secular Life, edited by Louise Antony. Some testify that their move from theism to atheism came at tremendous personal cost and required significant, and painful, existential reorientation. A few even express a deep longing for Christian spirituality. Apparently, these philosophers had plenty of strong psychological motivation to retain or embrace theism. Yet they didn’t. Their atheism really did seem to be a matter of evidence and argument.

Yes! Someone gets it. I, for example, was extremely happy and content with Christianity. It had never done me wrong, and I benefited from it. As I’ve said before, I left theism kicking and screaming. I was horrified by the idea that I had been mistaken all my life, and that there really wasn’t a great and magic solution to suffering or evil.

I’m intrigued by the humility in this conclusion:

We should acknowledge that we have our own powerful non-rational motivations for belief. We ought to confess that our religious proclamations haven’t been as clear and compelling as the heavens and the skies in proclaiming “the glory of God and the work of his hands,” that our lives haven’t “made it plain” that God exists. We need to grant that our God is a God who sometimes hides and is silent. Finally, we need to concede that all of this does make a genuine evidential difference for plenty of atheists. Maybe that helps to explain why there are atheists.

Do you think Graves ever answers the question about why there are still atheists? Do you think it’s up to theists to fix this, or are they still incorrectly assuming that what keeps us atheists from belief is a lacking in humanity (namely pride, sin, etc.) and not because there truly is a lack of evidence?

Anyone that has ever read the Bible (I mean really read the Bible) knows that it contains some very explicit sexual content. In Genesis alone the Bible contains the following pieces of bad advice:

19:1-8 Rape virgins instead of male angels
24:2-3, 9 Place your hand “under the thigh” (sexual organs) of someone swearing sacred oaths
25:1-6 Keeping mistresses is not adultery

Since there are literally hundreds of sexually inappropriate Bible verses, should our children really be made to read them? Better yet, should children really be included in the debate regarding adult sexuality? Apparently, Westboro Baptist parents feel that they should. The Westboro Baptists regularly trot out their poor children to hold signs regarding what they view as sexual depravity. Surely, if they have instructed their children to hold up these signs, they have also explained to them what they mean. As a child welfare worker, I can say with certainty that when kids get exposed to adult sexuality, whether by accident or on purpose, they will have questions. Most kids simply do not have the context to understand things of a sexual nature. If Westboro parents are exposing their kids to the knowledge of adult sexuality, some at six or seven years old, and then using the Bible as a guidebook for explaining everything, their kids could be at serious risk. It’s not a stretch to say that a case could be made to show that Westboro parents are neglecting to protect their children’s welfare every time they parade them out with sexually explicit signs.

Isiah 36:12″…you, will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine?”

“The Christian resolution to find the world ugly and bad has made the world ugly and bad.” – Friederich Nietzsche

I won’t pretend that the following examples are fully representative of the current status between atheists and their religious opponents, though it could be argued that at one time or another these relationships have turned out pretty fucking bad for atheists. Religion, by it’s very nature, is an enemy to reason and thus an enemy to atheism. There are striking resemblances in the relationships of atheists and religionists to those of the Nazis and Jews, African Americans and the KKK, Islamic extremists and freedom, and Eminem and Vanilla Ice. I can say with reasonable certainty that none of the above named groups will ever be capable of buddying up for any extended period of time.

“I am myself a dissenter from all known religions, and I hope that every kind of religious belief will die out.” – Bertrand Russell

It is a matter of fact that certain groups of people are inherently in opposition to one another. Because the beliefs and values of these oppositional groups are so far divided, these groups will never be able to find a middle ground to work with. When I say that these groups will never be able to find middle ground, I’m speaking of the groups as a whole and not subsets or individuals in these groups. I know that it very common for individuals to set aside their differences, but I can’t imagine, under any circumstances, that the KKK is going to begin allowing African Americans in as members. I also can’t imagine that Christianity, or Islam for that matter, is capable of changing it’s stance on homosexuals, women’s rights, and atheists. Neither religion currently has the capability to edit out the hate filled verses aimed at these groups. I don’t know about you, but I’m not comfortable with accommodating a groups that feels that I should either be killed, shunned, or burning in Hell.

“Religion is fundamentally opposed to everything I hold in veneration–courage, clear thinking, honesty, fairness, and, above all, love of the truth.”- H. L. Mencken

At this point, I’m not here to argue about who is right and who is wrong, I am simply trying to show that religion, as a whole, is incompatible with atheism. I say this, as I know that many people on both sides are wishing for a future where all sides are walking hand in hand. I fully admit that I often desire this outcome too, it’s just that it may never be possible. Even if I feel that it is highly unlikely, I can still hope right? Even though I admit that I don’t believe that there is chance for hand in hand cooperation, I am by no means calling for an end to the efforts and I am in no way saying our battle should ever resort to violence. What I do feel, much like Reagan’s stance on not negotiating with terrorists, is that atheists everywhere should be focusing more of their time on efforts that reduce religion’s power and sway. I’m not claiming to know what strategies work, but I can reason out that finding common ground is only going to take us so far. Even if atheism was able to mesh with religion, history has shown us that it will only be a matter of time before religion takes a new fanatical turn and we are again victimized by it’s violent dogmatic irrationality.

An unrelated, but awesome quote: “Imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, ‘This is an interesting world I find my self in – an interesting hole I find my self in – fits me rather neatly, doesn’t it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!’ This is such a powerful idea that as the sun rises in the sky and the air heats up and as, gradually, the puddle gets smaller and smaller, it’s still frantically hanging on to the notion that everything’s going to be alright, because this world was meant to have him in it, was built to have him in it; so the moment he disappears catches him rather by surprise. I think this may be something we need to be on the watch out for.”
- Douglass Adams

Photo by Österreichisches Weltraum Forum

Have you ever heard these common reactions to atheism?

You can’t be an atheist. How can you believe in nothing? Everybody believes in something. Maybe you’re an agnostic and you’ll figure it out one day. You’re just going through a stage. Your life must feel so empty and lonely.

I came across a popular objection today in the midst of an online conversation about how it’s more acceptable for atheists to bash religious people and call them names than for a Christian to talk the same way about atheists. Feel free to comment about this as well; I’m curious if you think it’s true in an online context.

Christian: I just think that it’s important that you believe in something bigger than you. God, Allah, the stars in the sky – believe in something so that you don’t feel alone in this world.

Me: Why do you think atheists are lonely?

Christian: Not lonely, but just with the few atheists who have bothered to sit with me & actually talk about it, they have told me that they think that there is nothing. Just people and then nothing. I haven’t done research or anything like that, just going off what I have been told. [My boyfriend's] best friend is a very loud atheist. He’s very open that he thinks there’s nothing bigger out there and that when we die, there’s just nothing.

Me: Interesting. I agree that after death there is nothing, but I like that. I also believe in bigger things like, you know, the greatness of community, love, humanity, etc. Also the wonder of reality without the supernatural. Why look for something imaginary when you can have the glory of the universe? So there you go—an atheist who isn’t alone, hopeless, nor lacking.

How would you respond?

“Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned” – Anonymous

Many claim that faith is a virtue. Many also claim that having faith is difficult to attain. If these statements were in fact true, why is it so difficult for man to live with uncertainty? From a very early age, children typically learn to have faith. Most children learn to have faith in their parents in the first few weeks of life. It is through faith that children are able to comfort themselves in times of stress and need. Faith is so engrained into us that it becomes the default position. Faith is not in any way a skill.

Those of us that cannot seem to live without 100% faith, resort to religion when questions become too complex. If faith is easy, then religion is too. Religion is nothing more than the easy way out of complex questions. Religion is what happens when man needs answers, yet some things are unanswerable.

To not have faith and to be okay with not knowing is a skill far beyond that of faith. We are not, at any point in our infancy, taught to be okay with things. For theists to propose that God must exist simply because they believe that nothing could ever come from nothing is the most extreme form of faith, for the theist also believes that there God came from nothing.

I have no idea about how we got here and I am certain that neither do theists. The biggest difference is that they just cannot accept uncertainty. They would believe some of the most absurd things just to escape the uneasy feeling of desperate need. They would claim an always present invisible being before looking to the sky and proclaiming that maybe reality has just always been or at the very least proclaiming that maybe we will just never know. The thing that theists can never seem to understand is that, just because atheists don’t have all the answers, they don’t get to fill our gaps in knowledge with complete absurdities.

“To really be free, You need to be free in the mind” – Alexander Loutsis

Something tells me most Christians would laugh at this theology, and not just us atheists.

(via hatefulatheist)

What do you think about Near Death Experiences (NDE)? I’m extremely skeptical. Did a young boy see streets of gold, get serenaded by angels, sit in Jesus’ lap, and meet up with dead relatives while in Heaven? Did he find out about his mother’s miscarriage or see moments of Armageddon without ever hearing about them before?

And did God prove himself to be true by giving the family a book publishing deal?

Judge for yourself.

Over time his visions became more believable.  He described Jesus, and he even talked about Armageddon and how God told him his father would fight in the final battle.  Although Todd was a pastor, he says he never talked detail like this with his preschool aged son.

How interesting that the visions this boy saw are exactly like the phrases used in the Bible. I don’t think that means the Bible is true; I think it means that a pastor’s son who was raised in Biblical teaching and who heard his father preach may have known about “streets of gold” and “Armageddon” before magically seeing them during a hospital stay. I’m not even sure a child would use phrases like “streets of gold” without hearing it before. Who says “streets of asphalt?”

What do you think?

See larger image The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails (Paperback) List Price: $21.00 USD New From: $11.38 In Stock Used from: $10.00 In Stock

You guys! I found an atheist book on the Free Shelf at work today! *Dances a jig with jazz hands*

John W. Loftus, author of one of my favorite blogs, Debunking Christianity, and the book Why I Became an Atheist, has edited a collection of articles critiquing the claims of Christianity. The Christian Delusion: Why Faith Fails is shooting to the top of my to-read list!

Non-fiction—especially concerning subjects about which I am passionate—makes me yearn for an Amazon Kindle or similar device with which I could make highlights and notes about certain passages to remember for later. I revere printed  books too much to write all over them; I even hate writing in pretty journals because I don’t want to sully them with my chicken scratch handwriting. A book about atheism, science, and faith is certainly going to stir up many ideas, and I would love to store those light bulbs of inspiration somewhere. Ah well; it’s on my wishlist

for shitsn’giggles, here’s a not-so-intellectual book I also grabbed off the Free Shelf that’s sure to make you chuckle.

What books are you reading right now that I should add to my list?

Image via Wikipedia

MEDIA COVERAGE OF AND COMMENTARY ON GSP RESEARCH

ANALYSIS –

Gregory Paul on Religion
Domain-of-Darwin at Deviant Art blog 12/29/09

Are We Better Off Without Religion?
Susan Blackmore The Guardian 12/8/09

Who Needs God When We’ve Got Mammon?
David Villano Miller-McCune 11/24/09
[alternet.org article Is Religion Hurting America?]

Why Evolution is True
Jerry Coyne (University of Chicago) at Atheist Alliance International conference 10/3/09

[Minutes 41:00-48:00 & 54:00-57:00 are a practical demonstation of how GSP's research is beginning
to radically transform the evolution versus creation debate from the long static discussion about
science and education to the new, dynamic issue of scientifically and socioeconomically reforming the
U.S. to produce a better nation.)

Greg Paul Elaborates On Healthcare and Religion
Dorene Braun  Examiner 10/19/09

What Healthcare Reform Really Means For the U.S.
Dorene Braun  Examiner 9/23/09

Does Prosperity Entail the End of God?
Ronald Bailey  Reason 9/18/09

Science, Religion Debated As Evangelical Takes Top NIH Post
Dan Vergano  USA Today 9/11/09

Is Religiosity Beneficial in Affluent First World Nations? (press release)
Evolutionary Psychology Journal 8/31/09

Religion in the United States and Other Nations
Art Hobson NWA Times 8/29/09

(Un)wired for God
Sharon Begley Newsweek 8/13/09 print 8/24-31/09: 30 09

An Atheist Asks, 'Does Religion Cause Immorality?'
Hugh Kramer Examiner 8/7/09

America, Land of the Free Thinkers
Tom Flynn Washington Post - On Faith 3/11/09

Disbelief About Belief
Tom Flynn Washington Post - On Faith 2/8/09

Evolution: Unfinished Business
The Economist 2/5/09

Baylor Religion Survey Under Dispute
Sommer Ingram The Lariat 2/4/09

Humanist Group Claims Baylor Religion Survey Flawed
Katherine Phan Christian Post 2/4/09

Council for Secular Humanism Rips Baylor Survey on U.S. and Religion
Sam Hodges  Dallas Morning News 2/3/09

Faith Hurts
PZ Meyers Pharyngula 11/22/08

Does Religion Make You Nice? Does Atheism Make You Mean?
Paul Bloom Slate 11/7/08

What Good is God?
Helen Phillips New Scientist 9/1/07

God and Good Behavior
Gwynne Dyer The Jerusalem Post 3/21/07

The Big Religion Questions Solved!
Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia videotaped lecture (82 mins) 12/2/08

Evolution vs. Creationism Debate
Marc Steiner Show, WJHU/NPR (Baltimore), Aug. 2000, rebroadcast Dec. 2000.

Related articles

• Book Review: The Princeton Field Guide To Dinosaurs, Edited by Gregory S. Paul (blogcritics.org)
• More Secular Morality videos: the follow-up panel (atheistexperience.blogspot.com)
• Great Moments in Pedantry: How “Jurassic Park” got Velociraptors wrong (boingboing.net)

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