Religion and science don’t conflict, apparently

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Apparently, the perception that religion has been impeding science is wrong! That’s according to this article in The Guardian, which claims the commonly held belief that science has a history of being suppressed and challenged by religion is false.

Unfortunately, if you’re looking for any compelling arguments in this article, you won’t find any — you’ll be better served by reading this interview with biologist Jerry Coyne on his new book, which prompted the author to write this article in the first place. It seems the author failed to mention the systematic campaign of ignorance that was entirely the product of Christianity’s stranglehold on education and science. Perhaps the most telling example is this story about Archimedes and his notebook. You may remember him from his now famous (and historically inaccurate) story about jumping out of the bath, yelling “Eureka!” after solving the mystery of water displacement. Well, it turns out Archimedes did more than simply discover this scientific gem; he also discovered integral calculus thousands of years before Newton.

This vital discovery in math and sciences in general was almost lost when the only remaining copy of his notebook fell into the hands of the Church. Roughly 700 years ago, a monk took the manuscript, erased the precious notes, flipped it 90 degrees, and converted into a prayer book. It would take another 2000 years for humans to grasp the concept of integral calculus. The loss of this information (and the subsequent recovery by modern scientific techniques) is but one of the myriad examples of how the systematic control of education and information by the Church impeded science.

Now that does not mean the two are completely incompatible. The works of Aristotle and Plato thrived under Christianity, but they did so only because their teachings were found to be compatible with Church doctrine. Anything regarded as heretical was suppressed, locked up, or destroyed. In a world where a religion claims absolute control over all elements of life, any findings or works that contradicted with doctrine was considered seditious and dangerous. We aren’t surprised by this revelation, since still today, religious institutions continue to suppress and undermine scientific discovery. Are there really any creationists that aren’t religious?

Any Dawkins fans here?

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Here is a great interview with fellow Canadian Steven Pinker for fans of evolutionary science. The video is over an hour long, so if you’re going to watch this all in one sitting, might I suggest planning your afternoon accordingly. Trust me, it’s worth it!

EA pisses off Christians, everyone else ignores them

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Guerrilla marketing is all about tricking people into learning about your product. Most of the time, you don’t even know it’s going on around you. Sometimes it’s as subtle as a person at the bar strongly encouraging you to get shots of Jägermeister, and sometimes it’s a bunch of glowing ‘litebrights’ that cause massive panic (do you remember the Mooninites debacle?). This time, the devious minds at EA are attempting to use Christian fundamentalism to create buzz about their new game, Inferno.

Their tactic was simple: pretend to be a bunch of fundies, and make outrageous / cheap looking picket signs and make yourself visible. I have no doubt they were hoping other right wing Christians would jump in on the hate bandwagon. Any publicity is good publicity, and anytime the religious right boycotts something, it’s a good day for everyone’s bottom line.

The problem is that the game (which looks like a gigantic ripoff of God of War), based very loosely on the book The Divine Comedy, isn’t the kind of thing fundies are really concerned about these days. Sure, maybe 15 years ago it would have caused an uproar, but I have never in my life met a Christian who has bothered to read the actual book. It may have been required reading 400 years ago, but nowadays, only Liberal Arts students bother to pick it up. I’ve only read about 1/3 of it myself before passing out due to boredom. Then again, poetry was never really my thing.

Hilariously enough though, it seems to have generated a little bit of vitriol from a few Christians. Here’s a funny post over at Catholic Video Gamers:

Ok, look Electronic Arts, as much as the hardcore gaming community is full of the risible self-parodies known as the “freethinking” – the Richard Dawkins-loving, fundamentalist atheist, “I’m-so-much-smarter-than-you-are-because-I-don’t-believe-in-God” types, I doubt that even they would actually be more likely to buy a game because they *think* that their ideological foes (the equally risible Fundamentalist Creationist, anti-Catholic, evangelical “Christians”) happen to hate it. Gamers of all varieties will buy this product if its, well, actually a good game. So instead of engaging in a shamelessly anti-Christian stunt to promote your poor excuse of a product, maybe you ought to work on making this game, you know, something better than a blatant God of War rip-off and make it, ya know, something worthwhile?

Well, I guess the ad campaign did work a little, eh?

The Good Atheist Podcast EP: 067

This week, we discuss the news of a Quebec priest who was recently sentenced to 18 months in jail for molestation, as well as talk about poor little Khyra Ishaq, who was starved to death by her mother for being ‘possessed’ by a demon.

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Quebec priest gets 18 months for child molestation

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It never really stops does it? It seems like every other day, there’s another story involving a priest abusing kids. Luckily, once in a while, the justice system gets involved and someone goes to jail. This week, Paul-Henri Lachance, a Quebec Roman Catholic priest, was found guilty of child molestation and sentenced to 18 months in jail.

I’m still very confused as to why these guys end up serving such small sentences for crimes I consider to be quite serious. Lachance had abused Shirley Christensen for a period spanning three years (from 1979 to 1981), and yet his sentence is only half of that. While I’m happy he’s going to jail, I can’t help but feel the sentence is on the light side. Why are we putting drug dealers away for longer than child molesters? I’m pretty sure the hippie who sells me pot isn’t as big a danger to society as a sicko like Lachance.

I’m hoping this case will bring to light more of the abuses that have undoubtedly happened in this province. If there are two things you can usually count on, it’s the fact child molesters are repeat offenders, and the vast majority of those who are abused never come forward. Like an iceberg, what you see on the surface is deceptively small compared to what is hidden below the murky depths…

Discovery Institute tries to censor YouTube

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There are few institutions as corrupt, intellectually dishonest, and morally bankrupt as the Discovery Institute. Their name itself is a tragic irony; there is no ‘discovery’ going on there. All they are interested in doing is attacking the foundations of science in order to get everyone to abandon evolution in favor of creationism. They are heavily funded, ambitious, and as this video shows, without scruples. Everything is fair game to these guys. So we need to push back, and push back hard.

That’s why I’m so angry they are attacking YouTubers who are simply trying to expose them as the ignorant, anti-intellectual organization they are. Other than a website and a popular podcast, all I can do is spread the word. If any of you have some free time on your hands and happen to know the law, give this guy a hand, will ya?

Parents starve “possessed” daughter to death

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Khyra Ishaq was, by all accounts, your typical happy-go-lucky 12 year old living in Birmingham. Her mother, a recent convert to Islam, pulled her from school and began to isolate all of her children away from the outside world. Her excuse was they had been bullied in school over their attire, but no official complaint was filed with the school, and many of the house’s windows were boarded up.

One neighbor, who had left out some stale bread to feed the birds, was verbally lambasted for allowing the children to eat it (they had, apparently, been sneaking out in desperation looking for food.

The other 5 children were also dangerously malnourished, and at first glance it would appear the reason may have been because the children were not properly observing their religious rituals. It is likely this is why Khyra’s mother felt she was possessed; her natural rebellious nature would have easily been confused with some kind of demonic spirit.

It’s rather difficult to get the real story as to what happened. One thing is for sure, however; religion played a role in the neglect and torture of these children. To what extent, it’s difficult to ascertain, but it’s not uncommon for extremely religious individuals to completely isolate themselves from the outside world, especially if they feel it has a corrupting influence.

Trying to use religion to properly raise your kids is like trying to perform brain surgery with a lead pipe; there’s no room for subtlety. How many more little girls have to have their clitoris removed, or die at the hands of their own family for failing to observe religious traditions?

NOTE:  It seems she was not only starved, but also tortured. More disturbing news is coming to light, such as the systematic torture (using cold baths, beating her with a stick, etc.) of this little girl for no other reason than her mother felt she had an evil spirit. If you’re surprised by these kinds of actions, realize they are common practices in many parts of the world.

Is Your Ignorance Regular or Diet?

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If you’ve been living under a rock, or have only recently tuned in to the ‘webs’, you may not be aware of the Creation Museum, a 27 million dollar tribute to ignorance. Over half a million people have been ‘taught’ that the earth is only 6000 years old, and dinosaurs and humans coexisted peacefully in the Garden of Eden. The exhibits involve complex animatronic robots and sophisticated equipment meant to awe and inspire visitors.

The museum itself is perhaps one of the greatest embarrassments in the world. It’s a testament to the fact we are still a long way away from being educated as a populace. It seems some people love religion so much they demand the world fit into the narrow confines of their beliefs. The true purpose of the museum is obvious once the tour nears its end. There patrons become witness to a ‘world without god’, which involves a bored teenager looking at a computer screen, and another watching a TV. Watch out parents, this could be your children!

Now the museum had a corporate partner, and it’s none other than giant Coca-Cola Inc. It seems that the thirsty, uneducated masses that make their way through the museum will be offered their product exclusively. According to the site, they’ve been partnered up with the company for a while now, but they have since made it official.

From a corporate standpoint, I can’t really find too much fault in that one. Coke wasn’t founded by scientific ideologues, and they are in the business of selling a product. At the same time, however, it’s also at our discretion to abandon a product that lends its name to such intellectual dishonesty. If you were a Coke fan, you may want to develop a taste for fruit juice instead; it’s better for you anyways.

So is it fitting that a drink that rots your teeth is a corporate sponsor to a museum that rots your brain? I think so.

History is only a teacher if you listen well

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The Holocaust was terrible. It showed us a dark side of humanity we weren’t all willing to believe. It proved any one of us can succumb to cancerous ideologies of hatred and bigotry. I regard all genocide memorials as a warning to the human race: be mindful of messages of hate, for they are usually followed with violence and destruction.

I’m an idealist, so in my mind, the best way to avoid another potential holocaust is to make sure all human beings are properly respected, regardless of creed, race, and sexuality. It’s why I find it so tragic that a New York Holocaust memorial has become yet another victim of the bigoted attitudes of religious Orthodoxy.

Dov Hikind’s mother was in Auschwitz, and he refuses to allow other groups that also suffered at the hands of the Nazis from sharing the memorial.

“These people are not in the same category as Jewish people with regards to the Holocaust,” Hikind said following a press conference at the memorial. “It is so vastly different. You cannot compare political prisoners with Jewish victims.”

Hikind is upset because the memorial wanted to honor the tens of thousands of homosexuals, disabled, and Jehovah’s Witnesses who were also killed. In total 5 million people, who had no connection with Jews at all, were also massacred. It’s not something we tend to hear about very often, and it’s an oversight many are trying to correct.

Much of the attention to the Holocaust has been paid to the Jews, and with good merit; they suffered the most through the ordeal. It does not, however, excuse the behavior of some of their descendants who have decided the memories of other minorities are not ‘in the same category’ as their own. Last time I checked, no one likes getting killed, and the lessons of the Holocaust aren’t only ‘don’t kill the Jews’. I know human history is ripe with genocides (too many to count, really), but we should treat every single death seriously indeed.

Dov Hikind’s rejection of other ethnic groups to the memorial makes me sick. He’s just the latest addition on my growing ‘Wall of Shame‘. You’re a sad man, Dov. Your mother was a victim of crazed ideologues. Do you not think you dishonor her memory by refusing to recognize the tragedy of death simply because some of the victims were gay, or another religion? History is a teacher, but you can only learn from it if you listen closely enough. Otherwise, you find yourself repeating the same patterns, again and again…

Who Wants to go to a Book Burning?

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I’ve heard of some pretty stupid lawsuits in my day, but this one takes the prize as most insulting and intellectually bankrupt. The case involves a number of plaintiffs who are suing a library in Milwaukee for their decision to allow a controversial book to be in the Young Adult section. The book, Baby Be-Bop, is the story of Dirk and his struggle to come to terms with his homosexuality.

The group is suing the Library for $120,000 in emotional damage and scarring. Presumably, the mere presence of the book at the premises made these individuals lose considerable sleep. They are also suing for the right to burn this book in public. What is this, the Middle Ages?

Perhaps the book will offend a few people, but so what? Do they really think their outrage gives them the right to burn books and sue non-profit institutions? We aren’t living in a fascist dictatorship, so hopefully this frivolous lawsuit will end with the members being exposed for the bigoted, anti-intellectual morons they are.

Hey, conservative Christian guys, stop trying to burn books you don’t agree with. Stop trying to tell everyone how to live their lives, and for your God’s sake, can you all just leave the rest of us who don’t buy into your bullshit alone for a while? Find a hobby that doesn’t include burning literature, please. I highly recommend thinking; it seems you’ve neglected this activity. These jerks just made the ‘Wall of Shame‘.

The Good Atheist Podcast EP: 066


This week, we discuss Anti-Vaccination and Roald Dahl’s letter encouraging vaccination, small town tries to burn book about homosexuality, and Andrew Wakefield is exposed as a total fraud.

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Pope sheds crocodile tears for victims of abuse

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he Vatican issued this statement following the release of the Ryan report which chronicled years of abuse at the hands of priests and nuns in Catholic run reform schools, stating that Pope Benedict XVI was visibly upset and distraught. They also claim the Pope has been busy pressuring churches to be more open about the abuse. For anyone familiar with history, however, his crocodile tears are not enough to make us forget this is the same man who played a lead role in the cover up of abuses of children by the clergy.

If you really want to know how hollow and meaningless his words truly are, ask yourself how many individuals have been named in the abuses in Ireland so far. Until now, not a single name or arrest has been made. Is this beyond the power of the Pope? Of course not. If he really wanted to be part of the process, he would release the identities of every priest who committed any abuse and would rout them out of the organization. I think we can all agree such a thing will never happen; the Church is more concerned with protecting their institutions than they are in protecting kids. It’s why the abuses will never stop so long as they continue to operate with such impunity toward the law.

The governments of the world are all too gutless to demand the Vatican make the identities of offending priests public knowledge. What else can you expect from an organization that boldly claims they are the official spokesperson of an all powerful entity? Why anyone takes their claim seriously (despite the atrocities they commit) is beyond me. I can’t seem to win the argument to stop giving these guys tax free status, but do we also have to make them immune from prosecution? How insane is that?

Is it wise to grant personhood to a fetus?

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How cruel can life be? I don’t think most of us are willing to really fathom the depth of pain, suffering and death that goes on in the world on any given day. Luckily, as human beings we are mostly isolated from the horrors and cruelty of nature. Well, most of the time, anyways.

A few months ago, a friend of mine (who will obviously remain nameless) who was pregnant with a baby girl was told the fetus suffered from a rare disorder called anencephaly, and an abortion would be needed (if you are faint of heart, I don’t suggest reading up on it). Anencephaly is a developmental disorder that occurs during day 23 to 26 of pregnancy; the time when the neural tube (a kind of precursor to the brain) fails to properly “close”. The result is a baby without a brain.

Any infant born with this condition will live only a few hours, and it’s normally recommended the pregnancy be terminated at this point, both to avoid any undo risks for the mother, and avoid the actual horrors of bringing such a child to term (they are often terribly disfigured, sometimes missing the entire top of the head).

Of course if it was up to a pro-lifer, my friend would not have been allowed to terminate the pregnancy. It was not an easy decision for her, but in the end she had to concede the pregnancy had been a failure. It was difficult for her to accept, but life moves on.

So here is a video about clever legislation that is being tabled in a number of conservative states in the US. These bills are intended to completely remove the rights women have over their bodies in favor of a very childish notion of the ‘sanctity’ of life. These government officials obviously have no real understanding of medicine, but what they do know is how to get votes, and there are enough pro-lifers to ensure their re-election if they claim to have saved hundreds of babies from termination.

Look guys, life is cruel and weird, and we cannot start giving full blown rights to organisms that have only yet begun to develop. There are many instances when abortions are unwanted but still necessary. That’s the thing most pro-lifers will never admit to, even when they themselves are faced with an unpleasant reality (after all, religious conservatives are more likely to get abortions than secular women). We can’t create laws that take reality for granted. Although I can appreciate their zeal in trying to preserve life, abortions are still needed even if they aren’t very well liked.

Get out of our Faces, Religion!

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It’s a nice sunny weekend and you’re trying to enjoy the sunlight and fresh air. You’re not at the swankiest of events, but the opening of a new public parking space is about as much excitement as you can get. Everything is peaceful, everybody is happy, and all of a sudden you get hit in the head with a rock.

Now there are very few reasons to throw rocks at anyone. I think we can all agree that apart from perhaps being acceptable during life or death situations, the ‘throwing large rocks intended to crack people’s fragile skulls’ is a pretty dick move. Well, some Orthodox Jews living in Israel apparently think it’s kosher to pelt people with rocks because they feel doing any type of activity on a Saturday (yes, even the grand opening of a parking structure) is in clear defiance of Yahweh. Presumably, the guy can’t seem to defend himself, so he sends his minions after us.

It’s not even as though officials hadn’t taken already precautions to avoid offending religious purists. The municipality had ensured the parking structure would not be operated by any Jews, and no money would be exchanged. That wasn’t enough to stop some of the protesters from hurling used baby diapers at police.

Hey, religious wackos, can you all calm the fuck down and let people enjoy their weekend? Life can suck enough without having your day ruined by a bunch of idiots wearing ridiculous outfits throwing rocks at you. Can you guess why people are starting to get tired of all your bullshit, religion? Get the fuck out of our faces!

Pseudoscience Puts Everyone in Danger

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We take modern medicine for granted. It’s something we hardly ever need to think about. The odds of dying of the flu are small; you’re about as likely to die from that as from accidental electrocution. But it wasn’t always this way. Just a few generations ago, before we had the ability to develop vaccines or antibiotics, infant mortality rates were frighteningly high. Children suffering from diabetes would slowly fade to nothingness, their tiny bodies literally starved to death.

The times, though, they have changed. When children are properly immunized, their odds of dying from what were once deadly diseases have dramatically been reduced, so much so that we have begun to underestimate their dangers. Worst still, a small but vocal group is working diligently to actively discourage parents from giving their children vaccines under the mistaken belief they cause autism.

Leading this unthinking and uncritical mob is former Playboy model Jenny McCarthy. Her child is autistic, and like many who believe there is a connection between the MMR vaccine and the neurological disorder, she made the inference simply from her own observation. Because the ideal time to vaccinate (roughly 13 months of age) coincidentally corresponds to the time when symptoms of the disease, a large number of individuals incorrectly assume the two are linked. Their fears and mistrust of medicine actually make them believe the idea the scientific community is purposefully suppressing information linking the vaccine with autism. The truth is no correlation has ever been found.

Take, for instance, this passionate letter author Roald Dahl issued in 1986 (re-issued last month) begging parents to immunize their children. He lost his daughter in 1962 to measles. At the time, there was no vaccine for the disease. Now it’s as easy as making an appointment with your family doctor.

Unsurprisingly, the unthinking masses have been reluctant to vaccinate their children, and as a result, this disease has been on a comeback in Britain. In 2005, there were 76 cases, and 2006 saw an increase to 100. These pale in comparison to this year so far; in Wales alone, the NHS reported the total number of cases so far is 277. A disease that once appeared beaten and downtrodden has come back with a vengeance. The problem lies in the fact that although parents may think it is their choice alone not to immunize their kids, the result is their lack of immunity puts everyone at greater risk.

When Dahl wrote his essay in 1986, 20 kids were dying every year from a highly preventable disease. It looks like the risks have just gotten higher for everyone else thanks to the tireless work of intellectual midgets like Jenny McCarthy and her pet, Jim Carrey. Can you morons all go back to making movies and leaving the job of educating people about health to the professionals? What is it about acting that makes you believe you know enough to be giving counsel to women about the health of their loved ones: was it a cameo on ER or something which made you think that was a good idea?