This week, we discuss the trouble in Iran, where two young women were sentenced to death for killing the man who tried to rape them. We also talk about the Catholic Church excommunicating the doctors who performed an important and necessary abortion on a 9 year old rape victim, and finally, we discuss Turkey’s growing religious influence.
I don’t like to talk about Afghanistan, mostly because as a Canadian, my government has armed forces over there being killed for a country that sentences journalists to death for speaking out against the Qur’an. Pervez Kambaksh is a student journalist who wrote an essay condemning some of the more sexist verses of the Qur’an, and was trying to speak on women’s rights. The 23 year old was sentenced to death, and is now rotting in jail while his lawyers try in vain to appeal this decision in what is essentially a corrupt ‘Supreme Court’.
It’s time we got the fuck out of this country. If it is impossible to inculcate our values, than we have no business being there in the first place. If they want to run their country into the ground with their Sharia law, then so be it. There are some places in the world that are not ready to consider women as equals, or religious freedom as paramount.
The truth is the Taliban has never truly left. They are still there, disguised as moderates, secretly bleeding us dry while biding their time before raising the fundamentalist flag again. What can be done in a place like this? I’m not sure. So far we haven’t figured it out. Perhaps there is nothing we can do. One thing I can tell you for sure is our continued presence will do nothing to change the minds of the people in power. Afghanistan is messed up, and it won’t get better anytime soon.
Unreasonable Faith asks an interesting question to the faithful: What if God was Disproved? I think, however, the answer to this question is fairly obvious: they would ignore it. Think about all the things religious people already ignore: evolution, the Constitution, sexual preferences (that one literally scares them to death); they even ignore parts of their own religious text they find inconvenient.
I think a better question for religious people is this: Have you really ever considered that your viewpoint is inherently biased? I want you to imagine the existence or non-existence of God are of equal merit (for the sake of this argument), and you had to make a decision about which viewpoint to believe. Before you did that however, you had to consider your own preformed attitude about the question. If you’re already religious, how honest are you willing to be about your choice? Did you really look at the evidence, or were you far too emotionally invested to care about it being true or not? As an atheist, I have nothing to gain in there being no God, since the position comes with no real added benefits. But to the religious, God is everything: moral arbiter, best friend, and father figure. There’s obviously going to be a huge amount of bias coming in, and it’s doubtful the question will get the amount of thought it deserves.
How can I know someone is wrong? The simple answer to this question is anyone who is unwilling to question their own assumptions are usually too close minded to fathom the possibility that they may in fact be wrong. How advanced would our civilization be if we had never questioned the assumption that the sun revolved around the earth? I take nothing for granted in my position as an atheist. There is still an inquisitive part which would be more than willing to accept God if the evidence was strong. It is not. It does not mean I will abandon my search, but I find it hard to believe anyone who is deeply religious gives the question of the existence of God a passing thought, and that is why I am sure their beliefs are seriously flawed.
We are independent organisms, capable of formulating our own thoughts, and capable of rebelling against the conventions and the attitudes of our fellows. We have the ability to question everything, and learn about the world on our own. What a shame so many choose to abandon the pursuit of knowledge in favor of the weak comfort of religion. When you only have one life to live, it’s best not to spend all of that time fumbling in the dark.
There’s always something controversial going on with Catholics. These guys are out of touch with modern life, and as a consequence, they always do something stupid and plain horrible enough to make the news. Today it’s the archbishop Don Jose Cardoso Sobrinho who excommunicated the Brazilian doctors who performed an abortion on a 9 year old rape victim.
Sobrinho has no concern over the rape itself, since he chose not to excommunicate the stepfather who had abused the girl since age 6. To quote the man, “A graver act than (rape) is abortion, to eliminate an innocent life”. Oh, and the only reason they didn’t excommunicate the little girl is because she’s a minor. What benevolence!
Let’s face the fucking facts here. Over 1 million women undergo illegal abortions in Brazil each yeah, with a quarter of them having to be treated because the procedures are botched. Many of these women were sexually assaulted, and rape is a major problem in Brazil. Yet, the archbishop doesn’t really care about it. Why would he? It’s men doing the raping after all, and in any chauvinistic society, that kind of thing isn’t important.
I feel sick to my stomach about this. Some poor 9 year old girl needed the bravery of the doctors to allow her the chance to live a normal life and not be a mother at 10 years of age. These people faced the full force of the church, which in Brazil still has a great deal of influence. Congratulations Catholic Church on proving once again why you are one of the most corrupt, evil, and terrible institutions in the world.
This week, things get heated up when Ryan and I discuss agnosticism! Also join us as we talk about the UN Anti-Blasphemy resolution, as well as the potential execution of two young women in Iran.
It’s always interesting that perception does not usually reflect reality, specifically when it comes to religion. If you looked only at statistics, it would seem as religion were on a comeback, since studies have shown the average person attends church more often than in any period of American history. However, on the other side of the equation, it would appear that every state in the US has seen some significant increases in the number of atheists and general non-religious individuals.
This leads me to conclude, therefore, it isn’t that religion is making a comeback, but rather there is an increase in the marginalization of religion in American life. Individuals who are already religious are affirming themselves more, but I believe the growth of atheism is a direct consequence of this. People who previously did not care are forced to choose sides as Christianity tries to strengthen its foothold in American politics and life.
So long as religion is no longer a private affair, the battle lines will always be drawn, and atheism will continue to grow. Every generation rejects the outdated values of their parents, and religion may suffer a heavy blow in the coming years. Don’t expect this to be the end, however. If we can be certain of anything, it’s that religion has never played fair, and doesn’t enjoy becoming marginalized.
I read an interesting article on the Christian Science Monitor about the percentage of people in Muslim countries who favor bombing civilians, and the numbers reveal far more Americans are willing to commit this act than they are.
If you need this put in perspective, consider the image we have in the West of a terrorist is a Muslim guy wearing a dynamite covered belt bomb, while in Muslim countries a terrorist is simply the guys firing missiles at you from 5000 miles away. Both are caricatures, but they reflect the fact that how we perceive terror is different specifically because we have been conditioned to fear one another.
There aren’t many Americans who would consider themselves terrorists, but that isn’t a label anyone chooses for themselves. Freedom fighter is a far more popular nomenclature, and it’s the other side of the terrorist coin. When the US invaded Iraq and dropped thousands of cruise missiles, were the innocent civilians who died any less terrified than the victims of 9/11?
The problem is we believe terrorism is only the result of fringe groups bombing innocent civilians for no reason other than to scare the shit out of them. The truth is terror is just as likely to come from your own government than from guerrilla warriors. What frightens us is the image of the modern religious fanatic who takes his own life to kill, harm, and injure others, but it is no less frightening than a political nutjob who kills those of a different political creed. The issue here is that of these people are willing to use the innocent as targets in their struggle. That a modern, civilized country like America can have 24% of its population in favor of this type of action chills me to the bone.
We cannot sugar coat the fact a significant portion of Americans would gladly bomb Iran, Saudi Arabia, and any other nation they consider ‘rogue’ without batting an eyelash. Is this form of terror any less real to its victims? When are we going to learn when fighting our enemies we must never become like them?
I’m not really in the habit of visiting Christian blogs. There is nothing about their viewpoint I haven’t heard or read a million times. Jesus is Lord, Jesus is the way, the light and the only salvation. I get it; you love the guy.
The Proud Atheist recently asked “why do Christians visit atheist sites”, and I thought I might put in my two cents. Christianity is a proselytizing religion. If you aren’t spreading the good word, you apparently aren’t doing something right. In their eyes, we are the deluded ones who have strayed from the light. Our apparent apostasy from the folds of religion is a departure that threatens our very soul, and so they may feel compelled to act rather then stand idly by and do nothing.
We do not ask for their help, for their opinions, and still they give it, despite the fact we are content in our world view. These Christians who frequent atheist sites have no idea once the Pandora’s box of atheism is opened, it is impossible to believe the easy answers of religion. We have seen a cosmos without an operator, and it’s transformed us.
Quoting scripture is the way most Christians express their religious opinion, and it belies the fact so many of them are locked into a mentality they inherited rather than earned. Free thought is the condemnation of all ideologies that cannot stand on their own merit, and institutions that command their followers to abject submission.
In the atheist blogosphere, having to put up with Bible quoting Christians is all part of the game. Personally it’s always reminded me why I do this thing anyways.
We humbly present to you our new Bonus Show. We’ll be keeping this one free for a month or two, and then it’s behind the curtain, with the hopes fans will appreciate the extra content enough to become patrons.
BBC News has an interesting and in depth interview with Richard Dawkins. I’ve read almost everything he’s written over the years, so I guess that makes me a fan. Personally, I much prefer it when he talks about science than religion, but that certainly doesn’t mean it isn’t always interesting. Here’s a highlight:
As the observance of religion in our particular country has declined, we’ve seen the rise of perhaps what (laughing) you might call more irrational beliefs. I mean I’m talking about astrology and crystal gazing and things of that kind. It seems perhaps from that, to argue the need for religion, that there is never a vacuum in human ideas, that focus around religious notions.
Yes, that’s an interesting point. My prejudice is that those things are even worse than religion. As for whether you’re right that they signify a vacuum that needs to be filled, I’m not sure about that. I suppose the human mind is complicated, it has all sorts of desires and things that satisfy it. If there are people who seem to need either religion or astrology and crystal gazing to satisfy them, I would like to have a go at giving them an alternative, and just to see whether perhaps it might work better as a satisfying agent. And that would be understanding of the real world, and understanding of why you exist, where you come from, what the world is, what it’s all about.
I think that is such a satisfying thing to have in your head, that I find it very hard to believe that anybody would prefer astrology, crystal gazing, or religion. And so my suspicion is perhaps there is a vacuum that needs to be filled, and it may be that scientific rationalism just hasn’t got its act together enough to fill that vacuum, and if it did, it would fill it.
It’s our first week trying to recruit new patrons, and this episode we talk about whether or not I’m an atheist stereotype. Also on the agenda is the latest bit of gossip concerning the Atheist Bus Ad campaign, and let’s not forget about Congressman Pete Stark, the first openly agnostic/atheist in da house!
When I first asked myself this question, I concluded admitting to the American population that you are not a believer equates political seppuku. All of the 22 closet atheists sitting in Congress today agree, save one: Pete Stark.
The Democratic senator from Northern California has stated he’s an agnostic, but also admitted to not believing in a higher power. I can appreciate his diplomatic stance on religion in this sense, but for all intents and purposes, he’s really an atheist. And so far, he’s received thousands of emails from around the world congratulating him for ‘coming out’.
It’s crazy when you think about it: that fundamentally your personal and private beliefs could destroy your political career. California is a bit of a unique place, and I’m not sure if the rest of the US could be so kind as to re-elect a heathen.
Truth be told, I want to see this sort of debate happen in politics. It would highlight the fact religious zealots are forcing individuals to hide their true beliefs simply because of the intolerance of believers. I don’t personally care if a candidate is religious, so long as it does not interfere with his duties. The same cannot be said for the religious right, and so the playing field is uneven, I guess the American Dream is Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (so long as Jesus makes you happy). Lame.
Florida is facing a budget deficit, and the primary concern of their government should be to ensure this economic crisis doesn’t bankrupt their state. Of course, not everyone sees the economy as the most important issue of the day:
Florida Baptist Convention legislative consultant Bill Bunkley is urging Florida Baptists to evaluate budget priorities “through the lens of God’s principles and His priorities and to urge the Legislature to do the same.
Of primary concern to Florida Baptists should be the sanctity of human life from the womb to the tomb, marriages defined and supported as those anchored by a husband and wife, educational honesty about the creation and development of the world as created by God, the further temptation of those experiencing financial hardship by increased gambling venues and incremental moves by government to adopt a socialistic approach to providing necessary services.
Bill wants the issues to be centered around all of this pointless bullshit. Foreclosures? People losing their jobs? It’s all useless to him. That any misery here on planet earth could be avoided seems less important than the eternal souls of Floridians, apparently.
A lot of you will disagree with me on this one, but the UN is possibly one of the most useless and corrupt organizations in existence today. The ideology behind the UN is nice enough, but in execution, it has shown itself to be inefficient, blind, and often backward. This new resolution to make blasphemy illegal is just another example of how corrupt the UN is.
The law calls making “acts of hatred, discrimination, intimidation and coercion resulting from defamation of religions” illegal . In other words, you can’t talk smack about religion, because apparently some people get a trifle upset. There’s a clear agenda behind this: Islamic countries are tired of people making the link between terrorism and Islamic faith. Newsflash: there is a direct link.
One guy in India was arrested for ‘hurting the feelings of Muslims’. Great. I was worried my own government was slowly becoming a police state. Now I’m going to have to watch what I say as well? I fucking dare them to come to my door and arrest me. I’ll make such a stink they’ll think twice about pulling this kind of shit on anyone. Hey UN, stay out of my house, stay out of my life, and deal with the fact people are allowed to say whatever the hell they want.
It’s Ash Wednesday today. It’s the first day of Lent, the supposed time Jesus walked around being tempted by the devil. It’s called Ash Wednesday because of the custom of putting a cross of ash on someone’s foreheads as a sign of repentance (looks more like finger painting to me), and it’s the beginning of 40 days of personal sacrifice (not literally, of course). I had to look up this quirky day on Wikipedia, not because I’m an ignoramus, but simply because this isn’t something I’ve actually come across. I live in Quebec; the notion anyone would stop doing something they find pleasurable for more than a day is a foreign concept. These are the same people who smoke in church.
So for now if you’re a practicing Christian, the party is fucking over. You’ve got to sit straight, do your math, file your taxes and give up something you love for a while. I, on the other hand, will be doing the complete opposite. It’s my birthday in 3 days, and the last thing I’d ever do is slow shit down. I think Atheists should use Lent as an excuse to party for 40 days. If anything it should frustrate the hell out of the true believers. Who’s with me?!
