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 Every generation rejects the outdated values of their parents, and religion may suffer a heavy blow in the coming years.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.

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.

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?!

It always surprises me how little religious people actually understand atheism. I believe it has something to do with the fact they can’t possibly imagine why anyone would choose to reject the notion of God. It must be doubly confusing if your entire life is defined by your faith. It’s this fundamental lack of understanding that’s behind the latest claim from Jake the Evangelical, who says atheists can’t possible have any passion since they don’t believe in anything.

His article is the standard fare for most of these undereducated yokels; Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is somehow false, atheists deny everything that exists, and for some reason, every freethinker literally worships the ACLU. If it weren’t so insanely wrong and plain ignorant, I might have actually found these claims to be amusing. But the truth is these guys have a strong influence on their poorly read and grossly uneducated crowd, and they continue to spread falsehoods about what it means to be an atheist.

In my time writing for this site, I’ve always tried to put myself in the shoes of others. I try to understand how deeply religious people might feel about others who threaten their world view. Atheism for guys like Jake is the biggest threat to the authority of their church. It’s why they feel the need to continue to spread falsehoods and outright lies to undermine us.

I’m an atheist, and anyone who has ever heard the podcast or who has read my articles knows I’m a passionate man. I’m especially passionate when redneck morons go around making asinine claims like ‘Darwin was wrong’ or atheists are nihilists who are bent on destroying the fabric of society. It hasn’t occurred to these morons that we are happy, moral people who don’t require a Bronze Age deity to tell us what to do. We have faith in the goodness of others, and in the power of human beings to choose their own destiny. I think you’ll find many of us are passionate about truth far more than Jake the Evangelical is.

I’m tired of magazines continuously talking about how faith is good for your health, or how it makes people feel better. You almost feel like there is a salesman at work, trying to coax you into going to church. I’ve already written on the notion being religious makes you live longer. So does cutting off your testicles. I don’t know about you other fellows, but I’d rather die with a smile on my face.

Time is now the latest mainstream magazine to feature an article on the health benefits of religion. The writer argues the brain is hard wired to be spiritual, and it only makes sense use religion to obtain the health benefits spirituality supposedly bestows. Chief among his arguments is people who meditate have better health and improved concentration. Even if that were true, there’s no reason to believe simple non-religious meditation would have the same effect. There’s a fundamental flaw in thinking that meditation is a religious affair. It’s really just sitting down, concentrating, and breathing correctly. Wow, who knew that would help boost memory, eh?

The article goes on to cite studies that show conflicting evidence regarding the power of prayer, despite the fact every serious peer reviewed study found there was no benefit to prayer (or in some cases, actual harm). The author suggests hospitals should work more closely with religious organizations to provide patients with their spiritual issues. I don’t deny for someone who is religious, having the attention and support of a religious community must indeed be great. But it would be irresponsible to assume both faith and medical science always work in tandem. Just ask patients who need the life saving research of stem cells whether or not mixing religion and science is a good idea. Ask Kara Neuman whether the mix of these two often incompatible pursuits is smart.

Even if religion was better for your health, it certainly doesn’t seem like it’s better for our world. How much conflict, bigotry, and hatred stems from religious belief? I wonder if a child being rushed to the emergency room after a suicide bomber attack would benefit from his rabbi being there…

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article calling for Catholics to abandon the church in light of the recent news Pope Benedict XVI was behind the cover up of child abuse scandals. Obviously, I didn’t actually think any Catholics would hear me out. I mean, I am a filthy heathen after all. I’m finding it difficult, however, to stay silent for long about the general attitude some Catholics have about the revelation that corruption runs at such high levels. Here is a journalist who claims some things are best if they stay hidden (the article itself is called How much truth is too much truth).

Rob Dreher is an ex-Catholic, but after studying the facts, it was too difficult for him to go on. It’s why he states he is intentionally ignoring any bad news that might come his way about his new church, The Orthodox Church in America. He had to – the church came under investigation in the autumn of 2005 for embezzlement of church funds.

Rob believes society needs powerful institutions in order to function properly, and the most important thing is to not allow cynicism and mistrust erode people’s faith in those institutions. His call for ‘selective blindness’ not only baffles me; I find it personally insulting to be told human beings are simply unable to make decisions for themselves, favoring instead the guidance of corrupt church leaders.

Rob chose to remain blind because he knows exactly what happens when you start probing deeper into organized religion; you find nothing but unscrupulous individuals who abuse their authority for personal or financial gain. What a surprise! Well, I believe human beings need transparency in their lives. Why should religion benefit from the veil of secrecy? This abuse of power has gone on far too long.

I’ve got a bit of advice for Mr. Dreher: I know as a Catholic, the concept of truth isn’t exactly something you worry about too much. After all, you have other people to tell you what the truth should be. But do you honestly think keeping the dark secrets of the Church is the only way to save it? If your institution was so fundamentally good, is it not your responsibility to ensure it remains that way? Are you so afraid of the truth you would rather innocent children suffer for the continuation of an otherwise corrupt and morally bankrupt organization? I find it tragic you choose to deny reality so adamantly to the point where you would fail to investigate and prosecute the offenders. It’s even sadder when people try to defend this cowardly view.

Well, it turns out a biblical scholar wrote a book trying to answer this pointless question, and concluded the diet expounded in the Bible isn’t a very healthy one. He argues that although the Israelites did not consume much meat, they didn’t eat a lot of vegetables and fruit either, and their diet lacked essential vitamins and minerals.

It seems silly to us anyone should really care about this, but his book, What Did the Ancient Israelites Eat? was partially written as a response to some fad diets using the Bible as their primary reference. Those are for the special Christians who really want to believe the ‘Good Book’ gives them a complete guide for every aspect of their lives. So far, it looks like it also fails miserably at educating you about the right foods to eat. What a great guide, eh?

Here’s an interesting article in the New York Times about how religion seems to help people have more self control. Normally, I would try and tear apart these kinds of articles, but in this case I don’t necessarily disagree with the findings. Intuitively, it seems right to me; I don’t know many people who could fight off the impulse of sex in favor of a relationship with God (I’m talking about Nuns and Catholic priests of course).

I’m curious as to how most people view these studies anyways. Do religious people feel uplifted by the results? Do atheists generally care? I would describe myself as having moderate self control (at least when it comes to matters of pleasure), and I don’t see any reason why I would need more. It certainly doesn’t seem to stop kids from having premature sex, or even experiment with drugs, unless of course their level of devotion is slavish. Even then, it’s fairly suspect.

Imagine I gave you a pill to help you with your impulse control. The side effects included occasional hallucinations, close mindedness, bigotry, intolerance and had a tendency in some patients to cause massive psychotic breakdowns. Would it be worth it?

Sure, when you don’t have a strict guidebook to live your life, you are more susceptible to some of life’s temptations. But so what? I don’t want to spend my life in a coma, content with thinking all the mysteries of the universe are solved, or it’s impossible to attain any higher morality than what we have now. Self control is exactly what I WANT to avoid. It’s the same impulse that make us complacent and sheepish in the face of so many of life’s important challenges. Keep your damn pill. I want to see life through sober eyes.