My main question for Ellen concerns the relationship of American Atheists with other freethought organizations such as Americans United for the Separation of Church and State or the Freedom From Religion Foundation. If she is right about political clout through numbers (and I believe she is), wouldn’t we be smart to combine as many of these organizations as possible?
Here is Ellen’s response to this question:
We can’t “combine” organizations. We are all different and we should respect our differences. But it is important to work together where and how we can. American Atheists has been leading the way on this for years. We have found that the best way is to work together on an ad hoc basis.
We have held press conferences on various national issues at The National Press Club in Washington DC and invited representatives of any group that agrees with us to be part of that press conference — on our dime.
We did this when Michael Newdow appeared before the Supreme Court. We had many speakers from many groups speak with us in front of the Supreme Court. We did this when we formed the GAMPAC [Godless Americans Political Action Committee]. Our board of advisors is composed of representatives of many other groups. We did this when we organized the Foxhole Atheists March on Washington. We did this when we organized the March On Washington. We paid for the whole thing and then invited representatives of all the groups to come and stand together with us, shoulder to shoulder in unity. They made it onto C-SPAN.
We think this works best, respects our differences and combines our strengths. Over and over and over American Atheists has brought together all these groups and we will continue to do so.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to answer the question.
Ellen Johnson
Thanks for responding, Ellen.
Incidentally, working with the Secular Coalition for America (SCA), the Washington D.C.-based lobbying group for non-religious people, I have seen many like-minded organizations working together. Currently, the coalition includes:
More groups may be joining in the next month, and hopefully, American Atheists will consider joining the SCA in the future as well.
[tags]atheist, atheism, American Atheists, Ellen Johnson, American Humanist Association, Atheist Alliance International, Freedom From Religion Foundation, Institute for Humanist Studies, Secular Student Alliance, Secular Web, Internet Infidels, Society for Humanistic Judaism[/tags]
The Atheist Ethicist had a great posting the other day.
To sum it up: If you were sick, where would you rather go? A hospital based that relied solely on Science? Or one that relied solely on Faith?
The question may be irrelevant. I’d assume even the most religious of people would opt for Science Hospital, even though they’d pray while there. But maybe I’m wrong on that.
However, the question does underscore how important Science and the Scientific Method are. We wouldn’t want to be in a world without it, and yet you see so many fundamental religious people demonizing the whole practice in general.
Regardless of where you stand on faith, let’s admit that Science is essential and we’d be lost without it.
This was an interesting response video to the Banana Argument. It’s been around for several weeks, but I hadn’t seen it before. It’s worth it just to watch the part about the evolution of the banana.
The On Faith dialogue had an apropos question this week:
Atheism is enjoying a certain vogue right now. Why do you think that is? Can there be a productive conversation between believers and atheists, and if so over what kinds of issues?
We’re in vogue! You hear that, everyone?! Coolest. Religious. Minority. Ever.
What are the expert panelists saying about this topic?
I never met an atheist I could like. Surely, somewhere on this planet, there is a friendly atheist, but I haven’t bumped into one yet.
*ahem* Hi. I’m Hemant. Please read the banner at the top of this page. Or use this thing called Google.
John Dominic Crossan, professor emeritus in the religious studies department at DePaul University in Chicago. (Where I go for grad school, incidentally):
A-theism validates theism by having only a negative to replace it. What atheism needs is a positive vision which would evacuate the need for that negative title. What might it be?
Yes… just like a-FlyingSpaghettiMonsterism validates the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
The positive vision for atheism is a world where everyone is equal, rational, and able to live a good life. That doesn’t happen when you have one group condemning another for believing in a different invisible being. It doesn’t happen when you think poor people in Third World countries need a church to fix their problems instead of focusing solely on physical health issues.
The award for least original thought ever comes from syndicated political columnist Cal Thomas:
It takes more faith not to believe in God than to believe in Him. It is also intellectually lazy. You have to believe the vastness of the universe “happened” without a Designer and that unique things like fingerprints and snowflakes occurred by pure chance.
An atheist wagers his or her present and eternal future that he or she is right. If the atheist is right and there is no God, there are no consequences. But if the atheist is wrong and there is a God and a Heaven for those who come to Him on His terms, and a Hell for those who reject Him, then that has the most important consequences.
Here is someone who doesn’t understand that “Snow is commonly formed when water vapor undergoes deposition high in the atmosphere at a temperature of less than 0°C (32°F).” (Thanks Wikipedia!)
And Pascal’s Wager (the common name for Thomas’ argument) is shot down here.
Isn’t it fascinating that the voice of God always sounds suspiciously like one’s own voice? When politicians start citing God as the authority for whatever they want to do, they are usually promoting some policy that defies human reason.
There is still a deep prejudice against atheists in this country, and this prejudice is expressed in the ridiculous notion that belief in God is some sort of qualification for public office.
What we ought to be talking about are decent human values that can be subscribed to by Americans of any faith or no faith. I could not care less whether any elected official believes in God: I care about what he or she does on earth. As an atheist, I believe precisely what the Bible says on this subject: “By their fruits ye shall know them.”
I like Susan Jacoby…
…
How would you answer the question originally posed (”Can there be a productive conversation between believers and atheists, and if so over what kinds of issues?”)?
I believe there can be a dialogue. And it can be positive. But it needs to focus on what people do with their beliefs, not what those beliefs are.
And what we do must be supported by hard data whenever possible. Relying on faith in any way simply doesn’t give us definitive, reliable answers.
This is to say, we can have the God/NoGod discussions, but we won’t reach a compromise anytime soon. How productive are those? Not so much between two people adamantly on opposite sides. But they can be useful to those in the middle.
[tags]On Faith, atheism, atheist, Christian, Christianity, Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo, Brooklyn College, Friendly Atheist, Google, John Dominic Crossan, DePaul University, Chicago, Flying Spaghetti Monster, Cal Thomas, God, Wikipedia, Pascal’s Wager, Susan Jacoby, Freethinkers: History of American Secularism[/tags]
Brought to you by the genius that is Ray Comfort, this $29.95 game “is unique in that the playing pieces are small rubber brains and each team plays for ‘brain’ cards. Each player uses his or her brains to get more brains, and the team with the most brains wins.”
I’ve stared at the pictures on the website for several minutes now. I still can’t figure out what the “game” actually is…
And who is this Ray Comfort? It is he of the Banana Argument. The one that damn near turned the whole atheist world upside down…
Well… at least the game would make a pretty good gag gift for an atheist.
[tags]atheist, atheism, Christian, Christmas, Intelligent Design vs. Evolution Board Game, Ray Comfort, Ken Ham, Banana: the atheist’s worst nightmare[/tags]
Details: The event takes Thursday, January 18 through Sunday, January 21 at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
And the Riviera has extended the special TAM5 room rate of $89/night until January 4! You have a week to update your schedules. Get to it.
[tags]The Amaz!ng Meeting 5, James Randi Educational Foundation, atheist, atheism, skepticism, Las Vegas, Christopher Hitchens, Penn and Teller, Peter Sagal, Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!, Lori Lipman Brown, Secular Coalition for America, Scott Dikkers, The Onion, Julia Sweeney, Trey Parker, Matt Stone, South Park, Riviera Hotel & Casino[/tags]
The Council for Secular Humanism will soon be broadcasting on public access in Washington, D.C. The show is called The Humanist Perspective and will talk about topics including “Is America a Christian Nation,” “Secular Sobriety,” and “Humanism in the African World.”
It will be seen on Mondays at 8:00 pm beginning January 8 (Channel 96 on Comcast cable in DC only, Channel 11 on RCN cable in DC only).
Kim talks about being an atheist at this time of year:
It’s a time of year that is no longer just for Christians. Millions of Atheists, Freethinkers and other Americans choose to celebrate the time of year. The Winter Solstice. People are looking for a celebration that they can relate to. The Solstice is one of the great astronomical events during the year that are common to human beings everywhere. Different cultures throughout history have celebrated this time of year as one of renewal. We know exactly when it occurs and we enjoy the fact that the days get longer again.
…
SO . . . I guess what I am trying to say is . . . give me a break and let me be me. I am being judged based on your belief system and level of understanding. Don’t ask me about church. Don’t talk to me about the miracle of a virgin birth. I don’t believe it. But if you are lookin for a fun person to have a great meal with, drink festive drinks, party and maybe exchange a present or two. I am the girl to call. Just don’t try to bring Jesus into the mix.
Bryan discusses the problems with trying to unite atheists:
Atheism isn’t a banner under which people can gather. All it says is “I don’t believe in a deity.” “A”= without; “theos”=god. It doesn’t tell you anything else about the person. Atheists do not share a similar culture, political ideology, socio-economic background, education, anything, except for not believing in a god. You can’t create a church of atheism, because atheism is not a religion. It requires no belief other than the one that meets the definition.
…
If we were to have a sort of “church” of Atheism, we would find ourselves wasting time talking to people with which we have almost nothing in common. It would be like having a club of people who own blue cars. Pointless.
Tim dislikes those who think being religious and having good values are synonymous:
I resent people who try to equate religion with sensible values. If you’re a good person at heart, then it shows, no matter what religion you are. You don’t have to be the same religion as another person to care about them or to help them out. And–no offense, but–if you think you do, then you’re lost to me, because I’m never going to convert.
…
In case you didn’t know, Congressman Mark Foley (arrested for innappropriate sexual encounters with underage male pages within his offices) and President Nixon (who tried to steal the election like Bush did in 2000 and failed) both put their hands on Bibles when they took the oath of office. So it would seem that putting your hand on a Bible isn’t a clear indicator of your true intentions.
[tags]atheist, atheism, Christian, MySpace, Freethinkers, Winter Solstice, church, virgin birth, Jesus, Mark Foley, President Nixon, Bible[/tags]
Sunday’s episode of Meet the Press (hosted by Tim Russert) featured Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, and Jon Meacham, Newsweek’s editor and author of American Gospel.
You can download the mp3 of the episode (this week only) here, watch the episode here, and read the transcript here.
, had this to say:
