02.28.07
Posted in General at 8:44 pm by Hemant Mehta
Lynn’s Daughter provides some insight into how fundamental Christians think.
It’s not new, but it’s always entertaining.
5. There is a devil, and he is as real as you or I, and he is responsible for anything bad.
Unless, of course, it’s just god testing your faith. (See next section on contradictions)
There’s also a brief explanation on why abortion is bad but the death penalty is good. And why “They CAN’T shut up about it already.”
[tags]Lynn’s Daughter, Christian, devil, atheism, atheist, faith, abortion, death penalty[/tags]
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Posted in General at 8:09 pm by Hemant Mehta
Publishers Weekly came out with its review of I Sold My Soul on eBay. It will appear in the March 10, 2007 issue:
Mehta, an atheist, once held an unusual auction on eBay: the highest bidder could send Mehta to a church of his or her choice. The winner, who paid $504, asked Mehta to attend numerous churches, and this book comprises Mehta’s responses to 15 worshipping communities, including such prominent megachurches as Houston’s Second Baptist, Ted Haggard’s New Life Church in Colorado Springs, and Willow Creek in suburban Chicago.(Mehta ranks Willow Creek as the church most likely to draw him back.) Mehta, who grew up Jain, offers some autobiographical context, then discusses nonreligious people’s approach to topics such as death and suffering. But all that is just a preamble to Mehta’s sketches of the churches he attended. He doesn’t find much community in churches; families sit far apart from other families, and people race “out the front doors to their cars” as soon as the service ends. Churches earn high marks for Mehta when they offer great speakers and focus on community outreach, but they also do many things wrong, including singing repetitive songs and alienating non-Christians by ubiquitously proclaiming them to be “lost.” Mehta’s musings will interest Christians who seek to proselytize others and who want to identify their evangelistic mistakes. (Apr. 17)
At this point, you’re probably thinking what I’m thinking: That was fact. Where’s the review?
I don’t know.
But what’s up with that last line…? “Mehta’s musings will interest Christians who seek to proselytize others and who want to identify their evangelistic mistakes.”
I don’t know whether to say “Thanks” or “You’re welcome” or “Huh?!?”
The purpose of the book is to tell Christians how to dialogue with those who don’t believe in the divinity of Jesus and the Bible. You won’t convert us, but you can converse with us. I never considered that to be proselytizing. If it is, it’s certainly not by any definition I’ve ever heard.
[tags]atheist, atheism, Publishers Weekly, I Sold My Soul on eBay, Hemant Mehta, Houston, Second Baptist, Ted Haggard, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Willow Creek, Chicago, Jain, proselytize, Christian, Jesus, Bible[/tags]
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Posted in General at 3:39 pm by Hemant Mehta
From this morning’s oral arguments (PDF) for Hein v Freedom From Religion Foundation. These are just parts that stuck out to me, not necessarily the most important parts of the arguments.
Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in General at 2:23 pm by Hemant Mehta
Fresh off the presses, The oral arguments (PDF) from the Hein v Freedom From Religion Foundation case this morning.
More to come soon.
[tags]Hein v Freedom From Religion Foundation, atheist, atheism, Supreme Court[/tags]
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Posted in General at 9:45 am by Hemant Mehta
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is at the Supreme Court today.
Don’t forget to check out Dan and Annie Laurie’s blog!
And read this article in today’s New York Times (you may have to register).
[tags]atheist, atheism, Freedom From Religion Foundation, Supreme Court, Dan Barker, Annie Laurie Gaylor, New York Times[/tags]
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02.27.07
Posted in General at 8:00 pm by Hemant Mehta
Paul Kurtz has an editorial in the latest issue of Free Inquiry that is worth reading.
He’s talking about the slew of attention and controversy brought about by the release of atheist-themed books by Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett. Kurtz argues that this should not be surprising:
We dissenters now comprise some 14 to 16 percent of the population. Why should religion be held immune from criticism, and why should the admission that one is a disbeliever be considered so disturbing? The Bush administration has supported faith-based charities—though their efficacy has not been adequately tested; it has prohibited federal funding for stem cell research; it has denied global warming; and it has imposed abstinence programs instead of promoting condom use to prevent the spread of AIDS. Much of this mischief is religiously inspired. How can we remain mute while Islam and the West are poised for a possible protracted world conflagration in the name of God?
There’s also a harsh rebuke against those who label outspoken atheists as “evangelical”:
What is often overlooked by the critics of “evangelical atheism” is that skepticism about the existence of God does not by itself define who and what we are. For there is a commitment to the realization of human freedom and happiness in this life here and now and to a life of excellence, creativity, and fulfillment. Life is meaningful without the illusion of immortality. There is also the recognition that the cultivation of the common moral decencies—caring, empathy, and altruism—is an essential part of our relating to other human beings in our communities of interaction. Humanists have always been concerned with achieving justice in society. Many of the heroes and heroines in human history were freethinkers who contributed significantly to democratic progress and a defense of human rights. Indeed, the agenda of secular humanism is twofold: first is the quest for truth, a critical examination of the assumptions of supernatural religion in the light of science; second is the development of affirmative ethical alternatives for the individual, the society in which he or she lives, and also the planetary community at large. To label us “evangelical atheists” without recognizing our affirmative commitment to secular humanist morality is an egregious error.
There’s a lot more about politics and the religious conflicts in Islam, if you’re interested in reading the whole thing.
Which you should.
Because it’s good stuff.
(via Daniel Morgan)
[tags]atheist, atheism, Paul Kurtz, Free Inquiry, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, religion, George W. Bush, stem cell research, global warming, abstinence, condom, AIDS, Islam, God, evangelical, altruism, Humanism, Humanists, secular humanist, Daniel Morgan[/tags]
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Posted in General at 12:05 am by Hemant Mehta
The Secular Student Alliance is looking to hire a part-time Campus Organizer in Southern California.
If you’re a college student interested in getting more involved in secular causes, the SSA would love to hear from you.
You can find out more information about the position here.
[tags]Secular Student Alliance, atheist, atheism, job, Campus Organizer, Southern California[/tags]
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02.26.07
Posted in General at 4:55 pm by Hemant Mehta
According to The Guardian, the “new cultural divide” in Britain is not between different religious sects. It’s between those with faith and those without.
Colin Slee, Dean of Southward, says this:
We are witnessing a social phenomenon that is about fundamentalism… Atheists like the Richard Dawkins of this world are just as fundamentalist as the people setting off bombs on the tube, the hardline settlers on the West Bank and the anti-gay bigots of the Church of England. Most of them would regard each other as destined to fry in hell.
That’s the most questionable, oblivious statement I will hear… until later in the same article. And that’s excluding the fact that atheists do not, in fact, think you are destined to fry in hell.
Atheists are not blowing up buildings. Or stopping you from getting your birth control. Or standing in the way of promising stem-cell research. Or stopping you from getting the same rights as a married couple. Our “religion” (if you want to call it that) is about discussion and tolerance, not violence and bigotry. How are those equal?!
The article’s author, Stuart Jeffries, tries to answer this, but you never seem to hear him mention any truly vile action brought about by an atheist. Nothing that compares to the atrocities that religious fundamentalism has brought.
In fact, when talking about Richard Dawkins, the same article says this:
This is the man so voguishly intemperate that when speaking to the Times recently about Nadia Eweida, the British Airways worker whose employer refused to allow her to wear a Christian cross openly to work, said: “I saw a picture of this woman. She had one of the most stupid faces I’ve ever seen.”
Well, that’s not very nice. But that’s about the extent of it. Dawkins uses strong language to get his point across. Sometimes the strong language is unnecessary. He actually continued that line by saying:
Well, of course, Christians are sodding well allowed to work for British Airways. It’s got nothing to do with it. She is clearly too stupid to see the difference between somebody who wears a cross and somebody who is a Christian.
My point is that if this is one of the best (or rather, worst) examples of “militant” atheism the author can find, it’s a weak case to say “fundamental atheists” are the equivalent of bus-bombing, building destroyers.
Oxford theologian Alister McGrath agrees with Jeffries’ premise, arguing that
The God Delusion might turn out to be a monumental own goal - persuading people that atheism is just as intolerant as the worst that religion can offer.
Dawkins is trying to open up the eyes of those who have never seen anything outside religion. Yes, he can be a jerk about it sometimes, but that’s only in his tone, not his actions. Another writer could publish the same ideas in another voice, and he/she would not be called “militant.”
Say what you will about some of the atheists that get in the media spotlight, they’re harmless when compared to many of the religious spokespeople that get on the airwaves.
If we’re putting faith and non-faith on two sides of a scale, the hatred that is religiously-inspired overwhelmingly tips the whole scale over when compared to the rhetoric of atheists.
[tags]atheist, atheism, The Guardian, Colin Slee, Dean of Southward, fundamentalism, Richard Dawkins, West Bank, Church of England, birth control, stem-cell research, religion, Stuart Jeffries, Nadia Eweida, British Airways, Christian, cross, Oxford, theologian, Alister McGrath, The God Delusion[/tags]
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Posted in General at 3:45 pm by Hemant Mehta
…in love?
Bill is studying to be an Anglican priest. His ex-girlfriend is an atheist. She supported his faith when they were together, but obviously, this discrepancy was a heavy burden on the relationship.
They’re on a break, but they’re still in love. (”She joked that I was giving her up for Lent,” says Bill.)
Bill said in an email:
I won’t pretend our “faith gap” doesn’t complicate things, and at times it does bother me that she can’t personally share in many of the most sacred moments of my life. Still at times I wonder if my concerns are all in my head, perhaps as the result of my own vanity or pride.
There’s a fascinating discussion about this (with Bill taking part) at the Off the Map discussion board.
Bill does believe faith and science can be reconciled. He has also said to me:
I know there are a lot of narrow minded Christians out there who use their faith as a cudgel and who can’t reconcile science and reason with faith. I regret that, in part because I think it’s simply rude and in part because it is not the faith I know and live. I also know that a lot of atheists can be similarly narrow minded, unfriendly and rude.
And he’s right about that.
If you would like to respond to this situation, I’m sure your comments would be appreciated in the forum.
[tags]atheist, atheism, Anglican, priest, relationship, love, faith, religion, Off the Map, Christian, science[/tags]
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Posted in General at 3:20 pm by Hemant Mehta
Yummiest. Experiment. Ever.
[tags]Skepchick[/tags]
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