“I wrote this song because my cousin is in 10 year relationship and he can’t marry his partner. They are so in love, and it angers me that politicians try to tell other people who to love and spend their life with”.
Damn right.
There’s a Facebook page dedicated to the Swan Pride movement and the stories on the wall (scroll down for them) are absolutely inspirational.
Julian Baggini, writing for the Financial Times, has a fascinating article on how hard atheists have it in certain parts of the country. Besides being unable to go public about their beliefs out of fear of losing their job or their relationships with family members, running for public office and finding a counselor when you’re in the military is also (essentially) out of the question.
Dave Silverman poses with 'The Village Atheist' sign - Jason Andrew/FT
I know, I know, you’ve heard all of this before. But a lot of people may not have and this article needs to come to their attention.
A couple of highlights:
The most extraordinary story I heard was from a woman in Tuscaloosa county, Alabama. She grew up in nearby Lamar county, raised in the strict Church of Christ, where there is no music with worship and you can’t dance. She says her family love her and are proud of her, but “I’m not allowed to be an atheist in Lamar County”. What is astonishing is that she can be pretty much anything else. “Being on crack, that was OK. As long as I believed in God, I was OK.” So, for example, “I’m not allowed to babysit. I have all these cousins who need babysitters but they’re afraid I’ll teach them about evolution, and I probably would.” I couldn’t quite believe this. She couldn’t babysit as an atheist, but she could when she was on crack? “Yes.” I laughed, but it is hard to think of anything less funny.
…
A report from the Pew Research Center last November showed that 53 per cent of Americans say it is necessary to believe in God to be moral. That is one reason why many are afraid of coming out, to the extent that both American Atheists and the American Humanist Association (AHA) will, on request, send mailings to members under plain covers. Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the AHA, says that even some of the committed rationalists who work in their Washington offices tell family that they work for a “humanitarian group”.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation also folds copies of their “newsletter,” Freethought Today, in such a way that the content isn’t visible unless you open the first page.
Even Playboy displays more of its cover than some atheist publications.
When I was growing up, I was the only atheist I knew. I had to get on my bike, ride to the public library and take out the one atheist book that they had in the whole library: The Case Against God by George Smith. Now any atheist can go on Facebook or Myspace and find literally millions of friends.”
That’s how much has changed in a decade. Even when I was in high school, the best resources for atheism I could find were shady AOL chatrooms or simplistic websites with more dry facts about atheism than interesting opinions.
Between books, the blogosphere, advertising campaigns, and the proliferation of local/campus atheist groups, it’s much harder to *not* find information about living without religion. Opinions criticizing Christianity are all over the place, even if they’re not always visible to the general public. The way to keep this momentum going is by encouraging others (and ourselves) to come out of the atheist closet. When the time is right, tell the people you trust that you don’t believe in god. At best, they’ll agree with you. Ideally, at worst, it’ll just be a non-issue.
I don’t know who Jared Scheib is, but if the simple-yet-powerful video below is any indication, can we get him to design all of our billboards, too?
That’s one of the seven videos selected by the Richard Dawkins Foundation as a finalist in their “Ten Point Vision of a Secular America” contest. Winner gets two plane tickets to the Reason Rally and an opportunity to meet Dawkins himself. You can vote for your favorite here!
Reader Todd asks the same question that came to my mind as I watched the clip:
I give the young lady a great deal of credit for not falling victim to the pitfalls of becoming a fitness model by not succumbing to the pressures of taking legal steroids, but somewhere in all of this, Robin Roberts compliments Anna for wearing her faith on her sleeve and it made me think: I wonder how Robin would treat Anna were she Muslim and doing the same thing, or Buddhist or an atheist?
Anna’s faith is… a bit too Tim Tebowish for my tastes, and maybe I’m being a bit too harsh, but why is it that when people of Christian faith wear it on their sleeve, we instantly elevate their status and, in so doing, belittle the rest?
He’s right, and the implication that Christianity automatically makes you a better person is every bit as slanderous as saying there are no atheists in foxholes. It’s not true and news anchors/reporters should stop acting like it is.
Natasha Scripture — who, despite her name, isn’t very religious — wonders whether her boyfriend’s faith ought to be a dealbreaker for her:
When I first told my friends I was dating an actual Christian, they were all uppity about it: “Well, you have to respect someone’s religious views.” But when I mentioned he was abstaining from bedroom business for devout reasons, all of a sudden he was a total weirdo in their eyes (I’m patting myself on the back right now for being so open-minded). At first, it was a refreshing — almost romantic! — change from the norm, which usually involves the guy trying to seal that deal as soon as possible. But slowly, a feeling of insecurity started creeping over me…
…
Here’s a sliver of the type of conversation we’ve had more than once:
“Jesus used to say…” (boyfriend says) “Please don’t quote Jesus. You know it makes me uncomfortable.” (me, all squirmy) “I wish you would open your mind a bit more. You would be such a powerful Christian woman…” (him, being sincere) “You’ll never convert me! I wish you would read Dawkins!” (me, in near tears) “Jesus’s love for me is real.” (him, unwavering) “I wish you would read Hitchens!” (me, in near tears) “Jesus sacrificed for us. All of us.” (him, unwavering) “You love him more than me.” (me, in tears) “I do. I can’t help it.” (him, pious)
…
But nonetheless, here I am, wondering, should I just be a little less picky and let this one slide? Or is religion going to be a deal-breaker for me? The older I get, the fewer deal-breakers I want to have, because it’s not like it gets any easier.
Leave. Leave now. Leave now and never look back. This will not end well.
It’s not that a relationship between a religious and non-religious can’t work. But when the other person’s god becomes a higher priority than you — when anything becomes a higher priority than you — things are bound to come to a halt before long.
I didn’t always feel that way. I used to believe it was possible to date a theist as long as we shared the same values. But as I’m getting older, the way my significant other views the world rates higher and higher on the Priority List. I almost feel dirty saying it because it seems like I’m bordering on intolerance, but while I can get along just fine with religious friends and colleagues, I would probably lose some respect for the person I’m in a relationship with if she told me she was going to church, or praying during difficult times, or reading the Bible as a source for inspiration. For some reason, that same thought doesn’t apply to the other people in my life — if they’re religious, I don’t necessary lose respect for them. It just doesn’t faze me at all. But if that mutual respect isn’t there in a relationship, can you really build from there? I don’t know if I could (though I know plenty of couples who make it work).
If you are dating someone religious and it’s very serious, how do you make it work?
Incidentally, Jesse Galef once wrote about a slightly different question on this site: “Could you date someone who could date someone who is religious?”
American Atheists will have a plane fly a banner over Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon, hoping to get the attention of tailgaters… and the media:
The banner will read “Football beats church anytime – atheists.org.” The banner is scheduled to be in the air from 9:30-11:30 AM local time.
Dave Silverman, President of American Atheists, stated, “We took advantage of a unique opportunity to remind many Americans that their religion is not as important as they like to pretend it is. In many cities around the country the running joke is that football is the most popular religion.”
Mr. Silverman continued, “The banner will be seen by thousands of tailgaters, who clearly agree with American Atheists since they chose to sit on a tailgate instead of a pew. They chose to party with friends instead of praying with preachers.”
Silverman also paid for banners to fly over select cities last July.
Back then, many pilots refused to fly the banners, but there doesn’t seem to be much resistance this time around.
On Real Time last night, Bill Maher responded to Alain de Botton‘s claim that atheists ought to create temples (without actually saying his name or the temple idea) by ranting about how atheism is nothing like a religion:
“We’re not two sides of the same coin, and you don’t get to put your unreason up on the same shelf with my reason. Your stuff has to go over there, on the shelf with Zeus and Thor and the Kraken, with the stuff that is not evidence-based, stuff that religious people never change their mind about, no matter what happens.”
Side note: I have to be up at 5:00a tomorrow… it’s nearly 1:00a now… WHY AM I STILL AWAKE?!
Recently, Ernest Perce had Saccone on his show, “The Atheist’s Perspective on News and Events.” He also brought on FFRF’s Dan Barker
You *know* that debate was all sorts of heated… I haven’t had a chance to listen to the whole thing yet, so please leave timestamps of interesting parts in the comments! (Also, I know the audio is a little tough to listen to, but you get used to it pretty quickly.)
In Florida, Senate Bill 98 would give school boards permission to allow “an inspirational message to be delivered by students at a student assembly.”
In other words, instead of banning such practices outright, this bill would allow a school to let students vote on whether or not a prayer could be delivered at a graduation. And since Christians are in the majority, sounds like an easy way to push your views on everyone else.
Its approval came over the objections of senators who said the measure will lead to prayers at school events that students can’t get out of, including possibly in classes, and that some young students will have to listen to prayers or risk being ostracized because they come from a different religious tradition than most of their classmates.
“I implore you to protect minority students and not promote alienation,” said Sen. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood. “We want our public school students to get along.”
But backers of the bill said the measure is needed to protect the religious freedom of students, some of whom now feel they aren’t allowed to offer prayers that the student body, or a large part of it can listen to – that they’re only allowed to pray to themselves or in small groups.
Wait… WHAT?! They’re offended because they can only “pray to themselves or in small groups”? They’re offending because they’re not being given a captive audience to hear their prattling?!
Meanwhile, atheists have to worry about coming out publicly with that label…
At least reader Zach and his friends found a clever way to respond on their campus:
In case you can’t bear to watch that, here’s a rough transcript, courtesy of Hoyden About Town:
Pat Robertson: Atheists don’t believe in ANYTHING. I mean, a theo means “no God,” they have no Gods, so they don’t have anything, so they don’t believe in anything. But they can protest, somebody who believes in SOMETHING. I mean, isn’t this a strange thing, that we would allow somebody who doesn’t believe in anything to restrict the freedom of those who do? I mean, it makes no sense! Sooner or later we’re going to wake up, but I think maybe we are…but our hats are off to the forest service, this is just one minor little skirmish, but these atheists, they’re just enormously creative in figuring out things they can do that give us trouble. Kristi…
Kristi Watts [interrupting]: You know what I just thought of, Pat?
Pat Robertson: What’s that?
Kristi Watts: You know you’ve got different kinds of, well, let’s call them religions…there’s one called Wicca, and they’re all about the environment, right? So, their religion that believes in the environment, and they believe that trees are their god, why are these atheists not saying that we should cut down every tree? Because it’s offensive. [holds out hand towards PR} Do you know what I mean?
Pat Robertson: Yes...
Kristi Watts: It’s the same mentality!
Pat Robertson: Oh, absolutely.
Kristi Watts: Right?
Pat Robertson: Absolutely. OK.
Kristi Watts: [dramatic shrug] Just a thought.
Yes… Wiccans like trees… and Wiccans are a religion… so let’s CUT DOWN ALL THE TREES!
Never mind that Wiccans don’t actually “worship” trees… and they aren’t going against the Constitution and trying to codify their beliefs into the law, or denying women the right to have an abortion because of their beliefs, or preventing gay people in a loving relationship from getting married…
None of that matters to Watts, though. We’re atheists so, apparently, we must protest everything people of faith do without rhyme or reason. What’s stopping us, since we don’t believe in anything?
Atheists aren’t gunning to chop down all the trees us Pagan tree-huggers hug because they predominantly believe in environmental and climate science, and know that cutting down “every tree” would destroy our ecosystem, and life on earth itself…
Pat Robertson actually looks uncomfortable in that clip as Watts begins talking but he doesn’t do anything about it. A responsible person would’ve told her she’s speaking nonsense and set the record straight. But Robertson has a major problem with noticing nonsense even when it’s staring him in the face, so it’s not surprising that he would just let it slide.
Yesterday, I posted about a new ad campaign sponsored by African Americans for Humanism.
Now, some of the extended interviews with prominent black atheists have been posted online. Check them out — not just because they’re black, but because it’s sincerely heartwarming to listen to people talk so openly and comfortably about leaving their childhood faith and becoming a freethinker despite the cultural and social difficulties.
They’re all compelling, but I think Mark Hatcher‘s really hit home since I also started an atheist group at college for similar reasons.
The Darwin on the Palouse events herald not only Charles Darwin’s 203rd birthday on February 12 but the 153rd anniversary of the first publication of “Origin of Species” on November 24.
…
“We have teamed up with the new Palouse Coalition of Reason to bring four of the nation’s preeminent speakers on science and philosophy to middle America,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. “We also wish to mark the 203rd birthday of Charles Darwin in a big way, celebrating his continuing contribution to humanity, science and rational thought.”
The events are free to the public!
In case you’re wondering, these aren’t the first atheistic billboards in Idaho. Previous signs can be seen here and here.
Remember when the Harry Potter books were still in their prime and you’d hear about those Christian parents trying to ban the series from local and school libraries? What do you do if those are your parents? Or your best friend’s parents? And how do you go about changing their minds?
That’s the crux of the conflict in a fantastic graphic novel called Americus (First Second Books, 2011) by MK Reed with illustrations by Jonathan David Hill:
The story centers around 14-year-old Neil Barton, a shy kid living in Americus, Oklahoma. He loves the fictional fantasy series “The Chronicles of Apathea Ravenchilde.” It’s really popular, but, you know, it features witches and magical spells and talking dogs so it must be anti-everything-good-and-right-with-the-world. His best friend Danny loves the books, too, but Danny’s mom is leading the charge to get them banned:
During an argument, Danny tells his mom a secret that gets him sent off to military school and she channels her frustration into getting the city council to ban the books from a local library.
The non-essential characters don’t have a lot of depth to them and neither do most of the side-stories, but there’s enough material to flesh out these ideas in future books if the author ever wanted to do so.
There’s some criticism that the Christian mother is a “Bible-thumping caricature,” too stereotypical, too one-sided, too bats hit crazy, but I don’t buy that. Let’s face it: These people really exist. And Reed makes it clear that the mother loves her kids and wants what’s best for them… she is just completely misguided in how she goes about it. You wish her husband would get the courage to stand up to her, but he never quite gets there in the book.
The other characters include Neil’s single mother, a boy who helps Neil discover new music, girls in Shop class who have to put up with sexist shit from their male classmates (but who take a liking to Neil), and a wonderful librarian who has to deal with the book banners and tries to fight back against them:
The book is aimed at younger kids, but I still liked it. It was a quick read and a nice story focusing on a topic we (unfortunately) still have to deal with today. If enough people had the strength and courage to fight against censorship — and Neil is learning how to do just that throughout the book — maybe events like Banned Books Week would become superfluous.
(Images reprinted with permission from First Second Books)
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