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These Republicans Can’t Admit Obama is a Christian

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on August 25, 2010

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Nearly a third of Republicans wrongly believe President Obama is a Muslim, according to a Pew Research Institute poll. It’s even higher in other surveys.

But it’s one thing for random, delusional people to think that. It’s another thing when people running for office either believe it or perpetuate the myth to help rile up their base.

It’s happening all over Massachusetts:

“I believe that — that he is a Muslim,” said Republican Robert Chipman of Plainville, a candidate for Congress in the 3rd District.
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“Coming from an international background, there is no mistake that he leans into the Muslim faith,” Chipman said, explaining that he bases his belief on news reports.
Robert Delle of Westboro, another Republican running in the 3rd District against U.S. Rep. James McGovern, D-Worcester, also said he believes Obama is a Muslim.
“There is no doubt about it. Obama is a Muslim,” he said.
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Some don’t even think he’s a Muslim:

Michael Stopa, another Republican running in the 3rd district that includes Attleboro, North Attleboro, Plainville, Wrentham, Seekonk and Rehoboth, said he is convinced Obama is an atheist.
“I actually don’t think Barack Obama is a Muslim. I think he is a nonbeliever,” he said.
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“I have no specific evidence, but I think he’s sympathetic to anybody who is opposed to America and American values,” Stopa said.

Wait, what?! Since when are nonbelievers opposed to American or American values? We’re the ones defending the Constitution and civil rights for all people! Which American values do I not agree to?

Apparently, there’s a third option, too:

Early Henry Sholley of Norfolk, a candidate in the Republican primary in the 4th District seeking to run against Rep. Barney Frank, D-Newton, said he has his doubts about Obama’s religion.
“I believe in his heart of hearts he is a true Marxist, and Marxists are atheists,” he said.
However, Sholley said without evidence to the contrary, he will have to accept Obama at his word that he is a Christian.

To paraphrase: I want to believe the lie that I’m spreading, but I guess I just have to accept the truth.

It’s pathetic. I’m opposed to voting for Republicans in general, but I don’t know why anyone other than the deluded base would vote for any of these candidates in particular — they’re purposely and willfully ignoring the truth because the lie better fits their narrative. Our country shouldn’t be led by those fearmongers.

(via Atheist Ethicist)

He Wasn’t Arresting for Crapping on the Queen’s Pillow

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on August 25, 2010

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I liked Charlie Brooker‘s take on the “Ground Zero Mosque” that really isn’t either of those things:

To get to the Cordoba Centre from Ground Zero, you’d have to walk in the opposite direction for two blocks, before turning a corner and walking a bit more. The journey should take roughly two minutes, or possibly slightly longer if you’re heading an angry mob who can’t hear your directions over the sound of their own enraged bellowing.
Perhaps spatial reality functions differently on the other side of the Atlantic, but here in London, something that is “two minutes’ walk and round a corner” from something else isn’t actually “in” the same place at all. I once had a poo in a pub about two minutes’ walk from Buckingham Palace. I was not subsequently arrested and charged with crapping directly onto the Queen’s pillow. That’s how “distance” works in Britain. It’s also how distance works in America, of course, but some people are currently pretending it doesn’t, for daft political ends.

The more I read about the community center, the less concerned I am about it and the more freaked out I get about the people who oppose it.

Harris and Hitchens on the NYC Mosque

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on August 25, 2010

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Sam Harris offers his thoughts about what Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf should be saying right now about the (close to) Ground Zero Mosque (and community center) — really, it’s a chance for him to speak out against Islam in general:

“… While the scriptures of Judaism and Christianity also contain terrible passages, it has been many centuries since they truly informed the mainstream faith. Hence, we do not tend to see vast numbers of Jews and Christians calling for the murder of apostates today. This is not true of Islam, and there is simply no honest way of denying this shocking disparity. We are members of a faith community that appears more concerned about harmless cartoons than about the daily atrocities committed in its name — and no one suffers from this stupidity and barbarism more than our fellow Muslims. Islam must grow up. And Muslim moderates like ourselves must be the first to defend the rights of novelists, cartoonists, and public intellectuals to criticize all religious faiths, including our own.”

Harris is right about a big problem with Islam — there are not enough moderate Muslims speaking out against the extremists — but I’m not holding my breath about the Imam saying anything close to it.

Meanwhile, Christopher Hitchens weighs in on the controversy itself:

As for the gorgeous mosaic of religious pluralism, it’s easy enough to find mosque Web sites and DVDs that peddle the most disgusting attacks on Jews, Hindus, Christians, unbelievers, and other Muslims — to say nothing of insane diatribes about women and homosexuals. This is why the fake term Islamophobia is so dangerous: It insinuates that any reservations about Islam must ipso facto be “phobic.” A phobia is an irrational fear or dislike. Islamic preaching very often manifests precisely this feature, which is why suspicion of it is by no means irrational.

They both have problems with Islam… but not so much with this mosque specifically. I’m having a hard time understanding people who oppose it. It would at least make sense to me to hear people say we shouldn’t build mosques at all because it supports a theology that lacks redeeming quality. (I don’t agree with that, but it would make sense to me.)

It would make sense if people said we should allow this mosque just as we would allow mosques anywhere else (I agree with that).

But the arguments that this is too close to Ground Zero, or too insensitive to relatives of the victims of 9/11, or a slap in the face to America — those are overblown and underwhelming. Muslims died in the attacks as did people of other faiths and no faith. To those who think it’s too close, I have yet to hear how far away a mosque would have to be to be considered “ok.” And the people building this mosque are hardly friendly with Al Qaida.

Go all in or all out. There’s nothing overly special about this mosque, though.

Is It Enough to Say the Evidence Supports Evolution or Should We Do More?

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on August 25, 2010

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It’s a sad day when an article that essentially says “evolution is supported by the evidence” is a cause for celebration. But when it comes from Rachel Held Evans, a Christian who was taught that Darwin was wrong, we should be happy, right?

This idea [that evolution is false] was perpetuated at my Christian college, where one of the science professors liked to tell the story of how, as a sophomore in high school, he had dreams of becoming a scientist but could not reconcile the theory of evolution with the creation account found in Genesis. So one night, he took a pair of scissors and a newly purchased Bible and began cutting out every verse he believed would have to be removed to believe in evolution. By the time he was finished, he said he couldn’t even lift the Bible without it falling apart. That was when he decided, “Either Scripture was true and evolution was wrong, or evolution was true and I must toss out the Bible.”
The message to me and my classmates was clear: We had to choose — Christianity or evolution, faith or science, Darwin or the Bible. We could not embrace both.
I went on accepting this dichotomy without question until my late 20s, when my desire to have a more examined faith led me to look into the scientific evidence for myself.
It was overwhelming.
From the fossil record and DNA sequences, to ice rings and biodiversity, I found the evidence supporting evolutionary theory to be remarkably compelling and reasonable. This was not a far-fetched proposition concocted by God-haters to undermine the Bible. It was a cohesive, multifaceted scientific theory that consistently made testable predictions, many of which had led to breakthroughs in medicine and technology. I couldn’t just dismiss it as bogus; my intellectual integrity would not allow it.

Ok, so I’m still not happy.

I’m a fan of Rachel and I think her article is fantastic… for all the Christian readers who think she’s too accepting of science. Her book sounds great, too (though I haven’t read it yet). I sincerely wish more Christians thought like her.

But her professor was right.

Ultimately, you do have to choose between “scripture and evolution.” In the battle between faith and science, faith will lose every round. Sure, you can push a god into some corner where he has a negligible effect on evolution (“He started the process and then nature took over!”) but it’s just pushing a round peg into a square hole. Try all you want, but saying that science and religion are compatible is being disingenuous to both.

Something’s gotta give in both cases. Can miracles overthrow scientific facts? Has any “evidence” for a god ever withstood scientific scrutiny? The answer to both questions is “No.”

So if you want to “believe” in both, what are you giving up in the process? It’s intellectually dishonest to think faith and science can both be true.

And it gets tougher to read after that, because Rachel’s trying not to burn any bridges:

Now, let me stop right here to clarify that the point of this article is not to advocate a certain view of origins. I have great respect and love for my brothers and sisters in Christ who interpret the data differently, or who feel compelled by their particular interpretation of Genesis 1 and 2 to hold a young earth perspective.

It’s fine that this article isn’t a defense of evolution. And it’s perfectly fine (and admirable) to respect and love people you disagree with.

But why is it so hard to just say outright that those Christians are wrong?

Look! Even I can do it. They’re wrong.

I can go even further: They deny the facts and they trust the Bible literally at their own peril.

See? Easy.

I’m getting more and more frustrated by atheists (and some Christians) who think we should let people slide when they are so obviously wrong.

It’s one thing if it’s some harmless false belief, but scientific integrity is a big deal.

The Christians who believe in anything-but-evolution are ruining science education in this country. We’re all worse off because of their ignorance.

We need to call them out on it.

The Greatest Show on Earth Now Available in Paperback

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on August 25, 2010

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In case you haven’t bought it yet — and if so, what the deuce is wrong with you? — Richard Dawkins‘ The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution is now out in paperback!

It’s a fantastic introduction to evolution if you’re looking for a gateway into the subject.

What Should Atheists Say During Sex?

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on August 25, 2010

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So *this* is what we’re supposed to be saying in bed… (probably NSFW):

Atheists Having Sex	UCBcomedy.com

Watch more comedy videos from the twisted minds of the UCB Theatre at UCBcomedy.com

Video courtesy of the Upright Citizens Brigade.

(Thanks to Jeff for the link!)

Virginia Attorney General says Holiday Displays on Public Property Are Allowed…

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on August 25, 2010

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Last month, Brittany Meyer mentioned a controversy taking place in Loudoun County, Virginia, regarding holiday displays on public property:

One side, the Courthouse Grounds and Facilities Committee wants to ban all displays. The other side, including many community members and Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio, thinks all displays should be allowed — apparently even atheist ones.

Today, the state’s Attorney General, Ken Cuccinelli, weighed in on the issue (PDF).

… it is my opinion that a local governmental entity is never categorically compelled to prohibit holiday displays, including those incorporating recognizably religious symbols, because governments enjoy considerable discretion in accommodating the religious expression of their citizens and employees and in their own recognition of traditional seasonal holidays. It is further my opinion that displays depicting the birth of Jesus Christ are permissible provided the government ensures appropriate content and context.

In other words, the town can display a Nativity Scene on public property, but they must also allow for displays from people who celebrate the holidays differently.

Frankly, I’m fine with that. It’s legal as long as Christianity isn’t the only display allowed to be there. No other group’s display can be disallowed on account of religion.

So… are there any atheists in Loudoun County who can create a Flying Spaghetti Monster display? And who’s filling out the requisite paperwork to make that happen?

Let’s get to it, people! The Attorney General supports you!

(Thanks to Meredith for the link)

Arkansas Society of Freethinkers Wins Lawsuit!

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on August 24, 2010

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Back in December, the Arkansas Society of Freethinkers sued Secretary of State Charlie Daniels “after he refused to grant permission for the group to put up its display, dubbed the Box of Knowledge.” Daniels denied the box despite allowing Christmas decorations.

This was the box in question:

20091215freethinkers

Well, the two sides have finally settled and the atheists have come out winners!

In the settlement, the state agrees to a constitutional violation, says it will provide equal access to the Freethinkers in the future and says it will pay more than $25,000 in attorney fees to the ACLU cooperating attorneys who brought the case.

$25,800 to be exact.

Hats off to the Arkansas group for fighting the good fight.

I hope citizens of Arkansas think twice before re-electing a man who so willingly ignores the Constitution. I don’t know if Daniels has to pay the fine out of his own pocket or if the state pays it through taxpayer money. If it’s the latter, though, I’d be all the more pissed off if I lived there.

(via Skeptic Money)

A Complaint About the New Zealand Atheist Billboards

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on August 24, 2010

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In July, the New Zealand Atheist Bus Campaign put up some wonderful billboards:

Considering the 1000+ complaints Christian bus ads received in the UK, these billboards surely received just as many, right?

Not even close.

A play on a controversial ad which drew more than 1,000 complaints in the UK has attracted just one complaint in New Zealand.

I love the headline of that article, too:

Atheist ad attracts complaint in NZ

It doesn’t mean that we should stop running ads in other parts of the world, though. As long as people keep raising a fuss over these harmless, honest ads, we need to keep putting them up.

***Update***: This post has been edited to fix a few minor corrections.

The Angry Atheists vs. the Accommodationists

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on August 24, 2010

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Lucy Gubbins, the co-founder of the University of Oregon’s Alliance of Happy Atheists, weighs in on the debate between “friendly” and “aggressive” atheists.

… I’m willing to take a leap of faith and concede that yes, if we want a strong, diverse community, we need both sides. But to make this happen, folks: we need to start practicing what we preach.
That means that if we want to continue touting the idea that the secular movement is one with diversity of opinion, and that the “Good Cops” and “Bad Cops” are equally welcomed, we need to act like it. We need to stop decrying the “accommodationists” and start supporting them, especially because they’re so underrepresented. When they’re the sole individuals encouraging polite, snark-less conversation with the faithful, let’s try to not storm out of the room in a huff. Like it or not, atheism desperately needs an image change, and this will only occur through the works of people willing to put anger aside and learn how to interact with religious people in a positive manner. Yes, we need the angry atheists too — but in my opinion, at a time of surplus in one area, let’s look to what we’re lacking in another.

Frequent commenter on this site, Hitch, adds in his two cents:

I don’t think we need angry atheists. We need honest atheists. And people are brilliant at framing honesty as anger. I do not want to be outraged when yet another atheist gets expelled from work or school simply for being. And I do not advocate that we should get angry. But I do advocate that we should not, in fact cannot be silent, even if people try to characterize that speaking out as being angry.

This debate isn’t going to end anytime soon… I agree with Lucy that we need both sides. Frankly, I’m not even sure which side I’m on anymore. It depends on the issue.

The truth is different religious people react to us in different ways. Some of them will be much more receptive to the kinder, gentler atheists. Some will be so stubborn that you need a more blunt approach to get through to them.

We need the angry, the sweet, the Brights, the Humanists, the Atheists-with-a-capital-A, the Blasphemy Challenge, the Muhammad drawings, the Secular Pinky Swear, and everything in between.

If you don’t like what a group does, then say so. We shouldn’t fear constructive criticism. But let’s always remember the focus of the particular issue. If religion is doing harm, we need to make people aware of it. If our rights are being threatened, we need to get that corrected. Some of us want everybody to become atheists while others could care less.

When a movement grows, there will be factions within it. But if we want to increase our visibility and respectability (to quote the Secular Coalition for America’s mission statement), we need to make ourselves known.

I fear that if we’re constantly fighting over tactics, we’re missing out on a golden opportunity to actually get something done.

Not to mention there’s so much we all (well, almost all) agree on — like the importance of coming out as an atheist. Again, we are atheists for different reasons. It’s not like one voice or one book or one tactic converted all of us. There’s no need to try to silence our own people if they’re speaking the truth, even if you don’t like the way they’re going about doing that.

A Pro-Choice Heroine

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on August 24, 2010

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18,986.

That’s how many abortions Anne Nicol Gaylor has funded via her Women’s Medical Fund non-profit group.

(Gaylor may be better known for co-founding the Freedom From Religion Foundation in 1976 — her daughter is now one of its co-presidents.)

An article in the Wisconsin State Journal profiles her work and her legacy:

The fund’s sole purpose is to pay for abortions. Last year, it paid out $162,202, about 75 percent of which came from individual donors, the rest from foundations.
There is no office and no paid staff. Gaylor, whose title is administrator, takes all of the calls — some 800 a year — at her dining room table on her home phone, the same one her four children and two granddaughters reach her on. There is no answering machine.
“It would burden anyone else to deal with all those calls,” said her husband, Paul Gaylor, 84, a former vice president for a building maintenance company. “But she listens to every woman and cares for every single one of them.”
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Gaylor said her motivation came from a doctor who told her about a girl who was raped by her father and had to drop out of high school to raise the child. “Those kind of stories are so numerous and so tragic,” Gaylor said.
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On the phone with strangers, Gaylor is gentle but pointed in her questioning.
“The guy who got you pregnant, is he helping you pay?” she asked a 19-year-old woman from Sheboygan with two children and a third on the way.
“What will you do next time so this doesn’t happen again?” she asked a 25-year-old woman from Madison.

I’ve read a lot of stories about people who have fought their whole lives so that women could have the right to choose whether or not to have an abortion… but I can’t believe this story eluded me for so long. Gaylor is someone who refuses to only talk about the issues. She’s taking action and putting herself at risk in the process. That’s awe-inspiring to me.

I’ve never been in a situation myself where abortion has ever had to be considered… but I know people who have. The decision is hard no matter which way you go. And not all atheists are pro-choice, but I would hope all of us would agree that money shouldn’t be the deciding factor in a woman’s decision.

It looks like the group doesn’t take online donations, but you can still give to them via check.

Why Do I Love PZ Myers?

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on August 23, 2010

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Even in the face of death, he takes the time to remind us all not to “waste our time with prayers” for him.

Gotta stick to your principles even when things get rough

Get well soon, PZ.

Note to Catholic Church: Let Her Go!

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on August 23, 2010

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Karolina Sygula lives in Toronto and wants the Catholic Church to stop counting her as one of its members… but they refuse to take her off the books:

It would be easy to blame various child-abuse scandals within the Church for her decision to leave, but if that were the case, she explained, her inclination would be to stay to work for change.
“But the fact that I don’t believe in God clearly is in contravention to the official policy of the Church and I can’t work within the Church to change that.”

She explains that she really never should’ve been on the List to begin with:

… this quest to end her relationship with the Church began, she said, 20 years ago at the time of her confirmation in a church in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga.
“They gave me a questionnaire to fill out and in it I actually wrote, ‘I’m an atheist and my parents are making me do this.’ They went ahead and did it anyway. Surely there must be some technicality that undoes the sacrament of confirmation when you say you don’t believe in God.”

The article documents her futile efforts… it just goes to show that the Church is always going to be overestimating its membership count since there’s no real way to get out of the system.

According to the article, even if she were excommunicated, she’d still be considered a Catholic.

Father Frank Morrisey, an expert in Church law at St. Paul’s University in Ottawa, said when you cut through canon law the explanation is really quite simple.
“As far as the Church is concerned: once a Catholic, always a Catholic.”

That could be an opportunity… can you imagine someone standing in front of a church (that they belong to no matter what they believe) with signs reading:

“I support abortion! And I’m a member of Catholic Church!”
“I support same-sex marriage! And I’m a member of Catholic Church!”
“Pope Benedict XVI doesn’t speak for me! And I’m a member of Catholic Church!”

Keep doing that until they finally revoke your membership

(Thanks to J B for the link!)

My Talk at the 2010 Secular Student Alliance Conference

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on August 23, 2010

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The video of my talk from the recent Secular Student Alliance conference is now up on YouTube!

I had planned to talk about my confrontations with a Religious Right group last year, but as I say in the beginning of the video, I decided to discard that and focus on how it can be useful to reach out to those who disagree with us:

I’m not saying I always reach out to Christians as I should, but in a lot of cases, it’s not that hard to do and we don’t do enough of it in the atheist blogosphere. I know I’ve been trying to do more of it lately. I have found that, more often than not, It helps clarify the story in a way you don’t see in a lot of news outlets.

A few notes:

The comedian I show at the beginning of the video is Hari Kondabolu.
The whole saga with Laurie is all over the place, but many of the links are here.
Yep, I have the ShamWow dude as my desktop background.
The full interview with Richard Cohen on The Rachel Maddow Show is here and here.
The Whetu Abraham story is here and here.
My interview with Pastor Terry Jones, the man behind “International Burn A Koran Day,” is here.
My posting about the Marin Foundation and their “I’m Sorry” signs is here. (I still have not received responses to the interview questions I sent Andrew Marin.)

Your feedback on the talk is always appreciated!

Sam Harris’ Speaking Tour for The Moral Landscape

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on August 22, 2010

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Sam Harris is making a lot of stops on the coasts this fall during his upcoming book tour for The Moral Landscape.

(I see nothing in Chicago. *sniff* I see how it is, Sam. I’ll take the hint.)

One of his stops, though, will be an event for my Center for Inquiry DC friends on Tuesday, October 12^th at 7:00 p.m. It’s his only stop in that area, and “Friends of the Center” get discounted tickets.

All the information is here. If you’re in the DC area, you better have a damn good excuse if you’re not going!

And on October 15^th at 8:00 p.m., he’ll be appearing in Cambridge in an event for The Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard. That event is free and open to the public!

We’re So Close!

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on August 22, 2010

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I posted about the Secular Student Alliance fundraiser a few days ago and said that my goal was to beat Jen McCreight — she raised $2859 with her blogathon.

Well, we’re almost there!

One additional person gave $100 outside of ChipIn, so we’re at $2602.02 as I write this. SO CLOSE!

There are awesome prizes depending on how much you give and I’ll be picking the winners this Wednesday night!

So if you were thinking about donating, now’s the time to do it

Message to Brother Jed: Atheists Love All!

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on August 21, 2010

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You all remember notorious campus preacher Brother Jed, the victim of The Boot Protest, and his colleague Sister Cindy:

(Sister Cindy has nothing to do with this posting… I just love that image.)

Anyway, Jed showed up at the University of Kansas on the first day of classes. Sounds like a crappy way to begin the school year, but there’s a happy ending to this story.

KU student Conrad Hudson explains on Facebook what happened (he refers to the president of the campus atheist group, Joey Subatai Ralph):

There sits Brother Jed, staff in hand, wearing a shirt that reads: “You Deserve Hell.” A gay KU student is handing him a rock and asking him to stone him if he is so intent on preaching the literal truth of the Bible.
Joey has just walked up behind him with a sign reading “Atheists Love You All” which was met with a round of applause from the fairly large crowd on the steps of Wesco. It was the first and only applause from the crowd that day.
Beautiful.

And here’s the picture:

I love it. And I don’t feel bad for Jed at all.

The more atheists can provide an alternative, reasonable voice to the crazy campus preachers, the less influence those preachers have. We can make them look even more out-of-touch with reality than they already are. Let’s never forget: We’re the rational ones here.

Kudos to Joey for the great sign. Next time, let’s have a chorus of atheists join him with their own.

An Atheist is Running for Congress in Virginia!

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on August 21, 2010

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You may have heard of Randy Forbes. He’s the Republican representative from Virginia’s 4^th Congressional District. And he’s a notorious opponent of church/state separation.

He founded the Congressional Prayer Caucus. He introduced legislation to reaffirming “In God We Trust” as our National Motto. He also wanted “In God We Trust” put on the Capitol Visitor Center:

I have introduced H.Con.Res.274, to reaffirm our national motto. If we can succeed in getting ‘In God We Trust’ engraved in the United States Capitol Visitor Center, I believe we can succeed in engraving that motto on the hearts of Americans once again.

These are just a few of the reasons he needs to lose his upcoming re-election bid.

His opponent is Wynne LeGrow, MD. He’s not a well-known politician, but you might agree with many of his stances on the issues (including his support of the public option for health care).

More interesting to me, though, is an announcement he made a few days ago:

… My name is Wynne LeGrow. I am the Democratic nominee for US House of Representatives in Virginia’s fourth congressional district. And I am a non-believer.
My father was a Protestant minister and my mother was a schoolteacher. I grew up in the church. I was taught that what was important was how we treat one another. I learned from my parents a strong sense of honesty and integrity. The Golden Rule is something I still try to live by. What I did not accept were the church’s teachings concerning the supernatural.

That. Is. Awesome.

For some politicians, saying you’re not religious is a deathwish. For LeGrow, it’s a point of pride.

I don’t think anyone should vote for him only because he’s an atheist, but it’s nice to see a candidate who isn’t shying away from telling people he doesn’t believe in a god.

That, mixed with his stances on the issues, may give you good reason to support him.

If you live in his district, please consider voting for him. If you know anyone who lives in his district, tell them about him. If enough people can get excited about him, maybe we can get Forbes out of office.

(Thanks to Fred for the link!)