Stardust Musings has tagged me even though she knows I detest being tagged. I actually didn't mind this one because I've been a blog slump for a while, and this one was kind of fun to do. 10 questions, and at least 10 answers.
Q1. How would you define “atheism”?
An atheist is someone who answers the question "do you believe in God?" with a no. Atheism is the acknowledgment that there is no evidence for God or any other supernatural being, therefore there is no reason to consider God as nothing more than an invention of man.
Q2. Was your upbringing religious? If so, what tradition?
I grew up as a very secular Jew. I had a Bar Mitzvah which included a crash course in Hebrew. I was brought up assuming the God, the Exodus, and the Flood were undeniably true, but these things were never discussed at home unless the movie The Ten Commandments was on TV or during our English version of Passover.
Q3. How would you describe “Intelligent Design”, using only one word?
Creationism.
Q4. What scientific endeavour really excites you?
My favourite part of science right now is discoveries of how "weird" animals became weird through evolution.
Q5. If you could change one thing about the “atheist community”, what would it be and why?
First, I admit the atheist community exists, but it is pretty much an internet phenomenon. The Atheist blogroll coupled with the Youtube atheist community have brought many atheists together.
I guess I'd like to see atheists who don't want to ruffle feathers become more vocal about their lack of beliefs.
Q6. If your child came up to you and said “I’m joining the clergy”, what would be your first response?
I'd be shocked that I have a kid. Sure, I had quite a few serious one night stands, especially in the mid to late 80's. And condoms did break, and were sometimes forgotten. But I figure I would have heard by now if I was a daddy.
Q7. What’s your favorite theistic argument, and how do you usually refute it?
Since I haven't met a theistic argument that I couldn't slaughter, I guess my favourite type of argument is one that I can overcome in a couple of sentences while hopefully making the theist "think."
It might be the "you can't prove God doesn't exist" argument. I simply say, "I can't disprove God just like I can't disprove that a Leprechaun lives in the the center of the sun and controls all the weather in the universe. But you are the one who states there is a God, so it is up to you to provide evidence."
Q8. What’s your most “controversial” (as far as general attitudes amongst other atheists goes) viewpoint?
My support for Israel. I seem to have to overcome the religious aspect of Israel's formation and existence, but it is easy for me, because I see Israel as a last resort to escape anti-semitism which has been an all too real phenomenon for 2000 years.
Also, many atheists are far Left to the point that they think that victim is the one who has less opportunities....they assume the Palestinians are the victims, much like many far Lefties believe that a crack addict who robs a bank is 90% a victim of society. I tend to believe that individuals should be held responsible for their own actions, and that includes being responsible for support of suicide bombings.
Q9. Of the “Four Horsemen” (Dawkins, Dennett, Hitchens and Harris) who is your favourite, and why?
I find Dawkins to be the most enjoyable and entertaining of the four.
Q10. If you could convince just one theistic person to abandon their beliefs, who would it be?
Obama. Since he is going to be the most powerful man in the world (I'd rather see McCain as President btw), I don't want religious fantasy to get in his way.
Now name three other atheist blogs that you’d like to see take up the Atheist Thirteen gauntlet:
The Jewish Atheist, Gripes Of Wrath, and The Atheist Blogger.
June 18, 2008
June 15, 2008
Prayer In The Ontario Legislature Is Infantile At Best
I'm actually totally disgusted that 58 MPP's voted to continue having the Lord's Prayer at the beginning of Ontario Legislature sessions. They are mostly cowards who know better than that. Dalton McGuinty and any other MPP who declined to vote no are also cowards.
Prayer does not belong in the public sector. Especially prayer that favours one group over others. In order to have an affective government, one that embraces the right for people to believe whatever they want to believe, there needs to be separation of church and state.
Nobody is saying you can't pray. Pray at home, your place of worship, your car, the elevator, or the can. But faith is a personal matter, and very few people share EXACT beliefs. Imposing a specific religion/belief on the masses is just plain infantile and the sign of insecurity.
We are not a theocracy. If you want to live in a theocracy, move to Saudi Arabia, where it might be a hassle if you want to change your beliefs.
It doesn't matter that the majority of people are OK with the Lord's Prayer (and not an overwhelming majority). The majority of people in Canada are white. Does that mean that whites should have special preferences? Red heads are a minority. Why even let them vote?
The result now is that other faiths will also get time in the Legislature. After each Lord's Prayer, there will be a rotation of either a Jewish prayer, Sikh prayer, Muslim prayer, etc.
I would love to see the 58 MPP's have to bring a prayer rug on Muslim day.
Muslim prayer in the Ontario Legislature is perfect Karma for those Christians who demanded the Lord's Prayer stay. That is the only good thing that came out of this, as there are quite a few knotted panties in the Ontario Christian community now.
Oh, and they didn't forget about atheists and agnostics (who make up around 25% of the Canadian population), as we get to have a silent prayer. Who decided that? I don't want a silent prayer. I want something like this recited:
"Organized prayer has no business in schools, the government, or anywhere in the public sector.
We should not waste valuable time on something as ridiculous as prayer, as there is no evidence that your God exists whether the God you worship is the Christian God, the Jewish God, the Muslim God, or the Sun God, or any of the other 3500 Gods created by man.
There is plenty of time for you to pray at home, your place of worship, while having lunch, or while you are in the can. You have no right to impose your beliefs on someone who does not share your beliefs and isn't interested in listening to your beliefs.
Quit wasting time and get back to real business. The invisible fairy in the sky will understand that you don't need to pray to him, her or it.....AMEN!"
At best, prayer is infantile:
Proud
Read There's No Place For Prayer In Ontario Legislature
Also, Lose-Lose Situation On Prayer
Prayer does not belong in the public sector. Especially prayer that favours one group over others. In order to have an affective government, one that embraces the right for people to believe whatever they want to believe, there needs to be separation of church and state.
Nobody is saying you can't pray. Pray at home, your place of worship, your car, the elevator, or the can. But faith is a personal matter, and very few people share EXACT beliefs. Imposing a specific religion/belief on the masses is just plain infantile and the sign of insecurity.
We are not a theocracy. If you want to live in a theocracy, move to Saudi Arabia, where it might be a hassle if you want to change your beliefs.
It doesn't matter that the majority of people are OK with the Lord's Prayer (and not an overwhelming majority). The majority of people in Canada are white. Does that mean that whites should have special preferences? Red heads are a minority. Why even let them vote?
The result now is that other faiths will also get time in the Legislature. After each Lord's Prayer, there will be a rotation of either a Jewish prayer, Sikh prayer, Muslim prayer, etc.
I would love to see the 58 MPP's have to bring a prayer rug on Muslim day.
Muslim prayer in the Ontario Legislature is perfect Karma for those Christians who demanded the Lord's Prayer stay. That is the only good thing that came out of this, as there are quite a few knotted panties in the Ontario Christian community now.
Oh, and they didn't forget about atheists and agnostics (who make up around 25% of the Canadian population), as we get to have a silent prayer. Who decided that? I don't want a silent prayer. I want something like this recited:
"Organized prayer has no business in schools, the government, or anywhere in the public sector.
We should not waste valuable time on something as ridiculous as prayer, as there is no evidence that your God exists whether the God you worship is the Christian God, the Jewish God, the Muslim God, or the Sun God, or any of the other 3500 Gods created by man.
There is plenty of time for you to pray at home, your place of worship, while having lunch, or while you are in the can. You have no right to impose your beliefs on someone who does not share your beliefs and isn't interested in listening to your beliefs.
Quit wasting time and get back to real business. The invisible fairy in the sky will understand that you don't need to pray to him, her or it.....AMEN!"
At best, prayer is infantile:
Proud
Canuck sums up my thoughts in this comment from back in April on a CBC News story:nt to fund my blasphemy with you taxes then I want to fund your mythical nonsense."
"The very same group of people who support keeping this 'Christian' prayer in are the very same people who constantly say 'enough is enough' when it comes to allowing additional rights and religious freedoms to Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddists, etc. Gee ... I wonder why?
For those of you who say 'Canada was built on Christian values' ... do you mean the values of slaughtering the natives and stealing their lands, raping their children in residential schools and inflicting torture to prevent them from speaking their own language? Are those the values you are referring to?
You can act as pious and righteous as you want ... while Canada may not have as tarnished a history as the US ... we as a country are not 'as pure as the driven snow' as many of you like to delude yourself into thinking. We have more than enough blood on our hands too.
Nobody is saying YOU can't pray to your invisible cloud-dwelling deity in your own home or church. What we are saying is that it has no place being funded by OUR taxes. After all, you would no more wa
Read There's No Place For Prayer In Ontario Legislature
Also, Lose-Lose Situation On Prayer
June 13, 2008
Jesus Said A Lot Of Stuff He Didn't Really Mean
Youtuber ProfMTH has done a lot of very good videos. What makes his perspective special is the fact that he used to be a Fundy Christian, and is now an atheist. In other words, he really knows and understands the bible.
In the following video he points out the problem bible literalists have. For example, the NT clearly states that one could actually move mountains into the sea if he had faith. Of course, even the most Fundy of Christians dismiss this as complete allegory ("Jesus didn't really mean that"). Why? Because it is impossible to move a mountain into the sea presently in real time, no matter how much faith one has.
See, if something is written in the bible, and it can be falsified in present real time, it HAS TO BE ALLEGORICAL, but if the bible writes about a past miracle or supernatural event (like a talking snake), then to the Bible literalist, the event must be true.
Of course, science falsifies the idea of a young earth created in 6 literal days, and man being poofed here as man less than 10,000 years ago, but again, this is nothing that can be falsified in real time (unless the Fundy isn't wilfully ignorant about science, which is almost impossible).
In the following video he points out the problem bible literalists have. For example, the NT clearly states that one could actually move mountains into the sea if he had faith. Of course, even the most Fundy of Christians dismiss this as complete allegory ("Jesus didn't really mean that"). Why? Because it is impossible to move a mountain into the sea presently in real time, no matter how much faith one has.
See, if something is written in the bible, and it can be falsified in present real time, it HAS TO BE ALLEGORICAL, but if the bible writes about a past miracle or supernatural event (like a talking snake), then to the Bible literalist, the event must be true.
Of course, science falsifies the idea of a young earth created in 6 literal days, and man being poofed here as man less than 10,000 years ago, but again, this is nothing that can be falsified in real time (unless the Fundy isn't wilfully ignorant about science, which is almost impossible).
June 6, 2008
23% Of Canadians Are Atheists
A new Harris-Decima poll has found that 23% of Canadians do not believe in God. In the US most polls find that between 8-10% of Americans are atheists. The numbers are growing all over the West. But I'm proud of the Canadian numbers. It shows that we are an enlightened society. The poll inspired me to make a short video. Enjoy:
I think the internet has started a seeking the truth revolution. Facts can be found and lies can be refuted by simple Google searches. I've said it for a couple of years, the internet will be the death of the Young Earth Creationist movement. The abundance of evidence for an ancient earth and evolution has turned YECs into laughing stocks. The more they show up to try to poke holes in evolution and an ancient earth, the more internet links and proofs are thrown in their faces by obnoxious atheists (like me) or know-it-all theistic evolutionists. What happens? The lurkers see that YECs are pathetic.
Then the lurkers will start questioning the foundations of their beliefs. Many realize that there is no evidence for God's existence, and also realize that man has created over 3500 Gods since written history began.
As for Canada being more progressive than the USA, I'm wondering if multiculturalism has made Canadians question their faiths more and more. It makes sense that when you see a different type of church or mosque or synagogue on various streets within a close proximity that it is a natural response to start thinking that all these people have different beliefs. Obviously, all but one are wrong....scratch that, probably all of them are wrong.
H/T Atheist Revolution
I think the internet has started a seeking the truth revolution. Facts can be found and lies can be refuted by simple Google searches. I've said it for a couple of years, the internet will be the death of the Young Earth Creationist movement. The abundance of evidence for an ancient earth and evolution has turned YECs into laughing stocks. The more they show up to try to poke holes in evolution and an ancient earth, the more internet links and proofs are thrown in their faces by obnoxious atheists (like me) or know-it-all theistic evolutionists. What happens? The lurkers see that YECs are pathetic.
Then the lurkers will start questioning the foundations of their beliefs. Many realize that there is no evidence for God's existence, and also realize that man has created over 3500 Gods since written history began.
As for Canada being more progressive than the USA, I'm wondering if multiculturalism has made Canadians question their faiths more and more. It makes sense that when you see a different type of church or mosque or synagogue on various streets within a close proximity that it is a natural response to start thinking that all these people have different beliefs. Obviously, all but one are wrong....scratch that, probably all of them are wrong.
H/T Atheist Revolution
June 4, 2008
Creationism Is Not Biblical
Here is a video from a theistic evolutionist. He makes a very good argument regarding a way to interpret the Bible (Genesis to be specific), so that Creationism can be discounted, while abiogenesis, an ancient universe, and most importantly, human evolution, can be fit into a world view that still includes God and a God inspired Bible:
I've mentioned before that I'm OK with theistic evolution because there is no denying reality involved. Reality is embraced, while God is added to it.
However, it is still a crutch to add God to the equation because there is absolutely no evidence that God exists.
Still, I think this video is a pretty good one to possibly email to reality denying friends and family, just to shake them up a bit. Questioning ones ridiculous faith, leads to at least a mild case of temporary agnosticism. And that is good thing when dealing with those need to deny reality to sleep at night.
Reality denying Young Earth Creationists cause progress to stall, and keep irrational prejudices alive and well.
I've mentioned before that I'm OK with theistic evolution because there is no denying reality involved. Reality is embraced, while God is added to it.
However, it is still a crutch to add God to the equation because there is absolutely no evidence that God exists.
Still, I think this video is a pretty good one to possibly email to reality denying friends and family, just to shake them up a bit. Questioning ones ridiculous faith, leads to at least a mild case of temporary agnosticism. And that is good thing when dealing with those need to deny reality to sleep at night.
Reality denying Young Earth Creationists cause progress to stall, and keep irrational prejudices alive and well.
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