One of the arguments which comes up often begins 'If there's no god, how do you explain...?'
Things that usually appear at the end are along the lines of 'creation', 'life', 'people' and 'everything'.
I've never seen anything at the end of the '...how do you explain...?' question which even remotely suggests a god exists. The logical fallacy here is known as variously as The Argument From Ignorance (Latin: argumentum ad ignorantiam), the Appeal to Ignorance, or the Argument from Personal Incredulity.
The issue lies with the theist arguing that a god must be true because he hasn't been proven false or that there isn't a natural explanation known so a god must be responsible.
Life: When a person argues that god must be real because there's life, they are clearly ignorant of abiogenesis. The process by which life forms from non-living matter. Has it been shown beyond doubt that abiogenesis is responsible for life on Earth? Not to my knowledge. But what the research in the field shows is that it's possible, and I for one am confident that in the not too distant future we'll be hearing some major and exciting announcements in this area.
People: Let's keep this simple. Evolution explains people. Man didn't appear suddenly from dust and a woman from his rib. People evolved. 'People' is put at the end of the 'how do you explain...? question when the person asking it doesn't understand evolution. That's all there is to it.
(and keep in mind, abiogenesis is not necessary for evolution, evolution starts only once there is life)
Creation: When someone asks me, as an atheist, how do I explain creation I ask why they think this is a creation. To try to explain why creation exists and you've already conceded a point which hasn't yet been demonstrated - this is not necessarily a creation. I've been given no reason to think the universe was deliberately created. Don't let anyone start with this as an assumption, get them to demonstrate why this is a creation at all.
Everything: I've written a blog here about how what we can see is not proof of god. It specifically addresses the "look around you" argument people make. Everything we see either has a natural explanation or no known explanation yet. The 'everything' question also fails to address the current work going on in the 'universe from nothing' field (such as the book by the same name by Lawrence Krauss).
Bottom line is, when someone says 'If there's no god, how do you explain...?' there is something they don't understand. Either that knowledge exists and they're just not aware of it, or our investigations have not yet found the answers. Yet. That's important to remember - not knowing something now doesn't mean we'll never know.
To argue that we can't create life or that we don't know what caused the universe to be in this state is to be like a person from the 1400s arguing that mankind can never make it to the moon. To argue that evolution is not responsible for the diversity of life is to argue that gravity is not the reason things fall when you drop them.
One person's lack of knowledge is not proof a god exists.
Monday, 25 November 2013
Saturday, 16 November 2013
Thou Shalt Not Kill
Thanks to my friend Bec (@Beczs on twitter) I became aware of a Melbourne radio station wanting to do a debate on air between a believer and an atheist. I let them know I'd be interested and they picked me to be the atheist speaker.
Unfortunately the show it was recorded for stopped running the segment and the hosts have resigned so the piece I recorded won't be aired.
This blog has come about because the woman I debated claimed that anyone killing in the name of god isn't really doing god's will, citing Exodus 20:13 Thou Shalt Not Kill. In my head I screamed 'you have got to be kidding me'. But, regretfully, I didn't speak up in time and the conversation moved on. I blame 1: Being in my first live debate and being too polite and 2: being sat at my desk at work surrounded by people working and thinking I probably should try to keep my voice down. Had I been in an office on my own, I'm sure it would have been different.
So afterwards I thought about what she'd said and I wondered exactly how many exceptions to the 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' commandment there are.
There are lots.
One of the most well known....
- Leviticus 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
Now I could be pedantic here and suggest that it's possibly bisexual men and not homosexual men who are targeted here. 'lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman'. So if he doesn't lay with a woman but just lies with blokes, should be all good, right?
Of course that's not the point being made here. It's clearly saying that a man who has sex with another man should be put to death. Suddenly 'Thou shalt not kill' becomes 'Thou shalt not kill*'
- Exodus 21:15 And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death
I don't recommend smitething your parents. I would hope that any difference between parent and child could be solved without a smiting. According to the above, however, a child smiting a parent should be killed. I don't know anyone - Christian, atheist, or otherwise, who wouldn't think this is an extreme overreaction. Not only that, anyone following through on Exodus 21:15 today would be sent to jail.
- Exodus 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
Yes, the inerrant word of god includes a verse telling us to not suffer a witch to live. I can understand the people who wrote the bible thinking there were witches. They didn't know much about, well, anything really.
So what's more likely do you think? That a people who didn't know how to investigate the world, who didn't know how the universe operated, and were highly superstitious, invented a god and thought that god wouldn't be happy with witches or....
There *really* is a god and for reasons only known to him he inspired people to write a book which includes the need to kill a type of being that he knows isn't actually real. Of course it could have been 'witches aren't real...so stop killing those who you think are witches'. But no...this 'god' knew people of the time thought witches to be real and rather than protecting those women he tells his followers that they should die.
These are just three of many examples.
There's also death for:
People who don't listen to priests: Deuteronomy 17:12
Fortunetellers: Leviticus 20:27
Adulterers: Leviticus 20:10
Priests' daughters who fornicate: Leviticus 21:9
Followers of other religions: Exodus 22:20
Nonbelievers: 2 Chronicles 15:12-13
False prophets: Zechariah 13:3
The list goes on and you can see it here at Evil Bible.com (some of the verses seem to be out by one verse to double check).
The point is this - the 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' commandment is bogus. The god of the bible is clearly in favour of people killing other people (when he's not doing it himself that is). So when someone tells you they don't kill because they follow the 10 commandments (there's actually 613 commandments in the bible) you can tell them it's nonsense. The exceptions to the 'Thou Shalt Not KIll' commandment clearly show that it's a list made up by people who were not in communication with any supernatural omniscient deity.
Unfortunately the show it was recorded for stopped running the segment and the hosts have resigned so the piece I recorded won't be aired.
This blog has come about because the woman I debated claimed that anyone killing in the name of god isn't really doing god's will, citing Exodus 20:13 Thou Shalt Not Kill. In my head I screamed 'you have got to be kidding me'. But, regretfully, I didn't speak up in time and the conversation moved on. I blame 1: Being in my first live debate and being too polite and 2: being sat at my desk at work surrounded by people working and thinking I probably should try to keep my voice down. Had I been in an office on my own, I'm sure it would have been different.
So afterwards I thought about what she'd said and I wondered exactly how many exceptions to the 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' commandment there are.
There are lots.
One of the most well known....
- Leviticus 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
Now I could be pedantic here and suggest that it's possibly bisexual men and not homosexual men who are targeted here. 'lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman'. So if he doesn't lay with a woman but just lies with blokes, should be all good, right?
Of course that's not the point being made here. It's clearly saying that a man who has sex with another man should be put to death. Suddenly 'Thou shalt not kill' becomes 'Thou shalt not kill*'
- Exodus 21:15 And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death
I don't recommend smitething your parents. I would hope that any difference between parent and child could be solved without a smiting. According to the above, however, a child smiting a parent should be killed. I don't know anyone - Christian, atheist, or otherwise, who wouldn't think this is an extreme overreaction. Not only that, anyone following through on Exodus 21:15 today would be sent to jail.
- Exodus 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
Yes, the inerrant word of god includes a verse telling us to not suffer a witch to live. I can understand the people who wrote the bible thinking there were witches. They didn't know much about, well, anything really.
So what's more likely do you think? That a people who didn't know how to investigate the world, who didn't know how the universe operated, and were highly superstitious, invented a god and thought that god wouldn't be happy with witches or....
There *really* is a god and for reasons only known to him he inspired people to write a book which includes the need to kill a type of being that he knows isn't actually real. Of course it could have been 'witches aren't real...so stop killing those who you think are witches'. But no...this 'god' knew people of the time thought witches to be real and rather than protecting those women he tells his followers that they should die.
These are just three of many examples.
There's also death for:
People who don't listen to priests: Deuteronomy 17:12
Fortunetellers: Leviticus 20:27
Adulterers: Leviticus 20:10
Priests' daughters who fornicate: Leviticus 21:9
Followers of other religions: Exodus 22:20
Nonbelievers: 2 Chronicles 15:12-13
False prophets: Zechariah 13:3
The list goes on and you can see it here at Evil Bible.com (some of the verses seem to be out by one verse to double check).
The point is this - the 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' commandment is bogus. The god of the bible is clearly in favour of people killing other people (when he's not doing it himself that is). So when someone tells you they don't kill because they follow the 10 commandments (there's actually 613 commandments in the bible) you can tell them it's nonsense. The exceptions to the 'Thou Shalt Not KIll' commandment clearly show that it's a list made up by people who were not in communication with any supernatural omniscient deity.
Thursday, 17 October 2013
My place in the universe
The more I learn the more the idea of god seems unlikely.
I see the natural wonder and beauty of the universe and I see no place for god. I see people doing good and people being bad. I see nature's serenity and nature's aggression and in all this I see no place for god - and I'm okay with that.
The universe is full of natural wonder. From its awesome size, to the smallest particle. From supernova, to a buzzing bee these things are explained with no god required.
I would love to take the theists of the world and have them view the universe through an atheist's eyes. I want them to see how special it is - without a god.
I don't believe the universe was built for me. I think I'm an insignificant part of it. It owes me nothing - I simply have an opportunity. The idea that I am simply the product of some being's imagination is demeaning and uninspiring. I am the sum of a series of natural events.
I don't want to tell others they can't enjoy the rights I have. I can't look at a child and tell them they are flawed, or they'll burn in hell. I won't tell two people in love they can't be married. I don't want to use this life to prevent happiness.
I don't want to assume I know everything because I've got an old book. I want to pursue knowledge and truth and do it without harming others and without negatively impacting the aspects their lives that don't negatively impact on mine.
In essence it's not just that I don't want to be a theist. I just can't be. It goes against everything that I feel, everything I am.
I see the natural wonder and beauty of the universe and I see no place for god. I see people doing good and people being bad. I see nature's serenity and nature's aggression and in all this I see no place for god - and I'm okay with that.
The universe is full of natural wonder. From its awesome size, to the smallest particle. From supernova, to a buzzing bee these things are explained with no god required.
I would love to take the theists of the world and have them view the universe through an atheist's eyes. I want them to see how special it is - without a god.
I don't believe the universe was built for me. I think I'm an insignificant part of it. It owes me nothing - I simply have an opportunity. The idea that I am simply the product of some being's imagination is demeaning and uninspiring. I am the sum of a series of natural events.
I don't want to tell others they can't enjoy the rights I have. I can't look at a child and tell them they are flawed, or they'll burn in hell. I won't tell two people in love they can't be married. I don't want to use this life to prevent happiness.
I don't want to assume I know everything because I've got an old book. I want to pursue knowledge and truth and do it without harming others and without negatively impacting the aspects their lives that don't negatively impact on mine.
In essence it's not just that I don't want to be a theist. I just can't be. It goes against everything that I feel, everything I am.
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
Are you okay?
About a week ago a follower of mine on twitter asked me what I thought about suicide. She said that the church considered it a sin and wondered what I thought as an atheist.
I said that no matter how bad things seem, you never know what's around the corner. You never know when an opportunity is going to come along or a medical breakthrough might happen.
We had a long chat and she explained all the things she was having a hard time dealing with. It was heartbreaking and I really felt for her.
I could see from her twitter bio that she was in Johannesburg so I looked up a counselling service there and sent her the link and asked her to please contact them and let me know how it went. She said she would. I wanted to help more, but as I told her, I'm simply not equipped to deal with someone having these thoughts.
I checked back yesterday and saw that she hadn't tweeted since the day after our conversation. Her last tweet was a reply to someone who'd tweeted about suicide. She replied saying that she was going to do it that day but her mother was home from work she she'd have to wait. Then nothing.
I sent her a message to ask if she was okay, and got no answer. I found her on Facebook and sent her a message and got no answer.
I searched the internet but found nothing. I searched twitter and found that someone had tweeted her 4 hours earlier telling her to RIP and saying she was gone too soon.
This made my heart sink. I discussed this with my girlfriend and a friend online and we all agreed, it wasn't good and that, if I could word it nicely, I should tweet to the person who'd sent the RIP message. I tweeted to this person and asked what, if anything, had happened. She replied and said the girl in question had passed away in a car accident on Saturday.
I thanked her for answering.
I don't think she told me the truth. I think the girl took her own life and her friend was keeping the truth of it to herself - which is fair enough. Or perhaps she didn't know the truth. Perhaps it was a deliberate collision rather than an accident. I'll never know.
The girl was someone I didn't speak to regularly and was on another continent, and in a different timezone so I know there was nothing more I could do. I sent her help and asked her to get back to me but she had obviously reached the point where she thought she had no other options.
It's a sad story and one that I can't help could have been prevented if this girl was looked after, cared for, and had someone to ask her if she was okay. Of course I don't know if this is the case, but...who knows?
As yesterday was world suicide prevention day, I ask you this - please, if you have even the slightest hint, an inclination, a gut feel about someone, please ask them if they're okay and let them know, if they need it, help is available.
I said that no matter how bad things seem, you never know what's around the corner. You never know when an opportunity is going to come along or a medical breakthrough might happen.
We had a long chat and she explained all the things she was having a hard time dealing with. It was heartbreaking and I really felt for her.
I could see from her twitter bio that she was in Johannesburg so I looked up a counselling service there and sent her the link and asked her to please contact them and let me know how it went. She said she would. I wanted to help more, but as I told her, I'm simply not equipped to deal with someone having these thoughts.
I checked back yesterday and saw that she hadn't tweeted since the day after our conversation. Her last tweet was a reply to someone who'd tweeted about suicide. She replied saying that she was going to do it that day but her mother was home from work she she'd have to wait. Then nothing.
I sent her a message to ask if she was okay, and got no answer. I found her on Facebook and sent her a message and got no answer.
I searched the internet but found nothing. I searched twitter and found that someone had tweeted her 4 hours earlier telling her to RIP and saying she was gone too soon.
This made my heart sink. I discussed this with my girlfriend and a friend online and we all agreed, it wasn't good and that, if I could word it nicely, I should tweet to the person who'd sent the RIP message. I tweeted to this person and asked what, if anything, had happened. She replied and said the girl in question had passed away in a car accident on Saturday.
I thanked her for answering.
I don't think she told me the truth. I think the girl took her own life and her friend was keeping the truth of it to herself - which is fair enough. Or perhaps she didn't know the truth. Perhaps it was a deliberate collision rather than an accident. I'll never know.
The girl was someone I didn't speak to regularly and was on another continent, and in a different timezone so I know there was nothing more I could do. I sent her help and asked her to get back to me but she had obviously reached the point where she thought she had no other options.
It's a sad story and one that I can't help could have been prevented if this girl was looked after, cared for, and had someone to ask her if she was okay. Of course I don't know if this is the case, but...who knows?
As yesterday was world suicide prevention day, I ask you this - please, if you have even the slightest hint, an inclination, a gut feel about someone, please ask them if they're okay and let them know, if they need it, help is available.
Saturday, 7 September 2013
Dear Yahweh 2
Tim 'Timbo' Buckley is a plumber down on earth working around the time of Noah's flood. He works directly for God (Yahweh) and tries to keep all the water systems up and running for the supreme lord.
After rain for five days straight, Timbo sends Yahweh and email...
Dear Yahweh,
Mate, it’s been raining a solid 5 days down here and a few of the boys are a bit worried that we’re going to have some issues if it continues much longer. Any idea when you’re going to turn this off?
Dear Timbo,
No spoilers, but...you’re looking at a fair while yet.
Dear Yahweh,
Oh fair dinkum. We simply don’t have the capacity to deal with this. We don't have storm water drains like we will 6000 years in the future you know, and even then they wouldn’t cope with this kind of deluge. Seriously if this continues much longer whole towns are going to flood!
Dear Timbo,
hehehe.
Dear Yahweh,
WTF? How is that something to laugh at? Mate, I’m not sure what’s going on here but if this continues people are GOING TO DIE. I mean...it’s weird because I know you know this, but how can you let this happen?
Dear Timbo,
I don’t like the way things have become down on earth. The people...they all got wicked. They...they’re not as nice as I hoped they’d be. So… How to tell you. I’m going to make it rain for 40 days and 40 nights and ….well….I’m going to drown them all.
No! Wait, that sounds bad. Not *all* as such. Do you know Noah? (He did that Abraham impression at the party a few months back?) Anyway, I’m going to spare him and his family. Drown everyone else.
Dear Yahweh,
What the fuck is wrong with you?
Dear Timbo,
Watch your tone sunshine. I’m not above smiting people you know.
Look Timbo, we go back a long way. Hell, we’ve known each other since Adam was a boy. So let me tell you, I know that on the surface wiping out an entire population of humans, save for one family, and having that one family collect two of each kind of animal *seems* like a totally ridiculous idea when I am a ‘god’ and not only are these people behaving exactly as I planned but I could also fix this in an instant without the need to wipe out the planet, but you don’t yet see the full picture!
Dear Yahweh,
Sorry - I didn’t mean to upset you. Please hold off on the smiting for now if you could. Not that it fucking matters because apparently I’ll be dead soon anyway, you prick.
I’ve got to ask - you do know you’re a god, right? I mean you can do ANYTHING. If you want people to stop being ‘wicked’ just blink or wiggle your nose or wave a fucking wand or something and STOP them being wicked! Just get into the goddamned heads and remove wickedness! Why do you have to kill them? Seriously mate, this is GENOCIDE
And what the fucking fuck do you mean ‘Two of each kind of animal’? You’re going to drown MILLIONS of animals...what did they ever do? Stupid bloody waste if you ask me. Why did you even bother creating them. You KNEW this was going to happen right? And how the bloody hell do you plan on saving these ‘two of every kind’? And while we’re on it...........the fuck is a ‘kind’ anyway? You can’t just make shit up you know. Well...you can, clearly, but don’t you think having some kind of coherence to your plan would be helpful? I’m lost for words. I just can’t see how you can possibly, even for a moment, think this is a decent plan.
Also, what do you mean I don’t see the big picture? What could possible make this okay?
Dear Timbo,
Rainbows. lol!
Dear Yahweh,
You’re mental.
Friday, 6 September 2013
New To Atheism Part 3 - Resources
If you're a new atheist, especially one that feels the need to keep this information from family and friends, you may feel a sense of loss, and a sense of loneliness. Of course you may be happy to be known as an atheist but have no one within your community or family to talk to about it.
It's not that atheism is necessarily a topic that is going to generate hours and hours of conversation, but I'm sure there's part of us all that wants to be able to tell someone close how we feel about something and receive back an 'I agree' or 'Yep, I know what you mean'. We all have a sense of wanting to belong, somewhere where we can feel included and that we're accepted for who we are.
With atheism in many parts of the world, this simply not possible. From the possibility that people may lose their jobs, be ostracised from their community, or be shunned by their family to the extreme, sad, and horrific reality that there are people in the world who are imprisoned, maimed and sometimes even killed for being for an atheist.
This is, of course, a completely unacceptable situation. There is simply no opinion/point of view that anyone can hold that should see them physically harmed for holding it. And yes, this extends to extremely racist or sexist or other unsavoury points of view. I'm not suggesting society should respect these points of view, but to harm people for having them - that's just unacceptable.
For atheism specifically there should be no adverse implications at all. It is a single position on a single question. It's not discriminatory, it's not judgemental, it's not sexist nor is it racist. When someone becomes an atheist after having been a theist for a period of time they are the same person they always were. What is happening is that the answer to a question has changed - Instead of 'yes' the answer to 'Do you believe a god exists' becomes 'no'. It doesn't mean the person suddenly hates theists, it doesn't mean the person suddenly thinks all theists are morons, it doesn't mean the person is suddenly an arrogant individual with no morals. What it shows is that the person has put some time and thought into the idea of 'god' and is no longer convinced that the claims that a god exists are true.
So what is a person new to atheism to do? Where can a person new to atheism turn to get the contact, interaction, and information they desire? For many, online - the internet - is clearly the answer. The online world, particularly the applications known as social media, is - dare I say it? - the Mecca for atheists.
Through my twitter account @MrOzAtheist I have come to speak to, interact with, and even become friends with atheists all over the world. There is a vibrant and lively atheist community on twitter which welcomes life long atheists right through to people who are still theists but are having doubts about their beliefs. I've seen a number of examples of people new to atheism thanking others for the help and support they've been given. I've seen people tweet things about feeling alone in their real life community but feeling like they belong to a group online.
It really is quite heart-warming to be part of a community that provides an avenue for people who would otherwise feel lonely without it, to feel like they belong somewhere. Things such as The Not Alone Project which has recently been started by Martin Pribble (@MartinPribble) have provided an avenue for atheists to post their story in "a place where the non-believers stories can be published, in a completely safe environment, which doesn't judge its participants in any way." There's also Gamma Atheist's blog where he's publishing guest posts by atheists outlining their paths to atheism (or back to - depending on your point of view). There are many, many quality atheist blogs where everyday, average atheists, are talking about many issues affecting atheists in particular and society in general.
I can highly recommend the following:
Rosa Rubicondior http://rosarubicondior.blogspot.com.au/
Martin Pribble http://martinspribble.com/
Joshua http://joshuadamnit.wordpress.com/
Melissa http://reasonlogicreality.wordpress.com/
Rachel (Atheistic in Alabama) http://atheisticinalabama.blogspot.com.au/
Green Fille http://greenfille.wordpress.com/
Of course this is not an exhaustive list and I suggest searching around for any blog whose words ring true for you.
I also recommend the early Thunderf00t videos dealing with creationism. I also recommending looking up debates and discussions. Obviously those involving Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the late Christopher Hitchens come to mind
It's not that atheism is necessarily a topic that is going to generate hours and hours of conversation, but I'm sure there's part of us all that wants to be able to tell someone close how we feel about something and receive back an 'I agree' or 'Yep, I know what you mean'. We all have a sense of wanting to belong, somewhere where we can feel included and that we're accepted for who we are.
With atheism in many parts of the world, this simply not possible. From the possibility that people may lose their jobs, be ostracised from their community, or be shunned by their family to the extreme, sad, and horrific reality that there are people in the world who are imprisoned, maimed and sometimes even killed for being for an atheist.
This is, of course, a completely unacceptable situation. There is simply no opinion/point of view that anyone can hold that should see them physically harmed for holding it. And yes, this extends to extremely racist or sexist or other unsavoury points of view. I'm not suggesting society should respect these points of view, but to harm people for having them - that's just unacceptable.
For atheism specifically there should be no adverse implications at all. It is a single position on a single question. It's not discriminatory, it's not judgemental, it's not sexist nor is it racist. When someone becomes an atheist after having been a theist for a period of time they are the same person they always were. What is happening is that the answer to a question has changed - Instead of 'yes' the answer to 'Do you believe a god exists' becomes 'no'. It doesn't mean the person suddenly hates theists, it doesn't mean the person suddenly thinks all theists are morons, it doesn't mean the person is suddenly an arrogant individual with no morals. What it shows is that the person has put some time and thought into the idea of 'god' and is no longer convinced that the claims that a god exists are true.
So what is a person new to atheism to do? Where can a person new to atheism turn to get the contact, interaction, and information they desire? For many, online - the internet - is clearly the answer. The online world, particularly the applications known as social media, is - dare I say it? - the Mecca for atheists.
Through my twitter account @MrOzAtheist I have come to speak to, interact with, and even become friends with atheists all over the world. There is a vibrant and lively atheist community on twitter which welcomes life long atheists right through to people who are still theists but are having doubts about their beliefs. I've seen a number of examples of people new to atheism thanking others for the help and support they've been given. I've seen people tweet things about feeling alone in their real life community but feeling like they belong to a group online.
When it comes to who I follow I couldn't recommend anyone in particular here and do justice to all the atheists on twitter who are tweeting their thoughts. I follow just over 500 quality people, and almost all are atheists. Many of them tweeting atheism majority of the time and others tweeting all kinds of topics, both serious, and seriously funny. If you are interested in who I follow on twitter you can see the list here. Of course these people will follow some people I don't and so on. If twitter is your thing, I recommend having a look at the #atheist and #atheism tags and seeing who is tweeting on the subject and when you find someone you like - follow them. (Of course, if twitter is your thing, I'm sure you're aware of how this all works!)
It really is quite heart-warming to be part of a community that provides an avenue for people who would otherwise feel lonely without it, to feel like they belong somewhere. Things such as The Not Alone Project which has recently been started by Martin Pribble (@MartinPribble) have provided an avenue for atheists to post their story in "a place where the non-believers stories can be published, in a completely safe environment, which doesn't judge its participants in any way." There's also Gamma Atheist's blog where he's publishing guest posts by atheists outlining their paths to atheism (or back to - depending on your point of view). There are many, many quality atheist blogs where everyday, average atheists, are talking about many issues affecting atheists in particular and society in general.
I can highly recommend the following:
Rosa Rubicondior http://rosarubicondior.blogspot.com.au/
Martin Pribble http://martinspribble.com/
Joshua http://joshuadamnit.wordpress.com/
Melissa http://reasonlogicreality.wordpress.com/
Rachel (Atheistic in Alabama) http://atheisticinalabama.blogspot.com.au/
Green Fille http://greenfille.wordpress.com/
Of course this is not an exhaustive list and I suggest searching around for any blog whose words ring true for you.
Another popular way for atheists to learn from others and to feel part of a the community is through podcasts. As with the atheist blogs, there are too many to list them all so here are just three:
The Imaginary Friends Show: http://imaginaryfriendsshow.com/
The Herd Mentality Podcast: http://herdmentalitypodcast.com/
The No God Cast: http://nogodcast.com/
The Thinking Atheist Podcast http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/podcast
The Scathing Atheist http://scathingatheist.com/
There are more, please take the time to look for them, ask people on twitter who they like listening to and go from there.
The Scathing Atheist http://scathingatheist.com/
There are more, please take the time to look for them, ask people on twitter who they like listening to and go from there.
YouTube is another place where atheists connect and learn from each other. Number one for me, and the people I learned more about discussing this topic than anyone else is The Atheist Experience. It is actually a public access television show out of Austin, Texas and is run by the Atheist community of Austin. A quick search on YouTube of The Atheist Experience will bring back some great responses. I also recommend searching particularly for Matt Dillahunty (my biggest influence) and Tracie Harris. All the hosts and co-hosts on The Atheist Experience are fantastic, but Matt and Tracie are my two favourites.
I also recommend:
I also recommend the early Thunderf00t videos dealing with creationism. I also recommending looking up debates and discussions. Obviously those involving Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the late Christopher Hitchens come to mind
There's going to be way too many to list, but many areas these days have local atheist groups, atheist or sceptical meetups and the like. Have a look on Google and see if there's one in your local area. If not..be bold and start one!
Of course then there are books. Probably not so high on the 'connect to other atheists' scale but there can be a comfortable feeling in reading the works of people who are expressing the thoughts you've held for sometime but haven't been able to express.
Recommendations:
The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins. Probably the most well known book on the subject having sold over 2 million copies.
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything - Christopher Hitchens
What Are You Without God?: How to Discredit Religious Thought and Rebuild Your Identity - Christopher Krzeminski
I also recommend (though I haven't got to it myself) reading books by Friedrich Nietzsche.
If you are new to atheism or new to wanting to connect with other atheists I hope I have provided some information you find helpful. If you are a follower on twitter and you have further questions please don't hesitate to ask.
Thanks,
Donovan
Of course then there are books. Probably not so high on the 'connect to other atheists' scale but there can be a comfortable feeling in reading the works of people who are expressing the thoughts you've held for sometime but haven't been able to express.
Recommendations:
The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins. Probably the most well known book on the subject having sold over 2 million copies.
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything - Christopher Hitchens
What Are You Without God?: How to Discredit Religious Thought and Rebuild Your Identity - Christopher Krzeminski
I also recommend (though I haven't got to it myself) reading books by Friedrich Nietzsche.
If you are new to atheism or new to wanting to connect with other atheists I hope I have provided some information you find helpful. If you are a follower on twitter and you have further questions please don't hesitate to ask.
Thanks,
Donovan
Sunday, 1 September 2013
New to Atheism Part 2 - Being a vocal atheist
In this post I'd like to give some advice
to those not just new to atheism (whether that's after theism, or new to being an 'out' lifelong atheist) but who also want to be vocal about it. Perhaps there's something there for those who've been out and vocal for some time too. I hope so.
I'm not an expert on the atheism/theism debate, but I've been involved for a little while now and I like to think I've learnt a few things on how to get the message to people in an interesting and engaging way.
I would also like to say that I'm not telling anyone what kind of atheist they should be and I'm not demanding anyone follow any of the advice I give below. I'm just making some suggestions from what I've learnt over the past two and a bit years being active on twitter. This is my advice on how to to be heard, how to be listened to, how to be taken seriously, and how to make a difference. The advice below largely relates to twitter as that's where I'm most vocal about atheism but I hope I've written in a way that can be easily translated into other formats - particularly when it's a debating style of communication.
There are other avenues for getting your voice heard in the atheist community online apart from twitter, of course. In part three of this series I highlight some of the blogs, podcasts, books, and YouTube accounts that I find most informative and entertaining. Even though the format is different I think the message is the same and obvious - capture your audience, entertain them, be thoughtful, be funny. Whatever media you choose, read/watch/listen to plenty of it. Try to find a voice that makes you unique, find an angle that you've not seen yet. If you're too similar to others you may not get noticed. If you're writing, give people something they can relate to - such as your 'why I'm an atheist' story. I know plenty of atheists who love reading these stories.
I'm not an expert on the atheism/theism debate, but I've been involved for a little while now and I like to think I've learnt a few things on how to get the message to people in an interesting and engaging way.
I would also like to say that I'm not telling anyone what kind of atheist they should be and I'm not demanding anyone follow any of the advice I give below. I'm just making some suggestions from what I've learnt over the past two and a bit years being active on twitter. This is my advice on how to to be heard, how to be listened to, how to be taken seriously, and how to make a difference. The advice below largely relates to twitter as that's where I'm most vocal about atheism but I hope I've written in a way that can be easily translated into other formats - particularly when it's a debating style of communication.
First of all listen to others - on both sides of the debate.
And I mean listen - without joining in. Take the time to learn what each side
is saying - even the side you're not on. Don't make the mistake of being
someone who has never read, studied, or considered the alternate position. A
person best argues against a position when they have a very good understanding
of it. Time and time again I've discussed atheism or evolution with people who
oppose them but don't know what they are. It's a rookie error and
makes them look amateur. Know your opposition.
It's a mistake to think atheists = smart,
theists = stupid. This is simply not the case. There are some very smart
theists out there - yes, really. Some of the most influential and intelligent atheists I know
used to be theists. None of these people got
'smarter' the day they became atheists. They have
become more informed or have learned to think and assess information in a
manner different to how they had previously. Conversely, not all atheists are
smart. There have been more times than I care for that atheists, particularly on
twitter, have shown themselves to be ridiculous to the point of embarrassing.
It doesn't make them look good and can sometimes be detrimental to atheism as a
whole (if such thing can be said to exist).
Insults don't help. At all. I'm at fault here too. I know I've called someone a moron or a fucking idiot or something similar - but it doesn't help.
All it does is get their back up and the cries of 'ad hominem' soon follow*. I know it can be quite frustrating to keep a level head and to
keep the insults at bay when discussing something with someone who can't seem
to grasp even the most basic of the points, but once you
start calling them names you're not going to get anywhere. I will often quote
theists making a stupid comment and make my own comment. I do this because I
want to share with my followers something I think is either funny or thoughtful
(though I suspect too often it's neither). This approach opens up my tweets to
receiving replies from the people who follow me - and this is fine. It's all about
communication and getting our thoughts and ideas across and the more people get involved in that, the better. However I too often get copied on replies
that are just insults - even one word like moron or idiot. There's no thought
there, there's no humour. I can't stop this from happening, but I really wish
it wouldn't. I'm not a patient person and I think patience can be a flaw as
often as it is a virtue - but remember, I'm talking here about getting the
message across, about being heard. Flat out insults are not going to get either
of these things to happen.
Be funny. People love a laugh. I know, as I'm sure you do
too, that religion can have very serious consequences for people. It's a genuine
problem and can and does ruin people's lives. But we don't have to take the
whole thing seriously ALL the time. There is opportunity to make people laugh.
So if you see something ridiculous and you think of something funny to say, say
it.
If you want to engage with theists, be kind, be
understanding. Don't yell at them immediately don't rip into them after a
single tweet if that tweet is a genuine question or a simple misunderstanding.
Theists, like anyone, are much more likely to respond in kind. If you're rude
and aggressive, they'll be rude and aggressive too. If you're patient and
understanding, they are more likely to talk to you in a similar manner. They are,
after all, people themselves, not just words on a screen.
Having said that, there is a difference between an ignorant but genuine person and an arsehole. If someone is being mean or rude, kindness and patience are wasted. If you feel the need to tweet to these kinds of people - go for it. Some of the funniest and most entertaining tweets on my timeline are from people getting stuck into theists who are being beyond ridiculous. We don't have to tolerate intolerance and we don't have to be courteous to rudeness. Try to learn to spot the difference. Being rude to someone just wanting to learn will reflect poorly on you.
If twitter is your avenue for being vocal consider your 'stand alone' tweets too. These are tweets where you're just giving your opinions, your thoughts, or asking questions. They don't involve replying to anyone - whether that's a theist or an atheist. My advice here is be thoughtful and/or be funny. I'm sometimes being philosophical (Socractic method almost), sometimes being funny (well...at least striving to be) and sometimes just letting loose - speaking without reservation and telling 'religion' exactly what I think of it. These are what I call my rants. I love replies that I see to theists, but I also love reading what people have to say on their own and I don't think twitter has enough of it.
Having said that, there is a difference between an ignorant but genuine person and an arsehole. If someone is being mean or rude, kindness and patience are wasted. If you feel the need to tweet to these kinds of people - go for it. Some of the funniest and most entertaining tweets on my timeline are from people getting stuck into theists who are being beyond ridiculous. We don't have to tolerate intolerance and we don't have to be courteous to rudeness. Try to learn to spot the difference. Being rude to someone just wanting to learn will reflect poorly on you.
If twitter is your avenue for being vocal consider your 'stand alone' tweets too. These are tweets where you're just giving your opinions, your thoughts, or asking questions. They don't involve replying to anyone - whether that's a theist or an atheist. My advice here is be thoughtful and/or be funny. I'm sometimes being philosophical (Socractic method almost), sometimes being funny (well...at least striving to be) and sometimes just letting loose - speaking without reservation and telling 'religion' exactly what I think of it. These are what I call my rants. I love replies that I see to theists, but I also love reading what people have to say on their own and I don't think twitter has enough of it.
There are other avenues for getting your voice heard in the atheist community online apart from twitter, of course. In part three of this series I highlight some of the blogs, podcasts, books, and YouTube accounts that I find most informative and entertaining. Even though the format is different I think the message is the same and obvious - capture your audience, entertain them, be thoughtful, be funny. Whatever media you choose, read/watch/listen to plenty of it. Try to find a voice that makes you unique, find an angle that you've not seen yet. If you're too similar to others you may not get noticed. If you're writing, give people something they can relate to - such as your 'why I'm an atheist' story. I know plenty of atheists who love reading these stories.
There's no point wanting to be vocal in the atheist
community and doing it in a way that doesn't reach an audience. If you don't reach an audience, you may as well just write on a notepad. If you want to
have a voice, you need to think about how to get that voice heard. Bring
something to the table, provide something that people want to hear. Look at what's being done in the format you're interested in and see if you can find something missing.
Getting yourself heard will be helped by engaging with people. Talk to other atheists and listen to them. Ask about their experiences, and, if they're interested, share yours. People are far more likely to listen to what you have to say if they know you're prepared to listen to what they have to say too. If you're blogging, read other blogs and let people know you've done it. If YouTube is your thing same applies - watch the work of others. Apply this to whichever format you want to be heard in.
I have found the atheist community online is very welcoming. I have retweeted many people who are new to atheism or new to being able to say they're an atheist and it is always a case of being welcomed with open arms (as much as that can be done online, in text). I've not ever seen a new atheist shunned by the people I follow.
Myself - I have met some wonderful people through my MrOzAtheist account, people I would now call genuine friends. If you find people who are 'speaking your language' then don't be shy, engage. You're not going to have a connection with everyone of course, but you won't know until you try. Don't be shy, say hello.
Getting yourself heard will be helped by engaging with people. Talk to other atheists and listen to them. Ask about their experiences, and, if they're interested, share yours. People are far more likely to listen to what you have to say if they know you're prepared to listen to what they have to say too. If you're blogging, read other blogs and let people know you've done it. If YouTube is your thing same applies - watch the work of others. Apply this to whichever format you want to be heard in.
I have found the atheist community online is very welcoming. I have retweeted many people who are new to atheism or new to being able to say they're an atheist and it is always a case of being welcomed with open arms (as much as that can be done online, in text). I've not ever seen a new atheist shunned by the people I follow.
Myself - I have met some wonderful people through my MrOzAtheist account, people I would now call genuine friends. If you find people who are 'speaking your language' then don't be shy, engage. You're not going to have a connection with everyone of course, but you won't know until you try. Don't be shy, say hello.
I encourage all people willing and able to add their voice to the atheist community - in whatever way you want that voice to be added. The more voices added, the more people will feel comfortable in being able to say, "I too am an atheist". Once we have enough people doing that saying won't even matter any more. And that's where we should all be hoping to get.
Thanks,
Donovan
*an insult is not an ad hominem. An ad hominem fallacy is when you claim someone is wrong because of a flaw in their character EG "you're wrong because you're a moron" There's a difference between this and "you're wrong, AND you're a moron" you may go on to logically defeat their argument but the insult is still not a good look - avoid.
Thanks,
Donovan
*an insult is not an ad hominem. An ad hominem fallacy is when you claim someone is wrong because of a flaw in their character EG "you're wrong because you're a moron" There's a difference between this and "you're wrong, AND you're a moron" you may go on to logically defeat their argument but the insult is still not a good look - avoid.
Monday, 26 August 2013
New To Atheism - Part 1 "Welcome to atheism"
Dear reader,
Welcome to atheism.
I guess that's a strange thing to say. Coming 'to' atheism isn't really a thing. What is atheism really but a doubt in the claims that a god exists? There are some who say that in order to be an atheist, the question itself never had to be considered. These people say that atheism is the default - that we are atheists the moment we're born. So maybe I should be saying 'welcome back to atheism'?
Regardless, whether you consider yourself new to atheism, returning to atheism, or new to coming out as the atheist you've always been. I'm glad you've found your way here. I hope that I've written something below that you find helpful.
The first, and most important point to make - you are NOT alone. There are atheists everywhere. Millions of us in fact. You may think there are none in your house, your street, or even your town - but there's a chance someone you know is thinking exactly the same thing. The question is...how do you find these people? How do you connect?
The obvious answer (for those who can access it) - is the internet. I have had more than a few people tell me, or mention to others, that they didn't know any other atheists, until they came online. They honestly thought they were *alone*. As I've said on twitter -
Becoming an atheist after years of theism can often be daunting. You might be turning your entire world upside down, everything you thought about the universe and our world within it is suddenly 'wrong'.
Some people can make this change without issue. For others, it's a very trying and testing time. It's common to be angry at the loss of one's understanding. You might feel cheated and\or lied to. You might feel that you can no longer trust anyone, especially if the beliefs you previously held were given to you by an authority figure (which is likely the case).
I understand why these negative emotions come about but they are not permanent. Once you learn to see the universe for the natural wonder that it is, the feeling of being cheated and disappointed will disperse. You'll need to train yourself to look forward, and not backward, to celebrate what you have, not lament what you don't.
How? Recognise that this IS the life you get and that time wasted is time you'll never get back. You've come this far with a false idea of 'creation' and a false idea that a 'god' is watching and caring about everything you do. But you've given up that idea and come to the realisation that the universe is a natural place. Rejoice in this. Celebrate it. Look at the universe without the god-shaped blind spot in front of your eyes.
It is an amazing thing that you are here at all. For 'you' to be in existence, an extraordinary number of coincidences must have fallen into place, make the most of this.
Understand that people who brought you to theism probably didn't do it with malice. They, like you before, more than likely believed what they told you. They haven't deceived you deliberately. Anger at these people is wasted. It will serve you no purpose. I understand the need to vent and I'm sure the need to question the people who convinced you that theism was correct will be strong, but confronting them in anger will not help you in the long run. If you feel the need to question any of the people who were involved in you becoming a theist, do so with kindness and understanding. Remember that they still believe the falsehoods that you've now given up. Ask them your questions if you need to, but keep in mind how you would feel if someone confronted you angrily when you've told them what you thought was true.
We're told that as atheists we must have nothing to live for - of course we have everything to live for. There's nothing for us once we die. I've written a blog here about the claim that atheists have nothing to live for. Obviously you can adjust this how you see fit - but it does show that in a world without a 'god' there is PLENTY for atheists to live for. If you feel that leaving theism has left a gap in your life, I hope you can find some ideas which give your life some meaning.
There are also people who've been atheists their whole lives but are still 'in the closet'. They don't have the same issue of having their understanding of the universe drastically altered but the thought of coming out as an atheist can still be a frightening idea, especially if there's a threat of losing family or friends if you 'come out'.
One thing to keep in mind here is that announcing that you're an atheist is not an obligation. If you don't feel safe or comfortable, keeping atheism to yourself is okay. There are plenty of atheists I interact with on twitter who are anonymous because of the potential impacts in their real life. This is where the online atheist community thrives. It's a wonderful place for people who don't have another avenue to connect with people who share their point view.
So whether you are a lifelong atheist or one who's recently turned away from theism, coming out can lead to alienation of friends and family. It can lead to being ostracised. I've read a case of family being forced out of town, I've read how being an atheist can lead to imprisonment and even death in some parts of the world. This is, of course, totally unacceptable. It's not all negative though. Not by a long way. Being an atheist can also lead to any number of positive feelings. The idea that you can 'finally' talk to someone who shares your point of view. The opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas on how theism impacts the world and how we can do things better. There's the wonder at the natural beauty of the universe and what seems like a strange mixture of chaos and order. There's the thrill of learning how something really works versus the notion that we must be satisfied with 'god did it'. Being an atheist when coming from theism can be liberating. It is the clichéd weight being lifted off one's shoulders. I look at world and know that I am lucky to be here and that life is to be valued. As atheists we need not think that we're in god's waiting room, we're not here to pass some bizarre character test in order get a 'pass' into the afterlife. We no longer claim that we're being good just because some overlord is watching our every move - we can be good for goodness sake. We can have sex without worrying that any number of our dead relatives might be watching.
I'm confident that there will come a time where being an atheist - everywhere - is not only acceptable, it's irrelevant. Because that's what it should be. It shouldn't matter. We should accept people based on their actions, based on how they treat others, based on the value and ideas they bring to the community. I hope we get to the point where we stop accepting or rejecting people based on which version of the creation myth they do or don't believe.
For this to happen we need all atheists to feel that can say it with no expectation of negative reaction. For some of us it's easy, the more we do it, the more we say it, the easier it will become for everyone.
Until this happens, being an atheist is going to be a struggle for many people. If you are one of them, please know you're not alone, I commend you for beginning and being on this journey. I hope you learn to be comfortable as an atheist, I hope you can be comfortable with all your family and friends knowing that you're an atheist and that you don't have to hide it. If you wish to, seek out other atheists, say hello, interact, get to know them. Speak up if you feel the need and most of all, don't allow anyone to make you feel bad for being who you are. You are an atheist, and this is nothing to be ashamed of.
Thanks for reading
~Donovan
________________________________________________
This is part 1 of a 3 part series of blogs title 'New To Atheism'.
Part 2 is a guide to being a vocal atheist. It's not a set of rules, more a series of tips and advice that I've learnt from my time as a vocal atheist - particularly on twitter.
Part 3 is a resource guide. It will detail blogs, books, podcasts and other methods where people new to atheism (and others) can find information about atheism and atheists.
Welcome to atheism.
I guess that's a strange thing to say. Coming 'to' atheism isn't really a thing. What is atheism really but a doubt in the claims that a god exists? There are some who say that in order to be an atheist, the question itself never had to be considered. These people say that atheism is the default - that we are atheists the moment we're born. So maybe I should be saying 'welcome back to atheism'?
Regardless, whether you consider yourself new to atheism, returning to atheism, or new to coming out as the atheist you've always been. I'm glad you've found your way here. I hope that I've written something below that you find helpful.
The first, and most important point to make - you are NOT alone. There are atheists everywhere. Millions of us in fact. You may think there are none in your house, your street, or even your town - but there's a chance someone you know is thinking exactly the same thing. The question is...how do you find these people? How do you connect?
The obvious answer (for those who can access it) - is the internet. I have had more than a few people tell me, or mention to others, that they didn't know any other atheists, until they came online. They honestly thought they were *alone*. As I've said on twitter -
I wish theists would understand that #atheists are not vocal just to argue with them, we're vocal so other atheists know they're not alone.In part 3 of this 3 part series of blogs on 'New To Atheism' I highlight some of the ways someone new to atheism can find other atheists to interact with. Given that you've found your way to my blog, you've clearly got internet access - this is a wonderful place to start.
— Donovan (@MrOzAtheist) February 23, 2012
Becoming an atheist after years of theism can often be daunting. You might be turning your entire world upside down, everything you thought about the universe and our world within it is suddenly 'wrong'.
Some people can make this change without issue. For others, it's a very trying and testing time. It's common to be angry at the loss of one's understanding. You might feel cheated and\or lied to. You might feel that you can no longer trust anyone, especially if the beliefs you previously held were given to you by an authority figure (which is likely the case).
I understand why these negative emotions come about but they are not permanent. Once you learn to see the universe for the natural wonder that it is, the feeling of being cheated and disappointed will disperse. You'll need to train yourself to look forward, and not backward, to celebrate what you have, not lament what you don't.
How? Recognise that this IS the life you get and that time wasted is time you'll never get back. You've come this far with a false idea of 'creation' and a false idea that a 'god' is watching and caring about everything you do. But you've given up that idea and come to the realisation that the universe is a natural place. Rejoice in this. Celebrate it. Look at the universe without the god-shaped blind spot in front of your eyes.
It is an amazing thing that you are here at all. For 'you' to be in existence, an extraordinary number of coincidences must have fallen into place, make the most of this.
Understand that people who brought you to theism probably didn't do it with malice. They, like you before, more than likely believed what they told you. They haven't deceived you deliberately. Anger at these people is wasted. It will serve you no purpose. I understand the need to vent and I'm sure the need to question the people who convinced you that theism was correct will be strong, but confronting them in anger will not help you in the long run. If you feel the need to question any of the people who were involved in you becoming a theist, do so with kindness and understanding. Remember that they still believe the falsehoods that you've now given up. Ask them your questions if you need to, but keep in mind how you would feel if someone confronted you angrily when you've told them what you thought was true.
We're told that as atheists we must have nothing to live for - of course we have everything to live for. There's nothing for us once we die. I've written a blog here about the claim that atheists have nothing to live for. Obviously you can adjust this how you see fit - but it does show that in a world without a 'god' there is PLENTY for atheists to live for. If you feel that leaving theism has left a gap in your life, I hope you can find some ideas which give your life some meaning.
There are also people who've been atheists their whole lives but are still 'in the closet'. They don't have the same issue of having their understanding of the universe drastically altered but the thought of coming out as an atheist can still be a frightening idea, especially if there's a threat of losing family or friends if you 'come out'.
One thing to keep in mind here is that announcing that you're an atheist is not an obligation. If you don't feel safe or comfortable, keeping atheism to yourself is okay. There are plenty of atheists I interact with on twitter who are anonymous because of the potential impacts in their real life. This is where the online atheist community thrives. It's a wonderful place for people who don't have another avenue to connect with people who share their point view.
So whether you are a lifelong atheist or one who's recently turned away from theism, coming out can lead to alienation of friends and family. It can lead to being ostracised. I've read a case of family being forced out of town, I've read how being an atheist can lead to imprisonment and even death in some parts of the world. This is, of course, totally unacceptable. It's not all negative though. Not by a long way. Being an atheist can also lead to any number of positive feelings. The idea that you can 'finally' talk to someone who shares your point of view. The opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas on how theism impacts the world and how we can do things better. There's the wonder at the natural beauty of the universe and what seems like a strange mixture of chaos and order. There's the thrill of learning how something really works versus the notion that we must be satisfied with 'god did it'. Being an atheist when coming from theism can be liberating. It is the clichéd weight being lifted off one's shoulders. I look at world and know that I am lucky to be here and that life is to be valued. As atheists we need not think that we're in god's waiting room, we're not here to pass some bizarre character test in order get a 'pass' into the afterlife. We no longer claim that we're being good just because some overlord is watching our every move - we can be good for goodness sake. We can have sex without worrying that any number of our dead relatives might be watching.
I'm confident that there will come a time where being an atheist - everywhere - is not only acceptable, it's irrelevant. Because that's what it should be. It shouldn't matter. We should accept people based on their actions, based on how they treat others, based on the value and ideas they bring to the community. I hope we get to the point where we stop accepting or rejecting people based on which version of the creation myth they do or don't believe.
For this to happen we need all atheists to feel that can say it with no expectation of negative reaction. For some of us it's easy, the more we do it, the more we say it, the easier it will become for everyone.
Until this happens, being an atheist is going to be a struggle for many people. If you are one of them, please know you're not alone, I commend you for beginning and being on this journey. I hope you learn to be comfortable as an atheist, I hope you can be comfortable with all your family and friends knowing that you're an atheist and that you don't have to hide it. If you wish to, seek out other atheists, say hello, interact, get to know them. Speak up if you feel the need and most of all, don't allow anyone to make you feel bad for being who you are. You are an atheist, and this is nothing to be ashamed of.
Thanks for reading
~Donovan
________________________________________________
This is part 1 of a 3 part series of blogs title 'New To Atheism'.
Part 2 is a guide to being a vocal atheist. It's not a set of rules, more a series of tips and advice that I've learnt from my time as a vocal atheist - particularly on twitter.
Part 3 is a resource guide. It will detail blogs, books, podcasts and other methods where people new to atheism (and others) can find information about atheism and atheists.
Sunday, 28 July 2013
Dear Yahweh
Dear Yahweh,
Regarding your application for permission to create a universe. I've taken a look at your plans and before I can give you my decision there are some things I need to highlight.
First thing I'd like to address is the size of your universe. If I'm reading this correctly, you're building hundreds of billions of galaxies, each with hundreds of billions of stars. However you plan on putting life on only one planet. Although I can understand that such a universe would look spectacular, I'm concerned at the waste of materials that your proposal would generate.
I fail to understand why you're going to create everything in six days but all evidence will point to the universe being billions of years old. Are you deliberately trying to delude the humans? Is it your goal to make the people who literally believe your story look like morons? I can't understand why you'd do that if these are the people who will be your biggest supporters. This is a big area of concern.
As Earth is the only planet on which you plan to place life, I'll concentrate the rest of my review there.
You're starting with just two people, though leaving evidence that evolution is actually responsible for the diversity of life. Again I must ask, are you deliberately trying to make your biggest supporters look stupid? Why would you do that? Regarding your original two people, it seems you plan on 'tricking' these people, with talking snake I might add, into eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil - even though you don't actually want them to. You're then going to cast them out of this 'Garden of Eden' for doing this? I hate to sound rude, but are you crazy? If you don't want them to gain knowledge of good and evil...why put the tree there in the first place? What's wrong with you? Then you plan on labelling all humans from this point on as 'sinners' because of this one event, this 'original sin' in their past. Do you understand the descendants of these people had no control over this event? More on that later.
Moving on a little - After a few generations you're flooding entire planet. Again, I need to ask, what is wrong with you? You seem to fail to understand these people are going to behave AS YOU CREATED THEM! It is completely insane to wipe out the planet when the people are as you intend them to be. You have foreknowledge, remember? Why create these people if they're going to be so 'sinful' that you will then feel the need to wipe them out? I don't think you've considered this at all. Then to continue on with the human race you're going to save some bloke called Noah and his family. You're going to have him load millions of animals onto a boat. Seven pairs of each kind of clean animal and one pair of each kind of unclean. I've seen the dimensions you propose for this boat. It's simply not going to work. He's going to need a bigger boat.
At this point I will need to skip forward a bit because, well, to put it bluntly, your plan involves an incredible amount of nonsense and I simply don't have time to address each and every issue I've found in your submission. I would like to say though that your plan of having a rape victim marry the rapist is simply outrageous and one of the most disgusting things I've ever been presented in Universe Planning. I saw too that you include a guide for people regarding how much they can beat their slaves. I'm struggling to understand how you can plan on being a god of your own universe yet still think that slavery is an acceptable idea.
I'm sure you were aware this was coming - we need to have a talk about this Jesus character. So many problems here. Not the least of which is that you're going to go to earth...but not as you, as your son. Then you will sacrifice yourself as your son...to yourself as 'God', to save people from...you? You are joking, right? First of all, you wipe out the planet with a flood, then the humans go 'bad' again so you want to save them with human sacrifice? I'm really not sure how you can expect people to take this plan seriously. You say that 'Jesus' will die for the humans' sins but again you seem to completely fail to understand that YOU are creating all these humans with sin to begin with. This is amateur to say the least.
You say that for humans to come to you in heaven once they die they will have to accept you - but as Jesus - as their lord and saviour. However I've looked at the numbers and by the year they call 2013, only 2 in every 7 humans on Earth will believe the Jesus story. I cannot highlight the significance of this enough. You are starting what is essentially a cult of human sacrifice in order to have humans 'saved' from sins which, as previously mentioned, THEY didn't commit. This is just preposterous. I can see why so few humans are going to be convinced by this story. It's completely asinine. And for this imagined 'crime' of not being able to believe this ridiculous story, your plan is to sentence these humans, by the billions, to eternity in 'Hell'? How can you claim to be an 'all-loving' god and condemn billions of these humans you claim to 'love' to eternity in hell? I'm staggered. I highly recommend you have a cup of tea and a sit down.
This leads me to my next point. You state that you want want to be known as an all-loving, all-powerful, all-knowing god yet no aspect of your plan points to this being the case.
All-loving: As previously stated, billions of people will end up in hell under your plan. For centuries women are going to be treated as subservient to men. Homosexuals are going to be persecuted and receive disgusting treatment because of your teachings, and millions and millions of people are going to be killed by people who believe in you because they don't like the way other people believe in you. How can you expect to be considered 'all-loving'? All loving, but 'conditions apply' perhaps.
All-powerful: First - Satan. How do you expect to be considered all-powerful when you allow a nemesis, which you created, to have control over people? Your plan involves Satan bringing people to evil and having them do things you'd rather them not do. It seems pointless to point out to you that an all-powerful god would defeat this 'Satan' character in an instant if he didn't want him doing these things, but what's worse is that you KNOW this is going to happen. You needn't defeat him, you needn't create him in the first place. Why have him in your plan at all? You plan to allow evil and tragedy but do nothing about it. Your plan has you nowhere near 'all-powerful'.
All-knowing: You expect to be considered 'all-knowing' but you make mistakes? You're *twice* going to set in motion plans to right the wrongs of the humans. You're going to send humans to hell knowing in advance what 'sins' they're going to commit, and knowing that billions of them won't be able to believe in your story. Your plan also includes you being 'tricked' by Satan. You're going to kill Job's children, kill his livestock, then you're going to torture Job and you're then going to tell Satan that he, Satan, caused you to move against Job without cause. You *know* this is going to happen because it's part of your plan yet you're going to try the 'The Devil made me do it' excuse? I cannot, for a single moment, understand how you would think any reasonable person would consider you all-knowing if you're going to claim to be tricked when it's all part of your plan!
Yahweh, your plan is atrocious. You're going to sit idly by why children are raped, yet intervene on Earth to allow already millionaire sports people become richer by helping them win sporting events. You're going to allow millions of children to starve to death while accepting praise from privileged people sitting down to meals that are essentially feasts. You're going to send millions of genuinely kind, caring, honest people to hell because they can't accept the Jesus story, whilst allowing life long thieves, paedophiles, rapists, and murderers into heaven if they accept Jesus and are saved. You're going to send natural disasters to earth killing tens, hundreds, thousands and on occasion millions of people at a time, so you can be praised for sparing one life. You're going to provide absolutely nothing a critically thinking person could accept as evidence you exist and then demand that they believe in you anyway. I could go on and on about how ridiculously bad this plan is but I have neither the time nor inclination.
Yahweh - it's not going to come as a surprise, but your submission is terrible. Your application to create a universe is, without reservation, denied.
Regarding your application for permission to create a universe. I've taken a look at your plans and before I can give you my decision there are some things I need to highlight.
First thing I'd like to address is the size of your universe. If I'm reading this correctly, you're building hundreds of billions of galaxies, each with hundreds of billions of stars. However you plan on putting life on only one planet. Although I can understand that such a universe would look spectacular, I'm concerned at the waste of materials that your proposal would generate.
I fail to understand why you're going to create everything in six days but all evidence will point to the universe being billions of years old. Are you deliberately trying to delude the humans? Is it your goal to make the people who literally believe your story look like morons? I can't understand why you'd do that if these are the people who will be your biggest supporters. This is a big area of concern.
As Earth is the only planet on which you plan to place life, I'll concentrate the rest of my review there.
You're starting with just two people, though leaving evidence that evolution is actually responsible for the diversity of life. Again I must ask, are you deliberately trying to make your biggest supporters look stupid? Why would you do that? Regarding your original two people, it seems you plan on 'tricking' these people, with talking snake I might add, into eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil - even though you don't actually want them to. You're then going to cast them out of this 'Garden of Eden' for doing this? I hate to sound rude, but are you crazy? If you don't want them to gain knowledge of good and evil...why put the tree there in the first place? What's wrong with you? Then you plan on labelling all humans from this point on as 'sinners' because of this one event, this 'original sin' in their past. Do you understand the descendants of these people had no control over this event? More on that later.
Moving on a little - After a few generations you're flooding entire planet. Again, I need to ask, what is wrong with you? You seem to fail to understand these people are going to behave AS YOU CREATED THEM! It is completely insane to wipe out the planet when the people are as you intend them to be. You have foreknowledge, remember? Why create these people if they're going to be so 'sinful' that you will then feel the need to wipe them out? I don't think you've considered this at all. Then to continue on with the human race you're going to save some bloke called Noah and his family. You're going to have him load millions of animals onto a boat. Seven pairs of each kind of clean animal and one pair of each kind of unclean. I've seen the dimensions you propose for this boat. It's simply not going to work. He's going to need a bigger boat.
At this point I will need to skip forward a bit because, well, to put it bluntly, your plan involves an incredible amount of nonsense and I simply don't have time to address each and every issue I've found in your submission. I would like to say though that your plan of having a rape victim marry the rapist is simply outrageous and one of the most disgusting things I've ever been presented in Universe Planning. I saw too that you include a guide for people regarding how much they can beat their slaves. I'm struggling to understand how you can plan on being a god of your own universe yet still think that slavery is an acceptable idea.
I'm sure you were aware this was coming - we need to have a talk about this Jesus character. So many problems here. Not the least of which is that you're going to go to earth...but not as you, as your son. Then you will sacrifice yourself as your son...to yourself as 'God', to save people from...you? You are joking, right? First of all, you wipe out the planet with a flood, then the humans go 'bad' again so you want to save them with human sacrifice? I'm really not sure how you can expect people to take this plan seriously. You say that 'Jesus' will die for the humans' sins but again you seem to completely fail to understand that YOU are creating all these humans with sin to begin with. This is amateur to say the least.
You say that for humans to come to you in heaven once they die they will have to accept you - but as Jesus - as their lord and saviour. However I've looked at the numbers and by the year they call 2013, only 2 in every 7 humans on Earth will believe the Jesus story. I cannot highlight the significance of this enough. You are starting what is essentially a cult of human sacrifice in order to have humans 'saved' from sins which, as previously mentioned, THEY didn't commit. This is just preposterous. I can see why so few humans are going to be convinced by this story. It's completely asinine. And for this imagined 'crime' of not being able to believe this ridiculous story, your plan is to sentence these humans, by the billions, to eternity in 'Hell'? How can you claim to be an 'all-loving' god and condemn billions of these humans you claim to 'love' to eternity in hell? I'm staggered. I highly recommend you have a cup of tea and a sit down.
This leads me to my next point. You state that you want want to be known as an all-loving, all-powerful, all-knowing god yet no aspect of your plan points to this being the case.
All-loving: As previously stated, billions of people will end up in hell under your plan. For centuries women are going to be treated as subservient to men. Homosexuals are going to be persecuted and receive disgusting treatment because of your teachings, and millions and millions of people are going to be killed by people who believe in you because they don't like the way other people believe in you. How can you expect to be considered 'all-loving'? All loving, but 'conditions apply' perhaps.
All-powerful: First - Satan. How do you expect to be considered all-powerful when you allow a nemesis, which you created, to have control over people? Your plan involves Satan bringing people to evil and having them do things you'd rather them not do. It seems pointless to point out to you that an all-powerful god would defeat this 'Satan' character in an instant if he didn't want him doing these things, but what's worse is that you KNOW this is going to happen. You needn't defeat him, you needn't create him in the first place. Why have him in your plan at all? You plan to allow evil and tragedy but do nothing about it. Your plan has you nowhere near 'all-powerful'.
All-knowing: You expect to be considered 'all-knowing' but you make mistakes? You're *twice* going to set in motion plans to right the wrongs of the humans. You're going to send humans to hell knowing in advance what 'sins' they're going to commit, and knowing that billions of them won't be able to believe in your story. Your plan also includes you being 'tricked' by Satan. You're going to kill Job's children, kill his livestock, then you're going to torture Job and you're then going to tell Satan that he, Satan, caused you to move against Job without cause. You *know* this is going to happen because it's part of your plan yet you're going to try the 'The Devil made me do it' excuse? I cannot, for a single moment, understand how you would think any reasonable person would consider you all-knowing if you're going to claim to be tricked when it's all part of your plan!
Yahweh, your plan is atrocious. You're going to sit idly by why children are raped, yet intervene on Earth to allow already millionaire sports people become richer by helping them win sporting events. You're going to allow millions of children to starve to death while accepting praise from privileged people sitting down to meals that are essentially feasts. You're going to send millions of genuinely kind, caring, honest people to hell because they can't accept the Jesus story, whilst allowing life long thieves, paedophiles, rapists, and murderers into heaven if they accept Jesus and are saved. You're going to send natural disasters to earth killing tens, hundreds, thousands and on occasion millions of people at a time, so you can be praised for sparing one life. You're going to provide absolutely nothing a critically thinking person could accept as evidence you exist and then demand that they believe in you anyway. I could go on and on about how ridiculously bad this plan is but I have neither the time nor inclination.
Yahweh - it's not going to come as a surprise, but your submission is terrible. Your application to create a universe is, without reservation, denied.
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
As an atheist
We atheists often get told that we can't be good without god in our lives. We can't be 'moral' and we've no reason to live.
When people tell us this they are, of course, wrong.
As an atheist I can give my life my own goals and I need not exist simply to please an overlord.
As an atheist I can do good for goodness sake.
As an atheist I can strive for societal improvement for the sake of future generations.
As an atheist I can do good because I'm driven by conscience, not because I'm trying to pass a test to get into 'heaven'.
As an atheist I can accept people for who they are and not need to condemn them for acts imagined to be 'sinful'.
As an atheist I can base my decisions on empathy, logic, reason, and understanding, and not some antiquated, superstitious scripture.
As an atheist I will never hold a sign condemning people to hell.
As an atheist I will never hold a sign declaring that people who disagree with me should be beheaded.
As an atheist I will never wish violence on those with opposing views.
As an atheist I will never threaten someone with eternal damnation for the crime of 'not being convinced'.
As an atheist I will never think that a child, friend, or even stranger is an abomination for being gay.
As an atheist I will never let my child die while I pray instead of seeking medical attention.
As an atheist I will never set fire to a human being because I think them a witch.
As an atheist I can appreciate the natural wonder of the universe.
As an atheist I can condemn tragic acts without excusing them as being part of 'god's plan'.
As an atheist I can freely admit that I don't know something without the need to make up an answer.
As an atheist I understand that unexplained and unexplainable are two different things.
As an atheist my life's goal can be a healthy planet and a healthy and happy population (including non-human animals)
As an atheist I can be good without god.
When people tell us this they are, of course, wrong.
As an atheist I can give my life my own goals and I need not exist simply to please an overlord.
As an atheist I can do good for goodness sake.
As an atheist I can strive for societal improvement for the sake of future generations.
As an atheist I can do good because I'm driven by conscience, not because I'm trying to pass a test to get into 'heaven'.
As an atheist I can accept people for who they are and not need to condemn them for acts imagined to be 'sinful'.
As an atheist I can base my decisions on empathy, logic, reason, and understanding, and not some antiquated, superstitious scripture.
As an atheist I will never hold a sign condemning people to hell.
As an atheist I will never hold a sign declaring that people who disagree with me should be beheaded.
As an atheist I will never wish violence on those with opposing views.
As an atheist I will never threaten someone with eternal damnation for the crime of 'not being convinced'.
As an atheist I will never think that a child, friend, or even stranger is an abomination for being gay.
As an atheist I will never let my child die while I pray instead of seeking medical attention.
As an atheist I will never set fire to a human being because I think them a witch.
As an atheist I can appreciate the natural wonder of the universe.
As an atheist I can condemn tragic acts without excusing them as being part of 'god's plan'.
As an atheist I can freely admit that I don't know something without the need to make up an answer.
As an atheist I understand that unexplained and unexplainable are two different things.
As an atheist my life's goal can be a healthy planet and a healthy and happy population (including non-human animals)
As an atheist I can be good without god.
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