tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90437766366392129422024-02-22T02:11:06.678-05:00Honest to GodlessOne Ohio atheist's candid commentary on politics, philosophy, and everyday life on Planet Earth, sometimes served with a side of snark.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-84490486328534029982012-12-22T01:36:00.000-05:002012-12-22T01:36:20.266-05:00Relocating<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
I'm going to be relocating this blog to the newly revamped <a href="http://skepticfreethought.com/" target="_blank">Skeptic Freethought</a> network.<br />
<br />
I'll leave all of my old posts here for now, but all future entries are going to be at <a href="http://skepticfreethought.com/honesttogodless/">http://skepticfreethought.com/honesttogodless/</a>.<br />
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Excuse its plainness, as it's still under construction.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-79105023711200073442012-12-14T16:20:00.000-05:002012-12-14T16:20:08.143-05:00A quick word about gun control<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
I normally don't add my two cents to the noise surrounding breaking news about tragedies, but I'm making an exception in this case.<br />
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Between today's school shooting in Connecticut, last week's mall shooting in Oregon, the cinema shooting earlier this year, and any others I've lost track of, it's evident that mass murders involving guns are becoming frighteningly common in this country.<br />
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Left-wingers have been quick to call for more gun control, and right-wingers have been quick to defend gun ownership rights (and censorship advocates are already blaming it on violent video games, but that's another story). This happens every time there's a mass shooting, and every time the discussion breaks down into two groups shouting at each other from opposite sides of the aisle and ends up going nowhere. Repeat a few <strike>years</strike> <strike>months</strike> <strike>weeks</strike> <b>days </b>later when another mass shooting occurs.<br />
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This needs to change. We need to stop arguing and start investigating. Let's look at what factors contributed to the tragedy, and then let's look at what we can do to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.<br />
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When we talk about our 2nd Amendment rights, let's keep in mind that when the document was written, the deadliest weapon you could physically carry was a flintlock musket. It took a full minute to load, aim, and fire, and if that didn't take down your enemy before he closed in you'd better hope you had a sharp bayonet to stab him with.<br />
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Today we have handguns that can hold a dozen or so rounds that are automatically chambered after each shot. We have rapid-fire rifles that can fire several shots in less than a second. We have bullets that aren't just an oblong ball of lead, but rather aerodynamic projectiles that can be specially shaped to pierce steel or shred soft tissue.<br />
<br />I'm all for responsible citizens being able to own small arms for self-defense, hunting, and recreational target shooting. I'm for it in the same way that I'm for responsible citizens being able to own motorized vehicles to get from place to place without having to walk or depend on public transit. Guns and cars alike may be bought for a legitimate purpose but easily hurt people through negligence or malice. We don't let people operate cars without first ensuring that they know how to do so safely. Can liberals and conservatives come to an agreement on how to do the same with guns?<br />
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Just a thought.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-79680520607049403342012-12-05T23:16:00.001-05:002012-12-06T10:18:33.724-05:00Three Minutes in the Moon's Shadow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbmDEJqORaNO-DVlyIhllUi8CnYr7yS3b8djnJUGFCYGSsGb4fuJYuhNC4vpnoGTbJEojSkQi6Y35cMXwEUPd631zFsflWO59bPfQWy5EuRc-48UWFQqkbIemWofdHl4622nje-uRL78/s1600/Eclipse.PNG" imageanchor="1"><img alt="My awesome MS-Paint rendition of a total solar eclipse progression. You know you love it." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbmDEJqORaNO-DVlyIhllUi8CnYr7yS3b8djnJUGFCYGSsGb4fuJYuhNC4vpnoGTbJEojSkQi6Y35cMXwEUPd631zFsflWO59bPfQWy5EuRc-48UWFQqkbIemWofdHl4622nje-uRL78/s400/Eclipse.PNG" height="72" title="My awesome MS-Paint rendition of a total solar eclipse progression. You know you love it." width="500" /></a></span></div>
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Last month I had the unforgettable experience of watching a total solar eclipse for the first time in my life. I'd say it is, hands down, the most spectacular natural phenomenon that you can observe with the naked eye.</span><br />
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It's a sight that many people only get to see in pictures and videos during their lifetimes, unless they happen to live in the right place at the right time or have the wherewithal to travel there.</span><br />
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Given that I married into a family whose favorite pastime is travelling the world to observe solar eclipses, I'd say I lucked out. They've been everywhere from the jungles of Zambia to a plane flying over the Arctic ice to watch the moon blot out the sun for just a few minutes at a time. They're self-proclaimed eclipse chasers, and my father-in-law runs a <a href="http://eclipse-chasers.com/" target="_blank">website</a> and <a href="http://eclipsechasers.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> dedicated to their hobby.</span><br />
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My in-laws decided that it was time for me to lose my eclipse virginity, so they brought me along on a voyage to the South Pacific.</span><br />
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(For an excellent interactive map of where this eclipse was visible, you can go <a href="http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/TSE_2012_GoogleMapFull.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</span><br />
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Some eclipse chasers elected to go to Australia to view this eclipse from land. Our group had a different idea.</span><br />
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Our destination:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=-26.748,+166.775&aq=&sll=39.982951,-82.990829&sspn=0.518758,1.296387&t=m&ie=UTF8&ll=-26.352498,166.376953&spn=27.364902,37.353516&z=4&output=embed" width="425"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=-26.748,+166.775&aq=&sll=39.982951,-82.990829&sspn=0.518758,1.296387&t=m&ie=UTF8&ll=-26.352498,166.376953&spn=27.364902,37.353516&z=4" style="color: blue;">View Larger Map</a></span></div>
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And so we traveled to Fiji, and left on a cruise ship chartered by a bunch of astronomy nerds for the specific purpose of seeing the eclipse at sea. Having not yet seen an eclipse, I was amazed at the lengths that people would go to in order to get good seats to the show. I was certainly looking forward to the trip, but still had no idea how amazing the experience would be.</span><br />
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For the uninitiated, here's a quick explanation of some eclipse jargon:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Total solar eclipse</b>: when the moon (during an approach closer to Earth) moves directly in front of the sun and blocks it out completely; the brief period of time in which this happens is called <b>totality</b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Annular solar eclipse:</b> when the moon (during an approach farther from Earth) moves directly in front of the sun and blocks out all but a ring of the sun's surface around its outer edge (not as awesome as a total eclipse)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Partial solar eclipse:</b> when the moon crosses the sun's path in the sky but does not fully eclipse it </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(also not as awesome as a total eclipse)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>First contact:</b> the moment when a tiny bit of the moon's silhouette first appears in front of the sun, beginning the eclipse</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Second contact:</b> the moment when the last sliver of the sun disappears and totality begins, marked by a "diamond ring" effect</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Third contact:</b> the moment when totality ends and the sun starts to reappear, marked by a second "diamond ring" effect</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Fourth contact:</b> the moment the last bit of the moon's silhouette disappears from in front of the sun, thus ending the eclipse.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Solar filter:</b> a sheet of material that blocks at least 99.997% of incoming light, through which it's safe to look at the sun.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Corona:</b> a layer of extremely hot plasma surrounding the sun; it's the distinctive halo/aura around the moon during a total solar eclipse.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Before the eclipse</u></span></h3>
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What struck me the most in the days leading up to the eclipse was the excitement in the faces and voices of the veteran eclipse chasers anticipating the event. I've scarcely seen this kind of enthusiasm. A rather religious passenger on the ship compared the sight of totality to "the eye of God"; a less religious passenger compared it to "a Grateful Dead concert, without the drugs." I didn't personally identify with either example.</span><br />
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Obviously seeing an eclipse was a very emotional experience for some people. I wasn't sure I'd react the same way. I mean, yeah, I thought eclipses looked really neat in all of the photos and videos I'd seen, but can seeing one really have such a profound effect on adults (most of whom have a thorough understanding of the science involved) who have seen them before?</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An often-repeated sentiment was that although totality is typically a few minutes long, it feels more like eight seconds.</span><br />
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One of the astronomers on board would be on the bridge with the captain on eclipse day, making certain that we navigate to get the best possible view of the eclipse in the region. Avoiding cloud cover while staying in the path of the moon's shadow was the priority, second only to keeping the ship afloat.</span><br />
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The evening before the eclipse, my father-in-law gave a presentation in the ship's auditorium about photographing the eclipse. The major points of his talk:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't stare at the sun without a solar filter (except during totality) or you will permanently damage your eyes;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Never point an unfiltered scope of any kind at the sun (except during totality) or you will fry your retinas and/or boil your eyeballs out and/or probably set something on fire;</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Turn off your flash! If your camera flashes during totality, you will be summarily thrown overboard by an angry mob (this protip/half-serious threat was repeated several times);</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If it's your first time, don't waste precious seconds of totality fiddling with a camera. Just enjoy the show.</span></li>
</ul>
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Well, it was my first time, so I planned to sit back and enjoy the show. I'd leave the eclipse photography to the people who knew what they were doing.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Eclipse day!</u></span></h3>
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</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I woke up and got to the top deck just in time for the astronomer on the bridge to announce that first contact had occurred. The more hardcore eclipse chasers had been on deck since the wee hours of the morning setting up their telescopes and cameras; I just walked on as the show was starting.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjKCMrecHyKeqhLLngFrnQCtUaHeItHcAyjoVjk3fB8RJtKBg0X1i5bBKQPhMKKFmoJs77u9leTvUpRLCOO7pibcoNgu_sdUtOVZzi5WAQjgt4TNue3AqTzVLK4ifGB-K-6Urx4UbtK4/s1600/eclipse01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjKCMrecHyKeqhLLngFrnQCtUaHeItHcAyjoVjk3fB8RJtKBg0X1i5bBKQPhMKKFmoJs77u9leTvUpRLCOO7pibcoNgu_sdUtOVZzi5WAQjgt4TNue3AqTzVLK4ifGB-K-6Urx4UbtK4/s400/eclipse01.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My wife and I looking at the partially eclipsed sun through our filters, rocking our <a href="http://www.zazzle.com/gifts?ch=eclipsechasers" target="_blank">Eclipse Chasers t-shirts</a>. My sister-in-law, <a href="http://www.melissa-kramer.com/" target="_blank">Melissa Kramer</a>, designed the logos.</span></td></tr>
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Sure enough, when I put my solar filter glasses on I could see the tiny little nibble the moon had taken out of the solar disk. Interesting to see, but nothing spectacular.</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cUKeD-MTPsw7WCFG8mspWw_vk59IkHYveKs0Acy5OXv6BHv4-3IzTyYOFLiJ3Tdbf3JvuebYlcFg7LwZtY6YGUyjmF1uN4I9nyjh-EuevaL8UBEmYOZiXCQ4_qV-0cMyelPiOf76O40/s1600/KramerDenise1000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cUKeD-MTPsw7WCFG8mspWw_vk59IkHYveKs0Acy5OXv6BHv4-3IzTyYOFLiJ3Tdbf3JvuebYlcFg7LwZtY6YGUyjmF1uN4I9nyjh-EuevaL8UBEmYOZiXCQ4_qV-0cMyelPiOf76O40/s400/KramerDenise1000.jpg" height="360" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's what you see through a solar filter. © Denise Kramer, 14 Nov 2012.</span></td></tr>
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The next hour was a slow crawl from first to second contact, so I took the opportunity to look around at what the other passengers had set up on deck. There were telescopes and cameras on tripods, and one couple's setup (which I did not get a chance to photograph) with several of both rigged with makeshift counterweights made from bottles of water to account for the ship's slight rocking.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1GjxO_04hyhENDCq6t7af0VFYKT5GbAMVaZul8ScPr0Nllxdwe78ckvKbEEPcYXyBnBNxGDjLa4SgPWGtAQY1gOX-hbO0-Sok5s5ZopUOK-tkGP9z08qMYGiOutDKaRV15eY5lmW4jo/s1600/eclipse04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1GjxO_04hyhENDCq6t7af0VFYKT5GbAMVaZul8ScPr0Nllxdwe78ckvKbEEPcYXyBnBNxGDjLa4SgPWGtAQY1gOX-hbO0-Sok5s5ZopUOK-tkGP9z08qMYGiOutDKaRV15eY5lmW4jo/s1600/eclipse04.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's probably unusual to see this many telescopes on a cruise ship in the South Pacific.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I checked on the eclipse's progress periodically, as it happens too slowly to notice a difference if you keep staring at it. I spent the time watching the other changes that happened as the solar disk vanished. The temperature dropped. Shadows became sharper due to the smaller light source. The sunlight reflected on the water looked like it does at sunset. The darkening sky took on the color scheme of twilight, with an orange hue appearing at the horizon on all sides. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wherever sunlight passed through a tiny opening, the ever-diminishing solar crescent was projected on the surface behind it.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihp3H1S07av2wlVzyx2YES4HTFKttKY-kPdTd0iRcjf8BCLyH6UTA-R3zQac9gW2IViP-CkvaivqVJF8hsDOnba2Fz3ATo_xn5OItOyKobHCcIVWHEZE5yccaD0m5rdPkejJzqUhqt12c/s1600/eclipse06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihp3H1S07av2wlVzyx2YES4HTFKttKY-kPdTd0iRcjf8BCLyH6UTA-R3zQac9gW2IViP-CkvaivqVJF8hsDOnba2Fz3ATo_xn5OItOyKobHCcIVWHEZE5yccaD0m5rdPkejJzqUhqt12c/s1600/eclipse06.jpg" height="246" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Neat trick: you can create a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinhole_camera" target="_blank">pinhole camera</a> effect with your hands to project the sun's image onto your shadow. That projection will show the crescent sun during an eclipse; look at the full-size image to see the crescents between Bill's fingers.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The eclipse's progression almost seemed to speed up as totality drew nearer. The sun, still too bright to look at directly, looked like a tiny filament through the filter. I watched intently as it grew thinner and thinner until I finally I heard someone shout, <b>"diamond ring!"</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I knew then that it was time to put the filter down, and what I saw was just as breathtaking as it was hyped up to be. Pictures really don't do it justice; even the sharpest, most detailed photographs don't compare to seeing totality with the naked eye.</span></div>
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<tr><td><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsB1mynjli4Q23h7Aj6rO1EZLHLxf0koloUOdoqqzjOfiHH4ScMgp_TZ3ruUWO6-ktE_arZx0Yv2y2ax4GmN4ZW8htkwLYJKvqyD71L9Jis3WYQbW03hiIL8Owozj7Np1z25lDMs0jlZA/s1600/KramerDenise1003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsB1mynjli4Q23h7Aj6rO1EZLHLxf0koloUOdoqqzjOfiHH4ScMgp_TZ3ruUWO6-ktE_arZx0Yv2y2ax4GmN4ZW8htkwLYJKvqyD71L9Jis3WYQbW03hiIL8Owozj7Np1z25lDMs0jlZA/s400/KramerDenise1003.jpg" height="377" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The diamond ring! © Denise Kramer, 14 Nov 2012.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At second and third contacts, "</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baily%27s_beads" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">beads</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">" of direct sunlight shine through the valleys along the edge of the moon. Looking at them directly is risky, but I'm told that a few seconds' exposure shouldn't do any </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">permanent</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> damage. I decided to take that risk and briefly observed the "diamond ring" effect through unfiltered binoculars. It was worth it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the last bead disappeared, I could just make out the sun's pinkish-red chromosphere, a feature that is only visible during a total eclipse.</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWC1-r0a6XoefMUQnpwCtrrOkYSpdjZLgOQcXLVJqbriorNr8ewD2zgxFWBbLw235CsjLKkCg-4wElCbxygFrRkF2tqj5EMVEUFzVwc0GuRMmOrtD7WGMLBB9uB84EqTp1X8qOginP070/s1600/KramerDenise1002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWC1-r0a6XoefMUQnpwCtrrOkYSpdjZLgOQcXLVJqbriorNr8ewD2zgxFWBbLw235CsjLKkCg-4wElCbxygFrRkF2tqj5EMVEUFzVwc0GuRMmOrtD7WGMLBB9uB84EqTp1X8qOginP070/s400/KramerDenise1002.jpg" height="355" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Totality.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> © Denise Kramer, 14 Nov 2012.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During totality, I took a few seconds to look around a bit. Venus was clearly visible overhead; it was the brightest thing in the sky, save the corona. People who knew exactly where to look said that they saw Mercury and Saturn, but I didn't want to get too distracted looking for planets.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdK4c27-CYDfSY_2kGswxSgIh5Eb9qPZA2bkxqw8BYOCYzTKiHtgTMghH-sXcTqCerAGb1Q9wP5NZbaEOyNEHow2Iolo4TUzB0xKVik9BaSbpx7_CToT8eLmms_uoOSU1hkvzPRP7DRqA/s1600/BillKramer1002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdK4c27-CYDfSY_2kGswxSgIh5Eb9qPZA2bkxqw8BYOCYzTKiHtgTMghH-sXcTqCerAGb1Q9wP5NZbaEOyNEHow2Iolo4TUzB0xKVik9BaSbpx7_CToT8eLmms_uoOSU1hkvzPRP7DRqA/s400/BillKramer1002.jpg" height="271" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A wide-angle shot during totality. © </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bill Kramer, 14 Nov 2012.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I spent most of totality gazing at the corona with my own eyes, but used my binoculars to get a closer look. Time seemed to stop during totality, and yet somehow the three minutes felt like they were over in less than one. The astronomer on the bridge must have been lost in the moment as well, as he missed making his halfway point announcement and abruptly rang in with "Twenty seconds! Twenty seconds remaining!" on the PA at what felt like five seconds before third contact.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's a video capturing the passengers' reaction to the second diamond ring (and thus the end of totality), courtesy of Melissa Kramer:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And just like that, totality was over. The second diamond ring was just as beautiful as the first, and then the sun was once again too bright to view directly. The filters went back on, and we watched the events of the last hour happen again in reverse.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZYvTvphZbcx48gfDlCcVLm6dwGgwyOGQv0yQ5SaYcMRaISf_ZHtbS3hbulTzsILEOLl_bqfe42N6sJ1zwCjdWfya1XKtYmTtxeYWntJmSMenvFffgZzjaZ0kZ6NjYch90n2yai3J1hc/s1600/KramerDenise1004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZYvTvphZbcx48gfDlCcVLm6dwGgwyOGQv0yQ5SaYcMRaISf_ZHtbS3hbulTzsILEOLl_bqfe42N6sJ1zwCjdWfya1XKtYmTtxeYWntJmSMenvFffgZzjaZ0kZ6NjYch90n2yai3J1hc/s1600/KramerDenise1004.jpg" height="353" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A tiny sliver of sun reappears after third contact. It may not look like much, but it's enough to permanently blind you through an unfiltered telescope. © Denise Kramer, 14 Nov 2012.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>The aftermath (afterglow?)</u></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ship's staff, who had taken a break from their duties to watch totality with us, handed out glasses of champagne and bottles of Corona to celebrate a successful eclipse voyage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The span of time from third to fourth contact doesn't have the same excitement as does the span from first to second. There anticipation before totality and the diamond rings has passed, and all that there is left to do is bask in the afterglow.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One passenger had plans on making this phase more interesting, though. Several minutes after third contact, a pre-recorded message played over the PA, stating that at this eclipse we'd be seeing a <i>third </i>diamond ring. This passenger then dropped to his knee and proposed to his girlfriend, whom it turned out he had originally met during a solar eclipse. The ring itself was even crafted to look like a solar eclipse - the top was a black disc, encircled in white gold with a diamond at the edge. I thought it was rather clever and cute.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the obligatory congratulations to the newly engaged couple, the crowd started to thin out. A few people stayed to study the sun and take photographs until the partial phases of the eclipse were over, but I was content just glancing at it periodically as the moon's silhouette retreated.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Epilogue: Go See an Eclipse!</u></span></h3>
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</span> <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before I saw this eclipse, I was skeptical about the hype. Now I'm convinced that the experience lives up to it. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It doesn't matter if you're an astronomy nerd or just an ordinary person who can appreciate the beauty of the cosmos.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I absolutely recommend that anyone with the means to do so goes to see at least one </span><u style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">total</u><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> solar eclipse (don't just settle for an annular or partial) during their lifetime. When you do, you'll understand why I speak so highly of it.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Luckily for those of you living in the continental US, you'll get your chance soon. <b>On August 21, 2017 we'll have a total solar eclipse cut across North America from Salem, Oregon to Charleston, South Carolina.</b> It will be the first time a total eclipse has been visible from coast to coast in the US since 1918.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you're <a href="http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2017Aug21Tgoogle.html" target="_blank">in its path</a>, make plans to watch it. If you're not in its path, make plans to be there on that date. You'll be glad you did.</span><br />
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<i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">(Cross-posted to <a href="http://skepticfreethought.com/?p=3417" target="_blank">Skeptic Freethought</a>)</i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-62495654702525204762012-09-05T12:02:00.000-04:002012-09-05T12:02:28.265-04:00Considering ragequitting the atheist movement<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
I'm unhappy with the way I see other atheists behaving toward one another on the internet. When I look at my Twitter feed, I don't see a group of rational adults promoting skeptical inquiry and working together to improve society. I see a bunch of bratty, cliquish teenagers starting fights in the schoolyard, taunting people who aren't like them, and spreading nasty rumors to hurt their social rivals. And I'm sick of it.</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm sick of all the feuding between people who want to harshly criticize religious ideas for their absurdity and those who want to buddy up with religious progressives who reject the more barbaric doctrines of their faith. I'm sick of all the feuding between feminists who call out harassment and people who call them "professional victims." I'm sick of this <a href="http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/atheologies/6330/atheists_ignore_islamophobia_at_their_peril" target="_blank">damned-if-we-do</a>, <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wwjtd/2012/09/building-bridges-to-wickedness/" target="_blank">damned-if-we-don't</a> double bind about criticizing Islam the way we do Christianity. I'm sick of <a href="http://freethoughtblogs.com/blaghag/2012/09/goodbye-for-now/" target="_blank">seeing someone being relentlessly heckled day and night by persistent trolls-stalkers because she came up with an idea the slobbering masses didn't like</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You know what? I like hanging out with people who share interests with me, be they atheists, agnostics, humanists, or religious adherents. I like volunteering at food pantries and soup kitchens, donating blood, working out, and playing video games. I'm going to take a break from the blogosphere and focus on those things for now. I don't have anything new to say, and there's no sense in my adding to the deafening noise in this movement. I haven't seen anything new to read in a while, and I'm going to stop wasting my time following the drama.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, on that note: deuces, TTFN, YOLO, and adios.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-64544403931635713072012-08-30T16:45:00.000-04:002012-08-30T16:45:49.291-04:00A word about "Islamophobia"<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
If you're paranoid that the mild-mannered Muslim family down the street are secret terrorists, or that a Department of State aide with a foreign-sounding name is a deep-cover mole for the Muslim Brotherhood, then "islamophobe" might be an appropriate label to affix to you.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjPhFiNo71j-6s7iV7Hw8DhkZxUOzn7d8doHAQYuJb-5odtjQoMXW9EEYGT6VflhEBI3GuykWYQ0VpRwBL6Gt1D0NNnAnkqHLglxc7ak9s7zChKeWouiSr66oLwDkUJ2ysgUvNKDIwRU/s1600/rimsha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsjPhFiNo71j-6s7iV7Hw8DhkZxUOzn7d8doHAQYuJb-5odtjQoMXW9EEYGT6VflhEBI3GuykWYQ0VpRwBL6Gt1D0NNnAnkqHLglxc7ak9s7zChKeWouiSr66oLwDkUJ2ysgUvNKDIwRU/s320/rimsha.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
On the other hand, if you're genuinely worried about the spread of a culture that <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/30/pakistan-blasphemy-case-muslims-law?INTCMP=SRCH" target="_blank">advocates lynching an 11-year-old girl</a> because she had a burnt piece of paper in her bag that may or may not have been from a Qur'an, I'd say you're a rational human being who is rightfully afraid of a truly horrible thing.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: #dddddd;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"This girl is guilty. If the state overrides the court, then God will get a person to do the job," said Raheem.</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></blockquote>
If that kind of thought is viewed as a positive thing in your religion, consider me <i>militantly intolerant</i> of your beliefs.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-73873660340158909122012-08-07T12:02:00.000-04:002012-08-07T12:02:39.885-04:00Want to help fund cancer research?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This Saturday, my wife will be a rider in <b><a href="http://www.pelotonia.org/home/" target="_blank">Pelotonia</a></b>, an annual charity bike ride held in central Ohio to raise money for cancer research.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>100% of the proceeds</b> from Pelotonia go <b>directly</b> toward cancer research at the <a href="http://cancer.osu.edu/" target="_blank">James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute at Ohio State University</a>. You won't find many charities that can truthfully say that every penny of your donation goes toward the cause they support.</span><br />
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She'll be cycling 50 miles (80 kilometers) and has pledged to raise $1250. As of my writing this post, she's just $100 short of her fundraising goal! Any of my dear readers want to help her out? <b><a href="https://www.mypelotonia.org/riders_profile.jsp?MemberID=173455" target="_blank">Go to her page and donate!</a></b></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-50477166230067333082012-08-02T15:32:00.000-04:002012-08-02T15:32:52.040-04:00Put a gun to an atheist's head...<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<i>(Cross-posted to <a href="http://skepticfreethought.com/2012/08/put-a-gun-to-an-atheists-head/" target="_blank">Skeptic Freethought</a>)</i><br />
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My fellow Skeptic Freethought blogger <a href="http://skepticfreethought.com/contributors/astrid-lydia-johannsen/" target="_blank">Astrid</a> drew attention to this <a href="https://twitter.com/AnisaDolphin/status/231085495537504256" target="_blank">heartwarming tweet</a> this afternoon:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNeS-x2cZKkhxcjmncbh8O9F_Qo0pijIZ_3TOewVAIUtLos41Z-u6G9s8-11kiT07aANPZqzEpxHOttgZjcY_wmMxPAJcbhlP5TZrOHvI3LTsCLCaK6uWCELIDD1qDqpQGkPYn5xejN0/s1600/AnisaDolphin.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGNeS-x2cZKkhxcjmncbh8O9F_Qo0pijIZ_3TOewVAIUtLos41Z-u6G9s8-11kiT07aANPZqzEpxHOttgZjcY_wmMxPAJcbhlP5TZrOHvI3LTsCLCaK6uWCELIDD1qDqpQGkPYn5xejN0/s1600/AnisaDolphin.bmp" /></a></div>
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Sorry, kiddo. That's not God I'd be talking to. I'd be talking to the psychopath holding the gun. Though, hey, I'm pragmatic. I might say just about anything to get you to put the gun down.<br />
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If the only way you can get an atheist to pay lip service to your God is with a gun to their head, you might want to seriously reconsider the merits of your faith.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-23349998475009136522012-07-19T14:51:00.000-04:002012-07-19T14:51:23.563-04:00Petition the White House: Pressure Indonesia to free Aan!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiothkIhYIm4OLKRt19D1uEUMPjcwlKaBxxmofUP0aDUot66CQLAYk6Y6KhtPq1qET6FUeh7tBoWVPeeH-3gp_xu6g8ZR4QH17Wkl2V8QNTVQHV3pczBE8DJwvdwRHeoG0fqoWJDv2-WwE/s1600/freeaan.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiothkIhYIm4OLKRt19D1uEUMPjcwlKaBxxmofUP0aDUot66CQLAYk6Y6KhtPq1qET6FUeh7tBoWVPeeH-3gp_xu6g8ZR4QH17Wkl2V8QNTVQHV3pczBE8DJwvdwRHeoG0fqoWJDv2-WwE/s200/freeaan.jpeg" width="139" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I <a href="http://honesttogodless.blogspot.com/2012/06/mid-june-rehash-dolphincephalopod.html" target="_blank">recently posted</a> about the infuriating case of Alexander Aan, an Indonesian atheist who was thrown in prison and slapped with a $10,000 fine for blasphemous postings on Facebook. He's also received numerous death threats, and some fundamentalist Muslims are calling for him to be executed.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now there's a <a href="https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/call-upon-indonesian-government-respect-freedom-and-dignity-all-its-citizens-and-free-alexander-aan/vYBQzxXy?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl" target="_blank">petition</a> out on the White House's <i>We the People</i> service to pressure Obama to take a stand and call out Indonesia on this injustice. If it gets 25,000 signatures, it will end up on his desk in the Oval Office. It's currently at about 3100, so there's a long way to go. <b><a href="https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/call-upon-indonesian-government-respect-freedom-and-dignity-all-its-citizens-and-free-alexander-aan/vYBQzxXy?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl" target="_blank">Go. Sign. It.</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In my opinion, any person who values freedom of expression, be they atheist or not, should be signing this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I said in my post on <a href="http://skepticfreethought.com/2012/07/tell-obama-to-pressure-indonesia-to-free-alexander-aan/" target="_blank">Skeptic Freethought</a> about this issue: If you are an atheist and have ever expressed your views online, you would be a criminal in Indonesia. Atheism should not be a crime anywhere.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-16960399642701497812012-07-19T14:12:00.000-04:002012-07-19T14:17:42.195-04:00I don't always agree with JT Eberhard, but...<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">... he occasionally <a href="http://freethoughtblogs.com/wwjtd/2012/07/19/ownership-of-your-own-life/" target="_blank">says something</a> that absolutely <a href="http://freethoughtblogs.com/wwjtd/2011/10/11/response-to-the-last-deadly-question/" target="_blank">knocks it out of the park</a>:</span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: #dddddd;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“The good news is that this life you lucked into is your own, and the only rewards or punishments, the only real heaven and the only true hell, are the results of your own actions between now and when you die. You have an opportunity to live in a way so that when your time is up you will have discovered heaven long before you found death.”</span></blockquote>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqJ5uUSh8WJzcn-DrBqbdsQKL5QQyVh0JPpWNjl1r8646wytF3CFfs03d2tiegaukn9W8uyVvXy2knZ1n_heHbkj8iX6fzkkmGUOxMHJoE1m4AHcWXMY0vNspfVpxqNknXnR-jGuHL7o/s1600/jt_umad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisqJ5uUSh8WJzcn-DrBqbdsQKL5QQyVh0JPpWNjl1r8646wytF3CFfs03d2tiegaukn9W8uyVvXy2knZ1n_heHbkj8iX6fzkkmGUOxMHJoE1m4AHcWXMY0vNspfVpxqNknXnR-jGuHL7o/s200/jt_umad.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Drawing by <a href="http://freethoughtblogs.com/blaghag" target="_blank">Jen McCreight</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If that isn't a positive message that atheists can rally around, I don't know what is.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-71032122497215218832012-07-18T11:32:00.000-04:002012-07-24T15:27:45.740-04:00The different flavors of atheism, revisited<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Cross-posted to <a href="http://skepticfreethought.com/2012/07/atheism-variety-flavors/" target="_blank">Skeptic Freethought)</a></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidegAETo6YHPLMdxo1AA-nuwtqVeXYNSlMQvS68NN6QpOR8kDWQs1cSz8zJ5KSWJBvwoT_NSmmJcaGuRVH0oO-y3LAdlMI_xCvkD91MBXinnr3GbDn03uMFdoFZHWWPTGAhbjBgUhwNz0/s1600/atheist+microbrews.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidegAETo6YHPLMdxo1AA-nuwtqVeXYNSlMQvS68NN6QpOR8kDWQs1cSz8zJ5KSWJBvwoT_NSmmJcaGuRVH0oO-y3LAdlMI_xCvkD91MBXinnr3GbDn03uMFdoFZHWWPTGAhbjBgUhwNz0/s400/atheist+microbrews.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite what <a href="http://theoatmeal.com/comics/extremists" target="_blank">The Oatmeal</a> may think, this isn't every atheist's idea of a good time.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For better or for worse, some people like to categorize. I can be one of those people at times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PZ Myers recently posted <a href="http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2012/07/04/what-kind-of-atheist-are-you/" target="_blank">a list of taxa</a> that he believes describe different personalities within the atheist movement; I did <a href="http://honesttogodless.blogspot.com/2011/11/on-various-types-of-atheists-in-todays.html" target="_blank">something similar</a> on my blog last fall, though with a slightly different focus. PZ focused on patterns of thought, while I looked at patterns of behavior (I also marked each of mine with a card suit for symbolism). Here’s an executive summary of both of our lists:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PZ’s Taxa:</span></h3>
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<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Scientific Atheist</u>: Knows that there is no god due to total lack of empirical evidence for one. Sometimes a little too arrogant.</span></li>
<li><u style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Philosophical Atheist</u><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">: Doesn't believe in god because believing in one requires making unfounded assumptions. Sometimes overly long-winded.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Political Atheist</u>: Motivated to fight the political and legal battles to make the world a better place for atheists. Sometimes makes compromises that other atheists don’t like.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Humanist</u>: Altruistic do-gooder who wants to help people in the name of godlessness. Sometimes “pragmatically fickle” and may join up with liberal churches instead of expressly atheist organizations.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My Taxa:</span></h3>
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<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Agitating Anti-theist (spade)</u>: Sees religion as an enemy to be vanquished, and fights its advances tooth and claw.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Incredulous Inquirer (club)</u>: Skeptical toward religion, but wants to discuss rather than fight.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Mainstream Materialist (diamond)</u>: Doesn't believe in god, stops worrying, and enjoys life.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Diplomatic Disbeliever (heart)</u>: Strives to form friendly alliances with open-minded religious people.</span></li>
</ul>
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many people who read either or both of these posts may find themselves identifying with more than one category. They’re archetypes, and very few people strictly belong to any one of them. Each one of us has a different story behind how we realized we were atheists, how we came to join up with other atheists in this ever-evolving movement, and where we’d like to see the movement go.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And yet I unfortunately continually see bickering among these different “kinds” of atheists, the most vitriolic of which occurs on the internet. Atheists call one another “bullies” and “accommodationists” and accuse one another of dogmatism and “Tinkerbellism” over different approaches toward the movement. We see nasty exchanges of ad-hominems and passive-aggressive head shaking on Twitter because one party is either too critical or not critical enough of religion for the other party’s tastes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don’t get me wrong; I think that atheists who speak out in the name of atheism should be willing to defend why they say, and if an atheist says or does something reprehensible then others can and should call him or her out on it. But let’s try to keep it civil.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A diversity of perspectives and approaches toward living without religion is, in my opinion, healthy for the movement. We need people who uncompromisingly fight for the truth, we need people who make nice with theists, and we need average citizens who aren’t full-time activists to show the general public that we do walk among them. This movement isn’t one-size-fits-all.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-6701239275450129652012-07-12T22:27:00.000-04:002012-07-12T22:28:00.859-04:00Idiots vandalize church with "athiest" graffiti<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't often use foul language on this blog, but: <i><a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/07/12/vandals-tag-south-carolina-church-with-atheist-phrases-but-were-going-to-make-things-better/" target="_blank">you fucking dumbasses</a>.</i></span><div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0F_YzRmno9sMq-AZQIP6aERJDpNDj9LtvoNkuAOxoNMVX67GJQsaAvwAwParH4Iv5x-aw8didgQUkL41d6gyLkSmK21TkwfX97g2o9eezXJxQICRkGAxVSzLt1v3hd6Boub1X4EIXrK0/s1600/no+god+graffiti.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0F_YzRmno9sMq-AZQIP6aERJDpNDj9LtvoNkuAOxoNMVX67GJQsaAvwAwParH4Iv5x-aw8didgQUkL41d6gyLkSmK21TkwfX97g2o9eezXJxQICRkGAxVSzLt1v3hd6Boub1X4EIXrK0/s320/no+god+graffiti.png" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nice "use" of unnecessary "quotes" there.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apparently someone thought it was a good idea to tag a church with spraypainted messages promoting atheism. Well, except that these brilliant vandals couldn't even spell "atheism" right.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5YT94HRu8KJzeJZK69kpVRhCWgjVA7r_w4LSiN-2YVoIRy1CU4v16mqWaXMJ2KYCPrdsWTlvgI4SHf-yTLlMEt-rpEsMsHtrK5f_6hJk050lTmhec8hz9L6J1Jld3ogYuEY6fUnsX5GU/s1600/athiesm+graffiti.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5YT94HRu8KJzeJZK69kpVRhCWgjVA7r_w4LSiN-2YVoIRy1CU4v16mqWaXMJ2KYCPrdsWTlvgI4SHf-yTLlMEt-rpEsMsHtrK5f_6hJk050lTmhec8hz9L6J1Jld3ogYuEY6fUnsX5GU/s320/athiesm+graffiti.png" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Creative spelling, eh?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At this point, no one knows whether the people who did this were really atheists or just anti-authority trolls looking to have some fun at someone else's expense.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTd9R_l081R_Cr1TntHMJMVHnRKw4QQe5BwFi99dSLZk2sYoRtv-IlWIREO10xL4PqeNPub6P51Ur2ZeD3KI_Ggh1Hv8g2wZ_d0qzzhYGKfjzO_j_fDejrGSA06sVSfXC0tz7iV9C2Mgg/s1600/god+delusion+graffiti.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTd9R_l081R_Cr1TntHMJMVHnRKw4QQe5BwFi99dSLZk2sYoRtv-IlWIREO10xL4PqeNPub6P51Ur2ZeD3KI_Ggh1Hv8g2wZ_d0qzzhYGKfjzO_j_fDejrGSA06sVSfXC0tz7iV9C2Mgg/s320/god+delusion+graffiti.png" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yeah, that'll convince 'em.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I really hope that whoever did this didn't honestly think they were helping the atheist movement at all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(via <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/" target="_blank">Friendly Atheist</a>)</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-65846756098447130882012-06-19T17:05:00.001-04:002012-06-20T10:57:28.178-04:00Mid-June Rehash: Dolphin/cephalopod copulation, divine search warrants, and criminalizing atheism!<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
I'm hopefully getting back in the swing of this blogging thing again. This time I'm shooting for making mid-month rehashes of stories from around the internet a regular feature. Let's do this.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Is that an octopus on your genitals, or are you just ha... wait, what?</span></h3>
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So, in case any of you haven't seen it yet, <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2012/06/greek-octopus-forms-coalition.html" target="_blank">this image</a> started going viral yesterday:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWm1Alw__3KH35sjA2lJnMSNfQv0tLTqkrDci4LT0lvxcH7dkBlwlsw7lb_Z5oaqAuttuXHFomYpflNmi-GRlSe-4OD6neCZtyPEbdHBZmSicRgUrb3i58-i1y4Q-5CovKeqXEMSvFBBA/s1600/octo_dolphin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWm1Alw__3KH35sjA2lJnMSNfQv0tLTqkrDci4LT0lvxcH7dkBlwlsw7lb_Z5oaqAuttuXHFomYpflNmi-GRlSe-4OD6neCZtyPEbdHBZmSicRgUrb3i58-i1y4Q-5CovKeqXEMSvFBBA/s400/octo_dolphin.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Joan Gonzalvo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Best comment I've seen so far: "That's gotta suck."<br />
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(via <a href="https://twitter.com/edyong209" target="_blank">Ed Yong</a>)<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mid-month absurdity: Divine revelation is now probable cause?</span></h3>
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Last year, a self-proclaimed psychic told the Sheriff's Office of Liberty County, Texas, that a local couple had 25 to 30 dismembered children buried on their property. This prompted a raid on their home by deputies and put the couple in the media spotlight internationally (largely because the Sheriff's Office tipped off the media before executing the search warrant).</div>
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As it turns out, the couple weren't really serial killers and didn't even have one dismembered child buried in their yard, let alone 25 to 30 of them. Now they're (rightfully) <a href="http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/06/08/47261.htm" target="_blank">suing</a> the Liberty County Sheriff's Office for defaming them and ransacking their home on the word of a charlatan.</div>
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The charlatan in question had this to say for herself:</div>
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“They up front asked me how I got the information, and I am a reverend. I am a prophet and I get my information from Jesus and the angels, and I told them that I had 32 angels with me and they were giving me the information and then it went from there,” she said.</blockquote>
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Jesus and 32 angels told her about it? Must be legit.</div>
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(via Ken at <a href="http://www.popehat.com/2012/06/19/how-do-you-cross-complain-against-an-angel/" target="_blank">Popehat</a>)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Atheism gets you 2 1/2 years in prison in Indonesia</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsnldLs_SDcAgK7xT1u0rA5fxFlY1PDe_mX0pKDNn0zYwRmucwCJ2TZRSR8wepbFax7Mqj11fwEqZUFTdNxXlwpkr6lzIQ2zvUVYYBXgChovEXlS6Br53TUstBkuUIGFfSpp7D_jczAk/s1600/aan+in+jail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsnldLs_SDcAgK7xT1u0rA5fxFlY1PDe_mX0pKDNn0zYwRmucwCJ2TZRSR8wepbFax7Mqj11fwEqZUFTdNxXlwpkr6lzIQ2zvUVYYBXgChovEXlS6Br53TUstBkuUIGFfSpp7D_jczAk/s200/aan+in+jail.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I hope by now that all of you who love freedom have heard of what's happening to Alexander Aan of Indonesia. If not, <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/man-jailed-indonesia-atheist-facebook-posts-article-1.1096779" target="_blank">go read up on it</a>.<br />
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He's <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/06/14/alexander-aan-atheist-who-blasphemed-on-facebook-sentenced-to-two-years-in-prison/" target="_blank">going to prison</a> and will spend the next 2 and a half years locked up with dangerous criminals for asserting God's non-existence on an atheist group page on Facebook. He also has to pay a fine of roughly $10,600 US.<br />
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Islamic extremists, however, seem to think that the sentence is too lenient; some of them <a href="http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/calls-to-behead-indonesian-atheist-alexander-aan/495308" target="_blank">feel that he's committed a <i>capital </i>crime</a>.<br />
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“These atheists should be beheaded, that’s what they deserve,” wrote a man who identified himself as Putra Tama, a Muslim from neighboring Jambi province.</blockquote>
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The Islamic Society Forum (FUI), an umbrella group for several hard-line groups, said that a five-year jail term for Aan would not suffice.<br />
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“He deserves the death penalty, even if he decides to repent. What he has done cannot be tolerated,” said Muhammad al-Khaththath, FUI’s secretary-general.<br />
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“It is important to prevent this group from spreading atheism in this country,” he added.</blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That doesn't bode well for him; how many Islamic extremists are going to be sharing a cell block with him? It's morbid, but I wouldn't be surprised some righteous zealot sticks him with a shiv in the name of God.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At any rate, it isn't even legal to </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">be</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> an atheist in Indonesia. You can choose from a laundry list of </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">state-approved</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> religions, but "none of the above" isn't an option.</span><br />
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Note to self: don't go to Indonesia.</div>
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If you're interested, the Atheist Alliance International is <a href="http://www.atheistalliance.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=61&Itemid=65" target="_blank">collecting donations for a legal fund</a> to help Aan fight this ridiculous conviction. If you want to contribute to that specific fund, make sure you tick the appropriate box before donating.</div>
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(via <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/06/14/alexander-aan-atheist-who-blasphemed-on-facebook-sentenced-to-two-years-in-prison/" target="_blank">Friendly Atheist</a>)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Atheism gets you jail time in the UK, too?</span></h3>
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Indonesia doesn't exactly have the world's most permissive religious freedom laws, but surely nothing like that would happen in a bastion of liberty like a Western nation, right?</div>
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Yeah. Wrong.</div>
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John Richards, an elderly man living in Boston (a small town on the eastern coast of England), has a sign hanging in his window proclaiming religion as fairy tales for adults.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKpWReyKWOrWB7V6uL10fjSFdPe6OoCcYRhBrHWgfQ-Zp5Mq2tjKLOp_mgwUMx4swbZFAx8vJraXOjGufhKOFZOMjNs41bAcvtv6uBShTqWq7FRLegH6JbpThZ9mPN6T1DoErBWSUi_g/s1600/fairy+stories.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKpWReyKWOrWB7V6uL10fjSFdPe6OoCcYRhBrHWgfQ-Zp5Mq2tjKLOp_mgwUMx4swbZFAx8vJraXOjGufhKOFZOMjNs41bAcvtv6uBShTqWq7FRLegH6JbpThZ9mPN6T1DoErBWSUi_g/s400/fairy+stories.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Recently, the local police <a href="http://www.bostonstandard.co.uk/news/local/update-police-now-issue-statement-on-boston-pensioner-s-religions-are-fairy-stories-poster-1-3962839" target="_blank">informed him that he could be arrested for it</a> if it <i>offends </i>anybody and he refuses to take it down.</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unlike in Indonesia, I highly doubt an arrest in this case would result in any kind of conviction. I hope.</span><br />
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(also via <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/06/19/englishman-calling-religion-a-fairy-tale-for-adults-could-be-arrested-say-police/" target="_blank">Friendly Atheist</a>)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Recommended Reading: The Merely Real</span></h3>
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<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
I may have linked to her old blog as recommended reading last year, but <b>Chana Messinger</b> has a new blog that she updates frequently, writing about all sorts of interesting topics like feminism, skepticism, and occasionally food. Go <a href="http://themerelyreal.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">check it out</a>.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-3787117296717336752012-06-18T16:35:00.002-04:002012-06-18T16:37:09.021-04:00Atheists: let Leah Libresco be whatever she wants to be<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Recent news has caused quite a stir in the atheist blogosphere: Leah of Unequally Yoked has <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unequallyyoked/2012/06/this-is-my-last-post-for-the-patheos-atheist-portal.html" target="_blank">decided that she's no longer an atheist</a>, but a Catholic now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqG5oXWUalFitEzwTYvX4cyBDEGi0-aTVW8Vdk8fWaQ35h4sJWI4RXJyPyzEgFBfUn2u4MfKcWopO8JZzhOE0AXVAsigjgFX37x8kV6_APuNCQQpnRhqNCfY-Z0f2OTkkit9rnERIy0A/s1600/uy.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="80" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqG5oXWUalFitEzwTYvX4cyBDEGi0-aTVW8Vdk8fWaQ35h4sJWI4RXJyPyzEgFBfUn2u4MfKcWopO8JZzhOE0AXVAsigjgFX37x8kV6_APuNCQQpnRhqNCfY-Z0f2OTkkit9rnERIy0A/s400/uy.bmp" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
Hemant of Friendly Atheist is <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/06/18/a-fellow-atheist-blogger-has-converted-to-catholicism/" target="_blank">taking this at face value</a> without passing judgment, but others such as Jen McCreight and PZ Myers are calling it a shame:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifAHY4JOFWY3FP0XsyDjEj4sdanLuP5vCZDTHLgPrwLARsN7tnocKN-wDlyfpa_WHJtUKhpQ_nfaOdf5u-6eh79oqez5orVLqcQq51wVja-TbxN2dovhd_h3sg0UPOH_mIMKE6f_EHeso/s1600/jen_leah_rxn1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifAHY4JOFWY3FP0XsyDjEj4sdanLuP5vCZDTHLgPrwLARsN7tnocKN-wDlyfpa_WHJtUKhpQ_nfaOdf5u-6eh79oqez5orVLqcQq51wVja-TbxN2dovhd_h3sg0UPOH_mIMKE6f_EHeso/s1600/jen_leah_rxn1.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWGsMFV_wysYa1GtzKjgX1NGKl-g-Pnqs2eK6kPW8y60uOyAIm9gT7Wh7jQRRmPbTeiufRl8ibabmr_dzsC_Dp9_jy__nIdnshtsxvSNkydGyFt7qgwxKO5-kxz_jAhU9OqH5gyjozBg/s1600/pz_leah_rxn1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijWGsMFV_wysYa1GtzKjgX1NGKl-g-Pnqs2eK6kPW8y60uOyAIm9gT7Wh7jQRRmPbTeiufRl8ibabmr_dzsC_Dp9_jy__nIdnshtsxvSNkydGyFt7qgwxKO5-kxz_jAhU9OqH5gyjozBg/s1600/pz_leah_rxn1.JPG" /></a></div>
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Jen outlines her <a href="http://freethoughtblogs.com/blaghag/2012/06/weve-lost-an-atheist-blogger-to-catholicism/" target="_blank">reasons</a> for feeling this way, and PZ cautions his readers to at least be intellectually honest:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9YyKouvnJjBBB3hhe5SU2wLSD65fb8N3gUDWIRX-4R2jvaGl8PYc9QdVDIZzbISjnYgSzVpKU0p8gkQ36JKq3fcKgcgzntMbut3Wt0ccCzHgTA9fSTgVjQyER_OVeIVu7pnsv07Hjhc/s1600/pz_leah_rxn2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9YyKouvnJjBBB3hhe5SU2wLSD65fb8N3gUDWIRX-4R2jvaGl8PYc9QdVDIZzbISjnYgSzVpKU0p8gkQ36JKq3fcKgcgzntMbut3Wt0ccCzHgTA9fSTgVjQyER_OVeIVu7pnsv07Hjhc/s1600/pz_leah_rxn2.JPG" /></a></div>
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We are, after all, supposed to be the<i> logical</i> ones. It would be ironic for atheists to resort to fallacy when a voice in our community converts to Christianity. But we're all human and prone to that sort of groupthink when someone defects from our group.</div>
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My two cents: I'm going to just take the news of her conversion at face value and assume that she's neither trolling nor doing this as an experiment. Given that, then I'll say what I'd say to any friend, family member, or acquaintance who decided to convert to a religion: while I don't support your conversion, I support you wholeheartedly in your freedom to do so without harassment.</div>
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We've read too many horror stories of the crap people have to take from their friends and family when they come out as atheists; none of us should aspire to be like that when one of us decides to go the other way.</div>
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I haven't talked to Leah in person or read very many of her blog posts, but she seems smart. She'll figure her beliefs out on her own. And if she decides that she needs to believe in the Christian god in order for the universe to make sense to her, then so be it. As Thomas Jefferson once said, "it neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."</div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-49969819248570883942012-06-05T00:16:00.004-04:002012-06-05T00:17:29.622-04:00Dusting off the old journal<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
It's been about five months since I've posted anything on here. Chalk it up to how busy I've been, a sudden lack of confidence in my writing, or just a general shift of priorities in my life as of late. Or perhaps all of the above.<br />
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Updates on my life, the short version:<br />
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I had some depression issues back in the winter, and my doctor prescribed regular exercise (as well as a low-dose mood elevator) as treatment. Hence, a great deal of my free time has been spent at the gym. She also prescribed more sleep, which means I haven't been staying up 'til 1 or 2 in the morning on work nights writing blog posts.</div>
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<br />My wife and I bought a house last month, and since then most of my free time is now spent doing various projects to make said house comfortably habitable. Painting, wiring, caulking, braving the fiberglass jungle that is our attic to install ceiling fan brackets, et cetera. It's as though I've started a second full-time job.</div>
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I've still been following the goings-on in the skeptic/atheist movements, but that's really moved to the back burner in my life as of late. I am going to start posting more, though. Sometimes I just need to rant.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-31667035693348684732012-02-28T23:36:00.000-05:002012-02-28T23:36:00.950-05:00Rallying against the atheist bogeyman<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Sometimes I think that certain other atheists are exaggerating when they claim that American society at large is out to get them. This suspicion is usually proven wrong. The past few weeks have been no exception.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It's official: "atheist" is a dirty word</span></h3>
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It's a sad realization we've come to time and time again as godless Americans:<b> to be an atheist is inherently offensive</b>. It's bad enough that we're labeled "angry" or "militant" for applying critical reasoning to people's deeply-held religious beliefs; now it's apparent that we can't even publicly announce our existence.</div>
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A group of atheists in Pennsylvania decided to steer away from the "your religion is a myth" theme of recent billboard campaigns and come up with the most innocuous message they could think of to advertise their group's existence:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxJXC1nWYq8LnCCVpH6fRZnYEA7Ed3VJnliWR-KpS78tNPfOTd-PY5zH8te82cCQLbnqW6vG9WUo7IOoH3eWIOXXfw8U9N7l_LIOUwXn96FRJqpEr_T1zKaIsaQ6kUFNFIafeIqSfutk/s1600/inoffensive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="81" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxJXC1nWYq8LnCCVpH6fRZnYEA7Ed3VJnliWR-KpS78tNPfOTd-PY5zH8te82cCQLbnqW6vG9WUo7IOoH3eWIOXXfw8U9N7l_LIOUwXn96FRJqpEr_T1zKaIsaQ6kUFNFIafeIqSfutk/s400/inoffensive.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This was apparently <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/02/28/the-most-inoffensive-atheist-bus-ad-ever-rejected/" target="_blank">too controversial</a> to appear on the side of a bus. I'm shocked, but at the same time not as shocked as I probably should be. Public displays of godlessness fit right into the worst fears of people who believe agents of Satan are lurking around every corner.</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seeking to lampoon the ridiculousness of it all, my <a href="http://skepticfreethought.com/contributors/astrid-lydia-johannsen/" target="_blank">fellow atheist blogger</a> <b>Astrid</b> created an <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/113690230649239145438/posts/3QxNCZGtv6o" target="_blank">even less threatening image</a> that's probably still too controversial to make the cut:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAkQF2VUSQBWzVwLavyDVVVAX24fwh-X1rH3wGRLbB7RVLXmYpfIhrb5oxkPKWIJzm_qcpziyLD41bBccD5-rfbZ9zWUy9bI6Js7zjB6DaeyqkXKozRx0N6skhKBRUt-EkcL_m0XrwAc/s1600/Atheism-Clouds.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAkQF2VUSQBWzVwLavyDVVVAX24fwh-X1rH3wGRLbB7RVLXmYpfIhrb5oxkPKWIJzm_qcpziyLD41bBccD5-rfbZ9zWUy9bI6Js7zjB6DaeyqkXKozRx0N6skhKBRUt-EkcL_m0XrwAc/s400/Atheism-Clouds.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How abrasive, in-your-face, and militant is that?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">When "reaching out" becomes "targeting"</span></h3>
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This may come as news to some people:<b> black atheists do exist.</b> There. I hope that no one sustained any injuries when any stereotypes they held about atheists and/or black people came crashing down.<br />
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Now that we've established this fact, it should come as no surprise that said black atheists might want to reach out to other members of their racial demographic who are having doubts about religion. And they've been doing exactly that, with the most innocuous advertising possible. <a href="http://www.aahumanism.net/we_are_aah" target="_blank"><b>African Americans for Humanism</b></a> launched a billboard campaign this month letting other nonbelievers know that they're not alone.<br />
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This, of course, makes some religious people very upset. The headlines themselves are telling:<br />
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<ul>
<li>"<a href="http://www.theblaze.com/stories/atheists-anti-religion-billboard-campaign-targets-african-americans/" target="_blank">ATHEISTS’ ANTI-RELIGION BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN TARGETS AFRICAN AMERICANS</a>"</li>
<li>"<a href="http://www.eurweb.com/2012/02/atheists-target-blacks-during-the-month-of-february/" target="_blank">Atheists Target Blacks During the Month of February</a>"</li>
<li>My personal favorite: "<a href="http://sanctifiedchurchrevolution.blogspot.com/2012/02/video-atheist-billboard-targets-african.html" target="_blank">Atheist Billboard Targets African Americans: Satan Wants Black People In Hell and Not Believe In God</a>"</li>
</ul>
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Note the word choice here. <i>Atheists</i> are <i>targeting</i> black people. It's stated as though the two are non-overlapping circles, and that some godless outsiders are seeking to spread discord among the African American community. The intention of the authors is clear: exploit racial tension to promote anti-atheist bigotry. It's the exact opposite of what AAH's positive campaign seeks to accomplish.</div>
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(A big thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/DrenAss" target="_blank">Dren Asselmeier</a> for her many tweets on this topic!)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Santorum seeps into the church-state divide</span></h3>
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In order to get elected, John F. Kennedy had to reassure the majority-Protestant electorate that he wasn't a Catholic theocratic mole who wanted to turn our country into a satellite state of the Vatican. A half-century later, Rick Santorum is twisting JFK's words around to tell us how the concept of separation of church and state <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/26/santorum-church-and-state_n_1302246.html" target="_blank">makes him nauseous</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: #cccccc;">
He had said that he "almost threw up" after reading JFK's 1960 speech in which he declared his commitment to the separation of church and state.</blockquote>
Perhaps he'd also feel a little queasy if the Protestants he panders to called his Catholicism into question in the general election. Secularism starts to look pretty good when you're the target of bigotry from the majority religion.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Isn't mocking the Prophet a crime in this country?</span></h3>
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Last Halloween, a random Muslim man physically assaulted an atheist who marched in a parade dressed as a Zombie Muhammad. Police were called and a court case ensued. The perpetrator learned that you don't assault people for saying something you don't like, right?<br />
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<a href="http://secularright.org/SR/wordpress/2012/02/25/respecting-the-law-of-the-land/" target="_blank">Wrong</a>.<br />
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It's bad enough that some Muslims take their religion seriously enough to get violent when someone satirizes it; worse yet is when our legal system decides that you were asking for it when you're the victim of such violence.<br />
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-46131975119767368372012-01-13T22:54:00.001-05:002012-01-13T22:55:29.888-05:00And what I'm frightened of is that they call it God's love<b></b><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b>Cranston High School West</b> in Rhode Island lost the court battle to keep its school prayer banner on display. Not a big surprise, given the precedent that publicly funded schools have no business officially sanctioning prayer.<br />
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Secular activists are lauding the young <b>Jessica Ahlquist</b> for her central role in the push to remove the banner as well as having the courage to come out as an atheist to an intolerant community.<br />
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For those who haven't followed the story, here's an image of the offending banner:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGyX_hdSlTdzDJe2Pk7Ue4C0K3LStrQEGMqqNlGKiCurqKOPhSva55k8aFwH56tsmcLXF2R4rq6HiCaBgXslBoS2ssIWvkwFLw0gPcaLdQQzFSmRygmhUqBexxJRZQil5d25YEf9Glhj0/s1600/CranstonBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGyX_hdSlTdzDJe2Pk7Ue4C0K3LStrQEGMqqNlGKiCurqKOPhSva55k8aFwH56tsmcLXF2R4rq6HiCaBgXslBoS2ssIWvkwFLw0gPcaLdQQzFSmRygmhUqBexxJRZQil5d25YEf9Glhj0/s400/CranstonBanner.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
At its core, the banner's message really is a good philosophy for the school's students: do your best to grow mentally, morally, and physically; be kind and helpful; be honest; be a good sport; be a good person in general. I don't think anyone should have a problem with those values.<br />
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What <i>is </i>a problem is that <i>they are encapsulated in a prayer</i>. The assertion that these virtues come from a "heavenly father" rather than within the individual implies that engaging in prayer is essential to being a good student. No public school should be saying such a thing to its student body.<br />
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In this country people are free to practice whatever religion they choose, or no religion at all; this certainly applies to students and faculty at a public school. <i>The school itself</i>, however, <i>is not a person</i>, and ought to be neutral on matters of religion.<br />
*****<br />
<br />
In the wake of the court's decision, the good Christians of Jessica's hometown are letting her know how they feel about her role in the lawsuit. Sweet, benign messages about how they'll "pray for her" and hope that she opens her heart to Jesus, right? At worst, a fire-and-brimstone warning about the eternal consequences of her atheism?<br />
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Wrong. Her fellow students tweeted about jumping her after school, someone posted her home address on internet forums, and one "AJ St. Angelo" mused about murdering her. Below are a few samples:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcI8Fx6Kff5V7g_r3eG6NNcJ6inf54N6xX1ZW2XgeZH_VjKuaqp6KdPQQmRIRzEUbaUHKGE-E63rHZQvcFyCXKDo42d7Q1KCU3thiuYxUVe1tXFNSFc2as2Sdrj56rCdSs-3b_FZuv2A/s1600/Screenshot_61.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="55" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcI8Fx6Kff5V7g_r3eG6NNcJ6inf54N6xX1ZW2XgeZH_VjKuaqp6KdPQQmRIRzEUbaUHKGE-E63rHZQvcFyCXKDo42d7Q1KCU3thiuYxUVe1tXFNSFc2as2Sdrj56rCdSs-3b_FZuv2A/s400/Screenshot_61.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLMde2-6lZuEPhrORNonBa26xs2-3z5QGKozFeH1ZnXKmrZ5QOVGHCMHWV7urgh4ntMnu5dOkjIJQ4ja8wWLenME7GiGRMehiY6wP1-pQgaiyz84qT6tGS0UYlwVIWt5oJS-bPZm-Zuxo/s1600/Screenshot_44.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLMde2-6lZuEPhrORNonBa26xs2-3z5QGKozFeH1ZnXKmrZ5QOVGHCMHWV7urgh4ntMnu5dOkjIJQ4ja8wWLenME7GiGRMehiY6wP1-pQgaiyz84qT6tGS0UYlwVIWt5oJS-bPZm-Zuxo/s400/Screenshot_44.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjaFvxVkAdDnnhRM7SnfteYX0-ZRB32qXK7UWSA558iy7drNlO5ZMv25lWqXekAyAb3T4ZCmfzw81391mWtEfWzQT31YfL9l6Z3jdL-koy4zpcd9Ka7cW9YpEGzlaZpMak6vEAbBLpaEM/s1600/Screenshot_43.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="65" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjaFvxVkAdDnnhRM7SnfteYX0-ZRB32qXK7UWSA558iy7drNlO5ZMv25lWqXekAyAb3T4ZCmfzw81391mWtEfWzQT31YfL9l6Z3jdL-koy4zpcd9Ka7cW9YpEGzlaZpMak6vEAbBLpaEM/s400/Screenshot_43.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixu7xg8pQpAs8wVq1Bdwplja2To3-S2OZYOkEe_2IBwWvWGaQAkDv34_DuvIOQu41HTg88ktPojTBl-y1NSDINh9LxoOubTeqXBwpdtWS8-DEVTMqFiuI8kh15Q-4INXs4U1K8WlFryRU/s1600/Screenshot_67.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixu7xg8pQpAs8wVq1Bdwplja2To3-S2OZYOkEe_2IBwWvWGaQAkDv34_DuvIOQu41HTg88ktPojTBl-y1NSDINh9LxoOubTeqXBwpdtWS8-DEVTMqFiuI8kh15Q-4INXs4U1K8WlFryRU/s400/Screenshot_67.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYunhxNFHIfwdD9XK1M7eSzajkYh1A7z1FuT6TxBoRZ9AXQQRYFWEMuyRMDnRvreLNJVfTYIr5w8bpqMnDZg_hyphenhyphenoi12tNB4B61H27VOzEU4ObT8zNh0wW9x_4pvWiXCbyJRr3ZevjjPA/s1600/Screenshot_65.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGYunhxNFHIfwdD9XK1M7eSzajkYh1A7z1FuT6TxBoRZ9AXQQRYFWEMuyRMDnRvreLNJVfTYIr5w8bpqMnDZg_hyphenhyphenoi12tNB4B61H27VOzEU4ObT8zNh0wW9x_4pvWiXCbyJRr3ZevjjPA/s400/Screenshot_65.png" width="400" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3b0MDub3nk0oBoiEuW_7tYKOtdO6ng0XIwkf7MsMHyn6zpBzNgW7BpPtasDaO_QALJG0hBj0b-Exu-z9JNAhnzLKPd7BA61nXZssw71pus3vlghqcxAKuuN1IcD8TjNSTPe7vO1JM1U/s1600/Screenshot_71.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="50" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3b0MDub3nk0oBoiEuW_7tYKOtdO6ng0XIwkf7MsMHyn6zpBzNgW7BpPtasDaO_QALJG0hBj0b-Exu-z9JNAhnzLKPd7BA61nXZssw71pus3vlghqcxAKuuN1IcD8TjNSTPe7vO1JM1U/s400/Screenshot_71.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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All of this venom and hatred over a banner that shouldn't have been put up in the first place. <a href="http://jesusfetusfajitafishsticks.blogspot.com/2012/01/ahlquist-screenshots-if-by-christian.html" target="_blank">Read the rest of them</a> on <b>JesusFetusFajitaFishsticks</b>, or <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/?s=Jessica+Ahlquist" target="_blank">catch up on the whole story</a> over at <b>Friendly Atheist</b>.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-53531288408080451642012-01-05T23:37:00.000-05:002012-01-05T23:37:46.464-05:00Horrific violence in the name of superstition<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
A couple of gruesome stories graced my Twitter feed this evening. It seems that violent religious extremists are starting off the year strong.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqJ4xcCfYDSD6_6jw2H0xLpeUiZha2KqyzK92KQ7snW4KyU-Kvq8lWF8C0Q3a90mH7YlyvYTbyxnYSfq6dcSSxaN0FvHB5NMe1sHGJx4MM0aYMHgAs9bVH3BKgVNvEo_6jovI52fTsfCk/s1600/monicks-religion.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqJ4xcCfYDSD6_6jw2H0xLpeUiZha2KqyzK92KQ7snW4KyU-Kvq8lWF8C0Q3a90mH7YlyvYTbyxnYSfq6dcSSxaN0FvHB5NMe1sHGJx4MM0aYMHgAs9bVH3BKgVNvEo_6jovI52fTsfCk/s400/monicks-religion.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In Nigeria, Islamists are <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/01/201215232810526951.html" target="_blank">mercilessly gunning down Christians</a> for praying to the wrong imaginary god:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: #eeeeee;">
"It was around 7:30 pm (1830 GMT)," Pastor John Jauro told AFP news agency of Thursday's attack in the city of Gombe.<br />
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"I was leading the congregation in prayers. Our eyes were closed when some gunmen stormed the church and opened fire on the congregation. Six people were killed in the attack and 10 others were wounded."<br />
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He said there was confusion as worshippers sought to flee at the Deeper Life Christian Ministry Church.<br />
<br />
Local police spokesman Ahmed Muhammad confirmed the attack, but declined to say how many people the gunmen killed and wounded.<br />
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The attack comes after a purported spokesman for Islamist group Boko Haram on Sunday issued a three-day ultimatum for Christians living in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north to leave the region or they would be killed.<br />
<br />
There was, however, no claim of responsibility for the attack.</blockquote>
(via <a href="http://freethoughtblogs.com/butterfliesandwheels/2012/01/boko-haram-murder-more-christians/trackback/" target="_blank">Ophelia Benson</a>)<br />
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<br />
Meanwhile in London, we have the ongoing murder trial of a woman and her partner, both Congolese immigrants, who <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jan/05/boy-tortured-drowned-sorcery-claims" target="_blank">tortured and drowned her teenage brother</a> last Christmas because they believed he was a witch:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: #eeeeee;">
On Christmas Day 2010 the defendants, who both deny murder, allegedly forced the boy and his siblings into a bath, submerging him in water. Pathologist reports revealed he suffered 101 injuries, and died as a result of drowning and the injuries.<br />
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When Kristy was found by paramedics in the eighth-floor flat in Forest Gate, his head, face, back and arms were covered in deep cuts and bruises, and several of his teeth were missing.<br />
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Kristy and four siblings were sent by their parents, from their home in Paris, to see their sister and his partner on 16 December. A few days passed "pleasantly enough", then Bikubi said some of the children were possessed by spirits and were having an evil influence on a younger child in the house, it is claimed.</blockquote>
(via <a href="http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2012/01/05/im-sure-they-are-a-very-spiritual-couple/" target="_blank">PZ Myers</a>)<br />
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Belief in the supernatural isn't the root of all evil, but it certainly serves as an excuse for some.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-73335817673648008692011-12-13T21:30:00.000-05:002011-12-13T21:30:49.313-05:00I get email... from "family" "values" advocates, again!<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Our good friend <b>Eugene Delgaudio</b> decided to grace my inbox with another one of his infamous anti-gay diatribes. I thought that I had unsubscribed from his mailing list, but perhaps he doesn't understand that no means no.<br />
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In case you missed the last episode, you can read the first email <a href="http://honesttogodless.blogspot.com/2011/10/i-get-email-from-family-values.html" target="_blank">here</a> and my play-by-play <strike>rebuttal</strike> mockery of it <a href="http://honesttogodless.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-response-to-eugene-delgaudios-email.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I was going to do another sarcastic play-by-play of this one, but <b>LazyJay</b> over at <b>A Different Music</b> <a href="http://adifferentmusic.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-think-eugene-delgaudio-needs-his.html" target="_blank">beat me to the punch</a>. Instead, I'll give you an executive summary of what's wrong with Eugene's latest drivel, and you can read the original email (rendered in purple Comic Sans for my amusement) below.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoxC_yYbkeGI4yqz1rHBGyMW9DNAW0o1lMxIlyikWF9vsMdolfAOFGMW5ydAQC7mzPXo-dkZdLr0XwCg_2iByp4xh5LI4_Om9yuqBh8b8l_Q6VtiAUqgJSIu5tdSqioQF4eMWXpHCaTg/s1600/KnifedGayAgenda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoxC_yYbkeGI4yqz1rHBGyMW9DNAW0o1lMxIlyikWF9vsMdolfAOFGMW5ydAQC7mzPXo-dkZdLr0XwCg_2iByp4xh5LI4_Om9yuqBh8b8l_Q6VtiAUqgJSIu5tdSqioQF4eMWXpHCaTg/s320/KnifedGayAgenda.jpg" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image credit: <a href="http://atheism.about.com/od/religiousright/ig/Christian-Propaganda-Posters/index.01.htm" target="_blank">Austin Cline</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This time, Eugene is trying to warn me of the dangers of <a href="http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h112-998" target="_blank">HR 998</a> and <a href="http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s112-555" target="_blank">S 555</a>, a pair of bills that would <b>prohibit discrimination against LGBT students</b> in public schools that receive federal funding, including a requirement that they <b>not tolerate gender- or sexuality-based bullying</b>. A reasonable request, though some may debate the federal government's role in policing this.<br />
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From Eugene's delusional point of view, this somehow entails requiring teachers to encourage heterosexual students to engage in homosexual acts (huh?), as well as giving students impunity for sexual assault if the victim is a member of the same sex (<i>what?!?</i>). I'm not sure where he gets this special knowledge about the "gay agenda", but I do wish he'd share his sources.<br />
<br />
He also expresses alarm at the fact that students in California will be required by state law to read about positive role models who happen to not be heterosexual. The horror!<br />
<br />
Eugene also has special knowledge he'd like to share about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Jennings" target="_blank">Kevin Jennings</a>' evil plan to teach kindergarteners at private schools to have gay sex, a claim which he supports using a handful of unsourced quotations with no context given. It should be noted that these quotations are only linked to the issue of homosexuality by Eugene's own paraphrasing.<br />
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Finally, Eugene asks for money, and offers a few suggested donation denominations. It saddens me to know that there actually are plenty of people in this country who don't have anything better to spend it on.<br />
<br />
The email text is below the jump.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: #e8e8e8; color: purple; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS';">
Dear Pro-family American,<br />
<br />
The Radical Homosexuals infiltrating the United States Congress have a plan:<br />
Indoctrinate an entire generation of American children with pro-homosexual propaganda and eliminate traditional values from American society.<br />
<br />
Their ultimate dream is to create a new America based on sexual promiscuity in which the values you and I cherish are long forgotten.<br />
<br />
I hate to admit it, but if they pass the deceptively named "Student Non-Discrimination Act," (H.R. 998 & S. 555) that's exactly what they'll do.<br />
<br />
Better named the "Homosexual Classrooms Act," its chief advocate in Congress is Rep. Jared Polis, himself an open homosexual and radical activist.<br />
<br />
And it's dangerously close to becoming the law of the land.<br />
<br />
H.R. 998 already has 150 co-sponsors in the House!<br />
<br />
And S. 555 already has 34 co-sponsors in the Senate!<br />
<br />
That's why I need you to act quickly -- right away -- to protect our nation's youth.<br />
<br />
I have prepared the official "Protect Our Children's Innocence" Petition to Congress for you to sign.<br />
<br />
Please click here to sign it right away so I can rush it to the Capitol with thousands more.<br />
<br />
You and I must defeat this disastrous legislation.<br />
<br />
You see, the Homosexual Classrooms Act contains a laundry list of anti-family provisions that will:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Require schools to teach appalling homosexual acts so "homosexual students" don't feel "singled out" during already explicit sex-ed classes;<br />
</li>
<li>Spin impressionable students in a whirlwind of sexual confusion and misinformation, even peer pressure to "experiment" with the homosexual "lifestyle;"<br />
</li>
<li>Exempt homosexual students from punishment for propositioning, harassing, or even sexually assaulting their classmates, as part of their specially-protected right to "freedom of self-expression;"<br />
</li>
<li>Force private and even religious schools to teach a pro-homosexual curriculum and purge any reference to religion if a student claims it creates a "hostile learning environment" for homosexual students.</li>
</ul>
And that's just the beginning of the Homosexual Lobby's radical agenda.<br />
<br />
In fact, it will set them up to ram through their entire perverted vision for a homosexual America.<br />
<br />
My friend, I'm sure I don't have to tell you this is not a fight we can afford to lose.<br />
<br />
That's why Public Advocate is leading the fight against this immoral legislation.<br />
<br />
This is a battle for the survival of American values and the fact is, there's no time to waste.<br />
<br />
The Homosexual Classrooms Act will turn America's schools into indoctrination centers and its classrooms into social laboratories -- and they're pulling out all the stops to pass it.<br />
<br />
You see, they've disguised the bill's wicked purpose behind an innocent name: "The Student Non-Discrimination Act."<br />
<br />
The Homosexual Lobby knows that if the public knew the truth about their radical agenda, they'll have no hope of success.<br />
<br />
And their dangerously close to ramming their perversity into law.<br />
<br />
H.R. 998 already has 150 co-sponsors in the House!<br />
<br />
And S. 555 already has 34 co-sponsors in the Senate!<br />
<br />
You and I need to take action right now to stop the growing momentum of this disastrous legislation.<br />
<br />
I've developed a massive program to launch the second they try to push this bill through -- mail, email, phones, and even radio and TV ads.<br />
<br />
But that's only possible with your support...<br />
<br />
None of these things are cheap. In fact, running a program of the size necessary to defeat this bill can get quite expensive especially with increases in postage and printing costs.<br />
<br />
That's why I need your generous contribution. In addition to your signed "Protect Our Children's Innocence" Petition, will you contribute $250, $100, $50 or even just $35 right away.<br />
<br />
And every dollar counts in this fight so even if you can only chip in $10 or $20, it will make a difference.<br />
Unfortunately, this agenda is nothing new.<br />
<br />
In fact, other countries like Britain are already experimenting with this kind of legislation, such as mandating public schools inject pro-homosexual content into every aspect of education.<br />
<br />
Word problems in math classes are now to include homosexual characters. History classes will document the "civil rights" struggle against the "oppressive" pro-family establishment.<br />
<br />
And it's even started to infiltrate our state governments.<br />
<br />
In California, lawmakers want to "require schools to portray lesbians, homosexuals, transsexuals ... as positive role models to children in all public schools."<br />
<br />
Sexual deviants being held up as models of virtue?<br />
<br />
If that makes you as sick as it makes me, you simply must join me in this battle for America's children.<br />
<br />
Please sign the "Protect Our Children's Innocence" Petition to Congress and then send a generous contribution right away. Your action will make all the difference.<br />
<br />
And if all that wasn't enough to convince you that action must be taken immediately, there's more.<br />
<br />
Many say that there will always be private schools and traditional homeschool families to teach traditional values to the next generation.<br />
<br />
But the truth is, this radical agenda is NOT restricted to public schools.<br />
<br />
Kevin Jennings, who Obama appointed as his "Safe Schools Czar," has clearly stated that "every school, public, private or parochial has an obligation" to teach a pro-homosexual curriculum.<br />
<br />
In fact, Jennings denounced school choice programs as "very dangerous" because they make it much harder to impose the Homosexual Agenda on our kids.<br />
<br />
"Lord forbid a Baptist or Mormon school," he added.<br />
<br />
Jennings' ultimate goal is for all curriculum in "kindergarten, and first grade, and second grade -- every grade" be infused with a pro-homosexual slant.<br />
<br />
Traditional values will be squashed and demonized as old fashioned or out of date, or even as bigotry.<br />
<br />
You and I cannot let them succeed.<br />
<br />
Please sign the "Protect Our Children's Innocence" Petition to Congress I've prepared for you right away.<br />
<br />
And along with your petition, would you please send a generous contribution of $250, $100, $50 or even just $35.<br />
<br />
And every dollar counts in this fight so even if you can only chip in $10 or $20, it will make a difference.<br />
<br />
Thank you so much for all you have done.<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
<br />
Eugene Delgaudio<br />
President,<br />
Public Advocate of the U.S.</blockquote>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-14342553634576796102011-12-10T16:15:00.001-05:002011-12-10T17:49:01.750-05:00[Recap] Adopt-an-Atheist, flogging as a tenet of Islam, atheists sending their kids to church, and... Newt was pro-science?<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
I've been more of an observer than a contributor these past several weeks. My take on a few recent items in the news and blogosphere:</div>
<br />
<h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The Catholic League wants to help us this Christmas!</span></h3>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
The good folks over at the Catholic League know what a struggle it is for we atheists to keep up the charade day after day. Deep down, <a href="http://www.catholicleague.org/adopt-an-atheist-campaign-begins/" target="_blank">we all want to admit</a> to the world that we're really Christians, imprisoned by peer pressure that keeps us from weeping tears of joy over Baby Jesus every time we see a crèche.<br />
<br />
Well, despair no more, my fellow atheists! This season, let's all get adopted by a good Catholic who can show us the light! I know it's what all of us have secretly wanted all our lives.<br />
<br />
For those of you who really aren't "closeted Christians" and are still tired of people saying that you "believe in nothing, stand for nothing and are good for nothing", <b>Ellen </b>over at <b>Skeptic Freethought</b> has a <a href="http://skepticfreethought.com/2011/12/catholic-league-adopting-atheists/" target="_blank">much better idea</a>: tell those well-meaning Christians to adopt a puppy!</div>
<br />
<h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Stop oppressing Maldivian Muslims by telling them that flogging women is wrong!</span></h3>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
How <b>dare</b> those intolerant bigots at the U.N. <a href="http://minivannews.com/society/islamic-minister-mps-ppm-and-and-religious-groups-condemn-human-rights-commissioner-28687?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">offend the religious sensibilities</a> of such a freedom-loving Muslim theocracy!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #666666;">
<i>“This is a very serious problem. You can’t say flogging is a form of violence against women,” he said.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Nasheed explained that Pillay’s remarks were tantamount to proclaiming in the Indian parliament that “worshiping cows is so uncivilised.”</i></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIQ0SB4hZFkqMmOfSR6tmo6Cb2sPgCTKOtD98zirBIRXKemlCfvTj2seDM_5QPxgd_LZaGcqNrQrXQXJ2wBj_lDaQcrEFjs-peZXjLZxTLM3ya8rcGA5_tyduUWwQuHu8x1j5AoD1EuM/s1600/flogging.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIQ0SB4hZFkqMmOfSR6tmo6Cb2sPgCTKOtD98zirBIRXKemlCfvTj2seDM_5QPxgd_LZaGcqNrQrXQXJ2wBj_lDaQcrEFjs-peZXjLZxTLM3ya8rcGA5_tyduUWwQuHu8x1j5AoD1EuM/s320/flogging.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Tearing a woman's flesh from her bones with a whip really is the same thing as giving livestock undue reverence. Why can't we just respect people's beliefs?</div>
<br />
<h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Atheists don't shelter their children from religion?</span></h3>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Apparently, scientists who don't believe in God still have a tendency to <a href="http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/07/study-some-atheists-with-children-attend-with-religious-services/" target="_blank">send their children to church</a>. While sometimes it's to satisfy the religious sensibilities of a believing spouse, that's not always the case - some atheist parents actually want their kids to be exposed to religion so they can evaluate it for themselves!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #666666;">
<i>One of the most interesting findings, according to Ecklund, was that some atheist scientists want to expose their children to religion due to scientific reasoning.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>"We thought that these individuals might be less inclined to introduce their children to religious traditions, but we found the exact opposite to be true," Ecklund said. "They want their children to have choices, and it is more consistent with their science identity to expose their children to all sources of knowledge."</i></blockquote>
Freethinkers supporting free thought? Who'd have expected that?<br />
<br />
For the record: my future kids will find the Bible and Qur'an on the same shelf as Greek and Norse mythology, though I might refrain from reading them certain stories from the first two until they're old enough not to be traumatized by the extreme violence.</div>
<br />
<h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Can we trade the current Newt for the 2006 edition?</span></h3>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
A surprising revelation was tweeted this week, courtesy of <a href="http://twitter.com/BadAstronomer/status/145222865992679424" target="_blank">Phil Plait</a>: Newt Gingrich used to be pro-science! Here's an excerpt of an interview from 2006 (emphasis and Q/A notations mine): <br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #666666;">
<i><b><u><span style="color: #444444; font-weight: normal;">Q: Do you view evolution as "just a theory" or as the best explanation for how we came to be?</span></u></b>A: Evolution certainly seems to express the <b>closest understanding we can now have</b>. But it's changing too. The current tree of life is not anything like a 19th-century Darwinian tree. We're learning a lot about how systems evolve and don't evolve. Cockroaches became successful several hundred million years ago and just stopped evolving. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: #666666;">
<div align="left">
<i><b><u><span style="color: #444444; font-weight: normal;">Q: Where do you come down on teaching intelligent design in schools? Do you think the ruling in the Dover, Pennsylvania, case was appropriate?</span></u></b>A: I believe <b>evolution should be taught as science, and intelligent design should be taught as philosophy.</b> Francis Collins's new book, <i><u>The Language of God</u>,</i> is a fine statement that combines a belief in God with a belief in evolution. I do not know enough about the Dover case to critique the judge's decision, but I am generally cautious about unelected judges establishing community standards—that is the duty of elected officials.</i></div>
</blockquote>
Don't we all wish that GOP candidates could get away with that kind of talk today? Unfortunately for us, they know their base and know how to pander to it. If you don't proclaim evolution to be just a silly "theory" (in the vernacular sense, not the scientific sense), you just aren't electable.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-40383845655036781082011-11-24T23:58:00.000-05:002011-11-25T00:16:26.807-05:00Giving thanks, the humanist way<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
As an atheist, I don't have a god to thank for the "blessings" in my life. There are many things I'm fortunate to have in my life: living in a region with abundant natural resources, dwelling in a relatively safe area without the daily threat of violent crime, and having good general health that's at least partly due to my genes, to name a few. Absent belief in any higher being that chose these circumstances for me, I have to chalk them up to a mere accident of circumstance.<br />
<br />
What I can be thankful for are the actions of other people that have had a positive impact in my life. Some have done great gestures of generosity; others, small acts of kindness. Some have done nice things for me intentionally; others have indirectly helped me while helping themselves. Some have given material aid; others have given kind words, or a smile, or even a challenge for me to meet.<br />
<br />
I give my thanks to every person whose actions have helped me get to where I am today: the family that raised and provided for me, the friends who were there for me throughout school, the teachers who challenged me to learn and think critically, the co-workers who brave the proverbial trenches by my side. I give my thanks to my wife, who has helped me learn as much about myself as I have about her. I give my thanks to the strangers who invented the tools I use to express myself, the generations of our civilization who have preserved free speech, and the soldiers who stand ready to protect this society. <br />
<br />
Last month, my fellow <b><a href="http://hcco.org/" target="_blank">HCCO</a> </b>member <b>Derrick</b> posted <a href="http://hcco.org/node/127" target="_blank">this Dial-A-Humanist message</a> on the HCCO blog, discussing the benefits of adopting an "attitude of gratitude" (cheesy slogan, yes, but accurate). It's something I thought about this evening as I sated myself with slow-cooked turkey breast, stuffing, yams, and pumpkin cheesecake.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
We humans have one another thank for every good thing we have in our lives. We're the ones who keep one another safe from danger. We're the ones who work to secure food and resources for one another, and carve niches for one another in the economy. We're the ones who challenge one another to succeed and help one another in times of need. We're the ones whose kind words and companionship keeps one another happy.<br />
<br />
Happy Thanksgiving, my fellow humans.<br />
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-82600305637890629662011-11-06T23:41:00.000-05:002011-11-06T23:41:57.631-05:00On the various "types" of atheists in today's secular movement<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
It has come to my attention more than once in the past that there are people out there who don't quite understand what it means to be an atheist. A dictionary definition of the term only tells you what we <i>don't</i> believe; the connotations regarding what atheists <i>do</i> believe are many and diverse.<br />
<br />
One of my newer readers, <a href="http://ecc102.wordpress.com/"><b>Chakam</b></a>, <a href="http://honesttogodless.blogspot.com/2011/10/apparently-atheists-are-driven-by-hate.html#comment-345845084">commented</a> that he believes atheists can be classified into two distinct categories. To paraphrase his comment:<br />
<br />
<i>On one hand, we have the stereotypical vitriolic, "God-hating" atheists who seek only to disparage Christianity at every turn. On the other, we have the rational, intellectual atheists who simply reject the idea of any supernatural entity in absence of convincing evidence.</i><br />
<br />
<i> </i><br />
I don't think that this assessment is entirely accurate, though his caricature of the vitriolic atheist is perhaps just an exaggeration of the truth regarding certain individuals. I don't think it's as simple as he makes it - I think there are at least four broad categories one could use to describe the attitudes of different atheists toward religion.<br />
<br />
I'm going to stick with four categories in this post. Just for fun, I'll also assign each one a card suit* to symbolize the inherent attitude toward religion. Also just for fun, I'll use alliteration.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*If you're not familiar with the symbolism behind the four traditional card suits, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spades_%28suit%29#Translation_table">read up on it</a> and you'll see why I thought they were appropriate here. <b>Remember, kids: cartomancy can't really predict your future. Friends don't let friends fall for woo.</b> </span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">♠ The Agitating Antitheist (Spades)</span> </h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQ0xu8zXO32wRTlTDMozRQRzQm_E1FEIsrPuYZ9GdAmQvShFb5BmzhSXPdXp-YVDlZ-BtMGYE5-FIGJpX_2rSq5t2hEWyB0Q2NlksoAOLJdhyphenhyphenjDrM0Jit9eN3B4U6Hm7tvTFfiMw4lsE/s1600/madalyn_murray_ohair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQ0xu8zXO32wRTlTDMozRQRzQm_E1FEIsrPuYZ9GdAmQvShFb5BmzhSXPdXp-YVDlZ-BtMGYE5-FIGJpX_2rSq5t2hEWyB0Q2NlksoAOLJdhyphenhyphenjDrM0Jit9eN3B4U6Hm7tvTFfiMw4lsE/s1600/madalyn_murray_ohair.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madalyn Murray O'Hair</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Here's where you'll find most of the capital '<b style="color: red;">A</b>' Atheists. It includes the silver-tongued critics of religion that some of us love and others love to hate. It also includes the less articulate individuals you'll find trolling internet forums, ranting against the evils of religion.<br />
<br />
The atheists in this category <b>believe that they're fighting a philosophical "war" against religion</b>, and don't care one bit if anyone's feelings get hurt when they call it out for how ridiculous it is. Many religious people wrongfully think that these atheists "hate" God or those who believe in one. Not quite - they hate <i>belief in gods</i> and want to see such beliefs go extinct in favor of rationality.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">♣ The Incredulous Inquirer (Clubs)<br />
</span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpFCD_gO9WhyphenhyphenYCkt9UTXkEtOkypQWRLNQYU7BFJ-nzaSYDFfo565_xLvcDSvnpNLPjmANJHMj74kEWgUcAolSrJVxjdAYuvWxT2_tKNvK7NtHKgPlNGlM849M4MYuQ98lOyjIpsiSxVA/s1600/Bertrand+Russell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpFCD_gO9WhyphenhyphenYCkt9UTXkEtOkypQWRLNQYU7BFJ-nzaSYDFfo565_xLvcDSvnpNLPjmANJHMj74kEWgUcAolSrJVxjdAYuvWxT2_tKNvK7NtHKgPlNGlM849M4MYuQ98lOyjIpsiSxVA/s200/Bertrand+Russell.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bertrand Russell</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Some of these might be quicker to call themselves skeptics rather than atheists. For them, <b>atheism is merely the default position on the untestable God Question</b>; without cause to believe in any particular religion, it's safest to just assume they're all false until evidence shows otherwise.<br />
<br />
These atheists typically think about religion far more than most believers do, but don't feel the need to argue with religious apologists at every turn. They still do debate religion, of course, but they pick their battles. There's nothing to be gained by attempting to "defeat" religion; there's plenty to be gained by promoting critical thinking and reason.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />
<h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">♦</span> The Mainstream Materialist (Diamonds)<br />
</span></h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha74YVfJU0nQR8-QOkRbGTvXZ859ZKeOEOwsnXY7l9q6PrbxdJG7WhXNVEHMER9apFFRp3TCGDRLhNAN6Y3cqH1igU2Jcnx7DNmvdrpMCdPZDuRjm0V9_rM9wWRycwt7losOo7pAX6Ld8/s1600/poy_mark_zuckerberg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha74YVfJU0nQR8-QOkRbGTvXZ859ZKeOEOwsnXY7l9q6PrbxdJG7WhXNVEHMER9apFFRp3TCGDRLhNAN6Y3cqH1igU2Jcnx7DNmvdrpMCdPZDuRjm0V9_rM9wWRycwt7losOo7pAX6Ld8/s200/poy_mark_zuckerberg.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Zuckerberg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This category name might sound like a pejorative; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materialism">it's not</a>. In truth, this is probably the largest category of religious nonbelievers in the world. They've <b>answered "no" to the God Question, and then moved on with their lives.</b> If there's no afterlife, why waste your ephemeral existence quarreling about religion?<br />
<br />
Here you'll find the millions who are simply "good without God" and deal
with the here and now, attending to their careers and families and
social lives just like any mainstream religious believer. Members of this category generally aren't hostile toward religion, but aren't necessarily shy about the fact that they don't believe in any god. Of the four, they're the least likely to be involved in the secular movement.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: red;">♥</span> The Diplomatic Disbeliever (Hearts)</span></h3>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris Stedman</td></tr>
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Many in this category prefer to be called Humanists rather than atheists, but these are just two overlapping circles. These atheists <b>want religious people to <i>like</i> atheists</b>, which is arguably a good thing when you're surrounded by religious people in everyday life.<br />
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Activists with this mindset try to secure a place for atheists at the interfaith table, demonstrating a willingness to work with religious organizations for the greater good. Motivated by the belief that we <em>can</em> all get along in spite of differing answers to the God Question, they cultivate alliances with liberal religious believers against fundamentalism and sectarian hatred.</div>
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Any atheist readers care to critique my classification, or say which "suit" they feel best describes them? Any theists care to give other outside perspectives about the godless community? Comments welcome, as always.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-42930485094952019942011-10-26T00:19:00.000-04:002011-10-26T00:25:23.366-04:00Apparently, atheists are driven by hate and anger<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK11GJsMWWROgruRVfln28KOpikOxeFhtIm15cuRvubqg-cIPoAz8-H-L1Gh-vLy_M8DIF7TejRlBsHmwWu3FfIFUuvsr4fJrqEiueLdI-4afYxe-55qjUbpM_Tl-hPpM3Cvhtw8mF9yU/s1600/Emperor-Palpatine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK11GJsMWWROgruRVfln28KOpikOxeFhtIm15cuRvubqg-cIPoAz8-H-L1Gh-vLy_M8DIF7TejRlBsHmwWu3FfIFUuvsr4fJrqEiueLdI-4afYxe-55qjUbpM_Tl-hPpM3Cvhtw8mF9yU/s200/Emperor-Palpatine.jpg" width="200" /></a> Religious folk reacted with the fury of Caps Lock when the University of Wisconsin's Secular Student Alliance affiliate <a href="http://wiscatheists.blogspot.com/2011/10/mass-email-draws-mass-ire.html">sent a mass email</a> inviting interested students to join. Though many other student groups use the very same method to get the word out that they exist, some apparently found the existence of an atheist-agnostic-freethinker group offensive.<br />
<br />
Then, <a href="http://www.christianpost.com/news/how-anger-fuels-atheistic-arrogance-58281/">this article</a> turned up on my Google Sparks:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">
<span style="font-size: small;">When natural man embraces atheism, you often end up with a ticking time bomb. The seething anger lies just beneath the surface for many atheists. Even for those “sophisticated atheists” who are able to put up a good front for the public, their “inner workings” are usually filled with rage against God and Christians.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">In that sense, atheists unwittingly help to prove the truth of Christianity by their hatred for it. Jesus told his disciples, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.” (John 15:18) Real Christians don’t hate atheists. Real Christians love atheists. That is the supernatural grace of God at work in the life of a believer. Real atheists, on the other hand, have an inner hatred for Christ that gets directed at believers. That is the natural result of man rejecting God as His Creator.</span></blockquote>
Another choice segment: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">
<span style="font-size: small;">If everyone in the world was an atheist, the population would shrink
drastically and violently. Human arrogance and anger doesn’t put up with
too much before it goes ballistic and begins to wipe out the “enemy.”</span></blockquote>
And then there's this gem: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">
<span style="font-size: small;">If you are an atheist, here are 11 words you won't say from your heart
unless you choose to open your mind to be a "freethinker" for Christ:
"Lord Jesus, forgive me for my hatred toward You and others." Wow! You
would rather die than sincerely pray those words wouldn't you? That's
because a hatred for Jesus fills your heart, as it would mine without
Christ. You tell yourself it is just unbelief in Jesus. That is only the
"fruit of it." The "root of it" is hatred towards God.</span></blockquote>
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Here I thought that the old "atheists hate God" argument had been beaten to death and beyond, and yet it pops up again on a major Christian news site. I have to wonder if the author, <b>Dan Delzell</b>, has ever met, read the writings of, or heard a speech by an atheist; his understanding of how atheists think seems to come exclusively from the Bible.<br />
<br />
I could write a long-winded post about how wrong his assertions are, and <i>why</i> they're wrong; that would be a waste of my time, as this topic has been covered in depth by those who have tread before me. So I'll keep it short and sweet.<br />
<br />
First off: atheists <u><b>do</b></u> <u><b>not</b></u> <u><b>believe</b></u> that any god exists. You <u><b>can't</b></u> <b><u>hate</u> </b>what doesn't exist. I would hope that this isn't a difficult concept. Now let's move on.<br />
<br />
Secondly: one look at the sheer vastness of the universe shows us how insignificant we are on the scale of the cosmos. We aren't our own "gods" - we are ephemeral chemical reactions on the surface of a speck of space dust who have managed to develop intelligence. Realizing this fact is the <b><i>exact opposite</i></b> of arrogance. You know what <i><b>would</b> </i>be arrogant? Believing that all of this was created just for little <strike>old</strike> young us.<br />
<br />
Lastly, I will concede you one point: a lot of atheists <b><i>do</i></b> have a great deal of antipathy toward religion, especially so in the West toward Christianity. <i><b>However:</b></i> this isn't because we're angry at some long dead (and possibly legendary) cult leader named Yeshua; it's because we think that organized religion (and the political power it wields) is an absolute farce.<br />
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One final note on the 11-word prayer: you won't hear a sincere prayer out of me because it is not possible to sincerely lie. This argument, like the rest of the column, does not make sense.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-15776220274123752592011-10-20T22:48:00.004-04:002011-10-20T22:48:51.836-04:002011 Rapture Redux and skepticism of religion<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
The now-infamous <b>Harold Camping</b>'s latest predicted date for the End of All Things is tomorrow. I'm personally looking forward to a relaxing weekend.<br />
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When the Rapture <a href="http://honesttogodless.blogspot.com/2011/05/our-world-will-be-erasedour-kin-will-be.html">failed to occur</a> five months ago, Camping backpedaled and said that it was <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/under-god/post/harold-camping-says-may-21-2011-was-invisible-judgment-day-world-will-end-october-21-2011/2011/05/23/AFZmc99G_blog.html">obviously just a "spiritual" Rapture</a>; the real fulfillment of the Book of Revelation wasn't due until October 21st.<br />
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It seems like the skeptic community and mainstream media alike made a bigger deal about his May 21st Armageddon prediction - granted, this is because Camping himself made <a href="http://honesttogodless.blogspot.com/2011/04/rapture-party-heyyyooo.html">a bigger deal</a> about it. I haven't seen much advertising from Family Radio regarding tomorrow's apocalypse, but the <b>Freedom From Religion Foundation</b> is <a href="http://ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrfs-fool-me-once-campaign-asks-onlookers-to-judge-religion/">wasting no time</a> in capitalizing on it:<br />
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(via <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2011/10/19/the-ffrfs-controversial-fool-me-once-billboard-campaign/">Friendly Atheist</a>)</div>
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The aim of their new billboard campaign is rather straightforward: promote skepticism of religion by drawing attention to the sheer lunacy of doomsday predictions. Is the truly absurd thing here that Camping picked a specific date? Or is it that he uses <a href="http://www.thebricktestament.com/revelation/">a madman's ramblings</a> as the basis for not only his life, but his eighty million dollar business?</div>
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To borrow an <a href="http://freethoughtblogs.com/greta/2011/10/13/listening-to-the-hair-dryer/">analogy</a> from Greta Christina: suppose an old man tells you that his electric hairdryer confided in him that the world is going to end on October 21st. Which is the more appropriate response?</div>
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<li>That's silly. Nobody knows when the world is going to end!</li>
<li>That's silly. Hairdryers can't talk!</li>
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Perhaps as more doomsday prophecies propagate in the public consciousness and are summarily and mercilessly debunked for the world to see, more people will start to question the belief systems that generated these prophecies in the first place.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-73625920895017279522011-10-16T21:14:00.004-04:002011-10-16T21:29:23.060-04:00Technical difficulties<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Apparently my Disqus widget stopped working as a result of recent renovations to my blog. I wondered why I wasn't getting any comments lately (particularly from <b><a href="http://anythingbuttheist.blogspot.com/">Ginx</a> </b>and <b><a href="http://johnmyste.wordpress.com/">John</a> <a href="http://www.jmyste.com/">Myste</a></b>, who seldom fail to drop their two cents in the bucket).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Comment functionality should be restored now. A big thanks to <a href="http://www.suburbansweetheart.com/"><b>Kate</b></a><b> </b>for pointing it out!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043776636639212942.post-55920121737299898302011-10-15T15:53:00.002-04:002011-10-17T15:06:53.374-04:00My response to Eugene Delgaudio's email<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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Yesterday I received an <a href="http://honesttogodless.blogspot.com/2011/10/i-get-email-from-family-values.html">email</a> from <b>Eugene Delgaudio</b>, President of anti-gay group <b>Public Advocate</b>. Here's what I sent as a response:<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Dear Eugene,<br />
<br />
I was a bit surprised to be receiving this message from your organization, as I did not recall signing any petition as you mention below:<br />
<blockquote style="color: purple;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14px;">Thank you for your recently signed petition. <u>I am excited to know you are an American who is willing to take a stand for pro-family values</u>.</span></blockquote>
Then I remembered that I had been directed to your website by left-wing blogger PZ Myers, in one of his frequent exercises in demonstrating the futility of internet surveys. I participated in your survey in order to help skew the results away from the statistics you were fishing for; it appears you interpreted my pro-equality responses as "signing" your petition.<br />
<br />
I'd like to take the time to respond to your message, and to address some of the claims you've made. <br />
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14px;"> <span style="color: purple;">Here at Public Advocate, fighting for and defending the family values our nation was founded on is what we are all about.</span></span></blockquote>
I apologize if I've led you on in any way, as we seem to have very different ideas about what constitutes "pro-family" values. I also fail to find any mention of them in our Constitution; there's a whole lot about rights and liberty in there, but nothing regarding the role of family structure.<br />
<blockquote style="color: purple;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14px;"> If you are looking for a hard-hitting pro-family organization with a history of victories against the growing radical Homosexual Lobby, look no further than Public Advocate of the United States.<br />
<br />
Founded in 1981, Public Advocate quickly took center stage as the nation’s leading family advocate with over 400,000 united pro-family activists.<br />
<br />
<u>Time after time, Public Advocate has beaten back the attempts of the Homosexual Lobby to pass legislation aimed at making homosexuals a special class of citizens</u>.<br />
<br />
But, victories these days have been harder and harder to come by.</span></blockquote>
Please forgive my ignorance of your organization's existence, but I don't think I've heard of a single court or legislative victory that can be attributed to Public Advocate. It could be that Google is controlled by the gay lobby and is deliberately censoring reports of your victories, however. Would you be so kind as to provide a citation? <br />
<blockquote style="color: purple;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14px;"> <br />
Which is why I so excited to have your signed petition!<br />
<br />
With it, I will prove to Congress that the American people still hold traditional family values dear.</span></blockquote>
Again with that whole "petition" thing: I took your online survey and selected your strawman "pro-gay" choice on every single question. If that makes me a supporter of your cause, then by analogy my atheism makes me a Catholic, a Theravada Buddhist, and a Sunni Muslim all at once! I would hope that Congress requires greater evidence than a list of names and email addresses from an online survey when they consider the weight of your viewpoint.<br />
<blockquote style="color: purple;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14px;"> And if you believe the threat of the Homosexual Lobby is being blown out of proportion, think again.<br />
<br />
<u>At this very moment, individuals and organizations with hundreds of millions of dollars that comprise the Homosexual Lobby are working to pass their radical agenda</u>.<br />
<br />
Here are just a few names and organizations you may recognize: Tim Gill, Barney Frank, Pat Stryker, Jared Polis, Cindy and Meghan McCain, The Advocate, GLAAD, and the Human Rights Campaign.<br />
<br />
All of these people are working towards what they call “equal rights” for homosexuals, when in reality, the rights they are trying to acquire would be unique to homosexuals only.</span></blockquote>
What unique rights are we talking about here? I've only ever seen LGBT activists ask for two things:<br />
<ul>
<li>the freedom to be "out" without fear of arrest, discrimination, or suppressive violence;</li>
<li>the freedom to enter a legal marriage contract with no difference in rights, restrictions, or privileges regardless of the sex or gender identity of their partner.</li>
</ul>
If you could provide an itemized list of "special rights" which you believe that the LGBT community is seeking, I would greatly appreciate it.<br />
<blockquote style="color: purple;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14px;"> <u>A Thought Control bill was just recently passed. This bill puts into law regulations that deem so-called “hate speech” as illegal</u>.<br />
<br />
This has me worried, and I hope you are too. Because who is to say what language will be considered hate speech?<br />
<br />
Don’t believe me? In Canada and Europe pastors have been thrown in jail for preaching Biblical teachings against homosexuality.<br />
<br />
This very well may be the reality of Thought Control in the United States.</span></blockquote>
I've heard of such cases being prosecuted in other countries, and I do indeed stand firmly against censorship regardless of how wrong someone's opinion is. I don't think that anything short of <i>threats of</i> or <i>calls for violence</i> against individuals or groups should be considered "hate speech", and I will stand with anti-censorship organizations in opposing such legislation. Sorry, but this isn't going to get me on board with your agenda.<br />
<blockquote style="color: purple;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14px;"> <u>I hope you know how serious this issue really is</u>.<br />
<br />
Which is why, as President of Public Advocate, I have devoted my life to protecting family values and defending our freedoms.<br />
<br />
I want to leave a legacy I am proud of, knowing the United States is still the nation I grew up in.</span></blockquote>
I have a feeling we're about to get to the good part. <br />
<blockquote style="color: purple;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14px;"> <u>But without your support, this year alone we could see Barney Frank’s so-called “Employment Non-Discrimination Act” put into law</u>.<br />
<br />
We call this the “Gay Bill of Special Rights” because it doesn’t eliminate discrimination, it destroys workplace protection from radical homosexuals whose only mission is to spread their agenda.<br />
<br />
If passed, the Gay Bill of Special Rights would require workplaces to meet a quota of homosexual employees, forcing employers to choose a radical homosexual over a potentially more qualified candidate.<br />
<br />
And no workplace will be exempt. Churches, daycares, nursing homes, private schools, you name it, all will have to adhere to these regulations.</span></blockquote>
You clearly don't know how to do simple research before spouting your opinions on matters that don't affect you. Go <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c111:1:./temp/%7Ec1119HiYqh:e6324:#">read the text</a> of Rep. Frank's bill. It's not very long. Done? Good, I'd like to direct you to a few key passages:<br />
<ul>
<li>Section 4, paragraph (f) - <b>No Preferential Treatment or Quotas</b></li>
<li>Section 6 - <b>Exemption for Religious Organizations</b></li>
<li>Section 8, paragraph (b) - <i>"Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require a covered entity to treat an unmarried couple in the same manner as the covered entity treats a married couple for purposes of employee benefits."</i></li>
</ul>
I couldn't find any special rights for homosexuals in there, and these three items seemed to specifically prohibit giving any one sexual orientation any special privileges. Your arguments ring hollow, Eugene.<i> </i><br />
<blockquote style="color: purple;">
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14px;"> <u>And Obama is even looking to push for the repeal of "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" this year, which would remove the protection our soldiers have from the Homosexual Lobby</u>.<br />
<br />
And even the Healthcare bill is filled with numerous paybacks to homosexuals, giving lower healthcare premiums to “unmarried” homosexuals than married couples, all paid for at taxpayer expense.<br />
<br />
<u>I hope you understand this threat is real. . . and imminent</u>.</span></blockquote>
Eugene, I'm not sure what protection you think our soldiers need from those among them who happen to be homosexual. When good patriotic Americans couldn't serve their own country solely because of their sexual orientation, a great injustice was being done.<br />
<br />
As for the Healthcare reform law, I'll admit that I haven't read the thing; it's longer than every novel, news article, and blog post I've ever read in my life combined. However, every executive summary I've ever read of the law failed to mention mandating lower premiums for unmarried partners compared to married couples. Point me to the section of the code that accomplishes this feat, and I will read it. I do hope this isn't more of the paranoid ranting that is your <i>modus operandi</i>.<br />
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I did some Google research on you, Eugene, and I have to say I'm a little weirded out. You seem to have a following among religious right wingnuts, but mainstream culture doesn't appear to care that you exist; it <a href="http://www.publicadvocateusa.org/news/article.php?article=5794">amazes you when social progressive bloggers post your drivel</a> for the purpose of refuting or mocking it. You resort to reporting what appear to be <a href="http://www.metroweekly.com/news/?ak=6605">wholly fabricated assaults</a> against your property and person in order to make yourself look like a victim as you support legislation to victimize LGBT Americans.<br />
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I've enjoyed writing you, Eugene, and I hope to hear from you again. Dialogue about controversial issues is the best way to arrive at the truth, and with the internet to check citations we can keep one another honest.<br />
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Cheers,<br />
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Matt Foss</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07159070490210897759noreply@blogger.com