Pastor Mike's "Atheist Registry" is apparently old news... or is it?

*** Update 9/1/11: Pastor Mike has now made his blog private.  It's a shame that we won't be able to read the good news from him anymore.  Also, apparently I am bad about checking dates.***

So it seems that we self-righteous atheist bloggers aren't so careful about checking dates when we respond to fundamentalists' rants.


Oh, wait.  We are!  Pastor Mike just made a little slip-up when he scheduled his post to publish a year later than he meant to.  Now he's wondering why his suggestion for a National Atheist Registry is just now getting attention - it's because it only appeared to the public this past Sunday!

Pastor Mike is also apparently upset that people have the audacity to comment on his public blog criticizing him for promoting harassing proselytization of atheists and boycotting atheist-owned businesses.  He apparently doesn't see the irony in this.  As he so eloquently points out in his latest rant,

"They'll hide behind the security blanket of their keyboards , boasting how "proud" they are of being atheists in their PUBLIC blogs , yet , let someone like me mention putting their names on a PUBLIC registry , and they whine like little school girls and begin having their juvenile emotional outbursts."

It goes both ways, Pastor Mike. When you post something on your public blog and make your email address public, don't be surprised when you get a large quantity of email from people who disagree with you.

Now, it's fun to snicker at the ignorance of people like Pastor Mike, but I don't support any trolling of his blog or harassing him by email.  That won't solve anything and will only serve to fulfill his confirmation bias and convince him and his followers that they're right to fear and despise us.  I know that scalawags like Ginx are just going to do it anyway, though, so maybe I shouldn't bother with the disclaimer.

Why I’m a Male Feminist (And Why Our Movement Needs More of Us)

(Cross-posted on Skeptic Freethought)

"Feminist" is a polarizing word.  You'll generally see it used in one of two ways: as self-identification by people who consider themselves feminists, and as a pejorative by people who do not.

It's a word with an ugly connotation in many people's minds, not unlike the word "atheist"; people hear the "-ist" suffix and infer an ideology that seeks feminine supremacy rather than gender equality, just as many see atheism as a rebellious denial of God rather than an affirmative acceptance of a godless universe.

To be sure, there are differing opinions among those who consider themselves feminists regarding what it means to be a feminist. There are disagreements about its implications regarding sexuality, marriage, reproductive rights, and parenting. There are disputes about what reforms are needed in modernized Western societies compared to developing nations.  There are debates about who gets to call themselves feminists, particularly about whether this label can apply to men.

Can men be feminists?

I call myself a feminist because I agree with the movement's most basic tenet: women are people. I feel that throughout human history and in the status quo today, women have been and are either (a) regarded as lesser beings than men, or (b) propped up on a pedestal from which they are not permitted to descend, and often paradoxically both at the same time. I see this as wrong and would like to do my part to correct it.

Hoping that I don't sound like this.

As such, supporting fair treatment across gender lines means proactively questioning and reforming the way we (both men and women) think about women. For this reason I will use the word "feminist" and not try to make up some new, gender-neutral term for supporting gender equality.

I know that there are hardcore feminists out there who object to men calling themselves feminists. I understand their reasons for feeling that way (for example, men presumptuously thinking they can speak on behalf of feminism, men dominating discussions on feminism, and then there's this guy).

I still feel that I should use the label, as it helps to make feminism less taboo, less scary to people who claim they oppose feminism without understanding what it means. An increase in the number of visible male feminists (or "pro-feminists" or "allies" if you prefer) will increase dialogue among men about their treatment of women, and increase the number of men who stop to think "Y'know, maybe I am being sexist without realizing it. I should reexamine my attitudes about gender roles."

Being visible among skeptics, or Wearing it proudly

At the SSA conference last month, I chose to wear my bright green "THIS IS WHAT A FEMINIST LOOKS LIKE" t-shirt, bought years ago from a fundraiser for a battered women's shelter.

I don't always wear t-shirts with slogans on them,
but when I do I support equal treatment of women.

I'll admit that I knew I wasn't going out on a limb with this: I knew that there were many feminists among the population of young atheists and agnostics. It got positive reactions from feminist atheist bloggers Jen McCreight and Greta Christina, and it turned out there were even a few other male feminists there as well.

In proclaiming myself as a feminist, just as happened when I proclaimed myself an atheist, I am bound to make both friends (not all of whom I'd like to call "friend") and enemies (some of whom I have no quarrel with) based solely on the label.

Case in point: one of the neo-Marxist activists present at the conference seemed to assume I'd be sympathetic to her group's ideology based on my self-identification as a feminist. I was not.

I'm not aware of any animosity toward me regarding the shirt (I've experienced such from male acquaintances in the past), but I have to wonder if it frightened anyone away. I would certainly hope not.

The bottom line

I will echo the sentiments of atheists who have found the AAFHSS community to have a detectable sexism problem, if based solely on what I've read in the blogosphere (I personally heard no such comments at the SSA conference).  I do suspect, however, that many groups and social movements have the same problem, if not a more deeply embedded one; the difference is that there are feminists in the secular movement who recognize sexism when it rears its ugly head and call people out on it.

I also will ask that any men who feel threatened by feminism take a serious second look at their attitudes toward women. Are you afraid of becoming a second class citizen, or are you afraid of losing special privileges you’ve become accustomed to? Are you afraid that values associated with your gender will someday no longer be the default?

I won’t tell other skeptics and freethinkers that they should get behind a particular ideology, but I will ask them to consider what they do believe about sex and gender and examine the evidence on which they base their views (even feminists should do this – any idea worth believing is worth scrutinizing). You may find that you hold biases you weren’t aware of.

Weeky Recap: We Are Atheism, Godless Quote of the Week, Sunday Subscription Suggestion, and the Thought Offender Registry?

I've decided to make these Weekly Recaps a regular feature on this blog.  If anything, it'll give you all something to read every Sunday if I happen to be out of material for a week.  It'll also motivate me to work past my writer's block in at least some way on a regular basis.

Each such post is going to feature the following:

• The Godless Quote of the Week: something profound and/or snarky uttered or written by a fellow atheist, with a link to the source for context.
• Sunday Subscription Suggestion: inspired by Twitter's Follow Friday meme, I will link to a blog or other site I've recently discovered and would recommend to my readers.  Not necessarily atheism-related.
• Weekly Absurdity: something absolutely ridiculous that I've discovered within the week.  It might be a facepalm, or it might be a LOL.
• Whatever the hell else I want to post.

That's it in a nutshell.  Buckle up.

We Are Atheism campaign launched!

The push for atheists to step out and assert their presence has yet another organized form of support.  With the tagline "Stand up.  Speak Out.  Be Counted.", We Are Atheism provides atheists with a platform to tell the world who they are and what they do believe in.

I plan on submitting a video myself in the near future.  Speaking of which, are there any readers in Central Ohio who own a decent video camera?

Godless Quote of the Week

(via Friendly Atheist)

"[T]hey said, 'So you think you’re the biggest, most important thing in the universe?'
On the contrary. I think I am among the smallest. Cosmically speaking, I barely exist."

This was said by author Marya Hornbacher, an atheist who writes about mental illness, addiction, and recovery without a higher power to call upon.

Sunday Subscription Suggestion

I'd like to spotlight the blog Fallen From Grace by Bruce Gerencser.  Bruce is a former evangelical pastor who spent half of his life as a church leader before coming to the conclusion that he's an atheist.

His blog tells the tale of his journey "from Eternity to Here" and offers a unique perspective on life, religion, and apostasy.  He'll often point out the hypocrisy of those who once considered him their brother in Christ.

Weekly Absurdity: Thought Offender Registry?

(via Pharyngula)

Pastor Mike of the Living Water Church in southern Florida has a suggestion for keeping tabs on us nasty atheists.  He proposes a national registry of all those who publicly deny his god's existence, modeled after the Sex Offender Registry.  After all, don't good Christians have a right to know if there are any godless monsters living in their communities?  Think of the children!

He highlights some of the benefits of such a registry:

. . . we could begin to witness to them and warn them of the dangers of atheism . Or perhaps they are radical atheists , whose hearts are as hard as Pharaoh's , in that case , if they are business owners , we would encourage all our Christian friends , as well as the various churches and their congregations NOT to patronize them as we would only be "feeding" Satan.

Were I a business owner, I'd have mixed feelings on this.  I'd be happy to have fewer bigoted fundamentalists hanging around in my shop, but I'd sure miss taking their money. I'd also be quite perturbed that this Satan character was embezzling my profits, as I'd have a strict policy against hiring mythological beings.

It's all too tempting to scoff and snicker at this sort of nonsense, but as PZ correctly points out it poses a real threat of harassment and intimidation against outspoken atheists by self-righteous Christians with nothing better to do with their time.

Well, the only defense against something like this is threat dilution. I say that atheists start contacting Pastor Mike and ask where we can sign up!

"On the vilification of secular humanists" - post at Skeptic Freethought

My first post at Skeptic Freethought went up yesterday!  I revisited the topic of ridiculous claims made about secular humanists by the Religious Right.  This time I took a more serious tone compared to my earlier sarcastic rebuttal.  I also examined why the "good without God" message of secular humanism would be so alarming to a religious fundamentalist.

Is this message so threatening that it warranted vandalism?

To sum up my thoughts on the matter:

It’s because, framed within a worldview in which a sly Devil seeks to trick gullible humans into abandoning faith for worldly concerns, a friendly and inviting godless philosophy is far more dangerous than an aggressive militant adversary.

Joining Skeptic Freethought!

As of today I'm officially a contributor at Skeptic Freethought, a group blog focused on the atheist, agnostic, freethinking, humanist, secular, and skeptic (AAFHSS) community and on student groups in particular.

I've got my own author page and everything!  Yes, I know I need a better photo, but the shot of me enjoying a pint of Magners in a London pub will have to do for now.

I'll be making my first-ever post there by the coming weekend.  For now, anyone interested should feel free to take a look at what the other contributors have written.

Recap Post: pop stars for science, Straw Poll, the faaabulous Ann Coulter, femShep beauty pageant, and godless Christians!

While I'm brainstorming, kicking around, and shooting down ideas for future posts, here's a weekend fluff digest post to tide you loyal readers over. Some highlights of the past week or so:

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"Science is rock and roll." Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am is doing something that lifts my hopes for this country (my opinion of his music aside). He's teaming up with other popular musicians in a video campaign to promote scientific curiosity and encourage improvements to science education, leading up to a one-hour TV special to air on Sunday evening. I'm willing to let slide the obvious fallacy induced by celebrity endorsement because science needs positive publicity in America.

(via Culture of Science by Sheril Kirshenbaum) #science

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The Heathen Republican didn't quite have the budget of Michele Bachmann's campaign, but still made an effort to garner votes at the Straw Poll, complete with deep-fried hors d'oeuvres. Unfortunately he didn't have quite the turnout that other candidates enjoyed; I wonder why? "For ethical reasons, I instructed my campaign not to pay for any of the attendee’s tickets, so we only had a few people show up. I didn’t realize conservative votes could be purchased for as little as $30."

#atheism, #politics

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Ann Coulter is a gay icon, at least as far as right-wing gay lobbyist group GOProud is concerned. It shouldn't be surprising that she's the best they could dig up: "The organization, though branding itself as a gay rights group, generally views gay marriage as a states' rights affair—a stance famous for working out awesomely for interracial couples in Alabama before the mid-'60s."

(via Mother Jones) #politics, #lgbt

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Canadian game developer Bioware held an online poll to decide the appearance of the female version of Commander Shepard to be used in ads for Mass Effect 3. Flamewars and fanboy rage ensued over matters of hair, eye, and skin color.

Finally a feminist gamer chimed in and asked why it was even happening. "BioWare took one of the small handful of non-sexualized female heroes in gaming and put her on stage for the world to judge on appearances alone, aka a f**king beauty pageant. . . No male hero has ever been or ever would be dragged into the limelight and forced to defend himself like this."

(via my brother Josh, and Penny Arcade) #gaming, #feminism

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It appears that a few reverends in the Netherlands are rethinking the God Question but still keeping the faith nonetheless. "'God is not a being at all... it's a word for experience, or human experience,'" proclaims one reverend.  According to the BBC article, "[his] book Believing in a Non-Existent God led to calls from more traditionalist Christians for him to be removed. However, a special church meeting decided his views were too widely shared among church thinkers for him to be singled out."

I think that this story raises an intriguing question: are people like this being intellectually dishonest by identifying with a faith while not believing its theology, or are they facilitating the evolution of Christianity into a philosophy that will survive in the increasingly secular future?

(via fellow humanist Derrick S.) #Christianity #atheism

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That's all for now.  A post about the WTC "cross", a potential political rant, and a potential blogging-related announcement coming soonish.

Are Muslims and secular humanists allied to destroy America?

Of course not.  But apparently Brad Hughes over at American Thinker believes that they are.  He writes of a "worldview war":

"with secular humanism and Islam as co-belligerents on one side and Judeo-Christian America on the other." 

I'm curious as to how he came to this conclusion; let's read his article, shall we?

He opens up with a Bible passage as his first piece of evidence (Ephesians 6:12 - New International Version no less!  Doesn't he know that anything other than King James is blasphemy?), setting the stage for what can only be a well-researched exposition.

Is my mom over the fact that I'm an atheist?

My (Republican) mom, wonderful person that she is, recently sent me a spontaneous gift of three books she bought on Amazon. They're all by the same author, and she was inspired to get them for me after said author was a guest on (cue ominous music) Fox News.

Scared yet?  Don't be.

How NOT to be a horrible person: a friend's blog

A good friend of mine, who prefers to be identified as Active Bystander, has started a blog to chronicle tales of customers behaving badly.

These aren't just simple transcripts of irate patrons hitting their boiling point (a la NotAlwaysRight), however; Active Bystander is actually going one step further and analyzing the how and why behind rude customers' behavior, and giving advice on how we all can avoid being that customer when we're upset about a product or service.  There are, after all, ethical ways to have a problem rectified without being a bully to the person behind the counter.

Having worked in customer service for a number of years and experienced my share of horror stories, I'm excited to see where this goes.  I encourage anyone interested to go check it out.

On attending atheist conferences, networking, and an assessment of secular activism

The Secular Student Alliance Annual Conference was certainly a new experience for me. As August Brunsman took the stage to give the opening remarks, I glanced around the auditorium at the 200+ people in attendance, and it dawned on me that every single one of them is an atheist (or agnostic, or whatever they want to call themselves). There was something profoundly empowering about that feeling.

I already knew that nonbelievers are legion in this country, given the preponderance of atheists who choose to vent their hopes, fears, opinions, and frustrations in blogs or on Reddit; seeing that many of them together in one place for one purpose really hammered home the idea that I'm not alone in my worldview.

I'm obviously very open about my atheism on the internet for those who wish to read my opinions and get to know me through text on a screen, yet I'm tight-lipped about it in person. I don't mention it unless someone directly asks, and whenever I meet new people when starting a new job, doing volunteer work, or at social gatherings, I silently hope that the topic won't come up. It was a relief being able to meet new people - generally very intelligent, interesting, quirky people - without having to worry about whether I'd need to bite my tongue or prepare for an argument if religion got brought up in conversation.

Some people just don't like me saying that there's no Candy Mountain.