I don't always agree with JT Eberhard, but...

... he occasionally says something that absolutely knocks it out of the park:

“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.”

Drawing by Jen McCreight

If that isn't a positive message that atheists can rally around, I don't know what is.

The different flavors of atheism, revisited

(Cross-posted to Skeptic Freethought)

Despite what The Oatmeal may think, this isn't every atheist's idea of a good time.

For better or for worse, some people like to categorize. I can be one of those people at times.


PZ Myers recently posted a list of taxa that he believes describe different personalities within the atheist movement; I did something similar 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:

PZ’s Taxa:

• Scientific Atheist: Knows that there is no god due to total lack of empirical evidence for one. Sometimes a little too arrogant.
• Philosophical Atheist: Doesn't believe in god because believing in one requires making unfounded assumptions. Sometimes overly long-winded.
• Political Atheist: 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.
• Humanist: 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.

My Taxa:

• Agitating Anti-theist (spade): Sees religion as an enemy to be vanquished, and fights its advances tooth and claw.
• Incredulous Inquirer (club): Skeptical toward religion, but wants to discuss rather than fight.
• Mainstream Materialist (diamond): Doesn't believe in god, stops worrying, and enjoys life.
• Diplomatic Disbeliever (heart): Strives to form friendly alliances with open-minded religious people.

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.


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.


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.


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.

Giving thanks, the humanist way

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.

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.

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.

Last month, my fellow HCCO member Derrick posted this Dial-A-Humanist message 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.

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.

Happy Thanksgiving, my fellow humans.

On the various "types" of atheists in today's secular movement

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 don't believe; the connotations regarding what atheists do believe are many and diverse.

One of my newer readers, Chakam, commented that he believes atheists can be classified into two distinct categories.  To paraphrase his comment:

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 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.

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.

*If you're not familiar with the symbolism behind the four traditional card suits, read up on it and you'll see why I thought they were appropriate here.  Remember, kids: cartomancy can't really predict your future.  Friends don't let friends fall for woo.

Belated Weekly Recap: Strange Matter, evolution book ban, and honor killings in the UK?

I've been a bit busier than expected for the past week.  To tell the truth, I've mostly been out enjoying the fresh air with my wife and our dog, and just haven't had much time or energy left over to spend at the computer.  Blogging has consequently been on the back burner until now.

Posts going up within the week sometime in the near future (I swear upon Russell's Teapot):

You can't prove it's not there!

• a retrospective post about ten years of September Elevenths and the War on Terror
• a statement of my political principles as a left-libertarian centrist (partly a response to The Heathen Republican)
• a fun post in which I make up completely absurd claims and conspiracy theories
• possibly a Skeptic Freethought post as well, if I think I've come up with something worthy

At least I'm only 24 hours late on my Weekly Recap.  Let's do this.

"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.

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.

Something positive for a change of pace

A lot of what I see going on in the world tends to grind my gears, and thus inspires many a ranting blog entry to vent my frustrations. The problems of civilization are numerous, tangled, and complicated; it's easy to forget about the good things in life, from simple pleasures and amusements to grand gestures of kindness. It's also easy to take for granted all of the progress our species has made.

It might be stating the obvious, but so are a great deal of my complaints. This post is dedicated to a few things that I think we humans are doing right.

I'm materialist, call me a humanist

I finally stopped procrastinating about it and went to a Humanist Community of Central Ohio (HCCO) event - a Sunday brunch, quite appropriate for a demographic not otherwise engaged that day of the week.

I'm glad I went. They're a group of amiable, approachable people, they're all at least a little bit nerdy, and I felt welcomed among them as a fellow nontheist. I'll be going to more HCCO events for sure - next up is a "Bleed & Feed" at the local Red Cross Donation Center.

One of the humanists at the brunch was showing a printout of images of a very familiar design - billboards for the Freedom From Religion Foundation's "Out of the Closet" campaign, featuring the smiling faces of atheists from right here in Columbus!  The billboards are going up around town this week; I'll be sure to look for them and cheer silently to myself when I see them. Atheists cease to be a scary bogeyman or a scorned fringe group when we stand up and make ourselves known as friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues among the religious majority.

It's obviously a little late to be selected as one of the few faces going on the billboards, but I did make my own mini-banner on the FFRF website:

I'm excited to see the atheist community gaining visibility in Columbus, and I'm excited to be involved with a group like the HCCO that unites the nonreligious to go out and do good.

Secular Student Alliance, in MY city? (It's more likely than you think)

Apparently the Secular Student Alliance Annual Conference is being held right here in Columbus, Ohio, which happens to be where the freakin' SSA is headquartered.  I'm not sure how this slipped my notice until now, but it's pretty thrilling to know that so many leaders of the secular movement will be speaking at an event I could attend without traveling across the country, let alone on OSU campus!


It'd be a great opportunity to meet fellow atheists from around the country (hopefully I manage to not be awkward and shy around them like I have at local meetups so far).


Over the past few months I've given a lot of thought about what I want to do with my life.  With that comes a lot of thought about the kind of impact I want to make on the future, particularly on the future of the country I happen to call home.

When I think hopeful thoughts about the world in which my descendants will live, a recurring theme is a secular society with superstition absent from public life. I hope for a future in which:

• religion is never called into question in politics, and elected officials' speeches don't all seem to end with "God Bless (America/Our Troops/etc.)" or other such religious frippery;
• schools freely teach modern science, without parents and politicians forcing them to push a false parity between scientific theory and mythological speculation;
• atheists and agnostics don't even need to be "out" about what they are, nor fight for their right to abstain from religious practice, because belief or disbelief in any god's existence is a non-issue;
• the holier-than-thou evangelicals who whine that they're being persecuted because they have to tolerate the presence of homosexuals or pray on their own time are just an annoying fringe group instead of a major Republican voting bloc.

I've come to the conclusion that, for the time being, supporting an organization like the SSA is going to be the most effective way for me to help achieve that goal.  The atheists, agnostics, and humanists among the students out there are future of the secular movement, and helping them organize will help us all have a greater voice in the world.

Death from the Skies, and blood offerings!

This little guy was deceivingly heavy.

Last night I had the privilege of attending skeptic/astronomer/blogger extraordinaire Phil Plait's talk at The Ohio State University, jointly hosted by Students for Freethought and the Astronomical Society.  It was, as expected, full of the witty and nerdy humor usually seen on his blog.  He ripped on the bad science in Armageddon, discussed how we ought to keep a close eye on the sky because the universe is trying to kill us, and passed around a chunk of an iron-nickel asteroid (pictured) that survived impact with the Earth once upon a time.


I stuck around for a bit after the show for the book signing, got to shake Phil's hand, and have an autographed copy of Death from the Skies! to show for it.  I also got to meet Ashley Paramore of the Secular Student Alliance, as well as a few board members of the Humanist Community of Central Ohio, two organizations in which I'd really like to get involved.


***


In other news, today I did my humanistic duty and donated blood so that some lucky person in need of a transfusion will live to see another day.  It's really the most low-budget way to significantly help someone, and I try to do it as often as I can; I may not have much money to spare, but I can always grow more red blood cells.  Anyone reading this blog (ok, I can probably count that number on one hand, but still!) should do the same if you're eligible.

On Community Without Communion

In the various conversations I've had with religious people in my life, I've often heard one commonly cited "pre-mortem benefit" (my terminology, not theirs) of membership in a religious group: the sense of community they feel among members of their congregation.  It seems to me that it's more than just being surrounded by people who reaffirm their beliefs; people in religious congregations can serve as a network of support (material and/or emotional) for one another during times of crisis, provide an ample supply of volunteers for service projects, and simply present another venue of opportunity for forming new friendships.


Non-religious organizations focused on common interests and hobbies can do some of these same things, of course, but it doesn't seem like it happens on quite the same level.  I found that sense of community to some degree as an undergrad in Phi Sigma Pi (a national co-ed honor fraternity, through which I met several good friends, including my wife), but in all honesty I still felt just slightly out of place at fraternity events, and I haven't felt motivated to stay involved as an alumnus.


In the past I've considered joining a Unitarian Universalist congregation - the idea of interfaith cooperation and a search for truth across different theologies certainly has appealed to me, particularly back when I called myself an agnostic.  To be honest, however, it just doesn't seem like something I'd enjoy in the long run; I'm really just not interested in feigning credence toward spiritualism, and if I'm going to commit my free time to an organization, I'd rather not feel like I'm wasting it on something I just don't believe in.


In the past year I've become aware that there are a growing number of secular humanist organizations out there for people who want this sense of community without the mythology.  These are groups of atheists and agnostics, centered on the philosophy that human beings should help one another find truth, health, and happiness in our material world without needing to speculate about gods, spirits, or an afterlife.  I'll likely be paying a visit to the Humanist Community of Central Ohio in the near future to see if they're right for me.  I'm also planning on going to an atheist Meetup next week in order to (for lack of a better phrase) meet up with some other atheists in Columbus.  Maybe I'll feel right at home with the group, maybe I'll feel like an outsider who just shares their skepticism toward religion.  There's only one way to find out...