11.19.08
She’s Not One of *Those* Christians
A reminder that not all Christians are the same:
(Thanks to Aaron for the link!)
Don’t Do Business with Them
If you want to know where not to shop this holiday season, don’t waste time poring over the list of stores which are naughty or nice.
Instead, check out the list of people, companies, and organizations that gave over $5,000 in support of Proposition 8 in California, ending same-sex marriage in the state.
They don’t deserve your patronage.
(via The Daily Dish)
Can a Dog be an Atheist?
At a book talk last night, I mentioned that my definition of an atheist was someone who didn’t believe in a god.
That prompted the following (paraphrased) question from an audience member:
Is a dog an atheist?
I think the questioner wanted to discredit my definition. But I thought it made perfect sense to say a dog was an atheist. (It’s not going to pray anytime soon, after all.)
Did I misspeak?
Godless? Nope.
American Atheists’ Dave Silverman writes:
… After the [Elizabeth] Dole commercial, I’m considering going GODLESS.
Godless also has no ambiguity, and leaves no room for debate as to what I mean or how I think. It also, perhaps, has an even more negative meaning than Atheist — thereby allowing me to do more damage to other people’s thought processes by showing how nice a godless guy can be.
And, while we can debate the definitions of Atheist and Agnostic all night, Godless seems a broader term, encompassing more people who don’t like the A-word, but cannot deny the G-word.
Perhaps we should take our cue from the bigoted former senator. Should we take back Godless?
While accurate — we do live life without a God — this term won’t get any sort of positive message across.
We want to challenge people and get them thinking critically about their beliefs. By advocating the word “godless,” I guarantee it’ll turn off more people from wanting to consider such a life than it will help.
“Godless” already has negative connotations (”Godless Communists”) and we don’t need any more of an uphill battle. It’s hard enough being an “atheist.” Telling someone you’re “Godless” will end the conversation before it even begins. It might make you feel smug, but it’s a poor marketing tool.
Is it worse than “atheism”? Not really. But “atheism” is more common and many people already use it. It’s the subject of books and websites and a word that I consider a good umbrella term for all of us.
Even better might be telling someone that you are a “Humanist” or a “Bright.”
If you do, you will inevitably receive a wonderful follow-up question: “What is that?”
If you call yourself “Godless,” others will just assume they know everything they need to know about you and not even bother with a conversation.
Would you prefer using the “Godless” term?
They’re Coming to Your Town
The (Christian) American Family Association is selling a DVD of an apparently frightening movie:
Residents of the small Arkansas town of Eureka Springs noticed the black community was growing. But they felt no threat. They went about their business as usual. Then, one day, they woke up to discover that their beloved Eureka Springs, a community which was known far and wide as a center for Christian entertainment — had changed. The City Council had been taken over by a small group of black activists.
The Eureka Springs they knew is gone. It is now a national hub for blacks. Eureka Springs is becoming the Harlem of Arkansas. The story of how this happened is told in the new AFA DVD “They’re Coming To Your Town.”
…
AFA’s “They’re Coming To Your Town” documents the story of how and why this happened. And how black activists plan to do the same in other towns.
…
Order a copy of “They’re Coming To Your Town.” Watch it. Then take the 28-minute DVD and share it with your Sunday School class and local church. This is a story the liberal media will never tell, but one you need to know.
Anyone else disturbed by that…?
…
Ok. I’ll admit: I changed a few of the words in the description above.
But I don’t see any difference.
(via Sandwalk)
11.18.08
The Catholic Schoolchild Has Spoken
I love the notion that a 13-year-old would write a letter like this to her parents:
Kate is in her late twenties now. She’s an atheist 
(via Cuddly Atheism)
Sexed Up Atheists
In case you wanted a way to catch up to the oversexified Christians, there’s now a new dating website for the non-religious.
Founder Claire writes this:
… I hate the turn-key “atheist” dating sites that I find in searches for “atheist personals,” ugly, boring automated spin-offs of much larger dating networks. Sexed-Up-Atheists.com, which went live in October 2008, is a labour of love. A finger up to organised religion, it’s a 100% FREE personals service for every atheist, pantheist, skeptic, agnostic, pagan, bright, humanist and non-religious free thinker who aspires to find a like-minded friend, social network or lover to call their own. I’ve even coined a new collective noun for our community: A Denial of Atheists.
Niche atheist dating sites don’t have a very good track record — there are never enough members to make a search worthwhile — but maybe this one will be different.
I imagine most atheists use sites like Match.com or OKCupid or Craigslist and specifically seek out non-religious people. It’s obviously easier to find a match — even an atheist one — when the pool is larger.
The Atheist Convention Conflict
Here is the list of atheist (and skeptic) conventions occurring in 2009:
| Convention | Location | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| American Atheists | Atlanta, GA | 4/9-4/12 |
| Center for Inquiry’s 12th World Congress | Washington, D.C. | 4/9-4/12 |
| American Humanist Association | Phoenix, Arizona | 6/5-6/7 | The Amaz!ng Meeting 7 | Las Vegas, NV | 7/9-7/12 |
| Freedom From Religion Foundation | Unknown | Unknown |
| Atheist Alliance International | Unknown | Unknown |
| Secular Student Alliance | Unknown | Unknown |
What do you notice?
CFI and AA’s conventions overlap on Easter Weekend.
Atheist Alliance International used to have their main event on that same weekend but moved it in 2007 for the sake of cooperation. Why isn’t CFI doing the same thing? Who knows.
Most atheists weren’t going to attend either convention, but I still think this type of conflict — where atheists who are interested would have to choose one event over another — is all the more reason to have a Unity conference in the near future.
Mmm… Deep Dish Infant
I don’t know why I keep hearing about babies in food costumes, but I wholly approve:
How does a baby crawl with that thing on…?
(via omg blog — Thanks to Becky for the link!)
A Jew’s First Bacon
Penn Jillette tells the story of a former Orthodox Jew who finally ate non-kosher food — including bacon — for the first time. It’s a bit lengthy, but well worth it:
I’m still a vegetarian, but I found the story really touching.
It’s nice to hear about someone finally jumping that last hurdle away from religious dogma — even if that hurdle involves something as seemingly inconsequential as a bacon cheeseburger.
What was that hurdle for you?
When did you know you were finally free from the shackles of your former faith?
For me, it was the first night I went to bed without saying my prayers.
The next morning, I woke up an atheist.
(Thanks to Sam for the link!)
