Category Archives: Atheism

Fresh from his Brexit victory over Brussels, Conservative MEP and thinker Daniel Hannan now has Communism in his sights organising an ACRE conference next month in Tirana, Albaniaon the legacy of state socialism for Europe.

EURACTIV.coms Matt Tempest met him for a discussion ranging across the 1968s Prague Spring, first loves, enforced secularism, Che Guevara and the Dunblane handgun ban.

Mr Hannan, youre organising a conference on the legacy of communism and its to coincide with the centenary of the Bolshevik revolution. But it seems to me that anybody who can remember a communist government in Europe must be at least 40 years old and no communist party is in government or even poised to take power anywhere across Europe. So it has to be asked: why now?

Its exactly the centenary year. So 100 years since the beginning of what has to be reckoned, mathematically, the most murderous ideology ever devised by human intelligence. But I think this is an argument that we have to have in every generation. Youre right, there is not a communist regime still standing in Europe and most communist parties have transformed themselves into something else. But the argument has to be held again in every generation.

I read a poll last month that a third of American millennials think that more people were murdered by George W. Bush than by Stalin. When you see those idiotic Che Guevara t-shirts when people unconsciously adopt Marxist language about the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, very few people realise that theyre indirectly quoting him. You realise that this is something that goes very deep and you need to show that this is not some respectable alternative among many. The ethic of coercion which was intrinsic to communist rule, leading, sooner or later, to the secret police and the gulags. You can have it in a mild version or you can have it in a brutal version, but in the end, it always ends in autocracy.

I lived in Berlin for six years and had several East German friends. None of them was nostalgic at all for the Stasi, or the Berlin wall, or for the fact that they couldnt leave the country. But there was a certain sense, youve heard of the term Ostalgie they were nostalgic for that sense of free education, full employment, effectively rent-free accommodation. Obviously, none of it was very nice but it removed that worry you have in a capitalist rat race society of How do I pay the bills every month? Is there anything in you, even from the right end of the spectrum, that can see those lures or attractions of communism?

I think something else is going on there. I think people are nostalgic for having been 17-years-old. Which is a very natural and human thing. Were all the centre of our own universes. When we think back to the bright primary colours of our teenage years; the intensity of your first adolescent crush on someone, then the Stasi and the shortages and the drabness fade into the background. Thats not really what youre thinking about. But youre right, it has created this bizarre nostalgia in every communist country from people who forget what it was really like. Theyll say things like we had time to talk.

Well, living one week like that again, without even the most basic necessities being available would be a pretty strong cure if you actually had to go back and do it. But again, this exactly illustrates why we need to keep explaining to people where it leads. This wasnt a system that just meant a bit more state control and a bit less individual liberty. It was a complete hollowing out of civil society; the destruction of everything between the individual and the state. And then, ultimately, the NKVD, the knock in the night, and the torture chambers.

Obviously, all communist governments and regimes were officially atheist and secular. Isnt there something now, when were living in a period of, supposedly, a clash of civilisations Islam versus the West or Islam versus Christianity wasnt there something progressive in this idea of secular states?

I think theres a very respectable argument for secularism on the American model, where the state is effectively holding the ring and allowing each religion to proselytise. Or even secularism on the French model, where you say all of this is a private business. But enforcing atheism, which is effectively what ends up happening because everything is enforced, is every bit as tyrannical as enforcing Taliban-style sharia law, or enforcing fundamentalist Christianity, or any other belief system. The reason that this still matters is its very difficult, even a generation on, to rebuild where civil society has been systematically hollowed out and destroyed.

In 1948, when the Communists took power in Hungary, Jnos Kdr, who went on to become the Hungarian leader, was given the job of destroying independent associations. He systematically went through and closed down every church, every charity, every chess club, every village band, every boy scouts troupe; everything that fills the space normally between the individual and the government. 5,000 organisations, he boasted, that hed liquidated. Thats what we mean by a totalitarian society. And it bizarrely leaves people both atomised and controlled because people are denied the wherewithal to relate one to the other in a voluntary way as individuals. Everything is channelled through the party and the state.

I think of you as the libertarian, free market, property rights end of the right-wing spectrum, but not really the evangelical Christian, who are more obsessed with issues around handguns, banning abortion. Am I right in thinking that those arent your pet issues?

Handguns are not a big issue in the UK. Actually, I do regret the handgun ban. I think it was disproportionate and I dont think it was anything to do with what had just happened the abomination that wed seen. Nobody serious tried to argue that it would have made a difference. But, you know, we are where we are. Its not a campaign of mine to try and reverse the ban. But I do believe in freedom. I believe, very much, in people perusing their own happiness by making their own decisions and finding virtue by not having it coerced. And the defining ethic of communism was not equality, it was coercion.

Sort of a Brexit question, the only Brexit question, and its not a totally facetious analogy; but having defeated the EU with Brexit, and looking at communist regimes, can you see something of that in the EU? Not with the violence or the oppression or the authoritarianism, but as a supranational institution; pan-states and sucking sovereignty inwards.

Not in my worst nightmares have I ever thought that the European Union is going to take away our passports, throw us into gulags or torture us. I suppose that the parallel, and its a very minor and limited one, but its an interesting one in so far as it goes, would be this. By the end of the communist era, you really struggled to find anyone who believed in it. I remember travelling in what we still called Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and I remember thinking this cant carry on because nobody believes in it. None of the people running these countries still believed, if ever they did believe, in the principles of Marxism or Leninism.

But on the other hand, how was it going to end? Because so many people had a vested interest in the status quo. So many people had learned to rise through that power structure. And in that limited sense, I think you can draw a parallel, in that there are very few true believers left in Brussels. But there are an awful lot of people who have learned how to make a good living out of it. And I dont just mean Eurocrats. I mean the armies of consultants and contractors, the big landowners getting money from the CAP, the lobbyists, the professional associations; all sorts of parastatal actors who have learned how to make a handy living out of the EU, one way or another. And just like the nomenklatura in the 1980s, they will fight very hard to maintain their position, not on dogmatical grounds, but out of sheer self-interest.

Certainly, we saw that in the UK referendum a lot of the opposition came from organisations that were directly or indirectly funded by the EU. This wasnt, in other words, about sovereignty or federalism or democracy; it was about mortgages and school fees. And that is a very difficult thing to end. But Ill end on a cheerful note. I think the communist system had been basically delegitimised after the Prague Spring. Up until 1968, you could find idealistic Marxists in central and eastern Europe, who believed that they would eventually get to the stage where they could reintroduce democracy. That once the system had been shown to work, shown to be more economically productive than capitalism, then they could have free elections again. After 1968, nobody really believed that and there were just people clinging on to their position.

I think the French and Dutch referendums in 2004 were a similar moment in Brussels. I think after that, people stopped believing that European federalism would win mass support. But they were determined to cling on to their positions. What was it in the end that brought the communist system down? Again, I can remember in the 80s, very few people saw the end coming. People would say maybe over twenty or thirty years there will be a gradual move to a more reformed kind of Marxism. And a few isolated dreamers would say, no, maybe there will be an exogenous shock; a kind of Chernobyl type massive event that will bring it all down. What was the event that brought down the Marxist system in the end? It was the smallest thing. It was the decision of the Hungarian interior ministry to stop requiring exit visas from East Germans who wanted to travel to Austria. Within two weeks, the whole rotten system had unravelled. And that, I think, does give me hope. Permanence is the illusion of every age.

So why Tirana, Albania?

Tirana is, if you like, the most vivid physical place where you can see the legacy of a communist regime. It was the ultimate autocratic system and the ultimate paranoid system. Enver Hoxha spent an immense amount of money fortifying the country. It was rather like North Korea is today. And a hungry and immiserated population, to use a Marxist word, was paying the cost of what had become a leadership cult, because thats where it ends.

See the original post here:
Dan Hannan on Communism, Ostalgie, first loves and enforced atheism - EurActiv

Michael Reagan has come out swinging at his brother Ron Reagan, CNN and MSNBC for a controversial TV ad that promotes atheism.

The conservative commentator took to Twitter on Friday to proclaim he was boycotting both cable news networks for running a 30-second spot that features his liberal brother plugging the Freedom from Religion Foundation.

He also said their father, the late Ronald Reagan, was "crying in heaven" over Ron's TV endorsement of the organization whose members do not believe in God.

The ad is appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" and the "Rachel Maddow Show," and on CNN's "CNN Newsroom," "The Lead with Jake Tapper" and "The Situation Room."

In the ad, Ron looks into the camera and explains he is "an unabashed atheist, and I'm alarmed by the intrusion of religion into our secular government.

"That's why I'm asking you to support the Freedom from Religion Foundation, the nation's largest and most effective association of atheists and agnostics, working to keep state and church separate, just like our Founding Fathers intended."

Ron identifies himself as a "lifelong atheist, not afraid of burning in hell."

The ad had previously been refused by CBS, NBC, ABC and Discovery Science.

The Freedom from Religion Foundation describes itself as "the nation's largest association of freethinkers (atheists and agnostics), with more than 27,000 members. It works as a state/church separation watchdog."

This week, the foundation condemned a proposed West Virginia bill to name the Bible as the "official state book," calling it unconstitutional.

And last month, its co-presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor wrote the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Energy and Natural Resources to question President Donald Trump's nomination of Dan Coats to be director of national intelligence.

According to the FFRF, "throughout Coats' career, his religion has played an important role. He helped author Don't Ask, Don't Tell, has opposed gay marriage, and has vowed to 'defend the sanctity of life from the moment of conception' all because of his religious beliefs."

Ron has not yet responded to his brother's fiery remarks.

The political beliefs of Michael and Ron have been like night and day for years, with Michael being an unabashed conservative like their father, the late President Ronald Reagan, and Ron being a card-carrying liberal and longtime atheist.

Michael, 71, a Newsmax contributor, is the half-brother of Ron, 58. Michael was adopted as an infant by Ronald Reagan and his first wife, Oscar-winning star Jane Wyman. Ron is the only son of Ronald Reagan and his second wife, actress Nancy Davis.

2017 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Go here to see the original:
Reagan Sons at War Over Atheist TV ad - Newsmax

China has for decades feared the power of organized religion. But religious suppression has intensified in recent years under the rule of president Xi Jinpingalongside a broader crackdown on civil societyaccording to a report (pdf) by Freedom House released yesterday (Feb. 28). For example, Chinese authorities have systematically been destroying churches and taking down crosses, while persecution against Muslims in the western Xinjiang region has become very high.

Buddhism and Taoism, however, are different. As Asian religions, the party is able to harness Chinas religious and cultural traditions to shore up [the partys] legitimacy, says Freedom House, and at the same time use them to help contain the spread of Christianity and Islam. The latter two religions are viewed as so-called Western values by the party, according to Freedom House.

The preference for Taoism and Buddhism over other faiths fits with the larger crackdown by Xi against Western ideas in China. In education, the Chinese government is purging Western ideas like democracy and replacing them with Confucianism, which emphasizes obedience. Xi has also urged families to educate their children with imperatives like love the party while cracking down on international-style education. According to Freedom House, Buddhism and Taoism are in line with the partys signature campaigns, the China Dream and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Those two faiths are compatible with the governments Sinicization drive, says the NGO.

But religion has been gaining ground in China in spite of the governments efforts. China is undergoing one of the worlds great spiritual revivals, according to a recent book by long-time China journalist Ian Johnson. And an increasing number of Chinese view religion as a way to escape the iron grip of the Communist partyChristianity, for example, is seen by many higher-income Chinese people as a symbol of modernity and Western prosperity, says Freedom House.

Freedom House said it did not have data on the number of Taoists in the country.

And Beijings heavy-handedness has actually reinforced solidarity among religious groups, according to Freedom House. The relentless crackdown on Christianity has brought Catholic and Protestant groups closer together. Ties have also grown stronger between the official state-sanctioned Church and illicit underground churches. The cross-removal campaign has been especially pivotal as a unifying force for Chinas Christians, says the report.

The rest is here:
Officially, China's Communist Party believes in atheism, but it makes ... - Quartz

One lesson I remember from my Mormon youth was that atheists simply didnt want to believe in God because it allows them to commit sin without guilt.

Though ironically for fundamentalist religious followers, I suppose its easier to murder, enslave and deny rights to fellow humans something that doesnt fall under the love one another Christian virtue because its what a Bronze Age god decreed.

Ashton Corsetti is a WSU student and an atheist. Photo credit: Dalton Flandro

Yes, Im using the pride goes before destruction proverb against those who preach it. Since its logical to recognize that not all members in a group are fanatics a courtesy other parties wont offer Ill speak to those who feel their faith is at war.

Im referring to those who overlook the First Amendment and several Supreme Court rulings when they explain there is no policy that separates church and state. Movies like the Pure Flix Entertainment film Gods Not Dead and its sequel further this idea that secularism in public schools equals oppression of Christianity, because when non-Christian students chose to express their spiritual beliefs (or lack thereof), Christians apparently lose their freedom.

Theres something arrogant about believing ones own group of people is divinely chosen, that their belief is the only true way to salvation and anyone who does not accept said belief is lost. This pride becomes even more convincing when purveyors of this reductive thought process disregard evidence-based, expert-driven theories in lieu of fantasies that have little or no proof. When confronted with empirical evidence which contradicts faith, faith proponents will often point to a future truth, which will be revealed in Gods own time.

But I didnt conceptualize this distinction from watching a religious film. Marvels Dr. Strange contains a piece of this idea that atheists are proud and theists are enlightened.

In the beginning of the film, were met with the typical cocky doctor who feels like he has power over life and death. In desperation, protagonist Stephen Strange goes on a journey to heal himself from a car accident, and apparently, his lifestyle.

Strange later argues with his soon-to be-mentor the Ancient One over how theres no possible way of healing through belief and theres no such thing as spirit, two remarks that won him an amused smile and an eye roll. Hes quick to convert after the Ancient One literally punches him into the next dimension and sends him on the special-effects trip of his life.

Heres the thing about science: Unlike religion, it works to always correct itself. Strange would be right in not accepting chakras or energy or the power of belief, not because hes self-righteous and closed to the possibility, but because as a scientist, he cant view it as a possibility unless it has verifiable proof.

Atheists accept that they dont have all the answers. There is no one correct way of living and the truth should be discovered instead of handed over. This doesnt sound arrogant to me.

With all the concepts that fundamentalist religion does not accept man-made climate change as an immediate danger, homosexuality as biology rather than a deviant choice, safeguarding womens reproductive health rights, evolution being a well-supported theory, morality being subject to individuals and not doctrine I think theres enough material for a better movie.

Read the rest here:
Praying for an accurate depiction of atheism - The WSU Sign Post

Sam Harris recently appeared in a one-on-one segment on Real Time With Bill Maher to discuss Donald Trumps immigration ban, which he criticized for being poorly executed and too sweeping, though he approves of the goal of keeping radicals out. Harris leviedhis familiar chargethat the Left is an ally of Islamism because of its mindless commitment to multiculturalism and tolerance, which hes been repeating since his 2004 book The End of Faith launched his career as an anti-religious crusader. These views were the basis of his highly publicized dust-up with Ben Affleck on the show in 2014.

Its telling that the alt-Right (read: white nationalist) website Breitbart posted an approving summary of Harris comments fromthisReal Time appearance. Long before Trumps travel ban, Harris was arguing that America should ethnically profile Muslims, or anyone who looks like he or she could conceivably be Muslim at airport security. Recent events should compel atheists to assess the impact of these views, proudly promoted by their exalted public representatives. I, like many other atheists who were optimistic about this movements prospects when it came alive about ten years ago, have been dismayed by how willingly some of its members subordinate reason to blind ideology.

Soon after Alexandre Bissonnette murdered six people at a mosque in Quebec City it was reported that likes on his Facebook page included Donald Trump, French far-right politician Marine Le Pen, and atheist scientist Richard Dawkins. The immediate reaction was to point to the toxic effect nationalists like Trump and Le Pen are having on our political culture, now materialized to tragic effect in what appears to be an ethnically motivated act of violence.

But these defenders of a white Christian vision of nationhood have found curious allies in celebrity atheists like Dawkins and Harris, who echo their paranoid views of Muslims to their ostensibly liberal supporters. Bissonnettes actions and personal likes highlight the weird entanglement of atheists, Christian neoconservatives and theocrats, and far-Right white nationalists, which is something reasonable atheists should reflect on very seriously.

Given the trajectory of their intensifying assault on Islamwhich is singled out as a uniquely barbaric religionit should not surprise us whenDawkins and Harris share admirers with the likes of Trump, Le Pen, and other nationalists who are leading a crescendo of ethnic tension. While Dawkins, Harris, and other New Atheists (most famously the late Christopher Hitchens, also one of Bissonnettes likes) have preached a secular gospel of scientific rationality and hostility toward religion, their harshest criticism has been reserved for Islam.

The ideological purity and relentlessly unthinking approach of people like Dawkins and Harris has resulted in disillusionment within the atheist community. Younger atheists who are intolerant of bigotry with respect to culture and identity have found Dawkins criticisms of feminism and his stereotypical depictions of Muslims as deranged religious fanatics unpalatable.

In January 2016, Dawkins was dropped (though eventually re-invited) as keynote speaker for the Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism after backlash to his tweet promoting a proudly misogynistic and embarrassingly stupid YouTube video called Feminists Love Islamists. The incident highlighted the polarizing effect he has within the atheist community, which is struggling to stem a decline related to internal political tensions. The disappointing turnout for the 2016 Reason Rally in Washington, which failed to match the success of its 2012 predecessor, could only be considered a step backward for a movement with high aspirations.

But if atheists want to avoid fading back into irrelevance they would do well to consider what role they and their anointed leaders have played in the rise of a new global neo-fascist movement, which now countsthe President of the United States among its leaders. The escalating tensions reflected in Alexandre Bissonnettes terrorist attack show no signs of dissipating in a political climate where current and aspiring world leaders openly advocate racial discrimination. Atheists like Harris and Dawkins seem blissfully ignorant of the fact that the mass hysteria they have contributed to is precisely the effect that groups like ISIS are aiming for.

Harris and Dawkins claim that their issue is with the doctrines of Islam rather than with Muslims as people, but in practice they take little care to make a distinction, perhaps reflecting their general view that religion is a kind of mental parasite that takes control of its host. Whether intended or not, they have granted a veneer of intellectual legitimacy to ethnic nationalism and xenophobia. Harris has explicitly said that, in Europe, it is fascists who have the correct vision of how to deal with Muslims.

His general neoconservative position, like that of Christopher Hitchens, is representative of a wing of the movement that I call the atheist Rightthe mirror image of the Christian Rights militaristic nationalism and libertarianism. Atheists must consider whether the views of Muslims promoted by their most prominent representatives are helping or hurting the cause of secularism, given that anti-Muslim hysteria was so effectively harnessed by the Christian dominionists who have seized control of the American government through an uneasy alliance with a secular billionaire sociopath.

Thoughtful atheists have been pointing to the dangers of slipping into Islamophobia for some time, but the issue has reached a critical point in light of recent events. Many atheists see the likes of Dawkins and Harris as principled crusaders for science, reason, and a secular worldview. But to others their words can easily be heard as affirmations of intolerance and bigotry.

Theres no way to be certain of Alexandre Bissonnettes beliefs regarding religionashis Facebook likes included philosopher and Christian apologist William Lane Craig, along witha book entitled The Amorality of Atheism, in addition to the New Atheists. Its reasonable to suspect that Dawkins and Hitchens appealed to Bissonnette not because of their atheism per se, but more specifically, because of their hostility toward Islama possibility that should not inspire sighs of atheist relief.

Just as Pew Research Center reports that, in a little over 2 years, weve moved from cool to neutral on its scale of Americans feelings, atheists are faced with a stark moral and strategic imperative: they must confront the darkness within their midst and recognize that demonizing a group that constitutes over a billion individuals is a path to chaos. Trump and Bissonnette are both agents and effects of this chaos. No one would claim that Bissonnette was motivated to murder specifically by Dawkins words, but the persistence with which he and other New Atheists have uttered these words has contributed to the dismal present condition.

Advocating for reason and respect for science is a worthy cause in a world being torn apart by racism, nativism, and a corporate power structure that will destroy anything that stands in itsway. Its entirely reasonable to be concerned about religious extremism, but the most visible spokesmen of atheism are throwing fuel on the fire. The narrative of secularism must be rescued from those who would allow it to serve asa tool of fascism.

Read the original:
Atheism's Dark Side Aiding the Trump Agenda - Religion Dispatches

Jeff Newport can cite the Bible chapter and verse.

He went to Christian schools, attended church every Sunday and delivered his first sermon at 13.

In 1996, he was called to pastor a small Baptist church in Jesup with a congregation of about 30 for Sunday morning services.

Everything revolved around church, Newport said. We would not have even thought of missing a service unless we were ill. Family Bible reading and prayer were normal activities we never had a meal, even in public, for which we didnt say a blessing.

Today, though, the 46-year-old Savannah man considers himself a nonbeliever.

He lost faith in faith.

Its not easy being a nonbeliever or a skeptic in the Bible Belt South.

Move to a new city. Start a new job. Or meet a potential romantic interest.

One of the first things youre asked is: Where do you go to church?

RELATED:7 churches, 1 building: A Clarkston church that offers a reflection of Atlantas religious diversity

RELATED:Liberal or conservative? Religious outlook can blur the answer

RELATED:Faith in Atlanta photo essay

Religion is big in these parts. It can be the social center of a persons life. Often friendships are built within the walls of a sanctuary. Families worship together. Faith and where you worship not only give people a sense of believing but belonging.

Still, atheism (or at least the acknowledgment of it) appears to be on the rise though slightly.

Pews 2014 Religious Landscape Study found that 3.1 percent of American adults say they are atheists, up from 1.6 percent in a similarly large survey in 2007. An additional 4 percent of Americans call themselves agnostics, up from 2.4 percent in 2007.

The Washington, D.C.-basedSecular Coalition for America, for instance, boasts 29,000 people on its mailing list and more than 130,000 followers on its various social media accounts. Its followers include atheists, agnostics, humanists and other nonbelievers or those who arent sure of the presence of a higher spirit.

Thats an increase in 2016 of more than 5,000 new subscribers on their email list, more than 7,000 new Twitter followers and more than 10,000 Facebook likes.

Turning away

For Newport, it was a gradual change. For most of his early life, he never doubted the existence of God or the doctrines of Christianity.

The more he attempted to learn and weigh evidence pro and con, the more that faith began to unravel.

He left the Baptist ministry in 1999 and converted to the Eastern Orthodox Church. During his 12 years in this tradition, he gradually laid aside some of the dogmas of Christianity the reality of a literal hell, the inerrancy of the Bible, the exclusivity of Christianity as the only way to God, among others.

At the same time, he developed a love of science and the reliability of an evidence-based approach to find truth.

In 2012, he took a job that required work on Sundays. It gave him time and space to re-evaluate his faith. My faith couldnt stand up to this scrutiny. By the middle of 2014, I had quietly, but firmly, decided I no longer believed in God or the supernatural.

He has never approached the topic with his parents, who are dyed-in-the-wool Christians.

I think they would be disappointed, and would certainly worry about my soul if they knew I no longer believed, Newport said.

Newport is a member ofthe Clergy Project, which was formed in 2011 to create a safe and secure online community for former and current religious leaders who no longer believed in God. Many of the former pastors and church leaders prefer to remain anonymous, in part because of fear of being ostracized by family and friends. For pastors, stepping away from the pulpit can also mean loss of income.

The organization has more than 750 members in 34 countries.

Initially, all were from Christian backgrounds, but its members now include Muslims and Buddhists.

About a third of its members still serve in religious leadership positions, although they no longer believe in a higher power. It runs the gamut from more scientific stuff to more theological questions, said Drew Bekius, president of the Clergy Project. They see tragedy in the world, yet you see people claiming God just got them a parking space. So God will answer the prayer for a parking space while millions of people are in poverty?

For others, its more personal. Perhaps there was a personal heartbreak or death of a loved one. Perhaps they saw immense suffering and wondered how could God allow people to suffer?

A large part of it is that people are dissatisfied with the moral teachings of some of the religions they belong to, said Casey Brescia, a spokesman forSecular Coalition for America. For instance, a lot of people are turned off by their churchs position on LGBTQ equality. But also people are beginning to find community elsewhere. Churches dont play the same role in the community they used to. Its just a wide variety of factors.

He sees a growing number of younger Americans who eschew any religions, and that, he said, is a tectonic shift. That means that people are walking away from church and walking away from institutions that used to play such an important role.

In what has become an annual holiday tradition,American Atheistslaunches billboards nationwide urging viewers to celebrate an atheist Christmas by skipping church. Several of the locations in Southern states will be up later this year to promote the solar eclipse convention the atheists will host in Charleston, S.C., in August 2017.

It is important for people to know religion has nothing to do with being a good person, and that being open and honest about what you believe and dont believe is the best gift you can give during the holiday season, David Silverman, president of American Atheists, said in a release about the holiday billboard campaign.

Doubts and discomfort

Its hard to say how many atheists there are in the United States. Even the Pew Research Center has trouble giving an exact number. Why?

Its complicated.Some people who describe themselves as atheists also say they believe in God or a universal spirit, according to Pew. Conversely, some people who identify as Catholic, Protestant or Jewish also say they dont believe in God.

According to a survey by theAtheist Alliance International, most people who identify as atheists, agnostics, humanists, freethinkers, nonreligious or secularists are male, college-educated and more than a third are between the ages of 25 and 34.

Mandisa Thomas, the founder and president of theBlack Nonbelievers, a 3,000-member organization based in Atlanta, grew up in a black nationalist household.

In this age of information, she said, a lot of traditional notions are not holding up anymore. We are beginning to see the world is not right. Were told to just have faith or pray on it. Thats just not enough for people anymore.

Its especially hard for African-Americans, she said.

Religion is still so ingrained in the black identity that to openly state that one is atheist means that youre rejecting your race and culture.

Nonbelievers often talk about how uncomfortable it can be to navigate a world that can be largely faith-based.

You get a lot of unnecessary attention, and most of it is negative, said Deric McNealy, 28, a machine operator who lives in Jonesboro. People always try to come up and save you. They try to speak to you about God all the time or badger you, and that makes work very uncomfortable.

McNealy grew up in a Christian family that included church leaders.

He began to question things in the Bible at an early age.

As McNealy became older, he began to apply critical thought to all aspects of my life, and religion just happened to be one of the main things.

His family wasnt too happy.

I think its a lot easier today than in the past because of the internet, he said. In the past, there was no community, no communications for people who questioned their beliefs. Now we go online and link with like-minded individuals.

Atlantan Ross Llewallyn, who identifies as atheist, grew up in a Methodist household in Atlanta. I had a good time going to Sunday school and the service, said the 28-year-old software engineer. Over time, he began to think more about the presence of God.

I was always someone of science and reason and tried to be true and accurate in my understanding of the world, he said.

Take prayer, for instance. He was always told that before going to bed, he should get on his knees by the side of his bed and pray. He prayed for good things to happen to family, friends and himself. Soon he questioned whether he really needed to be on his knees. Why not just in bed? And why did he have to say his prayers aloud? Couldnt God just hear his thoughts? I started thinking more critically about things like that, he said.

EVERY DAY IS SUNDAY

Sunday may be the prominent day of worship in Atlanta, but thats changing as a growing number of other religions establish congregations in our global city. This is an occasional series that examines how religion impacts life in Atlanta. You can read the earlier entries in the series onmyajc.com.

Read more:
Every Day Is Sunday: As atheism rises, nonbelievers find one another - MyAJC

Atheism or the absence of belief in deities has seen resurgence in recent times. It is most common is Western and Northern Europe where according to the 2010 Eurostat Eurobarometer Poll, only 51% of Europeans believed there was a God, while another 26% believed there was some sort of spirit or life force. 20% respondents claimed they neither believed in God or other spirits and forces. Individual countries had more extreme results with 40% of French citizens and 37% of Czech Republic residents claiming to be atheists or religiously unaffiliated.

Atheism and disaffection with organised religion is also evidenced in India these days where some people are renouncing organised religion and self- identifying either as outright atheists or non-religious. In fact, as per the 2012 WIN-Gallup Global Index of Religion and Atheism, 81% of Indians were religious, 13% were not religious and 3% were convinced atheists while the remaining 3% were unsure how to respond.

Bangalore based author and educator Ketan Vaidya has been an atheist for over 20 years. I realized religion evolved in the early civilizations of hunter-gatherers as a shield against fear of natural vagaries and bigger beasts.

Later Abrahamic religions fostered a sense of brotherhood and belonging. But I started feeling disconnected from organized religion around the time I was in 12th standard. Vaidya belongs to the very traditional Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu community and it was very difficult for his family to accept his new life as a 'non-believer'. However, with the passage of time they got used to it. Its probably because my atheism is not the vitriolic kind. I dont judge or shame others for believing. Infact, when my children are old enough, I will introduce them to atheist thinking and let them decide for themselves, says Vaidya.

Mumbai based writer Fairy Dharawat who is also an atheist, concurs, I think atheism gets a bad rap due to some very aggressive atheists who try to drown out the arguments of believers. I believe in a live and let live approach. Infact, I sometimes participate in small rituals and ceremonies to keep peace in the family. Fairy moved away from religion because she was disturbed by the bloodshed caused in the name of God. She also finds several religious practices rather inexplicable. Why should I fast? Why would God want me to go hungry? If there is a God, shouldnt he be more concerned about solving bigger problems like global warming, hunger and poverty, she wonders.

Psychologist Deepak Kashya explains, A lot of educated Indians are beginning to see through the tactics of so called Godmen who use religion to control peoples lifestyles. This ability to identify religious hypocrisy makes people question their own belief systems. Freedom of thought and expression is important to modern educated Indians and often this manifests in their departure from ritualism and religious practices that they dont find relevant anymore, says Kashyap.

But there are many other Indians who havent completely disconnected from religion and yet understand why atheism is becoming popular. There are so many wars being fought in the name of religion. While there are terror groups and religious extremists killing and beheading people in the name of religion, closer home in India, we have seen political parties use religion as a trump card during elections to cultivate and sustain their vote banks.

Its no wonder people start feeling disconnected. Young people today dont want to be associated with something that is the reason for so much misery, explains 28 year old film exhibitor and distributor Akshaye Rathi. However, Rathi is a believer and feels that if religion inspires people to become the best version of themselves, perhaps it still has relevance in the world. Im not overtly religious. I just have a small shrine in my house. Every morning I stand in front of it and express gratitude to my maker for giving me such a blessed and privileged life, he says.

Meanwhile, as per the Pew Research foundations Global Study 2012 spanning 230 countries, 16% of the world population is not affiliated with any religion. This was corroborated to an extent by the findings of the subsequent Gallup International poll of 2015 that covered 65 countries where 11% of respondents were convinced atheists.

Originally posted here:
The belief in atheism - Daily News & Analysis

Pope Francis is lashing out at Catholics who live what he called a double life by not practicing Christian values. He even suggested that atheists might be better than members of the faithful who dont practice the tenets of their faith.

According to a transcript posted online by Vatican Radio, the pontiff called it a scandalduring his morning mass on Thursday:

Scandal is saying one thing and doing another; it is a double life, a double life. A totally double life: I am very Catholic, I always go to Mass, I belong to this association and that one; but my life is not Christian, I dont pay my workers a just wage, I exploit people, I am dirty in my business, I launder money A double life.

The pontiff said many Christians were living this double life.

How many times have we heard all of us, around the neighborhood and elsewhere but to be a Catholic like that, its better to be an atheist, he said.

He gave an example of a Christian boss taking a vacation as his workers went unpaid -- and issued a stern warning about where that will lead.

You will arrive in heaven and you will knock at the gate: Here I am, Lord! But dont you remember? I went to Church, I was close to you, I belong to this association, I did this Dont you remember all the offerings I made? Yes, I remember. The offerings, I remember them: All dirty. All stolen from the poor. I dont know you. That will be Jesus response to these scandalous people who live a double life.

He then called on Catholics to examine themselves.

Francis has addressed atheism in the past, and in 2013 he seemed to suggest they may have a path toward Christian salvation.

A church official later clarified that those who reject Christ cannot be saved, but added that therejection of Christianity may not mean the rejection of Christ.

We can never say with ultimate certainty whether a non-Christian who has rejected Christianity... is still following the temporary path mapped out for his own salvation which is leading him to an encounter with God,Rev. Thomas Rosica wrote at the time.

Here is the original post:
Pope Francis Slams Hypocrite Christians, Suggests Atheists Are Better - Huffington Post

THURSDAY, FEB. 23, 2017, 3:15 P.M.

Among those testifying at this afternoons hearing on school standards:

Dave Greegor, a retired ecologist who long taught at the university level and worked with NASA on climate change, told the senators that omitting important facts is in effect lying. He said, This in my mind would be akin to addressing principles of physics and omitting gravity. He said, Fortunately the youth are way out in front. They arent going to be fooled by any omission of a few words. The earth is not a grand experiment. .. We dont get another shot at it.

Robert Compton of Midvale said he is opposed to the rule, and said schools have been unwilling to teach the evolution-creation controversy. Compton said, Idahos next-generation science standards are atheistic and based on materialism wherever they touch on the religious sphere. Thus promoting this bill does in fact favor the teaching of a religious position, materialistic atheism. .. Atheism has no valid source of moral values.

Of the first dozen people to testify this afternoon, Compton was the only one to take this position; all others urged approving the standards as-is, including sections on climate change.

John Segar, a recently retired fire director at the National Interagency Fire Center, said, I can tell you first-hand experience, I know what climate change is, I know what it looks like. He said, These university professors know a lot more about it than I do. . As a taxpayer, as a citizen, this stinks of censorship. He said schools Superintendent Sherri Ybarra did a good job of ensuring the new standards were well vetted. This is a good package, he said.

Austin Hopkins, a scientist from Boise, said, I hope that you vote to support these standards as-is, with all the references to climate change. He said his interest and curiosity about science were sparked by an ecology class he took in his junior year at Centennial High School in Boise; now he has graduate degrees in science. He said, I think this is what we risk by not including these five standards, is hindering that spark.

Excerpt from:
Testimony: 'Akin to omitting gravity,' 'Materialistic atheism,' 'What we risk' - The Spokesman-Review (blog)

An atheist middle school teacher is under investigation by her Florida school district after she posted a complaint about her students calling them little cretins whove bullied and harassed her over her beliefs on a private Facebook page that was screen-grabbed and made public.

Susan Creamer, a teacher at Merritt Brown Middle School in Panama City, had sought advice from the Atheists of Bay County, writing that a bevy of boys in one of my classes are taking turns either inviting me to church or leaving (anonymously) flyers inviting me to church events.

She added in the post: Every time any child sneezes, they loudly say God Bless You! and look in my direction. I have complained twice to the principal once last month and once today. She has spoken privately to one or two of the little cretins, but it seems to do NO GOOD. I am feeling bullied and harassed. It has become intolerable. I dont feel like talking with the parents will stop the inappropriate behaviors because, for all I know, the parents are encouraging them.

Creamer on Monday did not immediately respond to TheBlazes request for comment.

Karen Tucker of Bay District Schools told the Northwest Florida Daily News its against school policy to criticize students either in person or online and that Human Resources is investigating and examining the Facebook post in question, as well as other comments from Creamer on the Atheists of Bay County page.

Tucker added to the paper that writing disparaging remarks about students even on a closed Facebook page is a violation of school policy.

I dont think it matters [if the page is closed], because eventually someone else is going to see it posted, which is what happened, she told the Daily News. People were re-posting. If you said things on there, which she did, about students, no, I dont think it matters.

Tucker also noted relevant Bay District Schools policy to the paper: Teachers are encouraged and trained to keep clear boundaries between their personal and professional lives to ensure that the classroom remains a neutral and supportive environment. This training and related School Board policy includes guidelines for interactions on all social media platforms including, but not limited to, Facebook. We do not condone the use of disparaging comments about our students in any form, on any social media platform or in any school.

If the investigation concludes that Creamer violated the policy, Tucker told the Daily News she could be disciplined.

Nick Fish, national program director of American Atheists, told TheBlaze that if Creamer discussed principles of atheism in class, that could potentially be an issue. For example, saying in class that all religions are wrong or insulting believers would be impermissible. But that doesnt appear to be what has happened here. Simply indicating that she is an atheist isnt inappropriate.

Fish added that its frustrating that the administration hasnt handled this or given support to the teacher and that Creamer instead is being investigated: It certainly speaks to the stigma faced by atheists that a teacher can be harassed by students over her religious beliefs, or lack thereof.

Jeromy Henderson, a member of the Atheists of Bay County page, told the Daily News the districts investigation has turned into a modern-day witch hunt. He acknowledged that Creamers comments were off-putting, but she was just looking for advice about how to deal with them. Shed already been to her principal and was not getting results.

Henderson added to the paper that Creamers comments were made public by a group member who took a screen shot of her comments and then left the group.

Crystal Moseley wrote a letter to school superintendent Bill Husfelt, the Daily News reported, noting that Creamer should not be discussing her religious preferences (or lack thereof) with any of these students. Had she not been proudly boasting of her atheism these children would not know of her personal beliefs and I would not be addressing this situation. Secondly, as an adult in a professional occupation her choice of words to describe her students is completely unprofessional and completely out of line. Third, for her to seek out suggestions from a group on social media of how to handle her students (my children) has me outraged

Rebecca Warfield told TheBlaze that Creamer taught her during 7th grade almost a decade ago, but she doesnt remember Creamer ever speaking of her atheism in class.

Other commenters on Creamers Facebook page noted that she very well may have never mentioned her atheism to students but then again, her beliefs are already quite public in her Facebook bio, which indicates shes a wife, mom, teacher, actor, gardener, baseball lover, atheist, loyal friend, and proud nerd.

And while theres a huge mixed bag of comments on her page, both supporting and criticizing Creamer, several of her allies wrote that if her students have been invoking God in class just to get under her skin, they havent been acting like Christians.

Susan, as a Christian, I beg your forgiveness for my fellow believers for not seeing this for what it is: out of control students. And for judging you using the rules that we are supposed to apply to OUR OWN LIVES. Not yours, one commenter noted. I love you, my friend. I am praying for these hypocrites to find other fun.

Warfield has a different take.

I do not see inviting her to church as harassment she told TheBlaze. As for if they were doing it out of spite from her lack of religion, she should have kept it professional and knew the consequences of opening up her personal life to children who know they have freedom of speech.

(H/T: EAGNews)

View original post here:
Atheist teacher under fire for saying 'little cretins' have 'bullied' her in ... - TheBlaze.com