Category Archives: Atheist

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Edward James Olmos, Kathleen Quinlan and George Lopez on the set of Walking with Herb in Las Cruces. (Courtesy of Optimism Entertainment)

Kathleen Quinlan keeps adding to her career highlights.

The Oscar-nominated actress got to work with two actors she has admired for years while on the set of Walking With Herb.

Ive been a fan of Eddie (Edward James Olmos) and George (Lopez) for a long time, Quinlan says. At this stage in my life, Im fortunate to be able to work at all. Then to be able to work with an actor of that caliber. If somebody is really good, I have to work at the same level. Eddie was right, and he pushed me in this role.

................................................................

Quinlan plays Sheila Amable-Amo in the film, which was filmed in Las Cruces and Artesia.

The film follows 65-five-year-old Joe, played by Olmos, who is struggling with his faith as his 3-year-old granddaughter and her father have just died.

While at work, he receives a message from God on his computer screen that tells him he has been chosen to deliver an inspirational message to the world that the seemingly impossible is possible.

God tells Joe, a former amateur golfer, that he is going to play in the World Golf Championship tournament, and that if his faith is strong enough, he will win.

Joe embarks on this spiritual journey along with Gods personal messenger and motorcyclist, Herb, played by Lopez. On the way, he learns that to make a difference he must have confidence in his abilities and commit to God before he can succeed.

Las Crucen Ross Marks directed the film. It is based on the novel of the same name by Las Cruces resident Joe S. Bullock. The screenplay was written by the late Mark Medoff.

The film was in production in September 2018 for about 30 days. It will begin showing in theaters on Friday, April 30. Allen Theatres in Las Cruces will be the only theater chain showing the film in New Mexico. El Paso and Pueblo, Colorado, theaters will also show the film.

Quinlan is looking forward to having an audience see the film.

Its been a pretty dark this last year, Quinlan says. Im looking forward to people walking into a theater and letting the film take them away for a few hours.

Quinlan enjoyed her time in Las Cruces while filming.

She found out about the movie while she was performing in Medoffs last play.

Before she got the script, she was hesitant to join the faith-based film.

What piqued my interest was Edward James Olmos and George Lopez, she says. I have followed their career. Then Mark was involved, so it was on my radar. I happen to be an atheist, and I felt honored that they asked me to do it.

Quinlan had fun with her character.

Sheila is very family-focused and shes very faithful, Quinlan says. Shes really a good person, and she is rooted in something real. She has a steadfastness to her and has great patience. Those are things I continue to work on. She taught me a lot.

Quinlan says playing a religious person was a challenge.

I find all religions interesting, she says. I dont personally believe that God is divisive and full of retribution. Playing Sheila, who is specifically a religious person, was trying for me. But that got turned around.

Quinlan did enjoy her time in the Las Cruces area and felt at home.

The people are lovely, and I really love Mesilla, she says. Everyone was gracious and accommodating. When you see the scenes of us on the golf course, you wouldnt realize it was 30 degrees there. We worked hard to make sure it seemed like it was warm. The joys of acting.

Marks is proud that the film has New Mexicans at the helm.

I wanted to do this project because, at the time, I was looking more into my faith, Marks said. Then I came across Joes book and asked who wrote the script for it. I gave it to Mark just for notes, and he wanted to write the screenplay for it. Its taken about three years to get it to release.

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Leap of faith: NM-filmed Walking With Herb follows grieving grandfathers spiritual journey - Albuquerque Journal

The great auteur Satyajit Ray, whose 100th birth anniversary falls on May 2, will always be remembered for his cinematic genius, directorial excellence and futuristic vision conveyed through his films. A filmmaker of Rays calibre cannot be confined to a specific time period. He transcends that. In other words, his works arent periodically slotted. Just like the plays and sonnets of William Shakespeare, Rays films are for all ages and eras. Reason and vision were the embonpoints or celluloid leitmotifs of his films.

Now, when were facing flagellation and fusillades from the pandemic, the political interference and highhandedness of people in the corridors of power and irrational faith overwhelming reason and logic, there are two of his movies that come to mind as metaphors for the times were in: Ganashatru aka 'Enemy of the People (1989) and Devi (1960).

Contaminated water

In Ganashatru, a conscientious small-town physician, Dr Ashok Gupta (Soumitra Chatterjee), suddenly observes unexpected cases of a viral gastro-intestinal disease among the populace. The doctor, being familiar with the town and its civic problems, manages to pin down the source of the epidemic to the ritual holy water served in the local Hindu shrine. He realises that the holy water is contaminated, and the contamination is due to faulty plumbing in the temple.

Keen to stop a potential epidemic from spreading, Gupta urges people to shun the holy water till the epidemic is contained but ends up stirring a hornets nest of civic apathy, corruption, bribery and fanaticism. The people who benefit from the civic corruption, including his brother, turn against the doctor. Overnight, the honest and upright doctor a servant of the people turns into the enemy of the people. Threats are issued, and his home is vandalised by members of the community who label him as the foremost public enemy.

Brave protagonists

Contextualising this with the ongoing pandemic and its ramifications, Professor Indranil Bhattacharya, Screen Studies and Research, FTII, writes, Around the world doctors, media people, scientists, and social workers are fighting against obscurantism, misinformation, and sometimes dangerous instances of blind faith. People who critique official versions on the COVID-19 pandemic, act as whistleblowers, and expose corruption are getting labelled as enemies of the society. The powers that be are coming down on them with a heavy hand, sometimes aided by law. I am reminded of Li Wenliang, the Chinese doctor who first attempted to warn the Peoples Government about the perils of the virus which was first observed in Wuhan in China. Wenliang, who was officially reprimanded by the Chinese government, is the 21st-century version of Ibsen and Rays brave protagonists."

The confrontation between scientism and obscurantism during the ongoing pandemic was brilliantly explored and elucidated by Ray. Ray, it must be mentioned, was a skeptic or an agnostic, if not an outright atheist. He belonged to the Brahmo Samaj founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy and flowered by Dwarkanath Tagore, Debendranath Tagore and Keshabchandra Sen. Though integral to Hinduism, the monotheistic sub-sect of Brahmo Samaj is based on reason and logic. To make an analogy, Brahmo Samaj is close to the Arya Samaj of northern India.

The questioners

Just like Sahir being terribly moved by the mayhem caused by Partition and becoming a lifelong atheist, the Great Famine of Bengal in 1943 and the sufferings of people had Ray questioning about the arbitrary justice of god and efficacy of divinity. To put things in perspective, Ray was a liberal, with a rationalist view of the world. By his own admission, (in an interview) he termed himself as an agnostic. When quizzed about his spiritual beliefs, he said, One lives and learns. I was born into the Brahmo community but I dislike such labels. Hinduism attracts me, with its coiled cultural layers, only as a rich source of contrasting situations and personalities. Well, I guess Im an agnostic.

Young Ray saw widespread superstitions during the famine and peoples religious gullibility made him question the intrinsic sanity of humans in such testing times. Those experiential imprints were grandfathered into the films Ganashatru and Devi.

The imposed deification and eventually, the disillusionment depicted in Rays Devi is todays pandemic reality. The emergence of new gurus in times of Covid-19 and people pinning their faith on these charlatans reminds a sane person of Sir Carveth Reids telling words in his magnum opus, Man and his Superstitions that, Humans have a psychological proclivity to gravitate towards religiosity and irrationality esp. in times of a widespread disaster. So very true. Rays Ganashatru and Devi underline this collective tendency in an emphatic manner.

Voice of sanity

Being a rationalist and skeptic, Ray knew it well that the masses are driven by religious fervour and when its fervent at a collective level, the voice of sanity goes unheard. One doctors voice of reason was mercilessly hushed up by scores of superstitious people, just like a few voices of reason protesting against election rallies and Kumbh Mela were ignored by the people and politicians.

Therere people (as shown in Rays Ganashatru) who firmly believe that the corona is nemesis or divine justice or retribution. The Somali-Dutch ex-Muslim Ayaan Hirsi Ali termed it Donche Debrium (Dutch for divine attribution to all phenomena) in her extremely polemic memoir, The Infidel: My Story. Rather than a proactive state machinery and a scientific temperament, were still worshipping gods and creating new ones (for example, the emergence of a brand-new corona goddess in the hinterland of Bihar) and believing that god will save us from this predicament.

Opium of the masses

The economically poor India concocted a goddess out of nothing. That deity is courtesy 'Jai Santoshi Maa' (1975). Now even educated women worship this fictional goddess and observe a fast on Fridays! That only science can save us and not shrines is still not an acceptable idea to the religious-minded, credulous masses, not just in India but across the world.

Televangelists in the US are trying to convince people that Satan is doing this (corona) and that Jesus, the ultimate saviour, will save us from it. The conflict between faith and scientific modernity which linked Rays film with its mother text the play En Folkefiend by Ibsen, remain highly prescient even to this date. We must realise that faith, at best, can act as a palliative for the soul. Alas, this blind faith has become mankinds inexorable, as well as ineluctable fate.

To encapsulate, Ray had a broad outlook and a prophetic vision that he infused into his films to make them relevant for the ages to come. In these times of an unexplained virus, his visual depictions and their underlying meanings and messages are all the more striking. His Ganashatru, Devi and even Charulata (The Lonely Wife) - from the perspective of loneliness thats so palpable during the pandemic due to frequent lockdowns - were adumbrative of the times to come.

The writer is a regular contributor to the worlds premier publications and portals in several languages.

More:

Satyajit Ray's 100th birth anniversary falls on May 2. Sumit Paul dwells on the auteur's cinematic relevance in this age of the pandemic, blind faith...

The American Humanist Association has withdrawn its humanist of the year award from Richard Dawkins, 25 years after he received the honour, criticising the academic and author for demean[ing] marginalised groups using the guise of scientific discourse.

The AHA honoured Dawkins, whose books include The Selfish Gene and The God Delusion, in 1996 for his significant contributions in communicating scientific concepts to the public. On Monday, it announced that it was withdrawing the award, referring to a tweet sent by Dawkins earlier this month, in which he compared trans people to Rachel Dolezal, the civil rights activist who posed as a black woman for years.

In 2015, Rachel Dolezal, a white chapter president of NAACP, was vilified for identifying as Black, wrote Dawkins on Twitter. Some men choose to identify as women, and some women choose to identify as men. You will be vilified if you deny that they literally are what they identify as. Discuss.

Dawkins later responded to criticism, writing: I do not intend to disparage trans people. I see that my academic Discuss question has been misconstrued as such and I deplore this. It was also not my intent to ally in any way with Republican bigots in US now exploiting this issue.

Among his critics was Alison Gill, vice president for legal and policy at American Atheists and a trans woman. She said Dawkins comments reinforce dangerous and harmful narratives. She said: Given the repercussions for the millions of trans people in this country, in this one life we have to live, as an atheist and as a trans woman, I hope that Professor Dawkins treats this issue with greater understanding and respect in the future.

In 2015, Dawkins also wrote: Is trans woman a woman? Purely semantic. If you define by chromosomes, no. If by self-identification, yes. I call her she out of courtesy.

In a statement from its board, the AHA said that Dawkins had over the past several years accumulated a history of making statements that use the guise of scientific discourse to demean marginalised groups, an approach antithetical to humanist values.

The evolutionary biologists latest comment, the board said, implies that the identities of transgender individuals are fraudulent, while also simultaneously attacking Black identity as one that can be assumed when convenient, while his subsequent attempts at clarification are inadequate and convey neither sensitivity nor sincerity.

Consequently, the AHA Board has concluded that Richard Dawkins is no longer deserving of being honored by the AHA, and has voted to withdraw, effective immediately, the 1996 Humanist of the Year award, said the organisation.

The Guardian has reached out to Dawkins for comment.

Last year, the author JK Rowling returned an award given to her by the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights organisation, after its president, Kennedys daughter Kerry Kennedy, criticised her views on transgender issues. I am deeply saddened that RFKHR has felt compelled to adopt this stance, but no award or honour, no matter my admiration for the person for whom it was named, means so much to me that I would forfeit the right to follow the dictates of my own conscience, said Rowling in a statement at the time.

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Richard Dawkins loses humanist of the year title over trans comments - The Guardian

The plaintiffs argue the Air Force failed to report the shooter's history of domestic violence among other concerns.

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas The ninth day of testimony in a federal lawsuit surrounding the Sutherland Springs shooting, wrapped up with analysis from a psychiatrist.

The lawsuit, representing victims family members, alleges the U.S. government should be held liable for the shooting on Nov. 5 2017 at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs. As a result of the massacre, 26 people were killed and dozens more injured. KENS 5 is not naming the shooter.

The plaintiffs argue the Air Force failed to report the shooter's history of domestic violence among other concerns.

The lawsuit alleges the shooter name should have been placed in a national registry that might have prevented him from purchasing firearms including the AR-15 used in the Sutherland Springs shooting.

Dr. Jeffrey Metzner is a professor at the University of Colorado who has decades of experience in the field of forensic psychiatry.

The cross-analysis of Metzners testimony covered the shooters possible motivations for going through with the mass shooting.

Journal entries from his time at a mental institution revealed his at-the-time perceptions on religion, suicide, personality and interaction with others.

Metzner concluded the shooter was not devoutly religious based on Facebook posts expressing hes an atheist and negative views toward certain Christians. Metzner opined he does not believe he committed the shooting for religious reasons.

Metzner said the shooter was not diagnosed with bipolar type 1 disorder but rather exhibited behaviors that better fit anxiety and other disorders. He also opposed a previous witnesses testimony who concluded the shooter experienced mental deterioration.

Metzner stressed the shooter's wife, Danielle Kelleys, expressed desire for a divorce likely cemented his decision to travel 60 miles to commit the atrocity in Sutherland Springs.

Closing arguments are scheduled for Tuesday at 10 a.m.

Read more:

Psychiatrist testifies about shooter's possible motivations in 9th day of Sutherland Springs trial - KENS5.com

Yesterday, comedian Rohan Joshi, most known for being part of the now-defunct comedy company All India Bakchod (AIB), took to Instagram in order to mock Bhakts i.e. supporters of PM Modi, for losing their family members to the Coronavirus pandemic.

In a highly distasteful Instagram post, Joshi mocks the supporters of the nations Prime Minister for losing their loved ones to the pandemic and also manages to vilify the construction of the sacred Ram Mandir, hurting Hindu sentiments in general. It is of note that Joshi lives in Maharashtra, which is in a COVID-19 crisis right now under the Uddhav Thackeray government. Rohan Joshi is supposedly a comedian speaking truth to power through chastising Modi supporters and Hindus whose family members died from the Coronavirus pandemic.

As crass as the joke was, it could still be dismissed as edgy humour in a most charitable interpretation by those who secretly harbour such feelings in all seriousness. However, the next post from Joshi completely exposes the ideology which fuels Joshis comedy and his self-proclaimed fury and contempt towards regular Indians. In his Instagram post which is supposed to be an explanation for his offending post earlier, Joshi makes it perfectly clear that he holds regular Modi-supporting Hindus directly responsible for the death and loss from the Chinese coronavirus.

I have nothing but contempt for them and not a shred of sympathy. Fuck the high road, writes Joshi, making it crystal clear in this angry rant that his earlier joke did not come from his funny bone, but rather a place of anger and deep resentment/contempt towards PM Modi and his supporters.

Rohan Joshi, whose past venture AIB was shut down in May 2019 after being rocked with multiple sexual assault allegations, has described himself as an atheist.

My parents always encouraged me to ask questions and read things and be scientifically minded, Joshi said. As a result, I came to a position of atheism naturally. The existence of God on a scientific basis just seemed impossible to me.

In the 2010s, with the advent of social media, various comedy groups and comedians have come to the limelight. Part of this trend was AIB, which quickly rose in prominence due to their YouTube channel going viral. However, this quick rise to fame was cut short with credible sexual assault allegations lobbed at the two senior members of AIB, Tanmay Bhatt, and Gursimran Khamba, resulting in AIB shutting down.

It is important to note the Us vs Them mentality of Joshis explanatory Instagram post, which gives us an insight into Joshis ideology. Joshi explicitly states that he blames Bhakts for the Chinese coronavirus and its various consequences, whom he holds directly responsible. It would be one thing if Joshis goal was to critique the policies of PM Modi through comedy, however, that is not the case here. What Joshi is trying to do is to lay the blame for Coronavirus and all of its negative consequences at the feet of pious Hindus who wish to worship at the sacred Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir.

What compels someone like Rohan Joshi to just straight-up attack Bhakts? Certainly not for comedic value, with Joshi literally writing, Fuck Bhakts. They are directly responsible for this, without any hint of irony or joke. Joshi is an atheist, so its not religion motivating him. All of this seems to stem from a very corrosive strain of the Liberal/Leftist ideology, which confuses punching down at Modi-supporting Bhakts, who themselves are suffering because of the pandemic, as is the rest of the world, with somehow speaking truth to power.

Joshi defiantly declares that he has nothing but contempt and not a shred of empathy for Bhakts i.e. Indians just like you and me who chose to vote for a leader they think can deliver, and frankly, has delivered. However, we are still supposed to pretend that these Bombay liberal elite types of people are somehow our moral superiors. In many ways, Joshis Instagram post was illuminating, as it shined a light on the very real class and religious contempt that urban liberal elites in India frequently exhibit towards lower social classes, ironically in the name of tolerance and liberalism.

The term Bhakt itself, which the liberal elites now uniformly use as a slur for conservative Indians, refers to a pious Hindu who is an unquestioning follower of God. This entire Liberal worldview, which seeks to demonize Hindu religiosity and then blame the people demonized for a worldwide pandemic, comes across as virulently anti-Hindu.

This worldview seems to stem from the complete rejection of a Hindu identity in favor of a Leftist one. For Leftists, their leftist ideology defines their core and moral values, not religion. Leftists tend to incorporate unquestionable dogmas as time passes on, which are sanctioned by the Leftist High Priests i.e. the woke activists. They are puritans, unable to feel empathy for the deplorable Bhakts, even if the Bhakts lose their loved ones to the Chinese pandemic because that goes against the tenets of the modern Left.

Rohan Joshi gives us accurate insight into the mind of a typical liberal elite, who is atheist, has no qualms joking about the dead family members of Bhakts, but will give you some sort of weird and morally grandstanding justification as to why we should hold the Bhakts in contempt without any shred of empathy. The average liberal elite is deracinated, irreligious, and cannot be functionally called an Indian in any sense except for the Place of birth section in their birth certificates.

Interestingly, what Rohan Joshi has said is also the perfect example of what comes of the lofty ideals that the liberals believe they espouse. While the self-proclaimed fascists who claim to be liberals talk about the tenets of democracy, they would crush the very people who dare to exercise their agency in a manner they dont approve of. Essentially, they like the tenet of democracy till the result goes their way and the moment it does not, they prefer that those who exercised their agency rather be dead. It comes as no surprise that they would rather see Hindus dead, because, in their view, it is Hindus who elected PM Modi to power, discarding the power that persecuted Hindus with their policies.

There is a famous picture that several bhakts use to define what the liberals are really after. It is a picture of Prime Minister Modi and the caption reads They are not after me, they are after you, I am just in the way. Many dismiss it as overt hero-worshipping, however, when liberals go after Hindus just because they seem to hate the man they voted for, one is forced to wonder if it actually PM Modi who they despise, or Hindus, because they cannot believe that for the first time, they are standing their ground and refusing to take hate lying down.

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Understanding the hate factory: How Rohan Joshi and his hateful post against Hindus gives us an insight into the liberal mind - OpIndia

In 2017, Rafael Sanchez began working for LOreal, the beauty product company. His job was to go to various retailers in New York City like Bloomingdales and show customers the products by doing demonstrations or putting makeup directly on them.

At one point in April of 2018, he was assigned to work for a week at the retailer Lord & Taylor. His supervisor was a woman named Viviana Nunez, and he ended up working for LOreal a few different times under her supervision over the next few months.

According to a federal lawsuit filed by Sanchez this week, he was subject to all kinds of discrimination by Nunez based on his religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and more.

The claims are absolutely wild. Sanchez says he was warned by colleagues that Nunez was the sort of Christian who foisted her beliefs onto people, but it went from 0 to 60 very quickly.

During the first few days of the pop-up store opening, Nunez asked Plaintiff: Do you believe in God?

When Plaintiff responded that he was an atheist, Nunez began proselytizing Christianity to him.

Nunez repeatedly cited passages from the bible to Plaintiff, demanded that he start going to church with her, and instructed him that he needed to repent for his sins so that he could one day be accepted into the kingdom of heaven.

During May 2018, LOreal directed Plaintiff to work at the same previous flagship Lord & Taylor store under Nunez for several workdays each week.

During each of these days, Nunez continued to proselytize to Plaintiff about Christianity, including additional comments about the kingdom of heaven, the bible, and God.

Things got even worse when Nunez found out Sanchez was both gay and HIV-positive.

Nunez responded that having HIV meant that Plaintiff had been a little whore and promiscuous as a gay man.

At one point, during what Nunez described as an important conversation she needed to have with him, she told Sanchez (emphasis his):

Nunez answered: I must be honest with you. Your homosexuality is a virus. You know your homosexuality is a virus and that they would have to work around it by maybe having [him] marry a woman.

It just kept getting worse. The lawsuit says Nunez made more than 20 anti-gay statements, including multiple slurs.

Sanchez eventually called LOreal to issue a formal complaint. Despite doing that multiple times, he never heard back. And he has reason to believe he wasnt the first person to report Nunezs behavior to them. Yet by the end of 2018, after he didnt respond to her demands that he accept Jesus, Nunez claimed Sanchez was cheating on his time sheets and effectively fired him.

The lawsuit goes after LOreal for violating New York City law against harassment involving sexual orientation, religion, and HIV Disability Status. There are also charges of a hostile work environment as well as aiding and abetting discrimination claims. And the demands include relief (cash) for the emotional suffering Sanchez endured, punitive damages, attorneys fees, and possibly more.

Whether this will work in court remains to be seen, but its a stunning glimpse at what a harsh workplace might look like when youre an atheist working for a Christian zealot even in a job where religion shouldnt come into play at all. If these allegations are accurate, then Sanchez suffered as a result of things that had absolutely nothing to do with his abilities. It comes just weeks after a Pagan employee at Panera Bread sued that company over similar harassment from her Christian bosses.

Originally posted here:

Atheist Sues L'Oreal Over Repeated Acts of Harassment by His Christian Boss - Friendly Atheist - Patheos

Jacoby suggests that American society would be better off if people returned to church. Id argue that were better off teaching people to think critically, question authority, examine doctrine, and search for primary source material. Doing otherwise is simply addressing the symptom, not the underlying social problem.

Don McDaniel

North Andover

Banish religion and it will return in disastrous forms

Jeff Jacobys Religion in America is fading, but true believers are everywhere hits the nail on the head. Humans are inherently religious. If the religious impulse is thrown out the front door, it will reenter through the back door as ideology, with potentially disastrous results for everyone. The salient examples in modern times are National Socialism and Communism.

John Harutunian

Newtonville

Spiritual needs, in a nutshell

I enjoyed Jeff Jacobys column. Our spiritual needs are to be kind to others, to form a circle of friends and relatives, and to join a global community that strives to protect us from extinction by climate change and pollution.

Janet King

Wellesley

If you speak for God, then you shut out any discussion

Fire and brimstone religion by fear is one of the reasons the flock is fading. I support and will defend your right to model what you believe your deity would do in living a religious life. If that belief works for you and has room for all others to be seen as valuable citizens, then I am happy for you. But if you speak for God, then you shut out any discussion. If we let the gods speak for themselves and we speak for ourselves, then we can work together.

Contrary to the studies Jeff Jacoby cites, I am not depressed. I have volunteered in my community. I have given blood. I do not drink or take drugs. My mental health is excellent and I am happy. I AM AN ATHEIST.

Tom Morse

Merrimac

Wide-ranging debate online

Jeff Jacobys column generated more than 150 comments from readers on BostonGlobe.com. The following is an edited sampling:

My very favorite thing about churches in Europe: They are mostly empty. And whats fascinating about that, in terms of this column, is that on average, when compared with Americans, its Europeans who tend to live longer, to suffer lower levels of stress, to have fewer symptoms of depression, and to have better cardiovascular and immune function. (pgerlings)

^ That most likely has to do with their diet, and not lack of religion. (Hoffenpot)

^ My very favorite thing about churches in the USA: People like you dont attend them. (UnwokeinVT)

Ill take my religious cues from Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Carl Sagan along with George Carlin and Lewis Black. While I find comparative religion fascinating and instructive regarding the history of the human condition, the invisible man in the sky is an artifact of a time that has long since passed. The view that we can only be moral, kind, or charitable if we believe in a supreme being is nonsense. To paraphrase Hitchens, name for me one moral act that can be undertaken by a believer that cannot be undertaken by a nonbeliever. He went to his grave and no one ever came up with an answer to that simple question he so often posed in his debates with theists. As Carlin once said, I used to be Irish Catholic, now Im an American you know . . . you grow. (NHBoundin21)

^ Faith is about a lot more than an invisible man in the sky and a means of enforcing morality. I would suggest adding one more person to your reading list to get a broader perspective: C. S. Lewis. (Doverham)

^ The view that we can only be moral, kind, or charitable if we believe in a supreme being is nonsense. Agreed. The difference, at least for me, is in thinking about the source of our desire to act morally, charitably, or with kindness. For me it is God. For some that doesnt matter; certainly for the recipients of such grace (as in the parable of the Good Samaritan) it doesnt matter who aids them when they are in great need and, as Jesus made clear in that story, one need not be of the same religious faith or culture in order to do good to others. The several deeply religious friends of Christopher Hitchens obviously loved him for reasons other than conformity with their beliefs. (sideflare)

Many of us, in spite of recent events and technologies, are spiritual seekers, support good science, and have interior lives nurtured by faith. Many long to be part of something greater, beyond life, but also within life, to create a better, more just and ecological world. Most faiths allow for this, so lets not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Lets instead eliminate the corrupting influences and actively question the mixing of dogmatic faith and politics. (DavidDobrowolski)

In my experience, people who choose not to belong to a church are not areligious. They tend to enjoy Christmas, Easter, and appear to be actual believers. But choosing a house of worship is just not important to them. I find it sad, but would never insist that one make that choice. The other thing I have noticed is that children coming along is usually what leads people to find a church. Many married, childless couples are detached from organized religion but never want their offspring to be so. For this reason, a childs baptism is often the beginning of church membership. I am so happy, as a lifelong Episcopalian, that my own children have a strong attachment to our church. They actually participate in worship services, and you can tell that it is an important part of their lives. It is tragic that fewer people are doing this. (Richmond12)

So, where did the universe come from? (eorins)

Good question. There are (at least) two ways to answer it. One is to investigate it, as scientists do. Another is to make something up. (onetimemathematician)

And Jesus said, Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. John 20:24-29 (user_1700434)

In the spirit of Jeff Jacobys column, that same bit of scripture could also apply to Trumps followers. Ironic, yes? (FlexPat)

The rest is here:

Can you believe it? Religions been taking a hit - The Boston Globe

Pastor Greg Fairrington of Destiny Church in Rocklin, California is a death cult leader. Hes blamed church closures on liberal crazies and Satan instead of COVID. After multiple churchgoers allegedly tested positive for COVID, he celebrated by saying the favor of God is on this house! His wife says face masks are meant to shut the mouth of Christians.

And whenever weve criticized it, hes never really responded.

But over the weekend, it finally happened: He low-key threatened me (or a more generic friendly atheist, I suppose) with some Christian revenge.

Do not let the visuals of this corrupt culture destroy your faith, Christian. Because God sits on the throne of His Holiness, and I need to remind you this morning: Not all of Gods accounts are settled on this Earth. He keeps all records of wrong, and one day, we will all stand in front of His holy throne and give an account.

Even you, Friendly Atheist! One day, even though you dont believe in God, will stand in front of the God that you dont believe in, and you will have to give an account!

Theres nothing less scary than a pastor trying to frighten an atheist with a Hell that doesnt exist.

But even if anything he said was true which its not it would be nice if we could all patiently wait until Judgment Day to figure out whos right or wrong. If it turns out Im wrong, well, my bad. I guess he showed me.

The problem is that Fairrington is so eager to get to the afterlife, hes dragging everyone to the end of this life. Im doing more to protect his congregations health than he is. And unlike him, I dont even need to threaten anyone along the way.

(via Christian Nightmares)

Read the original post:

Death Cult Pastor: One Day We'll Answer to God Even You, Friendly Atheist! - Friendly Atheist - Patheos

I got crapped on by a seagull today.

It was right near the Legislature, so my first reaction was to wonder if John Horgan had finally got fed up with my schtick and was hurling mouldy clumps of Hansard transcripts at me.

But no, it was just one of our local winged trash screechers, expelling its waste onto my noggin, pant leg, and shirt.

People will tell you thats good luck. We all know thats a lie.

The old superstition that avian fecal matter brings fortune was probably concocted by a mother desperately trying to comfort a freshly dunked-on child. And that child was, and still isthe guy inside Big Bird.

Okay, thats definitely not true, but neither is it true that a birds digestive tract is a determining factor in your chances of winning the lottery.

So there I was, with seagull scat smeared stupendously on myself, with nothing to show for it but a grim comfort that I was riding my bicycle with my helmet on. It was a low bar, but I had avoided becoming a Radagast the Brown cosplay.

At least, my brain tried to rationalize, you didnt get it in your hair.

Yes, like beloved bird character Falco, I had to say: I guess I should be thankful.

Im an atheist. I mention this because I think when people who are religious, spiritual, or superstitious have something bad happen to them, theres a deep well to go to. Perhaps it was Jesus will that I get crapped on. Maybe I had kicked the bad karma fairy. Or maybe my body thetans needed a purging.

Whatever the case, atheists like me, broadly speaking, can only turn to science. Or in this case, statistics.

Let me tell you folks, there is a veritable cornucopia of Google results for odds of getting pooped on by a bird.

Im happy to share with you that birds crap a PROLIFIC amount, with some species expelling butt blasts every 15 minutes.

Given that tremendous typhoon of turds, and the fact that we live amidst an Alfred Hitchcocks worth of seagulls, it becomes more and more of an inevitability: it is not a matter of IF the birds will get you, it is WHEN.

For my atheist sensibilities, this experience was as close as I might get to a spiritual epiphany; the realization that there is an astronomical amount of poop out there, working against you.

Theres a kind of power in that; knowing that there will be a day for you in the poop chute of life. You could, perhaps, stay indoors. Wear a helmet. Carry a shotgun and a murderous look in your eye. These are all potentially mitigating efforts against the airborne assault.

But thats no way to live.

Far better to live life accepting the knowledge that it could crap on you at any moment while enjoying all the clean days in between.

Welcome to Ford on Fridays: a weekly column where Victoria Buzz staff writer Tim Ford offers his thoughts on life, love, and the pursuit of the perfect joke.

This column is for comedic purposes only. Please feel free to send feedback, thoughts, and [constructive] criticisms totim@victoriabuzz.com.

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Ford on Fridays: they call me the scat man. The bird scat man. - Victoria Buzz

Everything Wrong With Exodus 1 in the Bible | Hemant Mehta | Friendly Atheist | PatheosEverything Wrong With Exodus 1 in the BibleApril 17, 2021Hemant Mehta

The video below, from my YouTube channel (please subscribe!), discusses all the problems with Exodus 1.

New Pharaoh is worried that Josephs brothers families are going to take away his power. So he needs to stop them.

If you like what youre seeing, please consider supporting my work on Patreon.

(Original image via Shutterstock)

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