godlessness
grrlscientist | July 24, 2008tags: dinosaurs, Tardosaurus, paleontology, fossils, Noah's Ark, religion, godlessness
Image: Orphaned (please send the original artist's information to me so I can properly attribute and link back to this person)
Inspired by the recent unveiling of the Tarbosaurus in Japan, I had to include this dinosaur for the creationists, the newly unveiled Tardosaurus, which single handedly (?) destroyed Noah and his ark full of animals.
pharyngula | July 24, 2008It is finished.
I wonder how many of our Catholic friends have heard of the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215? This is the event where many of their important dogmas were codified, including the ideas of Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus, that the Eucharist was the sacrament that only properly ordained priests of the Catholic church could give, and that the Jews were a pariah people, who could hold no public office, had to pay a special Jew tax for their right to exist, and were required to wear special clothing to distinguish them from Christians. The yellow badge marking the Juden was not an…
pharyngula | July 24, 2008On his last visit to the US, Richard Dawkins was having little conversations with various people — people like Steven Weinberg, Lawrence Krauss, and David Buss — and recording them. Now you can get them on DVD. It's a clever and understated idea; instead of having these guys lecture at a crowd, capture them in some quiet one-on-one conversation.
Yeah, I'm in there, too. Unfortunately, I just can't watch myself. The others are very good, though!
pharyngula | July 23, 2008Nick Spencer of the Telegraph says Americans don't do atheism. It's a weird piece that frets over the religiosity of American politicians, but somehow seems to find it reassuring that there are different ways to be religious, and that maybe the US is moving away from dominionist wackaloonery towards religously-motivated social activism — doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, in other words. There's a germ of hope there, that the country might get somewhat less insane — but at the same time it represents an opportunity to entrench superstition deeper into the republic. I really don't…
pharyngula | July 23, 2008This is a nicely done essay prompted by the papal poltroonery that has been going on in Sydney recently. Here are a few bits:
I don't give a stuff what people believe in, but it won't stop me poking at it or prodding it. Why should religion be any exemption? Telling me I'm going to hell won't bother me because I have the Flying Spaghetti Monster, the Invisible Pink Unicorn and Bertrand Russell's Teapot in my heart. Google them if you are in the market for some red hot enlightenment.
And this is really true — throwing off the foolishness is liberating.
It's been a revelation to me a year…
pharyngula | July 21, 2008This Sunday, I'm going to be on Atheists Talk radio, and I'm actually going into the Twin Cities to do it live and in person. The gang who do the show like to head out to Q. Cumbers restaurant afterwards—and the invitation is open to everyone. If you'd care to join us for a Pharyngubrunch, meet us there at 11am on Sunday. You might also get a chance to say hello to C.L. Hanson!
pharyngula | July 19, 2008This morning on Atheists Talk radio (9am Central), Erin Davies discusses her cross-country campaign against homophobia, driving her "Fagbug" Volkswagon Beetle car, and
Hector Avalos discusses his book "The End of Biblical Studies." Tune in!
pharyngula | July 18, 2008…and a knife-fight did not break out. Heads were spinning on necks and there was some pea-soup vomiting, but since it's on radio you don't get to see that. Anyway, you can listen to the interview on Catholic Radio International, or you can download the mp3 directly.
grrlscientist | July 17, 2008tags: explicit atheism, godlessness, religion, theism, rational living, freethinking, philosophy
Phylogeny of Christianity.
Image: FrostFireZoo.
All children are born Atheists; they have no idea of God.
~ Baron d'Holbach, 1772.
Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted) was recently added to the Atheist Blogroll. You can see the atheist doohickey on my left sidebar, which looks like this;
The Atheist Blogroll is a community building service provided free of charge to atheist bloggers from around the world. As a new member, I was invited to write a little blurb (blurp?) about…
pharyngula | July 17, 2008You may recall that there were some concerns about the motives and legitimacy of a social networking site, Atheist Nexus. Those concerns have been resolved to my satisfaction — it was simply a case of a recent apostate who had left a confusing trail of both religious and unreligious comments — and I've signed up myself.
Uh-oh. Suddenly, all these people on Atheist Nexus want to be my friend, but there's no single page to review friend requests, so I'd have to go through them all one by one, which would be so tedious. Somebody tell me if there is a more efficient way…alternatively, send me a…
grrlscientist | July 12, 2008tags: atheism, crackergate, religion, religious zealotry, fundamentalism, freedom of speech, eucharist hosts, transubstantiation, cultural observation
Not so very long ago, Americans mocked muslim nations for rioting and issuing death threats over the publication of a few cartoons in Danish newspapers. A little over one month ago, Americans once again sat back in a cloud of smug judgmentalism as they laughed at the uproar caused by a teddy bear that was named "Mohammad" by a classroom full of kids. American christians aren't so backward and superstitious as all those muslims, the religious…
pharyngula | July 11, 2008These campus freethought groups are growing fast, and the SSA is a national umbrella organization that advises many students — it's a great cause. They are trying to raise money to contribute towards more student support — help 'em out!
pharyngula | July 10, 2008There is a new social network site for godless folk, called Atheist Nexus. Good idea, except that there may be a little problem.
A few doubting atheists (how could they possibly be suspicious?) investigated the site before signing up, and discovered some discrepencies. The fax number and mail server are shared with some outfit called the Divine Christian Center (warning: if you click on that link, the site autoplays Christian rock at you). The creator, who goes by the name Thor and Kym Membe, is also the registrant on both domains. He claims that he is an atheist, he just happens to also be a…
pharyngula | July 9, 2008For another example of the religious expressing absurd beliefs, you must listen to this conversation between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox — it's astonishing. Dawkins just probes with a few pointed questions, and Lennox, a theologian, babbles on and on and on, asserting the most amazing things. All those miracles in the bible? They literally happened — he doesn't hide behind metaphor and poetry. Water into wine, resurrections, walking on water…it all actually happened, exactly as written, and further, he claims that all of these accounts represent historically valid evidence. This is the…
pharyngula | July 9, 2008If you live in Edmonton, Alberta, which is somewhere up north in Canada (and if you live there, I presume you know where), you might want to get in touch with the newly formed Society of Edmonton Atheists. They're looking to expand!
pharyngula | July 8, 2008Hello, Seattle! Look what just went up on Denny, near the Stewart Street intersection:
Everyone might want to donate to this cause, too: a group is trying to buy ad space on London buses, saying "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and get on with your life."
Whew. We're getting uppity.
pharyngula | July 7, 2008The Beltway Atheists are planning a summer get-away in mid-August called Atheist Days. You want to go. Trust me. Get a gang of hot, sexy atheists together on a beach, and you can trust them to bare their minds and start swapping ideas, right there in public, without any shame at all.
pharyngula | July 7, 2008We seem to be having a light incursion of evangelical Christians. Here's some advice for them, on how to convert an atheist. It's a very silly article, I'm afraid, because while it says all these sensible things about being polite and getting to know them and leading them gently to church, it never addresses the key stumbling point for atheists: that their religion is wacky, nutty, insane, internally inconsistent, and illogical. The very elements that Christians think makes their faith unique and special and powerful are the pieces that make us wonder what damaged Christian brains.
For…
pharyngula | July 6, 2008Rick was handed a nice tri-fold glossy pamphlet as he was walking to a fireworks display. It's titled "What If", and what it is is a collection of — you guessed it — bible quotes to extort your obedience to a goofy religion. Rick has handled the details, so I'll just cut to the conclusion. It asks, "Based on the authority of these Scriptures, just think, WHAT IF you received Christ today? Just think, WHAT IF you don't?"
The opening clause covers my response pretty well. "Based on the authority of these scriptures," which is nonexistent, I don't have to accept anything they say, and can throw…