{"id":3804,"date":"2016-03-11T10:00:08","date_gmt":"2016-03-11T16:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/?p=3804"},"modified":"2016-03-11T21:43:20","modified_gmt":"2016-03-12T03:43:20","slug":"imagining-atheist-monument","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/2016\/03\/11\/imagining-atheist-monument\/","title":{"rendered":"Imagining An Atheist Monument"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A highly\u00a0popular, generally levelheaded, and genuinely friendly\u00a0atheist blogger <a href=\"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/friendlyatheist\/2016\/03\/08\/oklahoma-will-let-voters-decide-whether-or-not-to-bring-back-illegal-ten-commandments-monument\/\" target=\"_blank\">recently wrote<\/a> that &#8220;the Satanic Temple\u2019s Baphomet statue would finally get a new home&#8221; after Oklahoma brings\u00a0its Ten Commandments monument back onto the State Capitol grounds. This is\u00a0wishful thinking at best, since\u00a0an American court has yet to rule in favor of the\u00a0idea that\u00a0a\u00a0government entity should be required\u00a0to accept permanent monuments from prospective donors; indeed, there is some\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pleasant_Grove_City_v._Summum#Holding\" target=\"_blank\">jurisprudence to the contrary<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Unpleasant realities aside, it is a fun exercise to imagine what an atheist monument would or should look like.\u00a0Baphomet is one such\u00a0conception,\u00a0and a damn good one, because it evokes symbology considered\u00a0fearful by\u00a0the average Bible Belt voter.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">My monument be looking fierce!<a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/zOnVzVHZlX\">http:\/\/t.co\/zOnVzVHZlX<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/c2crWx7yHt\">pic.twitter.com\/c2crWx7yHt<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Lord Baphotired (@BaphometOKC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BaphometOKC\/status\/543456592528547841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 12, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Imagine what a more mainstream (and perhaps\u00a0less trollish) monument might look like.<\/p>\n<p>How about an unassuming granite bench?<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/DDHomeless\/status\/351022084996071427<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s functional (if a bit minimalist) and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national\/atheists-unveil-monument-next-to-ten-commandments-at-florida-courthouse\/2013\/06\/29\/f226a614-e10c-11e2-86b4-4efb8c53d62b_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">backstory<\/a> is definitely worth reading. (Apparently the trick is to force a cash-strapped county government into mediation.) But\u2014please don&#8217;t take this the wrong way\u2014it&#8217;s basically a place to rest your bum. I&#8217;m probably not the only atheist hoping for something a bit more inspiring.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few more ideas to consider, should you ever be faced with the challenging task of representing atheists, freethinkers, or skeptics in statuary form.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thomas Paine<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AncientHouseMus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@AncientHouseMus<\/a>  Statue of Thomas Paine down the road from me in Morristown, NJ courtesy of <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/qAAyO7axQL\">http:\/\/t.co\/qAAyO7axQL<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/dgLqjDK87b\">pic.twitter.com\/dgLqjDK87b<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Sharon Phillips (@MuseumSharon) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MuseumSharon\/status\/428538271312785408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 29, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>I know, not technically an atheist, but certainly\u00a0a freethinker and a skeptic.\u00a0Moreover, the great agnostic Robert Green Ingersoll <a href=\"http:\/\/infidels.org\/library\/historical\/robert_ingersoll\/on_thomas_paine.html\" target=\"_blank\">wrote fulsomely<\/a> of him as an American hero. Definitely in the running as far as I&#8217;m concerned.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Denis Diderot<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/c\/c6\/Diderot-statue.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Diderot was among the first fruits\u00a0of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Denis_Diderot#Philosophy\" target=\"_blank\">open atheism<\/a> reaped\u00a0by the Enlightenment. I strongly recommend\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Skeptic%27s_Walk\" target=\"_blank\">The Skeptic&#8217;s Walk<\/a><\/em> if you have an internet connection and some spare time for leisure\u00a0reading.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Hypatia of Alexandria<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ThinkAtheist?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ThinkAtheist<\/a> I like Hypatia.  Here&#39;s a painting to share. <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/n4PeOhtan8\">pic.twitter.com\/n4PeOhtan8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Democritus Prime (@DemocritusPrime) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DemocritusPrime\/status\/562406081507655680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 3, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Philosopher, mathematician, and patron saint of Skeptic Ink for reasons amply explained <a href=\"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/tippling\/2013\/05\/15\/factfile-hypatia-of-alexandria\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/meteodesigns.com\/2012\/10\/skeptic-ink-network-logo\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>, Hypatia neatly encompasses the neverending struggle between Athens and Jerusalem. Alas, none of her own words survive to be emblazoned on a plaque.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Elizabeth Cady Stanton<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Statue showing Amelia Bloomer introducing Susan B Anthony &amp; Elizabeth Cady Stanton <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/womenshistory?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#womenshistory<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/LhxyLpTZ\">http:\/\/t.co\/LhxyLpTZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; JJ (@MsJJ_Dynomite) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MsJJ_Dynomite\/status\/177792410213036032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 8, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>One of the great <a href=\"https:\/\/ffrf.org\/news\/day\/famous-freethinkers-secular-stars\/spotlight\/item\/14647-elizabeth-cady-stanton2\" target=\"_blank\">founding mothers<\/a> of American feminism, Cady Stanton was thrown under the bus by suffragettes for being too forthright about the <a href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=TfOfAAAAMAAJ&amp;pg=PA539&amp;lpg=PA539\" target=\"_blank\">degradation of women<\/a> caused by religious doctrine:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I have endeavoured to dissipate these religious superstitions from the minds of women, and base their faith on science and reason, where I found for myself at least that peace and comfort I could never find in the Bible and the church.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Now <em>that<\/em> would make a fine bronze plaque.<\/p>\n<p>No doubt I&#8217;m forgetting many worthy historical figures, and leaving out all manner of artful abstractions as well.<\/p>\n<p>If it were left up to you, what monument would you erect to atheism, freethought,\u00a0or skepticism?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A highly\u00a0popular, generally levelheaded, and genuinely friendly\u00a0atheist blogger recently wrote that &#8220;the Satanic Temple\u2019s Baphomet statue would finally get a&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":3308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3804","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-atheism","category-freethought-in-popular-culture"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3804","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3804"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3804\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skepticink.com\/backgroundprobability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}