David Silverman from American Atheists was on Fox Business with Lou Dobbs to discuss the need for Humanist chaplains in the military. Here is the clip:
http://youtu.be/wHaNxfZtDr4
This appearance is epic! In my opinion it ranks right up there with Fred Edword’s appearance on Bill O’Reilly’s show a number of years ago.
Dobbs can’t seem to grasp that a Humanist is a kind of atheist and that atheism is merely the lack of belief in deities. He can’t let go of the talking point that atheism is a religion and this clouds his view in such a way that he can’t seem to adequately address Silverman’s points. At one point, Dobbs gets so flustered that he can’t even say the word “Title” clearly. He completely fumbles his rhetoric.
Toward the end, Dobbs attempts to make his “grand compromise” and Silverman takes that “compromise” and makes it into a devastating point. So devastating that even Dobbs pointed out that it was reasonable and persuasive. Dobbs is only able to hold on to his dogmatic position by assuring his audience that it probably won’t work out. But Silverman doesn’t let the slight stand and pushes further until Dobbs concedes at the last moment before the break – practically giving Silverman the last word on the issue.
I should point out that Dobbs wishes he was a right wing wacko, but the problem is that as wacko as Dobbs is, he is just too reasonable for the Tea Party types. He does try to be outraged at Silverman, but he just can’t do it.
On a related note, I wrote about this issue of Humanist chaplains a while ago. Here is my article titled: What humanist military chaplains can offer. Check it out, share it, Tweet it, etc. Thanks!
Related articles
- What humanist military chaplains can offer (Video) (examiner.com)
- U.S. Military Finally Approves “Humanism” as an Acceptable Religious Preference for Soldiers (patheos.com)
- Not Held Up On Labels (skepticink.com)
- ‘Pathfinder’s Project’ a first step toward a humanist peace corps (examiner.com)
- Harvard humanists spearhead ‘Humanist Community Project’ (examiner.com)
