Over the weekend, while I was out at lunch with the family, some nice Christian put a postcard on my car windshield titled, “Why Die and Go to Hell? When Jesus Made a Bridge to Heaven!”
Tag Humanism
There was a time when people lived clustered in groups and the various groups had to compete for food, fertile land, and resources. They didn’t have much communication with those from other groups and so it was easy to see other groups as alien. Each group marked their territory and attempted to conquer other territories. Things should be different now.
Atheism is on the rise in America and yet we are constantly discriminated against and marginalized because of our lack of belief in imaginary friends. For atheists who value reason, logic, and the scientific method, it sometimes seems like the inmates have taken over the asylum. But it shouldn’t have to be like this. Atheists make up a larger percentage of the American population than Jews, Muslims, and every other non-Christian religion in America combines. If we want to be less marginalized, there are things we can and should be doing.
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:
Yesterday, my family and I attended the local Human Light celebration outside of Philadelphia. We try to go every year when we can. It is always fun for the kids and makes me feel great that I am giving them a humanist holiday to celebrate in addition to a secular Christmas. But many atheists don’t approve of Human Light.
Yesterday, I spent the day finishing out my term as Minority Election Inspector in a Catholic dominated town. This gave me the opportunity to talk to local Catholics. Apparently out of the nine Catholic Churches in the area, at least four and maybe as many as five are closing. My fellow officials were upset about this, but me, not so much.
I’ve been an atheist activist for a long time now and I want to tell you why. It isn’t just because I lack a belief in deities; it is because I have realized that belief in deities has and continues to impede human progress – not just technologically, but morally.
One thing about religion that I always found damning is the way religion has warped the minds of parents when their children leave the faith. More than anything else, this speaks volumes about the cruelty of religion. That is why I think it is important to tell these stories so that others can bear witness to them.
The best atheist interview on TV was pulled off the internet awhile back. To my knowledge only one copy was left in existence. At the Reason Rally, I asked the one person I knew would have it if I could get a personal copy of it to put up on the web.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said that, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Here is the thing about moral arcs, prayers don’t bend them – people do!