Clipmarks | AtlLiberal's 'atheist' clips

Pray or Go To Jail

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 17:43:12 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Can anyone envision a court forcing someone to engage in Hindu worship? How about Bar Mitzva vs prison? Consider a judge ordering someone to join a Coven? Why is this different?

Clip Source: atheism.about.com

California Forcing Atheists to Attend Religious Programs

In Shasta County, California, atheist Barry A. Hazle is suing the state department of corrections because he was given a blatantly unconstitutional choice: go to jail or attend a religious 12-step program as a condition of his parole after a drug possession conviction. Hazle didn't object to participating in some program to deal with addiction, but he wanted a secular program rather than a religious one. Government officials refused and sent him back to jail for what amounts to refusing to go to religious services.

The 12-step program required "acknowledgment of the existence of a supernatural God,....deference to a monotheistic 'higher power,' and participation in prayer," the suit alleges. He was subsequently arrested for violating parole and sent back to prison for four months, the suit alleges.

Courts across the nation have recognized that the 12-step method is religious in nature

Democratic = Atheist?

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:23:04 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: While there is no reason why an atheist couldn't be a Republican this piece touches on some interesting questions.

Clip Source: atheism.about.com

Should Atheists Vote for the Republican Party?

Why is there a problem for atheists who might be inclined to support the Republican Party? Although it was not inevitable, today Republicans at all levels of government across the country are the primary force behind legislation which would:

Undermine the teaching of evolution and promote the teaching of creationism

Criminalize abortion in as many cases as possible, if not in all cases

Provide funding to religious groups that discriminate on the basis of religion

Provide funding for religious and theological training, as with ministers or priests

Establish prison rehabilitation programs that emphasize fundamentalist Christianity

Have the government endorse the Ten Commandments

Use government power to give a privileged status to Christianity and Christian beliefs

We Just Don't Get It

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 17:17:24 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Yep! How could anyone escape the iron clad logic of presented here? Well, I'm sold. I've always said that if anyone could provide irrefutable evidence I'd convert in an instant. Hallelujah!

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

The Atheist Delusion

[Video]

Tags: parody, god, religion, humor

A Bit of Rationalism

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:37:59 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: It's always positive to point out what is myth and what is reality. Often they are confused, especially by people who depend so much on myth. The attached clip offers a bit of sunshine to brighten up those dark corners of peoples brains.

Clip Source: atheism.about.com

Myth:

Atheists are angry at God because they think He should have done something for them in their pasts.

Response:
The idea that atheists are angry in general is itself already quite popular, but the myth that atheists are angry specifically at God for not having done what they want may be more popular. This combines the idea that atheists are angry, that they are prideful enough to think that they know better than God, and that they are rebelling against what God wants for the world. Atheists are thus attacked from a variety of convenient directions, except for the fact that the claim is all wrong.

The most obvious reason why everyone should recognize that this myth is false is the simple fact that you can't be angry at God unless you believe that God exists. This means that anyone who is angry at God must be a theist, not an atheist — an atheist is a person who doesn't believe in any gods at all. Atheists therefore cannot be angry at any gods.

Tags: atheism, religion, logic, rational

Christian Recruiters

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 16:29:50 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: I couldn't help but picture this "harvest" as the missionaries lop off peoples critical thinking with their dogmatic blades.

Clip Source: www.kwtx.com

Foreign Missionaries Defy Ban During Olympics

(August 22, 2008)--Christian groups including Southern Baptists that ignored a Chinese ban on foreign missionaries say their underground evangelism during the Olympic games was a success.

Drawn to a nation of 1.3 billion people under atheist rule, the groups prepared for years for what the Southern Baptists once called "a spiritual harvest unlike any other."

Missionary Mark Taylor of Awaken Generation says 115 people from 12 countries gathered in Thailand for orientation before scattering throughout China.

The Southern Baptist Convention and Youth With A Mission carried out larger efforts.

Tags: religion, proselytizing, christian

Theistic Sanity

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:05:02 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: It's not often that I agree with religious leaders but when I do it deserves to be pointed out. The point that Benedict makes of refuting the claim that evolution promotes atheism is of course correct. Although many, particularly in the States, believe otherwise. Unfortunately, the persons that fall into this category are also people that are the least informed on the subject.

Clip Source: zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

Subsidized atheism

I marvel at writers who refer to "evolutionists and their precious little theory." After 150 years, the Theory of Evolution is one of the most broadly accepted theories in all of science. How can any so-called educated person characterize the teaching of biological evolution as taxpayer-subsidized atheism?

Read below what an ultraconservative Christian spiritual leader has to say about this so-called controversy.

Pope Benedict XVI, 24 July 2007

This antithesis is absurd because, on the one hand, there are so many scientific proofs in favour of evolution which appears to be a reality we can see and which enriches our knowledge of life and being as such.

Now consider the lack of credibility of anyone who calls evolution atheistic. I doubt any sane person of whatever religious persuasion would call the pope an atheist. Does accepting the scientific theory (fact) that the earth travels around the sun and not the other way around make a person an atheist?

Tags: creationism, evolution, religion, atheism

The Boogey Man is Gonna Get Ya!

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 15:53:11 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: According to the review of this new book it seems the author is rehashing the same old discounted arguments over what he dubs the "New Atheism". Using fear and misdirection it seems once again to be a weak attempt to defend the indefensible by a christian apologist.

Clip Source: www.towersonline.net

In “Atheism Remix: A Christian Confronts the New Atheism” (Crossway), Mohler engages the central arguments of four contemporary atheists, whom he calls “The Four Horseman of the Atheist Apocalypse:” Oxford University scientist Richard Dawkins, Tufts University philosopher Daniel Dennett, author Sam Harris and pundit Christopher Hitchens.

Mohler, who serves as president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, chose Dawkins, Dennett, Harris and Hitchens because “they are four figures who have especially come to embody the New Atheist movement.”

The new atheism is marked by:
· An unprecedented new boldness.
· A clear and specific rejection of the Christian God of the Bible.
· An explicit rejection of Jesus Christ.
· Arguments grounded in science.
· A refusal to tolerate even moderate and liberal forms of theism.
· An attack on the toleration of any form of religion.
· A questioning of the right of parents to instill religious beliefs in their children.

Tags: christian, religion, book, atheist

Post Rapture Pet Care

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:15:55 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Brilliant! Why didn't I think of this.

Clip Source: www.craigslist.org

Your Pets Will Not Be Flagged For Removal By Jesus During the Rapture

"No one knows when that day or hour will come. Even the angels in heaven and the Son don't know. Only the Father knows."

(Matthew 24:36)

Have you ever thought about what will happen to your pets after Jesus comes back to claim the souls of the saved during the Rapture and deliver them to heaven to enjoy ever lasting life?

I am here to offer you pet care service for after the rapture. As an atheist, I will surely still be here on this earth post rapture and would love to look after your pets for a small fee and make sure they are still well taken care of after you and your family have been raptured. You will be able to look down on them from heaven and see them being well cared for by me and living happy, healthy lives. Do not let my atheism scare you! I am a moral and loving pet owner and would never do harm to any animal.

Tags: rapture, christianity, pet care

PZ Myers vs Crackers

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:47:21 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: The absurdity continues. After Myers threatened to desecrate a communal cracker the hit squad of the Catholic Church has been gearing up. Slide over to the main article for a humorous look at religious "logic". It truly is hilarious.

Clip Source: scienceblogs.com

The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy doesn't like me

An organization of the Catholic leadership has now condemned my actions. This is sad news: it's clear that at least this tier of the Catholic hierarchy is as deranged as the wackaloons flooding my mailbox.

We find the actions of University of Minnesota (Morris) Professor Paul Myers reprehensible, inexcusable, and unconstitutional. His flagrant display of irreverence by profaning a consecrated Host from a Catholic church goes beyond the limit of academic freedom and free speech.

Hmmm. Who is the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy to decide the limits of freedom? Flagrant irreverence towards a cracker ought to be fair game, I should think…and that's all this action was: irreverence. You cannot demand that all members of a pluralist society be reverent towards any random humdrum article that a guy in a dress declares holy.

Tags: religion, catholic, atheist, cracker, myers

No-no to Atheists

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:40:49 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Our friends across the pond seem to suffer the same sort of religious bigotry that we have here in the States. Of course, I suppose the question could be asked why employees are surfing the net instead of working but that's for another clip.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Council ban on atheist websites

A city council has blocked its staff from looking at websites about atheism.

Lawyers at the National Secular Society said the move by Birmingham City Council was "discriminatory" and they would consider legal action.

The rules also ban sites that promote witchcraft, the paranormal, sexual deviancy and criminal activity.

The city council declined to comment on the possible legal action, but said the new system helped make it easier for managers to monitor staff web access.

Under the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003, it is unlawful to discriminate against workers because of their religion or belief, which includes atheism.

National Secular Society president Terry Sanderson said the city council's rules also discriminated against people who practise witchcraft, which is also classed as a legitimate belief.

He said the society would initially contact the council and ask for the policy to be changed, and otherwise pursue legal action.

Tags: atheist, religion, wicca, web, ban

False Premises

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:24:13 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: I often come across people attempting to argue that atheism is some sort of a creed or even a religion. This clip touches on why this simply isn't the case. The article itself goes into much greater detail.

Clip Source: atheism.about.com

Atheism Has to be a Creed. It Just Has to Be!

One of the more popular myths about atheism is the idea that it's some sort of ideology, philosophy, religion, or creed. Some religious theists just can't understand how atheism can be anything less than that; in fact, some are so much in denial about what atheism is that they will go to great lengths to insist that it must involve some set of beliefs, assertions, and ideas about the world which is analogous to their own.

It is not true that "atheism requires additional beliefs in order to be a livable creed" because atheism is not any sort of creed and the only people who try to treat it as such are religious apologists like Alan Roebuck who refuse to engage actual atheistic belief systems like humanism, Objectivism, existentialism, Buddhism, etc. Instead, they only choose to attack "atheism," which I put in quotes because instead of attacking atheism as it really exists, they attack a Straw Man

Tags: atheism, atheist, religion, theists

PZ Myers and Weekend Religionists

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 17:06:48 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: This short 34 second clip made me imagine future church goers more as civil war reenactors. They are mildly entertaining to watch but you wouldn't base your whole life on their hobby.

Clip Source: scienceblogs.com

[Video]

Tags: religion, myers, pz, video, opinion, atheist

Showcase of Real Stupidity

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:54:01 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: It's getting more and more difficult to keep up with the wackos these days. Ray's best line, of course, is his assertion that the poster he's responding to lives in an imaginary world. Irony meters all over the world pegged on that statement. Oh my!!!

Clip Source: raycomfortfood.blogspot.com

The Atheist Worldview

"There've been several hundred gay marriages enacted in California in the past few days. Maybe a couple of thousand by now, I haven't checked the numbers. And in the non-gay-marrying Midwest, they're fighting floods, while in California it's fair and dry. How is The Golden State managing to escape the wrath of your imaginary friend, I wonder?" Weemaryanne

Maryanne. At present there are 840 wild-fires that are burning at once in California, destroying many homes. The fires were started by lightning strikes. Guess who’s in charge of the electrical department? These are from thunder storms that have no rain. Guess who gives the rain? You said "while in California it's fair and dry." We are having the worst drought in our recorded history. Last year 1,155 homes were destroyed. You live in an imaginary world. I suggest you get out more.

Tags: religion, god, suffering, homosexuals, gays

Food for Thought

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:01:21 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: One statistic that stood out to me was the strange 1 in 5 self professed atheists that claim to believe in God. Atheism is conventionally defined as holding no belief in a god or gods.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Survey Shows U.S. Religious Tolerance

The report, titled U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, reveals a broad trend toward tolerance and an ability among many Americans to hold beliefs that might contradict the doctrines of their professed faiths.

For example, 70 percent of Americans affiliated with a religion or denomination said they agreed that “many religions can lead to eternal life,” including majorities among Protestants and Catholics. Among evangelical Christians, 57 percent agreed with the statement, and among Catholics, 79 percent did.

The new report sheds light on the beliefs of the unaffiliated. Like the overwhelming majority of Americans, 70 percent of the unaffiliated said they believed in God, including one of every five people who identified themselves as atheist and more than half of those who identified as agnostic.

Tags: religion, survey, pew, atheism

Scientific Framing - Do We Need It?

Mon, 26 May 2008 17:39:21 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Recently there's been a controversy in the scientific community concerning scientific framing. That's framing in the sense of presenting views and facts in such a way that they appeal to a larger percentage of the population. We hear this mostly in the political realm but it applies equally in the scientific realm particularly where science and politics intersect. Is it the right thing to do? Is it too Orwellian?

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Thanks for the Facts. Now Sell Them.

If the defenders of evolution wanted to give their creationist adversaries a boost, it's hard to see how they could do better than Richard Dawkins, the famed Oxford scientist who had a bestseller with "The God Delusion." Dawkins, who rose to fame with his lucid expositions of evolution in such books as "The Selfish Gene," has never gone easy on religion. But recently he has ramped up his atheist message, further mixing his defense of evolution with his attack on belief.

The public cannot be expected to differentiate between his advocacy of evolution and his atheism. More than 80 percent of Americans believe in God, after all, and many fear that teaching evolution in our schools could undermine the belief system they consider the foundation of morality. Dawkins not only reinforces and validates such fears -- baseless though they may be -- but lends them an exclamation point.

Tags: science, framing, communication, religion