Clipmarks | Atheism Clips

Bill Nye (the science guy) Boo'd in Texas for saying the moon reflects the sun.

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 18:55:20 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: Bill Nye (the science guy) Boo'd in Texas for saying the moon reflects the sun.

Clip Source: bsalert.com

Bill Nye, the harmless children's edu-tainer known as "The Science Guy," managed to offend a select group of adults in Waco, Texas at a presentation, when he suggested that the moon does not emit light, but instead reflects the light of the sun.

As even most elementary-school graduates know, the moon reflects the light of the sun but produces no light of its own.

But don't tell that to the good people of Waco, who were "visibly angered by what some perceived as irreverence," according to the Waco Tribune.

This story originally appeared in the Waco Tribune, but the newspaper has mysteriously pulled its story from the online version, presumably to avoid further embarassment.

Tags: atheism, bible, christianity, god, intelligent design, religion, superstition, theology, science

2+2=4 - What is wrong with you people?

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 23:28:52 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: aguyinthepew.blogspot.com

Eric Michael Johnson is a primatologist and endocrinologist completing a PhD at Duke University, and he blogs at the Primate Diaries. He has two recent posts that are worth reading. First, some provocative humor:

Fundamentalists: believe 2+2 =5 because It Is Written. Somewhere. They have a lot of trouble on their tax returns.

"Moderate" believers: live their lives on the basis that 2+2=4. but go regularly to church to be told that 2+2 once made 5, or will one day make 5, or in a very real and spiritual sense should make 5.

"Moderate" atheists: know that 2+2 =4 but think it impolite to say so too loudly as people who think 2+2=5 might be offended.

"Militant" atheists: "Oh for pity's sake. HERE. Two pebbles. Two more pebbles. FOUR pebbles. What is WRONG with you people?"

Tags: atheism, religion, humour

Banana : The Atheist's Nightmare

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 12:13:38 GMT

clipped by: thefoxalmighty
clipper's remarks: this is really interesting...

Clip Source: www.atheisteye.com

The Banana: The Atheist's Nightmare

The banana...

is perfectly shaped for the human hand.
has a non-slip surface.
has outward indicators of inward content. Green lets you know that it's not ready to eat yet. Yellow lets you know that it's just right to consume. Black lets you know that it's far too late to put it in your belly.
has a tab at the bottom to facilitate removal of its wrapper.
has a perforated wrapper for easy peeling.
has a bio-degradable wrapper.
is perfectly shaped for the human mouth.
has a point at its top for ease of entry.
is pleasing to the taste buds.
is curved towards the face to make the eating process easy.

To say that the banana happened by accident is even more unintelligent than to say that no one designed the Coca Cola can.

Tags: atheism, humor

Atheism: 10 Myths & 10 Truths For The Open-Minded

Tue, 26 Dec 2006 07:55:26 GMT

clipped by: BartendingBear
clipper's remarks: These 10 Myths of Atheism are well countered by the 10 Truths offered in answer to them in this article.

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

10 myths -- and 10 truths -- about atheism

SEVERAL POLLS indicate that the term "atheism" has acquired such an extraordinary stigma in the United States that being an atheist is now a perfect impediment to a career in politics (in a way that being black, Muslim or homosexual is not). According to a recent Newsweek poll, only 37% of Americans would vote for an otherwise qualified atheist for president.

Atheists are often imagined to be intolerant, immoral, depressed, blind to the beauty of nature and dogmatically closed to evidence of the supernatural.

Atheists believe that life is meaningless.

Atheism is responsible for the greatest crimes in human history.

Atheism is dogmatic.

Atheists think everything in the universe arose by chance.

Atheism has no connection to science.

Atheists are arrogant.

Atheists are closed to spiritual experience.

Atheists believe that there is nothing beyond human life and human understanding.

Atheists ignore the fact that religion is extremely beneficial to society.

Atheism provides no basis for morality.

We have made considerable moral progress over the years, and we didn't make this progress by reading the Bible or the Koran more closely. Both books condone the practice of slavery — and yet every civilized human being now recognizes that slavery is an abomination. Whatever is good in scripture — like the golden rule — can be valued for its ethical wisdom without our believing that it was handed down to us by the creator of the universe.

Tags: religion, atheism, logic, truth, rationality

Marcus really doesn't like religion

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:40:48 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman

Clip Source: scienceblogs.com

[Video]

That monolog is from the Now Show of July 20th. The monolog from this week's show (of July 27th) is even better and is specifically pro-atheism rather than just anti-religion. You can hear it at this Realplayer link for the next two-and-a-half days.

The program's website is here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/comedy/nowshow.shtml

If you listen to the whole thing I imagine much of the content will not mean much unless you are British.

Tags: religion, atheism, brigstocke, rant, humour, humor

15 Quotes by Famous Atheists

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 22:17:14 GMT

clipped by: AcesLucky
clipper's remarks: Bertrand Russell:

“You find as you look around the world that every single bit of progress in humane feeling, every improvement in the criminal law, every step toward the diminution of war, every step toward better treatment of the colored races, or every mitigation of slavery, every moral progress that there has been in the world, has been consistently opposed by the organized churches of the world. I say quite deliberately that the Christian religion, as organized in its churches, has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world.”

Clip Source: www.dvorak.org

15 Quotes By Famous Atheists

9. Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest. — Denis Diderot

15. It’s an incredible con job when you think about it, to believe something now in exchange for something after death. Even corporations with their reward systems don’t try to make it posthumous. — Gloria Steinem

5. Faith means not wanting to know what is true. — Friedrich Nietzsche

8. I believe in God, only I spell it Nature. — Frank Lloyd Wright

3. All thinking men are atheists. — Ernest Hemingway

11. The whole thing is so patently infantile, so foreign to reality, that to anyone with a friendly attitude to humanity it is painful to think that the great majority of mortals will never be able to rise above this view of life. — Sigmund Freud

2. I don’t believe in God. My god is patriotism. Teach a man to be a good citizen and you have solved the problem of life. — Andrew Carnegie

4. Lighthouses are more helpful then churches. — Benjamin Franklin

Tags: atheism, bible, christianity, god, life, religion, society

Atheists Need to Chill

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 04:05:26 GMT

clipped by: Kore7
clipper's remarks: Michael Shermer makes a point that needs to be made. Atheists need to remember what they stand for, not merely what they are against. Ridicule and contempt have no place in science, and haters should not tarnish its reputation by association.

In the words of the greatest consciousness raiser of the 20th century, Martin Luther King, Jr., in his epic "I Have a Dream" speech: "In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline."

If atheists do not want theists to prejudge them in a negative light, then they must not do unto theists the same.

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

Anti-something movements by themselves will fail.

Atheists cannot simply define themselves by what they do not believe.

Positive assertions are necessary.

Champion science and reason, as Charles Darwin suggested: “It appears to me (whether rightly or wrongly) that direct arguments against Christianity & theism produce hardly any effect on the public

Rational is as rational does.

It is irrational to take a hostile or condescending attitude toward religion because by doing so we virtually guarantee that religious people will respond in kind.

The golden rule is symmetrical.

If atheists do not want theists to prejudge them in a negative light, then they must not do unto theists the same.

Promote freedom of belief and disbelief.

As long as religion does not threaten science and freedom, we should be respectful and tolerant because our freedom to disbelieve is inextricably bound to the freedom of others to believe.

Tags: atheists, atheism, secular, humanism, science, religion, civility, extremism, freedom, belief

The Best of Google Video

Sat, 07 Oct 2006 16:20:36 GMT

clipped by: Djiezes
clipper's remarks: some really great stuff here.

Clip Source: hubpages.com

The Best of Google Video

Carl Sagan's "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage

James Randi debunks Uri Geller and Peter Popoff

60 minutes: The World around Us - Randi vs. Geller (video quality is not the best)

MeaningofLife.tv

The Root of All Evil? Part I (with English subtitles)

The Root of All Evil? Part II

The History Of Hacking

From the Googleplex: Authors@Google

John Battelle - "The Search"

Seth Godin - "All Marketers are Liars"

Dr. James Watson - "DNA and the Brain"

David Vise - "The Google Story"

A Brief History of Disbelief Pt.1

A Brief History of Disbelief Pt. 2

A Brief History of Disbelief Pt. 3

TED Talks (Google Video) TED Talks (ted.com)

Richard P. Feynman - The Pleasure of Finding Things out

The Elegant Universe - Einstein's Dream

The Elegant Universe - String's the Thing

The Elegant Universe - Welcome to the 11th Dimension

SPACE - BBC TV Series

Programme 1: Star Stuff

Programme 2: Staying Alive

Programme 3: Black Holes

Programme 4: Are We Alone?

Programme 5: New Worlds

Programme 6: Boldly Go

Milton Friedman - "Free to Choose" (Episodes overview and links to Google Video)

University of California Television (UCTV)

The Origin of the Human Mind: Insights from Brain Imaging and Evolution

Grey Matters: Music and the Mind

Conversations with History: On Theory, with Nobel Prize Winner Amartya Sen

Conversations with History: The Peace Movement in Historical Perspective, with Nobel Prize Winner Linus Pauling

Tags: google video, video, film, best, list, links, philosophy, religion, science, physics, space, universe, google, hacking, atheism, technology, literature

Logical Fallacies

Fri, 13 Jul 2007 21:51:07 GMT

clipped by: laceym

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: theism, atheism, argument

the top 10 least religious countries

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:02:47 GMT

clipped by: syncopath
clipper's remarks: The survey concluded that "high levels of organic atheism are strongly correlated with high levels of societal health, such as low homicide rates, low poverty rates, low infant mortality rates, and low illiteracy rates, as well as high levels of educational attainment, per capita income, and gender equality.

In some societies, particularly Europe, atheism is growing. However, throughout much of the world -- particularly nations with high birth rates -- atheism is barely discernable."

Clip Source: www.jacksonvilleconfidential.com

there are actually huge masses of people who do not believe in "God". Here a list of the Top Ten

1. Sweden (up to 85% non-believer, atheist, agnostic)
2. Vietnam
3. Denmark
4. Norway
5. Japan
6. Czech Republic
7. Finland
8. France
9. South Korea
10. Estonia (up to 49% non-believer, atheist, agnostic)

Clip Source: www.gadling.com

When you travel to Europe, don't be surprised to find that many Europeans don't believe in God. I have even witnessed some alcohol-infused conversations between Americans and Europeans that almost ended in fistfights over His/Her existence. When you travel to the following countries, you might want to pick a less controversial topic of conversation ... umm, maybe George W?

The one that surprised me was Israel, ranking 19th, with up to 37% claiming to be non-believer, atheist, agnostic. Compare that with the United States, ranking 44th, with 3-9% non-believers, atheists, agnostics. (I think I have met them all on the streets of New York City, too.)

Douglas Adams: The Atheist interview

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:43:35 GMT

clipped by: wildcat
clipper's remarks: People will then often say “But surely it’s better to remain an Agnostic just in case?” This, to me, suggests such a level of silliness and muddle that I usually edge out of the conversation rather than get sucked into it. (If it turns out that I’ve been wrong all along, and there is in fact a god, and if it further turned out that this kind of legalistic, cross-your-fingers-behind-your-back, Clintonian hair-splitting impressed him, then I think I would chose not to worship him anyway.)

Clip Source: www.americanatheist.org

AMERICAN ATHEISTS: Mr. Adams, you have been described as a “radical Atheist.” Is this accurate?

I don’t accept the currently fashionable assertion that any view is automatically as worthy of respect as any equal and opposite view. My view is that the moon is made of rock. If someone says to me “Well, you haven’t been there, have you? You haven’t seen it for yourself, so my view that it is made of Norwegian Beaver Cheese is equally valid” - then I can’t even be bothered to argue. There is such a thing as the burden of proof, and in the case of god, as in the case of the composition of the moon, this has shifted radically. God used to be the best explanation we’d got, and we’ve now got vastly better ones. God is no longer an explanation of anything, but has instead become something that would itself need an insurmountable amount of explaining. So I don’t think that being convinced that there is no god is as irrational or arrogant a point of view as belief that there is

Tags: douglas adams, atheism, belief

Religious Geography in the USA - Gallery

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 17:43:52 GMT

clipped by: Djiezes
clipper's remarks: I just clipped on map "Religious Adherents", there are more (see bottom of clip)

(dd 2000)

Clip Source: www.valpo.edu

American Ethnic Geography

A Cultural Geography of the United States and Canada

Map Gallery of Religion in the United States

Clip Source: www.valpo.edu

Latter-Day Saints (Mormon)

Christian

Presbyterian

Episcopal

United Church of Christ

Muslim

Eastern Orthodox

Church of the Nazarene

Tags: religion, atheism, geography, map, maps, list, visualization, culture, us, usa, america, ethnic, gallery

What Evolution is Not

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:16:18 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.allianceforscience.org

"A theory on the origin of the universe"

Cosmology and Big Bang Theory deal with the origin of the universe, and are separate fields from biology. While "evolution" is sometimes used poetically in these fields, they do not refer to biological evolution. Creationists typically have to make this erroneous connection in order to claim silly things like evolution is trying to replace God.

"A theory on the origin of life"

No. The study of the origins of life is called abiogenesis. Abiogenesis is a young, exciting, and most importantly a distinct field, and evolutionary theory is valid no matter what abiogenesis researchers discover. Perhaps someday enough evidence will be gathered and the two theories will be merged, but for now they remain separate entities.

"A hierarchy, with humans at the top"

No modern organisms are more or less “evolved” than others. All are equally well adapted to their respective environmental niche. There is no direction to the process; species cannot "devolve".

Tags: evolution, science, correct definitions, atheism

Atheists: Most hated group in America

Fri, 29 Dec 2006 20:51:53 GMT

clipped by: LGagnon
clipper's remarks: Religious bigots, as usual, are trying to find a scapegoat for their problems. It doesn't surprise me that history is repeating itself, especially in this country.

Clip Source: atheism.about.com

Every single study that has ever looked at the issue has revealed massive amounts of bigotry and prejudice against atheists in America. The most recent data shows that atheists are more distrusted and despised than any other minority and that an atheist is the least likely person that Americans would vote for in a presidential election. It's not just that atheists are hated, though, but also that atheists seem to represent everything about modernity which Americans dislike or fear.

This group does not at all agree with my vision of American society...

I would disapprove if my child wanted to marry a member of this group....

Although people may say that they consider atheists inferior because atheists don't believe that civil law should be defined according to some group's conception of what their god wants, I don't think that's the whole story. There are too many religious theists who also want civil law to be secular rather than religious. Instead, I think that a much better case can be made for the idea that atheists are being scapegoated the same way that Catholics and Jews once were: they are treated as social outsiders who create "moral and social disorder."

Tags: religion, atheism, bigotry

On religion vs. atheism

Sun, 17 Jun 2007 21:41:08 GMT

clipped by: gwendolyn
clipper's remarks: Wow. Nicely stated.

Clip Source: www.gapingvoid.com

By the described nature of God, it is impossible to prove there is a God.

It is also impossible, for the same reason, to prove there is no God.

To believe in something without proof requires blind faith. Therefore both theism and atheism are ultimately about the gut instinct of the individual.

Why this simple piece of logic seems to escape most atheists, I don't understand.

I get why atheists don't feel the need for ritual, or why they resist organising themselves into a Church (although professional science is quickly becoming as bigoted on the subject as any church), I don't understand how people who support logical reasoning can not understand that they also have blind faith if they believe in something unprovable.

Is there a God? I haven't the slightest idea, and neither does anybody else if they think about it for long enough. That's the nature of the question. Anybody who calls it one way or the other is merely relying on gut instinct, with no evidence to support their position.

Tags: atheism, religion