Heathen Happy Hour (Atheism Thread - Bibles Beware)

[6souls]

CNN did a feature on famous atheists yesterday;

• Richard Branson
• Daniel Radcliffe
• Julianne Moore
• Javier Bardem
• Keira Knightley
• Paul Giamatti
• Ian McKellen
• Andy Rooney
• Emma Thompson
• Billy Joel
• Brian Eno
• Penn Jillette
• James Cameron
• Hugh Laurie
• Jodie Foster
• Seth MacFarlane
• Ricky Gervais
• Kathy Griffin
• Richard Dawkins
• Christopher Hitchens
• Sam Harris
• Daniel Dennett
• Peter Higgs
• Stephen Hawking
• Greg Epstein
• Kurt Vonnegut
• Douglas Adams
• Isaac Asimov
• Madalyn Murray O'Hair
• Ayn Rand
• Katherine Hepburn

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/25/living/gallery/atheists/

[Tyrath]

Here's an article to accompany that:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...the-devil.html

[Moss]

^ Sorry, I thought BG stated country for some reason.

Interesting dynamic in the US that didn't occur to me tbh. A vast majority of, at least young people in Canada, identify as atheist, so if it does come up in conversations, people who go out of their way to say they're Christian or something else, are usually regarded as "that guy", at least on a subconscious level. Like when I swiped left on Tinder on a girl because she had "Christian" in her bio (1st time I saw in hundreds). It's certainly nothing compared to what you guys describe though.

Just to add to the experiences of my bible belt brethren: I'm from Georgia and while I was blessed with open-minded parents, I wouldn't dare tell any of my grandparents I am atheist. I don't have to put up much of a facade but if they are saying a prayer or something I have to fake it.

[Byrthnoth]

I do the same thing with my Nebraskan relatives, but most of them know we don't go to Church.

[NynJa]

seems relevant:

[Mazmaz]

That's kinda crazy actually, the fact that those experiences are more in line with my experiences in Iran. Maybe US and Iran should be allies.

[Tyrath]

That's kinda crazy actually, the fact that those experiences are more in line with my experiences in Iran. Maybe US and Iran should be allies.

It's honestly not that much of a stretch actually. And the funny thing about Iran is that it has the same set of young college age kids who are finally growing out of this shit.

[archibaldcrane]

Madison, WI legally codifies atheists as a protected class from discrimination, first in the nation.

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/201...son-wisconsin/

[BaneTheBrawler]

on wisconsin, on wisconsin

[Byrthnoth]

Can Atheists be tax free now too?

[Tyrath]

Let me bring some activity in this thread

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/03/why-...-for-religion/

But ecumenicalists are not the only believers. Not by a long shot. When it comes to religion, “live and let live” believers are very much in the minority. And progressive and moderate religion lends an unfortunate credibility to the conservative and extreme varieties. It lends credibility to the idea that faith is more valuable than evidence; to the idea that it’s completely reasonable to believe things we have no good reason to think are true; to the idea that wishful thinking is a good enough reason to believe something. It lends credibility to all the things about religion that makes it most uniquely harmful.

Can't quote all of it, but that to me is the biggest reason why I scoff when someone says I have to respect the religious beliefs of others. No, I actually don't.

[Xantavia]

I work with a guy who is a hardcore believer that I can't even understand. He was talking about a religion course he was taking, and a requirement for the teacher was to attend a church service for a faith different than your own. He took the hit on the grade for not doing it because he felt it would be a betrayal of god to set foot in a "wrong religion" building. Last night, he got into a discussion with a muslim employee, wanting his view on world events, since he gets all his outside religious news from Fox and the internet. Employee number 2 offered to loan him his copy of the Koran so he could read it himself. His response? "I'd have to clean it with holy water first".

[Galkaeater]

paragraph that stuck out from the article

In my debates and discussions with religious believers, there’s a question I’ve asked many times: “Do you care whether the things you believe are true?” And I’m shocked at how many times I’ve gotten the answer, “No, not really.” It leaves me baffled, practically speechless. (Hey, I said “practically.”) I mean, even leaving out the pragmatic fails and the moral and philosophical bankruptcy of prioritizing pleasantry over reality… isn’t it grossly disrespectful to the God you supposedly believe in? If you really loved God, wouldn’t you want to understand him as best you can? When faced with different ideas about God, wouldn’t you want to ask some questions, and look at the supporting evidence for the different views, and try to figure out which one is probably true? Doesn’t it seem incredibly insulting to God to treat that question as if it didn’t really matter?

Claiming to hold irrational beliefs even if you know they are irrational is a good way to signal loyalty to your ingroup, religious community or whatever (like calling a deer a horse), caring about them being true is irrelevant the telos of religion isn't to be right or find the truth its about ritual/solidarity.

[Tyrath]

paragraph that stuck out from the article



Claiming to hold irrational beliefs even if you know they are irrational is a good way to signal loyalty to your ingroup, religious community or whatever (like calling a deer a horse), caring about them being true is irrelevant the telos of religion isn't to be right or find the truth its about ritual/solidarity.

You might be right on an individual basis, but for organized religion that is bullshit. That is exactly what they claim to provide answers for.

[Anoat]

Interesting comments coming from former President G.W. Bush, of all people. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/0...usaolp00000592

Former President George W. Bush defended religious freedom during his commencement address at Southern Methodist University Saturday-- his first commencement address since leaving office in 2009.

"You can be hopeful because there is a loving God. Whether you agree with that statement or not is your choice. It is not your government's choice," Bush said to applause. "It is essential to this nation's future that we remember that the freedom to worship who we want and how we want, or not worship at all, is a core belief of our founding."

Bush's speech at the school that houses his presidential library and where his wife, Laura Bush, is a trustee, comes as his brother Jeb is on the verge of a likely White House run. Jeb, the former Florida governor, faced difficult questions over his brother's invasion of Iraq this week, including one from a college student who claimed that George W. Bush was responsible for the rise of the Islamic State.

In his speech Saturday, the 43rd president said he was optimistic about the future.

“Some say America’s best days are behind us,” he said. “I say, given our strengths — one of which is a bright new generation like you — these are not dark days, these are great days.”

Bush, who graduated from Yale with a C+ average, also made fun of his mediocre academic record, telling graduates that they shouldn't let grades limit them.

"Those of you who are graduating this afternoon with high honors, awards and distinctions, I say well done," he said. "And as I like to tell the C students: you too can be president."

I dug his joke at the end.

[Waraji]

I dug his joke at the end.

He is the joke at the end.

[Salodin]

Says the guy who was never President. Lol

[Waraji]

Says the guy who was never President. Lol

Been spending a lot of time digging through http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/ recently.

I just go there for the articles, can't recall actually sitting down and reading the comments.

[Tyrath]

I do a bit of both. The best thing from there is getting articles though because a lot of it is overblown.

[Tyrath]

This is the kind of occasional article I really enjoy finding on r/atheism.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/godless...s-be-my-guide/