Links For Edmonton Atheists & Skeptics

A fellow atheist from Edmonton asked me if I knew of any upcoming atheism related events. Being as unorganized as I have been, I had nothing to offer at the time. However, I’ve fully embraced Google Calendar as my time management tool of choice and now feel better equipped to point Edmonton atheists/skeptics in the right direction…

These links will help you connect with the atheist and skeptical communities in Edmonton. Now, you’ll have to excuse me – I have to go accept some calendar invitations!

February 10, 2010 · Filed Under Atheism

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Oprah Dashes the Hopes of Atheists Everywhere

Ok, a slight exaggeration but watching the video below was, quite frankly, maddening.

It’s the part where she says, “Maybe you believe and you don’t know you believe” which translates to me as “I can’t conceive that you really don’t believe in God, therefore, you must be in denial – you really believe – you just don’t know it”.

Oprah, you’ve just insulted a large number of atheists but, just in case you don’t know why your words are insulting, replace “God” with “Xenu” and pretend you are the one being interviewed.

Got it?

October 23, 2009 · Filed Under Atheism

2 Comments 

Putting a Fine Point On Atheist Arrogance

Top of the page at Godless Blogger’s place today was the following image. Needless to say, this does a much better job summarizes a point I’ve recently tried to make here. I guess a picture really is worth a thousand words.

atheism_motivational_poster_2

September 6, 2009 · Filed Under about me

53 Comments 

The Secularization of Quebec

48hrsQuebecHave you ever thought it might be nice to move to a less religious part of the world? If so, you might have thought you’d have to go all the way to Scandinavia. Well, you’d be wrong.

Starting in the early 1960’s, the province of Quebec, Canada went through a Quiet Revolution – a revolution that’s resulted in an increasingly secular society. Link

Compared to the US, most of Canada is a relative haven for non-believers. A recent survey shows that one in four Canadians do not believe in god, but Quebec is leading the way with huge declines in church attendance. Things have gotten so bad there (or, good depending on how you look at it!) that churches are being sold to the lowest bidder.

And it appears that Quebec isn’t done sticking nails in the coffin of religion.

So, the next time you think it might be nice to get a change of scenery, think of Quebec …just make sure you brush up on your French.

September 4, 2009 · Filed Under Atheism, religion

20 Comments 

Proof Not All “New Atheists” Are Condescending Jerks

Sure, we all have our moments (I certain have them) when we just want to grab believers by the neck and choke the belief system out of them.

But many of us also know how hard it is to shed one’s belief in god. The following post on Reddit does a far better job than I ever have of conveying this message. The bonus is just how many atheists chimed in to vigorously agree. Click on the link below to see for yourself.

Atheism vs Theism may seem like a battle of wits involving only science, and debate. The real truth is far deeper and darker than this, and anyone who considers discussing atheism with a “person of faith” should consider this: : atheism.

August 30, 2009 · Filed Under Atheism

25 Comments 

Hey You Atheist Bloggers – Who’s Your Audience?

I wrote earlier this week on the reasons I blog about atheism. In doing so, I also came to a clearer understanding of who I write for:

  1. Me, Myself and I (you could say, I write for an unholy trinity of sorts): I find writing about atheism/religion to be stimulating and satisfying.
  2. Other Atheists: It’s nice to belong to a community and even nicer being able to learn from others.
  3. The Doubting Christian: While I don’t go out and evangelize atheism on the streets or at Christian websites, I do welcome Christians who are doubting their faith – the ones who are starting to wake up to all the inconsistencies a belief in a personal god – can bring to one’s existence.

I’ve realized that last group is the most important part of my audience. Why? Because I empathize with them. I was a doubter less than two years ago and I know how hard it is for them and I want to help. So, while I share a sense of camaraderie with my fellow heathens, I also feel a sense of purpose in relating to you doubting Christians.

So, in case you missed it the last time, welcome to my blog. The price of admission is one boiled baby (not necessarily your own), a jar of mayonnaise and a glass of Merlot.

Who do you write for?

August 28, 2009 · Filed Under Atheism

9 Comments 

Did Pain & Suffering Lead To My De-Conversion?

It’s been suggested that I became an atheist because I am mad/upset at god for the pain and suffering he’s placed on or allowed me to experience – specifically, that I am mad my son is diabetic, and that I’ve suffered from neck and back pain.

I’ve written about not being mad at god before, and I’ll say it again – I’m not mad. I simply do not think there is a god. Being mad at god would be like being mad at pistachio flavored steak sauce (please tell me pistachio flavored steak sauce doesn’t exist!).

That said, I will admit that personal suffering was part of the thought process that led me to shed my belief in god.

Before I go down that road however, it’s important to point out that my son became a diabetic three months after my de-conversion so there is no way his diabetes could have had anything to do with it (I can just hear the whack-os telling themselves that my son’s diabetes was my punishment for ditching god!).

—

Yes, I’ve put up with a lot of physical pain, but I put up with it for years without questioning the existence of god. It never even occurred to me to somehow blame god.

The real trigger was that someone very close hurt me deeply. I simply could not believe my eyes and ears how bad the situation was, and the questions started pouring in. “How could God let this happen?” etc etc.

But, as I examined my grief, a funny thing happened – I started looking at the pain and suffering of other people, and quickly realized that mine was nothing to complain about. It became obvious that, just by being born in North America in this century, I had a huge advantage over people born elsewhere, or at at different point in history. Want to know suffering? Just take a look at the shortage of food and medicine in some places on the African continent. Many people there don’t have a chance at health, happiness or longevity – only because they were born in the wrong place and time.

When Christopher became a diabetic, I was of course upset. But the “feel-sorry-for-myself” period quickly gave way to the “we’re-so-lucky” period when I realized if we were parents of a child in the Sudan, my son would already be dead. His diabetes only served to reinforce opinions I already had.

Side Note For My American Readers: I live in Canada and have EXCELLENT health coverage for my son’s diabetes! Our public health system is NOT nearly as bad as many seem to be claiming!

So, back to the topic at hand, the problem of evil and suffering led me to question my faith and, with no adequate answers as to why god would permit these things, it all quickly began to crumble.

Today, the problems of evil and suffering still factor strongly into my atheism, but not as strongly as the lack of evidence for god does .

I’m at a point now where there are just too many reasons to count when I say that I deny the existence of the holy spirit.

August 27, 2009 · Filed Under Atheism

18 Comments 

Let’s Talk About Evidence

Arguably the most common thing we atheists are heard saying is that there is no evidence for the existence of god. Just as commonly, we hear believers say that we must show evidence that god doesn’t exist (it’s at this point where you can usually hear an audible *sigh*).

Before getting into the backward logic of the latter demand, let’s look at some examples of evidence:

  1. Fingerprints and hair samples (DNA) are evidence for a person being placed at a crime scene.
  2. Fossils are evidence that extinct species of animals once existed.
  3. A photo of my wife and I kissing is evidence that we love one another.
  4. Observing the speed of different items falling (in a frictionless vacuum) is evidence that gravity has the same pull on items of different mass.

Sometimes, the evidence is convincing and easy to find. Other times, it is weak and difficult to come by (for Galileo’s gravity experiment, we need a frictionless environment). In science, when evidence is weak, we continue to push until we have more and more of it – until we have a degree of confidence that our theory is correct.

What all evidence has in common is that it demonstrates something about the physical properties of the world we live in (i.e. that everything is made of matter). Therefore, evidence must take physical form. It may be visual. It may be auditory. It may be something we can touch or measure in some physical way because, where there’s matter, there’s generally a way to measure it. The point is, evidence is more substantial that a thought that exists in our minds.

The claims of religion operate on two levels. At the macro level, we have the claim that God exists while, on the micro level, we have the claim that the Bible is true, and that Jesus existed.

What evidence do we have that supports those claims? Well, the Bible claims that there is a God. Outside of that, he seems to exist only in the minds of people since there has not, in our time, been any documented, verifiable, observable, physical proof that he’s around.

With respect to the Bible, where’s the evidence in support of its claims? I think to answer this question, it’s helpful to separate the claims into two areas:

  1. Its claims about the origins of the universe and life.
  2. Its claims about history – specifically, about Jesus’ existence.

With regard to claim #1, virtually everything we know about the origins of the universe (e.g. that it’s 14 billion years old) come into direct conflict with what’s said in the Bible (6000 years?). Most importantly, the knowledge we have is supported by copious amount of evidence. In contrast, the Bible’s evidence is that the Bible says so. A key concept used in the scientific method is this: When a theory is shown to have massive amounts of evidence that conflicts with a theory with no evidence, the latter theory is very likely implausible. This IS evidence for the non-existence of God – or, at least, for the god that is written about in the Bible. It’s also evidence that the Bible is deeply flawed. Given that, I think its prudent that we ask ourselves, “Why should we trust the Bible?”. I see no reason we should.

Aside: Even the claim that god loves us is bogus. Where, outside a thought in your brain can one find evidence for the love of an invisible man in the sky?

With regard to claim #2, again, the Bible runs up against a method similar to science. Historians test in specific ways when they evaluate claims about what happened in the past. Unfortunately, the Bible doesn’t do well when these tests are applied. Without getting too deeply into the historicity of the Bible, one of the best examples of this test is that Jesus is not mentioned anywhere in Roman records of the time. You’d think, someone of that importance would have been mentioned somewhere by the Romans – wouldn’t you?

Aside #2: I recommend reading anything by Bart Ehrman (you can also find some excellent videos of him debating believers on YouTube).

All this means that there is little if any reliable evidence showing the Bible to be worth the paper it is written on. And if this is so, what does it say about the claims about Jesus, or his father?

All this aside, the claim that we must prove the non-existence of god is ludicrous. It’s a claim that was adeptly brushed aside by Bertrand Russel when he conceptualized his “celestial teapot”:

“If I were to suggest that between the Earth and Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is too small to be revealed even by our most powerful telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my assertion cannot be disproved, it is an intolerable presumption on the part of human reason to doubt it, I should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If, however, the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday, and instilled into the minds of children at school, hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor in an earlier time.”

___

I really can’t put a finer point on it than that. Besides, it’s late and I’m tired.

August 27, 2009 · Filed Under Atheism, religion

3 Comments 

Cemeteries Used to Creep Me Out

I had an appointment after work today so I drove my car (I usually bike or bus). I also decided to lug my camera along – something I used to do a lot, but that I haven’t done in quite some time.

I had no specific subject in mind and found myself turning into a cemetery. It looked pretty from the road.

I wasn’t disappointed. It was beautiful and tranquil. The big surprise though was my lack of anxiety being there (it was the first time I’d set foot in a cemetery since becoming an atheist and, prior to today, I’d always felt uncomfortable being in them).

Today I felt nothing but calm introspection – I think because, over the past two years, I’d spent a lot of time thinking about death and had become quite at peace with it.

Being at the cemetery got me reflecting on what all those headstones were saying.

Of course, there were the religious messages (which I felt safe to ignore)…

There were reminders of war…

The heartbreak of losing loved ones…

People seeking peace (I hoped they had some while they were alive)…


A chorus of pleas screaming, “I was here! I existed! Don’t forget me!”…

And then there was this little fella who looked happy enough… just to exist.

And I thought, “Yeah, that’s right”.

August 26, 2009 · Filed Under Atheism, finding meaning

20 Comments 

The Illinois Family Institute’s Attack on The Friendly Atheist Equates to Cocking a Loaded Gun

It appears that some Christians are incredulous about the uproar around Laurie Higgins (of the Illinois Family Institute) letter writing campaign against Hemant Mehta and his Friendly Atheist blog.

Let’s be clear; No one is objecting to the Institute speaking its mind about Hemant’s views. We all have the freedom to disagree with anyone’s view of anything.

What are we objecting to? I’ll let Jim from Apple Eaters explain:

If you read this as a call to action, you are not alone. Indeed, I cannot imagine who could read this as anything but a call to action for conservative, Christian parents to do something. But what is that something? It would appear that she wants these parents to band together to somehow get Mr. Mehta removed from his position as a public school teacher. What other action could she be suggesting?

Ok, Jim. You are saying Higgins wants Christian parents to do something. What something do you think she wants them to do?

…Ms. Higgins says that she simply thinks that parents should “politely insist that their children be placed in another teacher’s class.”

Jim, that seems harmless enough? What possible harm could come from children being pulled out of Hemant’s class?

If it turns out that a significant number of parents continue to insist that their child be taught by someone else, and if the school is under any obligation to respect that demand, there seems to be little way that they could continue to employ Mr. Mehta. Further, and this needs to be addressed, is it reasonable to believe that Ms. Higgins wants any child taught by someone who promoting “feckless, destructive, offensive, and immoral ideas” in his capacity as a role model? I would think not. So, while it might not be the case that Ms. Higgins called for parents to phone the school board demanding Mr. Mehta’s immediate firing, it seems ridiculous to suggest that she wants anything other than that.

I see your point, Jim. That’s not good …not good at all!

To Jon and my other Christian readers: All you need to do to recognize how bad all of this is, is to reverse your position in all this. Imagine you are a Christian teacher teaching math in a public school.

Some wicked secular organization has just learned that you attend church – every Sunday. And, to make matters worse, you believe all the stuff you hear there. Heck, you even read the Bible on your spare time!

Even though you never mention God or Jesus Christ in your classroom, those whacky secularists want parents to remove their children from your classroom. It doesn’t matter that you’ve been recognized as an exemplary math teacher. It’s your private beliefs that count.

So, a few weeks pass and half of the children in your class have been moved. The school eventually decides they cannot afford keeping a teacher who is only teaching a fraction of the students they are required to. You are let go.

What The Illinois Family Institute is doing is akin to cocking the trigger of a gun, asking someone else pull it and then claiming no responsibility for the murder.

That’s why it’s despicable and that’s why we fight for separation of church and state.

August 25, 2009 · Filed Under Atheism

10 Comments 

So be it…

August 24, 2009 · Filed Under Atheism

18 Comments 

Doubting Your Faith For the Hundredth Time? Church Shopping Yet Again? It May Be Time To Think The Unthinkable.

I remember when I began to have doubts about my faith. The world – according to Christianity – just wasn’t adding up.

At first, I tackled the problem by exposing myself to more religion. I attended more church, met more church people, and read more of the Bible.

Still, nothing made sense.

“It must be my church”, I thought, and spent another couple of years church shopping.

Things didn’t get any clearer. Seeing that God’s churches could disagree on so much made things worse. The world, according to the Bible, just didn’t add up.

So, I withdrew from church life. But I wasn’t done with religion. I was still trying to make make God fit into the evil and suffering within the world. I watched hundreds of hours of video and read countless articles on (what seemed like) hundreds of websites.

Still, nothing made sense.

Finally, after many years of this heavy lifting, I asked the unthinkable…

“Maybe there isn’t a god?”

And then I read and watched for another two months before I finally read The God Delusion.

In between chapters, I supplemented The God Delusion with even more articles and videos – this time with a heavy focus on debates between believers and unbelievers.

And just like that, the world started making sense.

Thinking about the unthinkable was – UNDOUBTEDLY – the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Nevertheless, I finally arrived at an answer that really made sense. There was no god.

Why was it so hard?

First, because in addition to letting go of god, I let go of my ideas around immortality. I saw my mind/my consciousness/my soul as nothing more than what my brain did. When my brain died, I recognized that my life would end and there would be nothing more. This, after 40 years, was an excruciating loss. There was a very real mourning period.

Worse, not only had I let go of my own immortality, but I also recognized the mortality of my family. In a very short period of time, I had to come to terms with one day losing my parents – forever. Even harder, I began to imagine what losing my wife or one of my children would mean to me. I felt such fear. Such sadness.

I was preparing myself for future losses in a reality-based way that I’d never had to consider before.

The permanent loss of loved ones was the hardest idea I’d ever had to deal with – I’m still amazed I was able to accept all of it.

Can you accept the seemingly harsh reality atheism offers? Why would you want to go any further down this path? After all, compared to what the rest of your life has taught you, what I am saying is pretty damn bleak, isn’t it?

In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley suggested that comfort and happiness often come at the expense of freedom and truth.

Yes, sometimes religion is comfortable. Sometimes it will make you happy. But, if inter-mixed and underlying that shallow sense of comfort and happiness, you feel conflict between religion and reality, it may be because you are doubting the truthfulness of what you’ve been taught so far. Accepting faith may also be impinging on your mental freedom to explore the real nature of the universe.

Comfort and happiness versus freedom and truth. Is that the choice? Not necessarily.

Since becoming an atheist, I’ve become free to think deeper about the meaning of life, and I believe I’m closer to the truth of this world than I ever was when I held a belief in God.

But, to my surprise, I am also much happier and more comfortable than I ever was before. There is no more internal conflict because the world finally makes sense. I’ve also gotten past mourning my immortality and am probably better prepared than most for my death, and the death of my loved ones. In fact, I no longer dwell on death at all (except of course to share these experiences!).

And that’s why you owe it to yourself to push a little further – to think outside the box that religion has put you in. You are seeking a melding of comfort, happiness, truth and freedom.

Is today the day you finally allow yourself to think the unthinkable?

August 23, 2009 · Filed Under Atheism, religion

38 Comments 

Apple Eaters Provides Clarity Around the Attack on Hemant Mehta

I found an excellent blog – Apple Eaters where Jim has done an outstanding job clarifying the slime-baggery of the Illinois Family Institute attack on the Friendly Atheist.

Get the word out, people. These people need to be taken to task.

Edit: Another good synopsis on Daylight Atheism (via Atheist Revolution)

August 22, 2009 · Filed Under Atheism

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How to Piss A (Friendly) Atheist Off

Us so-called “New Atheists” have gotten a bad rap in many circles. As our numbers have grown, one counter-attack from the religious is that we are not like the old atheists – that we are militantly against religion and are attacking liberal-minded believers who are not concerned with our atheism.

For my part, I am rarely anti-theistic. Generally, as long as you don’t try to impose your beliefs on me – or the government (e.g. educational system) – I think your religion is none of my business.

And then something like the attack on Hemant Mehta – the Friendly Atheist – happens (how militant can a guy who calls himself “friendly” be?).

Links: here , here , and here.

When the religious attack good people like Hemant – try to get him FIRED from his job for beliefs that are never brought up in his MATH class (it’d be pretty difficult to talk about atheism while discussing algebra), it pisses us off.

So, now I’m mad. A lot of atheists are mad. Hemant’s unfortunate experience has reminded us that we must be vigilant to protect our rights. We must band together. We must speak out against religious wing-nuts.

Congratulations to the Illinois Family Institute for getting more of us atheists up in arms.

August 22, 2009 · Filed Under Atheism, religion

6 Comments 

Why I Blog About Atheism

A question I’ve been asked at least three times since starting this blog is:

Why blog about atheism? Why is something you don’t believe in so important to you? You don’t have a blog about your disbelief about Santa Claus – so why have one about your lack of belief in god?

Of course, the question is common – I’ve seen it more times than I can count on other blogs, forums, YouTube and in discussions at major news sites.

For me, the answer isn’t simple – there are many reasons:

  1. Helping the Masses: When I first started this blog, I was new to atheism and very excited to (to steal a Christian saying) “share the good news”. I wanted to help lots of people struggling over their faith, and let them know that the unthinkable alternative wasn’t so unthinkable after all. What better place than a blog to reach out? Of course, whether or not reaching the masses was a reasonable expectation is another matter.
  2. A Place to Reflect: Being relatively new to atheism, and having acquired an insatiable appetite for discovery and learning since the deconversion, I like having a place to think out loud and analyze. The fact that it’s a blog where others can help me through that process is a total bonus.
  3. Making Connections: I’m like anyone – I want to “meet” people I have something in common with. Since pretty much no-one in my personal life is an atheist, this blog is a good way for me to take part in a large, worldwide community of people I can relate to.
  4. Delusions of Grandeur: Again, in the beginning I had this idea I was going to write a book and help lots and lots of people. While I haven’t entirely ruled out the idea of writing a book, my delusions have settled down. I realize there are many very bright, very famous people writing on this subject. If I were to write a book, it’d need to be something really special – something written from a very different angle. So far, the brilliant insight I’d need for that to happen hasn’t materialized. I’m just fine with that. No pressure is a good thing.
  5. I Love to Write and writing about atheism was new territory for me so I welcomed the challenge. I also love the opportunity to improve my writing – a thing that only happens by doing (practice makes perfect!). I’d say that this is currently one of my biggest motivations for keeping this blog.
  6. It’s Mine: Sure there are other blogs and forums where I can share my views on atheism but, to me, that’s a bit like always going to your friend’s house for dinner and never having them over. I like having some space on the web to call my own.
  7. Anti-Theism: Yes, I have my moments when I’m disgusted with religion. They aren’t nearly as frequent as some atheists have them, but they do occur. It’s nice to have a place to vent.
  8. Separation of Church & State: I am, in this area, very concerned. In my home province of Alberta, Canada, I’ve seen how religious views can impact public policy. My aim is to be one of the voices that oppose that sort of thing.
  9. Helping that One Person (My Top Motivation): Having let go of the idea that I’m going to change the world (that’s an exaggeration, folks), I love the idea that I might one day help one person break free from their struggle with religion. And, who knows, maybe that one person will, after ditching god, embrace science and cure cancer or (getting closer to home) diabetes (my son is a Type 1 diabetic). I realize I may never know if I made that impact on someone, but it’s enough just thinking I might.

I’m not at all interested in deconverting people who are happy in their religion – especially if they aren’t imposing their religious views on others. If you’re happy, by all means, fill yer boots. That said, it’s probably become apparent that I feel there are people out there who are distressed by religion. If you are one of those people, please feel welcome here. I want to help you.

After all, I’ve been there.

August 19, 2009 · Filed Under Atheism, about me

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