tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75562830674101052024-03-12T17:53:11.117-07:00No Religion Know ReasonCaribatheist's Blog- Random reflections on atheism and faith from a born and bred West Indiancaribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-35171494194830693142020-06-02T13:09:00.001-07:002020-06-02T13:18:49.730-07:00White people you have much work to do!: Your work has only just begun if you want to see an end to racism <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u8zZlyfjsoI/Xtaxj6iPMHI/AAAAAAAAAy4/4hZ8f8ih5kglIKFy3lvjSSCirJnABAuxwCEwYBhgLKtQDAL1OcqwFKx6AJFg3baYh_a0lHcBNaRpSWRhkAPAGrLfD9yBNWNcwZL3_YbE4aHS4p09aXNlAVuwl28DNY285H9BYX-mX_jvHnDhG0bnoVj2Ry2OhH1NjQxb7HjMmhHPB9y_Ki2B8LpffsUdLA2aEqfDmrP0Nojh_uiJW1YATMrW4hbyWI9ZMFGqNZdpivFjCxBgqZvQ36mLBtM0k9K5rUWPbqYe4bUxLacgOMG58YggUQLpGM7k3wXq3QRMmyY0HspwA_qf1-zoBhyb-6btgRzZtjeJPMqSuOXy4q4mTAo7BU6px3xMN_EMkTJ_JbjZGRog0UuC2dzz_tB4GArJzmuqxGt2kNL_WR1bBG4qXuQ4LSdm9Iv1lknyCtH1qmDljZvzBYFkFpzTsAOZHtJ7JBIOq9vYqSG_N-H599MAQ2Sz4tr033jcznRI_K6IfRwVWEqm0O-bQRj82WwI3UjqUo4XEPHwuK8TqsGIl4OvaqrEULsjYi13jLZ6Sb-88SKz2u6yyFWlnYvO0qwiP-6zfIk33CpHX-3ZIKccvEcLxJi5Bk8q-iX1waMnhB1YxxAtmPCY0gqw8L6bmtUrJXyrhsz71euv5a8RQEK8RvbdaOXTr3sUKMI7o2vYF/s1600/scales%2Bblack%2Bwhite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u8zZlyfjsoI/Xtaxj6iPMHI/AAAAAAAAAy4/4hZ8f8ih5kglIKFy3lvjSSCirJnABAuxwCEwYBhgLKtQDAL1OcqwFKx6AJFg3baYh_a0lHcBNaRpSWRhkAPAGrLfD9yBNWNcwZL3_YbE4aHS4p09aXNlAVuwl28DNY285H9BYX-mX_jvHnDhG0bnoVj2Ry2OhH1NjQxb7HjMmhHPB9y_Ki2B8LpffsUdLA2aEqfDmrP0Nojh_uiJW1YATMrW4hbyWI9ZMFGqNZdpivFjCxBgqZvQ36mLBtM0k9K5rUWPbqYe4bUxLacgOMG58YggUQLpGM7k3wXq3QRMmyY0HspwA_qf1-zoBhyb-6btgRzZtjeJPMqSuOXy4q4mTAo7BU6px3xMN_EMkTJ_JbjZGRog0UuC2dzz_tB4GArJzmuqxGt2kNL_WR1bBG4qXuQ4LSdm9Iv1lknyCtH1qmDljZvzBYFkFpzTsAOZHtJ7JBIOq9vYqSG_N-H599MAQ2Sz4tr033jcznRI_K6IfRwVWEqm0O-bQRj82WwI3UjqUo4XEPHwuK8TqsGIl4OvaqrEULsjYi13jLZ6Sb-88SKz2u6yyFWlnYvO0qwiP-6zfIk33CpHX-3ZIKccvEcLxJi5Bk8q-iX1waMnhB1YxxAtmPCY0gqw8L6bmtUrJXyrhsz71euv5a8RQEK8RvbdaOXTr3sUKMI7o2vYF/s320/scales%2Bblack%2Bwhite.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, here it is, after some thought this is my take on the racial tensions in US now and the way forward as I see it if we as a world are to deal with racism.</div>
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I realized in writing this that my voice on race in many ways is a pretty unique one. I live in Calgary where although the community is racially diverse, for a number of my white friends I am probably one of very few black (afro) friends they have. However, in spite of that uniqueness, I have spent very little time talking to them about issues relating to race. It’s generally not the most palatable of topics to digest over coffee or when having a beer. But it really is something critical and now in the present climate feels to me like the best time for us to have this conversation.</div>
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So, what I am writing below I have decided to mainly be a message to you my white friends wherever you are in the world. I won’t call it ‘Dear White People’ that’s far too cliché, but it is mainly addressed to you and I hope you stick with it and read through this extended piece of writing to the end.</div>
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A disclaimer before I even set out, when I refer to ‘white people’ or ‘black people’ I am of course generalizing. I don’t mean ALL white people or ALL black people. I shouldn’t have to say that but I can already predict the reactions of ‘You don’t mean me!”Also, I have in mind white people who are open and genuinely see themselves as allies to black people and indeed to most social causes, not the ones who are open with their racism and xenophobia. Hopefully all of those latter type of white people have been removed from my friends list by now, but I guess you never know.</div>
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<b>So here goes:</b></div>
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The murder of George Floyd coming after so many incidents of blacks being murdered at the hands of police just sends us back into the 'Here we go again' mode. But this time it seems just a little bit different and I have a flicker of hope that things might actually change this time. Never have I seen so many white people like yourselves jumping on to various social media, sharing memes, articles, making firm statements about how you’re standing with your black brothers and sisters in solid commitment to rid the world of this scourge called racism. As a black person it’s overwhelming and heartwarming but I can’t help asking myself the question ‘How long it will last?’ But for this moment at least it’s the ‘in thing’ to stand with the black community and victims of racial violence. For now, at least, ‘Black Lives Matter’ matters. But how long will it be before some newer shinier social justice object comes along for you the ‘woke’ white person to get behind and leave our plight along with George Floyd and Ahmad Arbery as merely part of yesterday’s news? I don’t know, but honestly I have seen enough over the last few days to be hopeful that this will not all pass over in a hurry.</div>
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I do hope this is a true awakening for the ‘woke’ and not merely a false dawn. But whatever it is, it does provide us black people a collective moment to speak from a pulpit that we don’t often have, and I am happy to make use of it.</div>
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The response to the violence and killing have not generally been too different from the norm. They just have a bit more resonance this time.</div>
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" The system much change"</div>
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" Black people's lives need to really MATTER"</div>
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" A man should not be judges by his skin colour"<br />
" Racist police officers must be weeded out of the force and be accountable for their actions"</div>
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But on the other side of the coin there is the chorus of those who claim to be down with our cause but it comes across as more judgmental</div>
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" You guys are hurting the cause by looting and rioting?<br />
" Your extreme response only hurts your cause?"<br />
" I support your cause but not your use of violence!"</div>
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Those latter responses, those are the ones that I find exhausting. It’s not that the argument of whether to use force in protest or not isn’t a useful one. It’s that some of you spend far more time arguing with the mode of protest you think we should be using or not using, than you do talking or writing about the actual conditions, discrimination and racism that led to the protest being necessary in the first place. Some of you will claim in a sanctimonious manner that you care about both sides of the equation, what we’re protesting as well as how we protest. But no, sorry I don’t buy it, I see that as just a facade. When it comes to determining where your priorities lie, the question I always ask is “Where is your louder voice?”</div>
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If you write a post or article starting by firmly stating you are outraged by the death of George Floyd in the first sentence, but then spend the next three paragraphs talking about how riots and the use of excessive force aren’t going to solve anything or do anything to help black people, then I know exactly where your priorities are and what matters more to you.</div>
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But apart from that part of it, what really upsets me in times like this, is that many of you in the white community think it’s your responsibility to tell us black people what is the best way we should be protesting. My simple message to you if you think you want to do this is I don’t want to hear you, I don’t care what you have to say, I don’t care what you think.</div>
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It may seem harsh, it may seem exclusionary, but this is how it needs to be. Maybe, if you think about it the other way around it will make sense. I came up from Barbados 12 years ago to live in Calgary. At that time Alberta was very much a foreign land, I had to learn the ways of the province, the people the culture, the governance structure the way things were done here. In that first year or so I did a lot of listening, trying to understand why people did the things that they did, the customs of the land.<br />
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<b>The view from the outside never the same</b></div>
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Occasionally, people would ask me what I thought of Calgary or Alberta being an outsider. I would sometimes give my view, they would listen, if what I said was interesting, they would nod or smile, but they weren’t looking for advice from me on how to run their province. And I wouldn’t dream of being so presumptious to think that I a new comer to the land knew better than them how they should be doing things. And I did not consider it to be a shunning or a silencing that people weren’t taking on board my suggestions seriously. I wouldn’t be consistently asking Albertans to prove to me why the systems they have here are better than the ones I am proposing based on my Barbados model. No, you know what’s best for you, I will try my best to adapt and comply unless of course I come across something that specifically affects my ability to live here, like racism for instance. But other than that, I listen and I learn. And that’s the way I daresay most immigrants that find themselves in a new place are. After I had spent a bit more time in Calgary, I spoke up a little more and made a few more comments on things, but nothing I put forward was made particularly forcefully. Even now after 12 years, I still see myself to a large extent being in a position of learning.</div>
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But when it comes to white people dealing with marginalize groups, the terms of engagement are quite different. Unlike me, that has at least now had a few years under my belt of lived experience in Calgary, you have not one day, not one single day of experience of what it’s like to navigate this world while having black skin. All of the hundreds, thousands, millions of you combined have a total of ZERO days experience, while in the case of me, one solitary black man I have clocked up 48 years.</div>
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Yet when it comes to discussing black issues you expect to be given time on the floor to put forward your thoughts on the relevant race issues. And not just time, often you want equal time or even more time than I have in order to put your views forward. In fact, in extreme cases even if you are the only white person in the group, you want more time than all of the black people present combined to put forward your view, which comes from a point of ignorance. Let me say this, you may have black friends, black grand-children, you might even be married to a black person for 50 years. You still don’t really know what is like, you simply have not had the lived experience.<br />
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<b>Getting the white stamp of approval</b></div>
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Yes, in spite of your clear lack of experience with living our issues, there is a general expectation from you white people that we listen to you. You feel as if there is a need for us to get your white ‘stamp of approval’ for what is purely an ‘in house’ issue for us. You don’t only want us to sit and listen to your suggestions politely either, you expect us to give them serious consideration, and implement them too, unless we can make our case to YOUR level of satisfaction that our ideas are better. Many of you are happy to turn the whole thing into a debate, where we are the defendants and you get to evaluate the strength or paucity of the evidence we produce. If we don’t meet our burden of proof in trying to convince you that what we’re trying to do for ourselves is the best thing for us, you’ll say we are being stubborn and refusing to listen to well thought out arguments, don’t value sound logic and reasoning, and are only about using raw emotion to make decisions.</div>
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But why? Why do we need to get your stamp of approval for what are essentially OUR issues? I’ll answer my own question, it’s pretty simple really, it’s because you are the ones with the power, your white privilege gives you that. You have been socialized into that mindset, and so have we. The expectation that we are going to turn to you for guidance, in pretty much every situation, is not entirely your fault. It’s part of the institutionalized system that’s in place and you white people just like we black people were socialized into it from birth . You look at yourself as the standard, the mainstream, the gold star to which marginalized groups hope to reach someday. You see yourself as the gatekeeper, letting us know the kind of behaviour you will tolerate or not tolerate from us, if we hope to be given the honour one day of sitting at the table with you.</div>
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So, when we protest, many of you feel the need to ’tone police’ us which usually comes disguised as just giving us ‘helpful’ suggestions on what kind of behaviour might be most beneficial to our cause. However, it’s really less about what will really help us and more about what will inconvenience you to the least extent. And the thing is, since we black people have also been socialized to look at you as the authorities over us, we have often historically, played into your expectations, thanking you for your guidance and in many cases doing exactly what you suggest we should do. Many times we have been rewarded for our obedience and compliance. With the power you have, you bestow benefits to us accordingly. So rewards come to us if we are able to do what we want in a way that allows you to not have to change much about yourself. Bonus points go to us if while doing that we are doing we make you look like the ‘saviours’ that pulled us out of the dark, dire situation we existed in previously. We know you like that, it’s always good when you can casually let your other white friends know that you have the street cred to prove that you are a little more ‘woke’ and racially aware that the average person of your colour.</div>
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We know the things you like and we know you have the power, so over the years many of us have learnt how to play the game in a way that ensures that you keep winning. We have been the ones that have had to do the shifting and bending of our tactics in all kind of contortions, to meet your standard. Because, and I can’t say this enough, whether you are aware of it or not, you have the power. We know that however good or noble our cause is, however much what we are pushing for will empower us and give us what we need, if you don’t accept it, if it doesn’t fit with your needs and your wants it won’t ever get off the ground.<br />
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<b>Stable society not always a fair society</b></div>
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For years, decades and centuries this has been very much the natural order. In a way it’s a perfect synergistic relationship. Both you whites and we non-whites have in many ways accepted our relative positions as just ‘the way it is’ in society. Sure, there have been uprisings, revolts and occasional riots, but generally speaking the stability of society and the status quo has remained. But stable society does not mean a fair society and that I think is what you as white people often miss. You assume because we go to work every day, smile with you, are fine having you as friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, wives and husbands, happily go for a beer on the weekend and have your kids and our kids meet for regular play dates, that all is well. We seem happy, we’re well adjusted, we aren’t going off on tirades about racial injustices every day, we will willingly give you a hug without hesitation ( at least when there’s no COVID-19) so we must be fine. Right? Surely even if racism is a problem and there is some inequality, it can’t be that BIG of a deal because we black people almost never broach the subject with you.</div>
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But there’s your blind spot, that is far from the truth. We do have a problem, often quite a big problem, but if we speak out we know we’ll have to face the consequences and they won’t be good. Many of us have learnt that the hard way. So, we share these issues we face when we get together with other black people, we just don’t bring them up in your presence. However, thankfully perhaps like the volcano with small increases in pressure over time, that stability of society and the power you enjoyed at the top of that pyramid for so many centuries is showing some very real signs of ripping apart. They may indeed be a new ‘order’ not that far away</div>
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In many ways, I think you as white people are happy to see this change in the ‘order’ as well. Because honestly, I know many of you sincerely want equality for us too, at least in a basic sense. You’re at least aware that you have some level of privilege and want to see others in society that have a different skin colour from you get some of the same opportunities you have had. You have a definite level of magnanimity and that’s wonderful. You want to see the end of at least of more explicit and violent forms of racism in groups like the KKK, the white supremacists that shoot up churches and mosques, the MAGA hat wearing Trump sycophants and yes the corrupt police that kill the black people seemingly almost at will down in the US.</div>
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And of course, we as black people yearn to see the eradication of these ideologies and toxic groups as well. So, from that perspective we have similar goals and walk in lock step. But then behind that comes the divergence. For many of you that are white, you only see racism when these major acts occur, for the rest of the time it can go under your radar. You don’t see racism day to day and it’s not totally your fault. In many ways you can’t see it, because we as blacks do a lot to hide it from you. We deliberately do that for the reasons mentioned above. We know that making you uncomfortable can have particular negative consequences, not for you, but for us.</div>
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But slowly but surely over the years we have been finding our voices, it’s come and gone with various civil rights movements but now we finally think we are ready to ‘speak our truth to power’ in unison. We recognize that maybe we can finally push for equality and not have the fear of your backlash from your perch of privilege. Still, that’s much easier said than done. Because in our push for equality, we actually at least within a certain context want to be leading you . That’s what our push toward anti-racism is all about. Yes, the structure for this to happen is going to be one where blacks broadly speaking take the lead and whites follow. And this is the sticking point, because for both of our groups we are being forced to take on roles which from the perspective of the old paradigm of society stability, are out of our respective comfort zones.<br />
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<b>Role reversal </b></div>
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In this model we let you know what we need you to do for us and you try to the best of your ability to give us the things that we ask for. Not a master/ slave relationship but more of a model where we are the managers and you are the ones working on the production floor operationalizing the overall plans and strategies that we have set. Why does it have to be that way? Because you are the ones and the only ones that truly have the power to be on the ‘operation floor’ doing the hands- on work to end racial oppression. While we as those on the receiving end of it for so long, are best placed to know how best it can be addressed. We don’t have all the answers on strategy either, but we have the best knowledge available. You are the perpetrators rather consciously or subconsciously of the racist ideas that subjugate us. We do not have the power to force you to think about us the way we would like you to think about us. That’s work you have to do, nothing we can do to relieve you of that burden, you have to do that heavy lifting.</div>
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We also need you to realize that addressing racism starts with you. I know this is another tough one for you. Most of you white people look at racism as something that other white people do. You are fine and often strong in decrying acts of racism performed by whites in society, so long as you can be assured that you yourself are pure and free from racism yourself. This may come as a surprise to you, but many of you that I have interacted with on a regular or semi regular basis have at some time or other done or said something to me that was racist. Did I bring it up at the time? No. Why? Because I knew if I did, it would very likely get in the way of a friendship. I value my friendships with you a lot so I never want to risk making you feel uncomfortable. I knew that whatever you said was made out of ignorance not malice, so I never judged you for it and never for a moment held it against you. But I knew if I brought it up you would take it as a slight on your character, or at least I feared that.</div>
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Society has taught us that pretty much the worst thing we can do to you a white person is call you a racist or suggest that you may have done something at some point that was racist. It’s a bit unfortunate, because I don’t think that as a white person you have anything to be ashamed of if you do something that is racist. It’s a natural consequence of being born into a world where you are a part of the dominant white culture. Had I been born into that, I would be doing the same as you. But our fear of calling you out for doing something racist, robs us of an opportunity to help you do better. Perhaps if you were more open in acknowledging the fact you have a potential to act in ways that are racist, we would feel more comfortable to help you if you do, without fearing for our own negative repercussions. Yes, society has taught us that it's Ok for us to live with our discomforts so long as we ensure that you don’t experience any. Again it all goes back to our socialization.<br />
<br />
<b>Dealing with racism starts with YOU</b></div>
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So as white people you need to look inward, the racist is not some evil cop over there in the US in Minneapolis. Racism really does start with you. If you work on yourself, you’re making an amazing difference in fighting off racism in the world. Change your way of thinking, and you can influence others to change theirs, and eventually societal attitudes will change. If societies attitudes change, the attitudes of white cops emerging in the system will change too, so will those of the “Karens” in the parks, it will eventually permeate right through.</div>
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So, How do you change and look at yourself? You will need to start by listening to us and not dismissing or trivializing our words when we talk about the things that cause us pain. We have pain of several generations, no just pain from a bullet to the chest or a knee to the neck and spinal cord, but in other attitudes that leave deep psychological scars that cause far more long term damage. Ideas that paint us as more likely to be criminals than you are, more likely to be athletes and musicians that managers or CEOs of tech companies. Ingrained ideas that Africans tend to be corrupt or that Caribbean people are all about sun, sea, sand and steel pan along with bikini clad women lying on a beach. These are all stereotypes that are there. Again, not your fault or ours it’s just the way society has presented and promoted <span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;">certain groups of people.</span></div>
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Do we as black people also have some responsibility of changing the way we look at ourselves? Of course we do. And we’re doing it. We also need to get used to being in the driver’s seat if the change in roles I am talking about is to work. But for that we also need your co-operation. You need to be willing to allow us to lead you. Not constantly push back against us on the grounds that it’s just not fair to silence white people like this or absurdly cry out about ‘reverse racism’.</div>
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The other thing to bear in mind is that when we talk about us leading and you following, we don’t mean in every aspect of life, we just mean in this one critical area of ENDING RACISM. It may seem counter intuitive to say we need to discriminate in order to address the issue of discrimination, but that’s actually what we need. If we aim towards neutrality and ‘colour blindness’ in society today, all we are going to do is reinforce the inequalities and status quos that already exist. If we want change we need to change.</div>
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So that’s it, in a somewhat large nutshell. But it all really comes down mainly to one word. LISTEN. you just need to listen. And when I say listen, I mean listen to learn, not listen to try to find the fallacy or fault in our way of thinking just to once again take back the mic and give us your ‘better’ idea. Trust us, we’ll make some mistakes in leading us all through this fight, but overall we’ll be Ok. Because as black people we’re not looking to eliminate you or erase you white people from relevance, just as we know that you aren’t trying to do that to we who are black.</div>
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If we all play our parts in the new ‘order’, in due time, the inequality gap will start to shrink, we’ll start to flatten the curve of racial ineqaliity just as we have been able to do in our fight against the coronavirus. Racism is a pandemic today as vicious as any other but we can beat it. If we commit to it, and don’t let our masks cover our eyes in the process, maybe just maybe, we could be on the way to finally making Martin Luther King’s dream something close to a reality</div>
caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-44751462116528060802017-08-05T15:59:00.001-07:002017-08-07T22:25:30.004-07:00'When an atheist says': Response to Christian viral video<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Been so much going on recently, and I haven't given an update for so long. Blog and podcast have been silent of late. But I am still here, yes, I promise you'll be hearing more from caribatheist soon.<br />
<br />
I am still concerned about the grip that religion has on our society, the widespread negative assumptions that people still make about atheists and just the general lack of critical thinking that abounds.<br />
<br />
Maybe, it's my imagination but recently there seems to be an increase in videos circulating from Christian websites through facebook and social media trying to show that the arguments made by atheists are not as rational as we purport them to be. There's the old 'atheist professor' one which has been recycled many times and was the basis for the successful "God's not Dead" movie,<br />
<br />
And then there's this one here, that came my way today. It's been going around with the instruction 'tag an atheist'. So for sure it is expected to make us think about stuff and change our ways. Well, here is my response below. Feel free to share this and to take a leaf out of their book, I ask you to "tag a Christian"<br />
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Make sure you watch the video before going through my response. I assess the video through 12 points it brings up. What would your response have been?<br />
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 22.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;">1.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: #454545;">Attitude of the atheist</span></b><span style="color: #454545;">- He comes across as rude and arrogant, not
even letting the Christian finish his sentences. Rainer and Norbert both
pointed this out. I don't know any atheist who would attack someone off the bat
for simply reading a bible verse on a smart phone. There could be a lot of good
reasons for reading the bible and why not use technology to do it? So, the
portrayal here is an atheist caricature. For religious people that have never
interacted with atheists, this can make them feel that atheists generally are
bullies and unapproachable. Not hard to see that many believers would
have a negative view of the atheist character being portrayed here, even though
the actual arguments he is presenting are sound. This technique, uses a
logical fallacy known as 'poisoning the well'. </span><span style="color: #454545;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;">2.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;">Other
religions point to facts too</span></b><span style="color: #454545;">- Many
other believers in other religions and unproven phenomena, (including some
mentioned in the video) also point to 'facts' as the reason for their belief.
Christianity is not different from other belief systems in that respect. </span><span style="color: #454545;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;">Scholars that say Jesus existed</span></b><span style="color: #454545;">- Whether
this is true or not is irrelevant to the argument on resurrection. It's also an
‘appeal to authority’ fallacy. The actual arguments matter here. The way to
approach this is to read what arguments the scholars are making and then
examine whether the conclusion they draw is supported by the arguments they
have made. </span><span style="color: #454545;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 22.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #454545;">D<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">isciples were convinced that he rose from
the dead</b>- two things are problematic here. Firstly, the Christian here is
assuming that the biblical account of the disciples is correct. No evidence has
been provided in the video for the reliability of the bible, and many of the
claims in the bible are not supported by other contemporaneous writings. Given
the extraordinary nature of the claim it is even more important than usual that
the source of the writing is trustworthy. That would need to be demonstrated
and that is missing from here. Secondly, the 'fact' the disciples were
convinced is not strong evidence of the fact that the thing happened. Most of
us have been convinced at one time or another that something was true and then
found it to be false. It's a part of being human.</span><span style="color: #454545;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;">Skeptics became Christians</span></b><span style="color: #454545;">- This
is a trivial observation. There are many skeptics that have become Christians,
but there have been also many Christians that have become skeptics. There have
also been many people who converted to other religions from Christianity and
from other religions to Christianity for all sorts of reasons. To just take one
or two accounts that happen to be recorded in the bible as evidence, and ignore
all the other evidence is fallacious. Again, the more important thing here is
the reasons for the change rather than simply the fact that someone changed his
mind. Many people in history have changed their minds for bad reasons. And I
know that sometimes families have some feuds and divides, but it still can’t be
seen as remarkable that you were able to convince your brother James. </span><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 22.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;">The tomb was empty</span></b><span style="color: #454545;">- I
have never understood how this counts as evidence. Once again it must be
reiterated that this 'fact' is just what is reported in the bible. That
notwithstanding, an empty tomb could have occurred for almost an infinite
number of reasons. One clear one is that a mistake could have been made by the
people in remembering where the tomb was that had Jesus. Someone changed the
plan at the last minute and didn't communicate it? It’s not like they would
have thought that 2000 years later people would be building a whole religion on
this piece of logistics. When physical resurrection of a dead body is the hypothesis
under consideration, ANY other explanation that we have experience of in the
natural world wins in the plausibility race.</span><span style="color: #454545;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 22.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;">Disciples died for it</span></b><span style="color: #454545;">- This
is again not a piece of evidence that can be used to make an argument. It's
basically a restatement of the idea that the disciples were convinced. (I
discussed this earlier). There are many reasons that people might die for
something that isn't true. 9-11 has often been used as an example. If dying for
your beliefs is an important factor to be considered, that would point to the
truth of Islam in today's world.</span><span style="color: #454545;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 22.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;">500 witnesses saw Jesus resurrected</span></b><span style="color: #454545;">- again
that is just what was reported in the gospel text. There are not 500
independent accounts that we can investigate.</span><span style="color: #454545;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 22.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;">‘Science has proven that miracles don't happen’</span></b><span style="color: #454545;">- this
is another straw man. I have never known an atheist to make this argument. The
Christian in the video is right, science has never and indeed cannot disprove
miracles. But that is irrelevant. Science also cannot disprove all of the other
mythological beings presented at the beginning of the video. What we have here
is a shifting of the burden of proof, which is another logical fallacy. Just
because we can't rule out a miracle doesn't mean we should accept it as a
reasonable explanation. We still need reasons to believe. 'You can't prove that
it didn't happen' is not a reasonable argument. If something lies outside the
boundaries of investigation, then what basis do we have for accepting that it
exists or likely exists? </span><span style="color: #454545;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #454545;">'<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Why have I never heard this stuff before?</b>'-
Are you kidding me? Lol. If I had $1 for every time someone has presented one
of these arguments to me, I'd be a millionaire by now. This explains a lot
though. So many Christians still believe that the reason we don't believe is
because we haven't sat down and really listened to or considered their
arguments. In reality it's the opposite that is true. Many Christians have
never bothered to take the time to listen to and analyze what people who
disagree with them have to say. Instead they will say that what they believe are
'well established historical facts' But any basic internet search will show you
that there are numerous websites and volumes of publications by various
scholars ( and not just atheists) out there, contesting the truth of these ‘facts’
with well grounded, rational arguments.</span><span style="color: #454545;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 22.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;">It's scary to believe</span></b><span style="color: #454545;">- This
one is also mind boggling. What would be scary about finding out that Jesus
rose from the dead 2000 years ago? Indeed, if we were to verify that this event
happened that would be a 'game changer' as said in the video. Who wouldn't want
to know and understand the details of that resurrection if it were true? I
certainly would and so would all the atheists that I know. </span><span style="color: #454545;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #454545;">It's a game changer and therefore hard to
think of objectively</span></b><span style="color: #454545;">- This is delicious irony. Adding the ‘game changer’ statement
is what actually removes the objectivity, and that’s what the Christian is
doing here, not the atheist. In considering whether something is true or false,
all that matters is the evidence to support it. The implications or
consequences if the claim is true are irrelevant. To bring those issues into
the argument biases the argument and therefore takes away the objectivity. So,
my advice to the Christian here would be to forget about all those things that
make the belief desirable and concentrate on the evidence that supports it as
truth. That is of course assuming that finding truth is his overall
objective. </span></span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-7928926339849872662016-12-31T02:03:00.000-08:002016-12-31T02:03:07.872-08:00When religious thinking paves your way: Ten ways in which Trump used the arguments we get from Christians to become a god in his own right <br />
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Well it's almost the end of 2016. It's safe to say that it's one that we'll never forget. Many are calling it the worst year ever. I don't quite subscribe to that. Undeniably 2016 had it's lows but so have other years before and we'll have lows in years to come too. People have pointed to the death of a number of famous entertainers. Starting with David Bowie and Prince who succumbed early in the year. Since then there appears to have been a steady procession and then a recent spate of deaths again to end the year. I am not sure whether indeed the number of celebrity deaths in this year are significantly higher than any other year. I just feel as if people decided sometime ago that 2016 was horrible and every unfortunate death is met with a "Damn you, 2016!"<br />
<br />
I can't remember any other year being held up to such a standard. Perhaps we hope that if we just put all the bad stuff and wrap it up neatly into a 2016 holiday package, we can make ourselves believe that we will have a smooth 2017 with none of the current negativity.<br />
<br />
One thing that it's hard for me to deny is that this year has been bizarre. Last week I actually met for the first time ever a believer in a flat earth! I feel as though my conversation with that guy defined my feeling about 2016. Up can be down, hot can be cold, black can be white, and a circle can be a straight line, you just need the right person behind it to carry the message and it's all good.<br />
<br />
Of course there is one person who was at the cusp of all this, leading the way in the post truth world. None other than the President Elect of the USA, Donald J Trump.<br />
<br />
This year I have had the benefit of travelling to a few places in the world and everywhere I have been there has been a similar level of incredulity surrounding Donald Trump's rise. How could a person so clearly egotistical, misogynistic, bigoted and generally ignorant of world issues, be in the running to be nominee for a party in the world's most powerful and influential country? How could that person BE the nominee of a major party in the country? How could he actually BE president of that country? At every level that Trump conquered in his journey, the degree of bewilderment just got more and more pronounced.<br />
<br />
I am still trying to wrap my mind around it all, but the more I think about it, what has happened is that the world in general has got a taste of the bewilderment that many of us atheists experience when we encounter believers of different stripes within the Christian faith, or indeed any faith.<br />
<br />
I'll concentrate on the Christians in my writing here as these are the kind of believers that I talk with on the most regular basis. I and many other non-believers have often asked them how they can endorse a book that so clearly demeans women and foreigners, supports slavery and actually directs the rape of children and slaughter of entire communities. Incredibly to those of us on the atheist side, people of faith find arguments to justify it, still referring to this book as "The Good Book". The book that they are willing to stake their lives on. The book whose author trumps everything and everyone. So, it's not just that they give the book a pass, they turn things upside down and make the book with all the worse things in it, into the standard for GOOD! They swear on it! It is indeed their gospel truth.<br />
<br />
I, and I daresay the majority of my fellow atheists in the world of activists, have sought to push against religions and faith for this reason. It seems clear to us that religion is one of the main devices, if not the only device under which this inversion of morality can occur on a mass scale. We have made this argument again and again about how belief in religious dogma can be dangerous. Over and over again we have been told that we are a bit extreme in blaming religion for everything. We are accused of falsely assuming that a little belief in a book that gives people hope and purpose in life can actually harm somebody. Many people have assured us that the people of faith know and understand that the way of thinking they use in church shouldn't be and cannot be applied to other aspects of life, where the ability to reason is the one and only thing that matters.<br />
<br />
So even the world's most fundamentalist believer can be a brilliant scientist, an insightful economist or and A+ scholar when needed. He can make informed and rational decisions about which is the best route to take to get home, what is the best part of town to live in, or who is the best candidate to vote for. This I considered a reasonable counter argument to my position, one that at least gave me pause. There are indeed lots of good examples of people who have not allowed their irrational religious faith cups to runneth over into other critical aspects of life, and to the extent that these people are able to get the psychological and emotional benefits from those beliefs, they appear to be winning the game. They appear to be able to effectively cherry pick what they want for their faith life without damaging their overall reasoning capabilities. In an odd way I sometimes admire these people. The way that they are able to self delude, so that the faith support that is so much available from religious institutions all around us, can be used by them to get through the dark days and nights. We as atheists are well aware that as soon as we accept that we don't believe, we lose any opportunity to get benefit from those beliefs that we consider logically unjustifiable.<br />
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But this year has made me look again at the argument that suggests that it is difficult for irrational beliefs encouraged by religious groups to spill over to other areas. Indeed, 2016 provided a text book case on how religious thinking can overflow from that shallow faith box and be capitalized on by a person skilled in the art of the con. We always knew it could happen. We have seen totalitarianism backed up by various forms of dogma throughout history. However, for many of us living in North America and the Caribbean, who have had experiences of relatively stable democratic governments, it was incredible to see the USA succumbing to uncritical thinking in such a dramatic way. I guess it's just a reminder that anyone, any country, any population in the world can get taken in. None of us can be complacent. We can't assume that we'll always be rational, we can't assume that the people around us that we see every day will always be rational. All of us are vulnerable to personal biases and fallacious arguments.<br />
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That's one of the reasons why I love to be part of the skeptic community. It's not that skeptics can't become trapped in superstitious thinking or irrational beliefs. It's just that I think that when you make it part of your life to actively try to minimize personal biases and flawed reasoning that can hurt you, you are just a little more likely to actually recognize the con when it comes. You might still fall for it, but at a minimum you are a bit better equipped to handle it and maybe find a way out.<br />
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In contrast, religious organizations encourage you to put that reasoning aside and go with your subjective feelings which are highly influenced by your personal upbringing and the individuals and leaders that you have put your trust in from the time you were small.<br />
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For Christians, this means the church, the bible and Jesus in the main. The faithful are taught to hold on and defend those beliefs come what may. And we atheists see this in action often if we care to enter into debates or discussions with them. It's my view that they became so used to using flawed reasoning in defence of their belief that it was not difficult for someone like Donald Trump to gain legitimacy by using those same techniques.<br />
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Below I will show you ten ways in which Donald Trump borrowed from arguments commonly used by Christians to defend their beliefs to atheists. I'll give you first the common argument for God we get from Christianity and then show how Trump used it to get the same immunity from responsibility or blame for actions that the gods typically get from their followers.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">1. 'Nobody is perfect. He who is without sin cast the first stone'</span></b><br />
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<b>How Christians use it </b><br />
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This is a classic technique used by religious people when they want to deflect from the 'sins' committed by someone from within their ranks. More often that not it is to defend some pastor who has been caught doing the very thing he preaches not to do. Might be a Jimmy Swaggart found in a hotel with a prostitute, or Pastor Eddie Long found having sex with a young boy in the choir. Here the idea there are trying to put forward is that nobody is perfect and everybody falls short. Of course what other people do is irrelevant to their argument. But the aim here is to try to make you feel guilty for trying to hold them to a standard. It's a form of gas-lighting where the implication is that the fault is with YOU in trying to hold THEM to impossible standards. It makes the person being accused sound humble as they admit that they are less than ideal. Of course condemning these people for their practises is not an attempt to hold them to an impossible standard, it's just to hold them to a standard they have set for others. But conveniently many of the believers do not see it that way.<br />
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<b>How Trump used it</b><br />
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Trump went straight for this argument after the Access Hollywood tape showed that he had made some demeaning and insulting comments about women. He immediately said the he had never claimed to be a 'perfect person'. Trying to make it seem that people were expecting perfection from him. Of course that was never the case. We just wanted to hold him accountable for his action. But his response implied that it was the accusers that were being unreasonable, not him. His only crime 'was not being perfect'. This victim blaming is exactly the same used by Christians in arguing that ' he who is without sin cast the first stone'.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">2. ' You are not worthy to judge my faith without having a personal experience with the faith'</span></b><br />
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This is another one we hear a lot as atheists. Many Christians believe that their personal experience with god and in faith, means that they have the insider knowledge and that gives them the leg up on we who have had no such experience. They might make the argument that you can't expect to argue about the effectiveness of a drug if you have never studied medicine or pharmacy. Of course this is a bad analogy. We know medicine and drugs exist and we have a well established scientific protocol to investigate and evaluate them. In the case of religion vs atheism, it's the existence of God that is under investigation. You can't start by claiming the existence of the thing for which you are trying to give evidence. Flawed argument it may be, but by using this technique, you can dismiss anyone who disagrees with you as being an unreliable witness. You are effectively saying that the only people that can give an opinion on the existence of your god and the veracity of your religion, are those who already believe. It's circular, but it can work for people who already believe and don't think through the argument carefully.<br />
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<b>How Trump used it</b><br />
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Trump and his supporters used this by just saying that a lot of the people who were saying bad things about Trump, didn't really know him. They couldn't really judge him unless they were in the inner circle and new the 'real' Donald Trump. Those trustworthy people were those like his family his children and his close advisors like Kelly Ann Conway. Those folk had never experienced all the horrible things Trump was accused of. Those were the people whose opinions really mattered, not the angry non believers on the outside. Yes, the only people worthy of judging Trump were the ones who already believed in Trump. Very simple way to 'poison the well' and dismiss the opposers through what is a variant of an 'ad hominem' attack.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">3. ' Atheism is a religion too!'</span></b><br />
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<b>How Christians use it</b><br />
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This is another tactic the religious like to use, and it can be extremely effective! Very often we atheists get caught up in definitions for 'religion' and in the end it becomes an argument of semantics and no substantive point is really made on either side.<br />
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The reason that religious people like to make this argument has become clear to me over the years. It's an attempt to put your position and theirs on an equal footing, when in reality there is a huge difference. They are the ones making the claim, the atheist is not making an equal counter claim of 'no god'. The theists are the ones that are making the supernatural claim and need to provide the evidence.<br />
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By claiming atheism is a religion, theists aim to argue that both atheism and Christianity are equally unfounded. Both relying on 'faith' to prop them up. As such, it makes sense to choose the worldview that provides more benefit and gives more hope. At worst they can make the 'undecideds' out there believe that atheism vs Christianity is an 'eeny-meeny' decision and once it comes down to a toss up like that, there is always a fair chance that the coin will land their way.<br />
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<b>How Trump used it</b><br />
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This was an important technique for Trump to use. Similarly to the people arguing on the side of religious faith, he had little in the way of facts to offer. So he just had to argue in the debates with Hilary Clinton, that Clinton also was arguing from a non factual basis.<br />
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He had to emphasize that SHE was being dishonest and had no factual basis for what she was claiming. And just like many of us who are atheists, Clinton got caught up in trying to defend why the position she was given was indeed based in fact. Arguing strongly that there was science and evidence to back up what she was saying. But Trump had none of it, he still maintained that she was arguing dishonestly, putting forward her own faith position that her followers would obviously swallow uncritically. The more time Clinton spent defending her 'facts', the less time time there was to address the weakness or gaps in Trumps version of the truth.<br />
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Often the debate came down to<br />
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"You're lying"<br />
" No you're the one that's lying"<br />
"You're a puppet"<br />
"No you're the puppet"<br />
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as a back and forth.<br />
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No different than the<br />
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"Atheism is a religion"<br />
" No atheism is not a religion!"<br />
" It takes more faith to be an atheist!"<br />
" No atheism is not a faith"<br />
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that I have heard so many times in the atheism vs theism debates.<br />
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In the minds of people watching, these kind of exchanges can seem like childish " Yes you are!" " No I am not!" shouting matches. They tend to bring down the credibility of both participants in the eyes of observers. So it feels like it's a draw with both players being equally bad. If you are in a debate where you are weaker and you can make your supporters think that you at least held the other one to a draw, it's an equivalent of a victory. Spectators will always go for the one they like better in a case like that. If you can make that be you, you're home free. I have seen it happen in many a debate of creationism vs evolution. Trump played the game exactly that same way, he may have lost in the scientific battle, but he won the rhetorical game and that was all that mattered in the end.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>4. 'Why do you keep ridiculing my faith?</b>'</span><br />
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<b>How Christians use it</b><br />
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This is a big one and is honestly one of the most difficult ones to deal with when a Christian brings it up. It's hard to counter, because to a large extent it is true, we do tend to ridicule faith quite a bit within the atheist community even when we try to do it in a respectable way. Of course we always explain that it's the belief we ridicule and not the believers themselves. But it's a hard sell, especially if the Christian herself holds the beliefs in question extremely deeply.<br />
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Often this accusation of ridiculing is followed up with the idea that we think they are stupid. Again this is a tough one to hear. Generally speaking I don't believe that believers are stupid at all. There are many I know who I would rate as being more informed and more rational than me in many areas. It's just that they have not quite given the degree of skepticism necessary to this one cherished belief. But it's still not always to easy to convince them that you are not insulting them personally.<br />
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Once you get to that point, it's hard to go forward with the argument because the believer feels a bit insulted and will tend to dig in to their beliefs, even if they at some level recognize the points you are making. I know for myself that when I get to this point I usually back off the argument in order to not offend further. I tend not to push ahead with arguments when I feel the interlocutor is being severely effected emotionally. So they can go away feeling like a winner, not because they made a good argument but because they successfully disarmed me from effectively making mine.<br />
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<b>How Trump used it</b><br />
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Trump used this much better than I gave him credit for initially. We can all point to a number of laughably ridiculous ideas that Trump had from the start. Building a wall across the US Mexican border? How could you help but laugh at an idea like that. It's as implausible as Jonah in the belly of a fish or Noah and his floating boat. Hard to hear any of these ideas as a faith 'outsider' and not snicker or downright fall over laughing.<br />
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Not allowing any Muslims in to the country? How could you administer something like that? Go after families of terrorists to torture them for the 'sins' of their sons or fathers? How could any of that be taken seriously? But getting us to laugh was a great weapon that Trump had. Late night shows also played they part by ridiculing the ridiculous. The more we laughed, the more his supporters thought we were laughing at them and their leader. They felt insulted and dug in their support even deeper.<br />
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In the end there were attempts to let them know that our problem was with Trump not with those who had been the unfortunate (not stupid) victims taken in by Trump. But it was too late, they felt insulted and ridiculed and we felt the backlash at the polls.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>5. ' Why do you always pick out the bad parts of the bible, why ignore all the good?</b></span><br />
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<b>How Christians use it</b><br />
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This is again a deflecting technique. It's not surprising that atheists in critiquing the bible point to the absurdities and atrocities and the contradictions that go throughout the bible, rather than the good advice and the stories that emphasize peace and love. We do this because so many Christians make the argument that the book is authored or inspired by God. It would stand to reason that a book with divine authorship would be flawless, ALL good. Why would a divine being allow bad advice or ludicrous ideas to be circulated in his name?<br />
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Yet, I can think of many times that Christians when made to face embarrassing parts of their holy book, simply point to another verse that offers an entirely different idea. So once they can point to Jesus' command to ' love thy neighbour as thyself ' the book is all good and worthy as an object of worship. It doesn't matter how many times other passages in the book sound like the rantings of a barbaric cult.<br />
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For those of us looking from the outside the only thing these 'good' passages do is highlight the contradictions throughout the bible. They do nothing to nullify earlier passages. But for those within the faith already, they can hold on to these 'good' passages that are clearly understood and then live with the fact that they just don't quite have the level of understanding to explain those horror passages.<br />
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<b>How Trump used it</b><br />
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There is an old saying that ' even a broken clock is right twice a day'. The idea being that no matter how inaccurate or dysfunctional something is it can be correct sometimes, just as a matter of chance.<br />
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Trump is a master at saying anything and everything. Comments coming out of him often fly as fast and erratic as an AR 15 machine gun. The contradictions are often sprayed left. right and centre. Even today as I write this, Trump tweeted that Obama was putting every obstacle in place to stop the transition but at a later press conference also TODAY, Trump said he had phone call with Obama that was 'very nice' and the transition was going ahead smoothly.<br />
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This kind of juxtaposition is no less jarring than what we find so often in the 'good book'. From one who has 'not come to bring peace but a sword' but yet is 'peace' himself. One who wants you to leave your family to follow him but also love your family and build around them. One who created evil and yet comes to destroy it. A god who is somehow all merciful and yet all just. It's enough to make you dizzy, but the great thing is, that whatever the situation, whatever the idea or philosophy you want to promote, there is something somewhere within that bible to support it.<br />
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Trump now can do the same thing. Anything he does that you don't agree with? No problem, you just have to find one instance of something opposite that he has said in the past and that is the nullifier. So 20 women can come forward and say he molested them but all you need is one to come forward and say, he always treated her respectfully and that seals the issue. And just like the bible, Trump words carry much more weight than action. So when he emphatically states ' no one respects women more than ME!" that all but ends the debate. No different that when a Christian gives us the 'love thy neighbour' quote, drops the mic and walks out.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>6. ' God is good all the time and all the time God is good!" (or some other meaningless catch phrase)</b></span><br />
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<b>How Christians use it</b><br />
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Yes, you know it and you've heard it. Things that are said that sound good because there is a rhyme or a nice alliteration, But when you break them down even the most ardent followers can't explain what it means. God is good! What does that really mean? Does it mean that good is defined by what God does? If so it's a tautology, like saying God is god or good is good. If good has a definition independent from God, how can you be sure that God will always be good? How could you assess that unless you had the ability to observe everything that God ever did and knew everything that God would ever do in the future? What human being could do that? Clearly it's just a statement where the hope is that repetition will make it true. I have yet to have a Christian explain to me how they arrived at that ' God is good all the time' knowledge and whether the good comes before the God or the God comes before the good. But it doesn't matter.<br />
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There are other similar phrases like ' Christianity is not a religion it's a relationship" This is another vacuous statement. It's done to imply that Christianity is somehow different from other faiths, that there is some relationship that makes their faith unique. But when you try to break it down, it is puzzling. Whether there is a relationship or not, surely Christianity is a religion. There is a still a set of core beliefs that one has to believe as a matter of faith. Denominations may differ on some details, but there is still some dogma to be accepted. Religion and relationship are not mutually exclusive. And what is the relationship they speak of? How is that defined? How can you assess that when you can't even give evidence to satisfy anyone outside of the faith that the entity even exists? The words are empty, but is sounds good to the believer. It is a cool catch phrase, that they can repeat when people challenge them. That is enough to keep many believers confident in maintaining their positions.<br />
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<b>How Trump used it</b><br />
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As a former TV reality show star, Trump knows all about using the catchy phrases to get the attention of viewers and maintain it. The 'sound good', emotionally satisfying phrases that don't actually have to have any real meaning.<br />
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The big one he went to from early was 'Make America great again!" From the time he made that statement people were asking what that meant. Was America great in the past? If so when did it stop being great? What factors removed the greatness? What were examples of the things that would need to be restored to make America great again? What measures could you employ to determine the point at which America could justifiably be considered great again? We never got an answer to any of these questions, but his supporters didn't care. They went out to the rallies and bought the hats in their millions. Everyone wants to be great and to make something great. Just like everyone wants the assurance of worshipping a good god.<br />
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The other catchphrase that Trump came with was "Drain the Swamp!" again it sounded exciting and aggressive but we also had no clear idea what he really meant by that. What exactly was that swamp? How was he draining it? What was being replaced? How could we know when this process was complete? Was the drain a drain of people, policies, ideas? What were they talking about?<br />
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That's the beauty of the catch phrase, meaning is always secondary. It just has to be something simple and memorable that people can sing together in chorus and feel good about. It works in church and it certainly worked in Trump's congregations all across the US.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">7.<b> ' Doesn't matter what evidence I give you, you'll never believe in God, you have an anti God worldview from the start'</b></span><br />
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<b>How Christians use it</b><br />
<b><br /></b>This is another way in which the religious attempt to disarm the atheists in discussion and debate. The idea here is to make it seem that the disbelief is not based on reason or evaluation of the evidence. It's based on a presupposition of. non existence of the supernatural. If that were true, of course it would mean that no evidence would be sufficient to convince us. But what evidence do they have to make this assessment of us? Most of the time we give them at least some evidence that if available would make us have a second look at what we believe. A few instances of human limbs growing back or people suddenly walking out of graves would certainly help to tip the scales towards belief in the supernatural. But many Christians dismiss all that talk from us and simply conclude that we would stubbornly resist any possible evidence, because we just MUST believe that there is no God there.<br />
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By convincing themselves that all we are doing is conveniently choosing a 'non god' worldview, they feel justified in choosing a worldview of their own and putting a god in it. It's similar to the claim that 'atheism is a religion' discussed earlier. The more they can discredit the legitimacy of our analysis the more they can feel justified in sticking to their own unfalsifiable beliefs.<br />
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<b>How Trump used it</b><br />
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<b>T</b>rump and his supporters use this technique a lot too. Any view against Trump is just because you are biased against him from the start. They argue that there is nothing that Trump could do that would make us change our view of him. We just start from the presupposition " Trump = bad". There is some truth in the fact that this is how many people see him. But it's not just because we believe that apriori. It's just that this is the evidence that Trump keeps presenting us again and again and again.<br />
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We would be happy to change our views if given evidence to the contrary, it's just that we never get it. So it just seems reasonable to conclude that we likely will never get it. But that's not how his supporters see it. They still consider those against them to be brainwashed by somebody. The media, the regressive left, the academic elites. Somebody out there is deceiving us in a similar manner to how the devil has been doing since Eve was tempted in that magical garden.<br />
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Meanwhile, those in the Trump camp continue to essentially do what they were accusing the other side of doing, dismissing those on the other side no matter what. For many on Trump side, Hilary Clinton was synonymous with the devil. That was their chosen worldview. She was 'Crooked Hilary' by definition. One of the easiest way to emphasize a presupposition is by creating a label for a person. A definition to be applied before the discussion even starts. Trump was a master at this, whether it was "Crooked Hilary" "Lying Ted' " Little Marco" or " Low Energy Jeb".<br />
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So, just like the religious people, all Trump did was accuse the opposition of doing exactly what was his own trade. It put those on the other side on the defensive and they just weren't able to counter it. How can you accuse everyone else of bias and deceit while you engage in it blatantly? Religions have been doing it for years. Trump just jumped on that bandwagon.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">8. "They're still many questions that science can't answer'.</span></b><br />
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<b>How Christians use it</b><br />
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This is an effective tactic often used in debate, helping to distract from the lack of evidence for the religious idea being presented. It's an argument from ignorance but it is amazing how many people I have met for whom this argument helped them become more open to belief in the supernatural.<br />
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For sure, there are lots of mysteries of the universe that science has yet to provide satisfying answers. Foremost among these are the details of how the universe that we live in got started and how life, conscious living organisms, first came to be on this planet. However, in spite of these gaps in the knowledge, the amount that we have learnt through the application of the scientific method is nothing short of remarkable. Indeed all the things that we feel justified to call 'facts' about the universe have been revealed to us through coming up with hypotheses, testing these hypotheses through observations or other available evidence and drawing inferences. That is the scientific method in a nutshell and without it I could not be typing on a computer and you couldn't receive the ideas coming out of my head, thousands of miles away on the other side of the world.<br />
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Still, in spite of the undeniable success of this method, people consider that it's not enough on it's own. There must be something more, some other way outside of this mainstream method that we need to tap into, to gain the other elusive knowledge floating somewhere out there in the ether. For many people this other way is through their God and their religion. A mysterious method for connecting directly with the universe that some kind of prayer, meditation or obscure form of telepathy can unlock.<br />
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Unlike the scientific method, these other areas have not contributed to human knowledge. It's not to say that engaging in forms of spiritual reflexion are a waste of time, it's just that when it comes to knowledge about reality itself, they don't take us closer. This can be clearly shown by the fact that any time that people attempt to justify these methods, they attempt to get some verification through science. So far no mechanism they have suggested has led to any knowledge that gives results that are consistently reliable.<br />
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It really is like going in to a room realizing that the hand stand there is shaky and concluding that it's therefore better to throw it out and hang your hat on an invisible hat stand instead.<br />
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<b>How Trump used it</b><br />
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Well Trump of course jumped all over this idea that our religious friends often raise with us. Again it was highly effective given his own lack of knowledge and understanding of the subjects he was dealing with. Once the debate could focus on the weaknesses of his opposition, he never had to give any arguments or evidence of what he was proposing. Instead of hitting at the weakness of 'science' as religious people generally do, Trump's opponent was 'the establishment' Arguing against how the established systems, the established personnel, the establish institutions had failed to provide the benefits to the country and the world that they had been put there to do. This is undeniably true. It's just like the scientific method discussed earlier. Many of the social and political institutions in the US and further afield fall short of what they should be doing. There is corruption and human greed and desire to manipulate that get in the way many times. But still the benefits such as they are, have also been served by these same institutions. It would stand to reason that where such institutions and systems fall down, the way to fix is to see where the weaknesses are and attempt to make them stronger or more effective. Foe those that have no longer the ability to provide benefits, we can get rid of those altogether, but we always need to have something that that we can replace it with. A new idea or theory that has at least an equal level off legitimacy to to take its place. That's how changes and modifications are made in the scientific world and it is how you would expect to changes in the socio political world to be made as well.<br />
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But Trump rode on the argument that the religious fundamentalists and creationists often use. The entrenched theory isn't working as well it should so you need something new. Something totally different 'an outsider'. The argument is since those in there aren't able to fix all the problems, you need someone with no experience, no track record, no evidence to support his ability to fix any of the issues at hand, to do the job. The idea that what we need to fix a political situation is a person whose main claim to the top position is ' he's not a politician' is in essence no different from religious people suggesting that the way to fill the gaps that science has been incapable of filling is by embracing total 'non-science' with 'an outsider' theory like creationism.<br />
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Yes, Trump tapped into that ever growing idea that facts, evidence and science are secondary to just raw passion, aggression and talk about what you can do. You're on a plane about to crash, forget the guy with five years of flight school that barely failed his final flight exam yesterday, leave it in the hands of the mouthy 10 year old who once when to the airport with his dad and saw a couple planes land and take off from the tarmac.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">9 ' <b>You can't take the bible literally</b></span><br />
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<b>How Christians use it</b><br />
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This is the favourite of the liberal Christian and it was one of my go to arguments as well when I was on the Christian side. These kind of arguments make religions far more palatable for people who tend to have a more intellectual approach when looking at faith.<br />
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There is no doubt that the bible has a considerable amount of poetry and artistry in putting forth its messages. Parables and allegories would have been a large part of the culture and tradition from which the scriptures that eventually came to make up the bible emerged. However, that not withstanding, there are times when the scriptures give clear instructions for genocide and rape. In such situations it's hard to argue that these are examples of the bible using an analogy or being poetic. Furthermore, even if it weren't literal what deeper positive lesson for life could be obtained from such stories? So you should go out and figuratively kill all the Amalekites, metaphorically take all the women and concubines for yourself?<br />
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Of course what we get from believers when passages like this come up, is that we are taking the bible 'out of context'. Really? But in what context, place or time in the history of mankind could rape, slavery, misogyny, xenophobia and blood sacrifice be a good thing? Still haven't got an answer, but it is amazing how effective the 'out of context free' card is played by the religious and how effective it is in sweeping away the obvious horrors of the bible that would be declared as abhorrent had they appeared as passages in any other book on the planet.<br />
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<b>How Trump used it</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Well it's his supporters and apologists that mainly used this tactic. Trump himself just reaped the benefits. Trump went about making statements with his typical bravado and brashness in the lead up to the election.<br />
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Declaring that he will build a wall to keep the Mexicans out, speaking about the problems with immigrants from that country, suggesting that they send their worst people, rapists among many other things. He spoke about a complete ban on muslims entering the country until they could figure out 'what was going on'. He spoke about going after families of terrorists and torturing them for information because 'they have to know something'. This is just the tip of the iceberg, he made many many more statements that had us scratching our heads. They were extreme and absurd ideas in lots of cases but his base seemed to love them and he kept going up in the polls.<br />
<br />
At the same time those on the opposing side sat in a bit of shock wondering how anyone could believe that these actions were either plausible or desirable. As Trump has now moved to President Elect, inevitably he had to back track, and that's when the apologists have come to his rescue, suggesting that the problem is that many people take Trump too literally. They tell us that we must remember that Trump is a past TV reality show host and is accustomed to using provocative behaviour and language to boost ratings and keep audiences coming back. Hyperbole and stretching the facts for a cheap laugh or online zinger are part of his everyday trade. We as pundits were naive to think that what Trump brought in his campaign would be anything like the serious presidential leader that we would see after January 20th 2017.<br />
<br />
Seriously? This is the sort of nationalization we get when Christians tell us we should just forget the God of the Old Testament, because things were different back then. The droves of supporters that went to his rallies weren't backing him because they thought he was speaking in parables. They didn't jump on his bandwagon because he was going to build a metaphorical wall to keep out Mexicans. They loved him because he was a straight talker and didn't try to sugar coat what he was saying, He was direct, that's what they liked, they said that over and over again. Now the argument is you can't take hm literally? How can you reconcile those two positions? Well clearly his supporters can, in the same way that supporters of the bible can too!<br />
<br />
Many Christians will point to the fantastical claims of the bible as reasons to follow Christ. Who else has a saviour that walked on water, fed 5000 from two loaves, was dead and came back to life three days later? These 'facts' for many Christians is the reason they serve Jesus, because he has done things that prove that he is no ordinary man. But then when you challenge them about the veracity of these claims, there are another set of believers that come behind to say these are parables meant to convey a deeper non literal meaning. But if that's the case why is the bible special, different from any other book that uses stories or parables to give deeper meanings? Would Christianity have the millions of followers if it was just presented as a good self help book for living, with a few decent stories to make it a tad more interesting to read? Let's not fool ourselves, the appeal of the religion comes from the widespread idea that God and Jesus did do the things the bible says. That's what initially draws in the people even if they later drop some of those more bizarre stories with talking snakes and donkeys and a human living in a fish for almost a week.<br />
<br />
It's the same with Trump. His following came because of his extreme fantastical statements. The 'crazy' things he said he would do are what made him popular among his people. Whether you are a bible or Trump believer you can't have it both ways. You either have to admit that you are for them because of the extremes that others find controversial or you have to go with the idea that the extremes don't move you, in which case you have to make the argument as to why your Mr. Trump or holy bible is any different from others out there that are basically doing the same thing and believing in the same ideals.<br />
<br />
Well at least that is what should happen. In reality both bible believers and Trump supporters have found a way to have their cake and eat it too, So this is what we get,<br />
<br />
<b>The bible is the clear, infallible and undeniable word of god, the unequivocal manual for everyone's life........except you can't take it literally</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Meanwhile<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Donald Trump is the clear speaking, strong , emphatic. shooting from the hip, unequivocal truth teller, the firm kind of leader that the world needs.................except we can't take what he says literally.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">10. ' There are mysteries of God that we will never understand, we just have to have faith'.</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>How Christians use it</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
This is usually the last argument we get when we are discussing the issue of God's existence with a believer. That's why I have included it as the final one here. It's the last argument you get because usually by this time all the other defences have been shown to be inadequate. This one is often seen as their final trump card. God, they say, is above man's understanding. His ways are higher than ours. Whatever we can't understand is our shortcoming, there are some mysteries of God we just have to accept even though they may make no sense to us humans. So our inability to understand is always a fault in our comprehension, it can never be a fault in God's communication. For some unknown reason there are just some secrets that God has to keep to himself, no matter how much it may benefit us to have them.<br />
<br />
So they win, because there is no way that we atheists can prove that this secret knowledge of the divine that would explain all the contradictions and absurdities doesn't exist.<br />
<br />
<b>How Trump used it</b><br />
<br />
Well, as a former host of ' The Apprentice' , Trump is well aware of how to market the idea of mystery. He knows how to use the smoke and mirrors and uncertain plot directions to make sure you're back in front of the TV screen same time next week to watch the next episode. He knows he can never divulge it all, even on one of his debates he laughably made the comment that he would leave the country in suspense about whether he would accept the election results or not.<br />
<br />
He used the idea of suspense all through his campaign. How would he deal with ISIS? Of course he had a plan. a great plan, the greatest plan ever, after all he knows more about ISIS than the generals do. And what is the plan? You guessed it, it's a mystery. 'Why would I divulge my plan I don't want my opponents to know what I will do before it happens'. That was Trump's master statement. Once it's a secret you don't have to give out anything.<br />
<br />
You just have to keep saying "Believe me!" "Believe me!" "BELIEVE ME!" which is the exact equivalent of the Christian phrase " You just got to have faith!"<br />
<br />
Yes that's how it works. First you set up the mystery, then you claim that only you have the ability to understand it, and then you implore to everyone else that they need to have faith in you. After that it's plain sailing.<br />
<br />
And that's how Trump did it. how he confounded us all and sailed smoothly into the White House. There is a verse in the bible that speaks of the foolishness of God being used to confound the wise. We have no better example of this than with Donald Trump in November 2016.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
So, to any Christians reading this. If you have ever used any of the arguments above in an attempt to defend the existence of your God or the truth of your particular religion, I regret to tell you, but Trump has taken his strategy directly from your playbook. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying the rise of Trump is the fault of Christians, I am just showing that the ideas which are required to argue for a faith, any faith can easily be used to argue for a totalitarian leader or dictator. It's just a matter of changing the object to whom the faith is directed from God 'X" to God "Y".<br />
<br />
So Trump effectively made himself into the 'Y" to substitute for the "X" in the equation,. Among his subjects he is the one, the anointed. Like the God of many of the religions he has full powers, he can do whatever he wants and he knows it.<br />
<br />
He has no accountability to anyone or anything. He can bring you into his world and he can take you out. He himself supersedes reason. Many Christians are taught that truth is not a statement it is a person. That person is the big J man, Jesus. Well for the next four years, it's the big Donald J that will be that big 'T' Truth for those that have come to worship and bow down.<br />
<br />
All I can say is 'God help us!' but that would mean praying to the same Trump who is already there with all powers of command, the one who is already successfully getting us to do whatever he wants us to do, all for his benefit. Yes, The 'saviour' Donald who expects us to continually give him praise for doing things according to his own will for his own purposes. So in reality there is not much difference between Trump and any of the other gods. His actions are pretty much business-as-usual operation for any deity,<br />
<br />
But, in defence of the new Trump god, is he really asking for anything more that the other Gods that have walked the earth and heavens before him? I don't think so. The only difference is that those other gods ( at least most of them) have been thankfully imaginary. But the Donald! I wish we could wish him away like the monster under the bed, but sorry kids and adults too, DJT is very, very real.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-2447847589543778352016-12-27T12:24:00.002-08:002016-12-27T12:24:21.885-08:00The firm foundation that never was: The ‘mosquito sting’ that grew into atheism- <div class="MsoNormal">
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Growing up in the island of Barbados, being a Christian was
as natural to me as breathing oxygen. Even at five years old, I figured that I
had the God thing all worked out. “ It’s he that hath made us and not we
ourselves” That was Psalm 100, we recited it at least once a week at school.
Whenever we said it, I would look at my little dark coloured hands with
curiosity. I knew for sure that I hadn’t made those. I could scarcely make a
sand castle that would stay up for more than eight seconds. No way I could have
manufactured these limbs, even limbs that had a long way to go to even approach
competence, far less perfection.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Far too young to understand the term” false dichotomy” the
argument from Psalm 100 made perfect sense to my young super impressionable
mind. I looked at the world around me and saw even more beauty and complexity in
nature all around me. The birds, the flowers, the trees, the cute animals and
the savage beasts all giving testimony to this wondrous creator God. Hymns sung
at school like “All Things Bright and Beautiful, the Lord God made them all” and
“ He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” helped to reinforce that everything we
enjoy in this world came from Him.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am sure that for most of us who grew up in the Caribbean,
this is what it was like. God’s existence was something that was as undeniable
as the sight of the bright yellow sun hanging in the air or the sounds of the
crashing waves driving against the shore. In our culture, even the notion that
there might not be a creator was often something greeted with a snicker. It was
unfathomable to most people, to even begin to entertain such a ludicrous idea. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I was no different at that point. My ‘god box’ was checked
off early. I believed in God sincerely and I wanted to be like him in every way
I could. To me, that meant trying to be on my best behavior, to be obedient. I
was convinced by many of my early <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>teachers, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that a docile accommodating follower by faith
alone was what Jesus wanted. Life seemed so easy when I interacted with such
people. Do what you are told and everything would be allright.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But at home things were a bit different from school. Mainly
because of my dad, who although devoted and faithful in his church attendance,
viewed his Holy book differently from anybody else that I knew at that
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recognized this one day after
church when I was seven years old. We were sitting down to our regular Sunday lunch
when Daddy reflected on the church service earlier. He addressed the popular
Noah’s ark story that I had known from the time I was four years old.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“ The animals came in two by two?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s ridiculous! How could you get two of
EVERYTHING! How would Noah have been able to get two mosquitoes on that Ark?
How would he catch them? And how would he make sure he had two and only two of
the required gender?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Daddy laughed, and when I saw him laughing I felt
comfortable enough to laugh too. I didn’t realize it then, but that was perhaps
one of the most important moments in my life as a skeptic or critical thinker.
It was the day that the bible for me was stripped of its holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That comment about the mosquito, humorous as
it was, caused a sharp sting . Any notion that the bible was the infallible
word of God was gone in that instant and that was a little unsettling. Who was
the ultimate authority now? Who was I to obey? What text could I look to now to
give that overall unquestioned guidance?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Atheism was at that time years, even decades away, but I now
realize that it was that first ‘sting’ that got me up and moving in the
direction of reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know people today
fifty, sixty years old that still haven’t gotten their mosquito moment, and
revel in the unblemished skin of there revered faith. They pray for me, pity me
for the soreness that they are sure I am still enduring. But for all the
buzzing in the ears that they may get from all the people outside their
religion, they do all they can to spray away everything. They even sometimes
cover themselves in an impenetrable net to make sure that not even the smallest
bug can threaten to override their faith program and the book that it relies on.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In contrast, my own ‘mosquito’ moment led me to look
critically at several other things in the bible. My dad was again there to give
me a few more not so gentle pricks, pointing out how the Adam and Eve story,
Jonah and the whale, the tower of Babel were all just as implausible as the
Aesops’s Fables we read at night. Still through all of that, my family and I
remained committed to the church. We prayed together and we asked for God’s
blessings on all we did. I suppose the God we prayed to was the Christian God,
but to be honest, we didn’t mention Jesus much if at all. By the time I became
a teenager the notion of a risen savior and miracle worker seemed unlikely at
best. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Learning more about science around that time also tended to
expand the divide between the bible and me. I was surprised when I first went
to university in Barbados, that so many of my colleagues were still strict
fundamentalists. There was one “Development of Civilization” first year class
that was especially controversial. So much so that many dropped it, even though
it was a foundational class. The course was one of my favourites, it traced the
history of human beings right back to Africa and explored the origins back to
pre historic humans such as Australopithicines and Homo Erectus. It upset quite
a few people who thought the classes flew in the face of the bible and
‘creation’. Amazing when you think that we are talking about classes at the
University of West Indies Cave Hill in the 1990s!<o:p></o:p></div>
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But the lecturer for the course who had an especially entertaining
style, would not be deterred. He took on the religious people <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in the class directly. He would start up on
his own call and response routine during class.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“ How do you know that Jesus really died and resurrected? “<o:p></o:p></div>
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“ Because somebody told you that.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“How do you know the bible is really the word of God?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Because somebody told you that.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“ How do you know Moses parted the Red Sea?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Because somebody told you that.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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“ How do you know that Mary was a virgin when she got
pregnant with Jesus?<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Because somebody told you that”.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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And he went on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I know he annoyed a lot of students, but his point really
couldn’t be refuted. You could say that it was God who revealed these things
through the bible. But did anyone ever come to the conclusion on their own that
this was the case? Of course not!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it’s always
some other individual that at some point tells you that. A teacher, a parent, a
grandparent, a priest, a trusted friend.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And why did the people who told you that believe? Because
someone else told them! Their parent, their priest, some person in their community
that they trusted. And so it goes on. There is no verification, no analysis you
could conduct to show that a person can arrive at such a position independently.
Work back to the ‘truth’ of your religion starting from first principles like
you can do in Mathematics?<o:p></o:p></div>
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No. It simply cannot be done. Religious truths are always
the truth simply because somebody else says so, it’s the ultimate argument from
authority.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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And that’s the explanation for people in all other religions
as well. Whether you were born into it, or whether you were pulled into it later,
it can always be traced back to a person who one day told you something was
true and you believed them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fact
that most people claim that they get their beliefs through personal experiences
says a lot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s actually more like a
PERSONAL assertion made by a PERSON you have faith in. That’s how people
generally find their Gods.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once I realized that beliefs really came from the word of
man, rather than God, it was obviously hard to still accept the bible as the
ultimate guide. It was clear by the time I was 25 years old that my religion
was only an accident of birth. The bible was just a cultural relic that happened
to fall in my lap. But still I believed in God, through it all, none of the
evidence that I had come across had convinced me that there was no overall
creator of everything, that there was not some entity, some power out there
that had ultimate dominion over everything. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I remained a Christian out of convenience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a musician, I played the music, I sang the
songs (and even wrote some) out of respect for my tradition. What God actually
was, I couldn’t tell you. But I knew I felt him in my heart. It was that ‘warm
and fuzzy’ that I felt sometimes at the low points, that gave me the assurance
that someone out there was always looking after me. I was comfortable as an
open theist in a Christian world. That’s where I stood up to the dawn of the year
2007. There’s no way I could have predicted the transformation in my belief
system that led me to identify myself as an atheist just two years later. But
unknown to me, that early ‘mosquito sting’ had be followed by so many more
little bites here and there, that It became difficult for me to ignore the
marks on me that were becoming more apparent. Still there seemed no serious
threat that my faith skin would finally be shed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it did, starting with a tragic day in
July of 2007. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Right in the midst of the local Crop Over celebrations in
Barbados, a bus carrying passengers to the East Coast to enjoy the Party
Monarch finals crashed on the way, as the driver lost control in the middle of a
hill. Six people died including Adrian Franklin, who was a friend of mine and
classmate both at primary and secondary school. I always felt a special bond
with Adrian, as we were born exactly one week apart. Adrian’s death was a huge
shock to my system. I realized when reading his obituary that it could so
easily have been he reading mine. It was almost like reading my own eulogy,
only the name and photo in the article were different. I began to question God
a lot in the days after, Not that this was the first time I had done this.
However, the feelings were stronger than usual on this occasion. It seemed the
cruelest of cruel, for God to do something like this, causing so much pain to
families whose only ‘sin’ was to want to go out and have a fun time on a Sunday
afternoon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After that tragedy came two similarly gruesome multiple
death incidents in Barbados. There was a car accident that took four lives just
days later and then came a cave-in of a house in Brittons Hill that took out an
entire family of five while there were peacefully sleeping in their recently
acquired home. Three tragedies of this magnitude in the space of two weeks, was
something very rare in a country as small as Barbados, with only 270,000
inhabitants. The tragedies touched everybody. It was virtually impossible for
you not to be connected in some way to one of the people that was lost across
those three accidents.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the aftermath I remember that there was a telethon to
raise money for the families left behind to struggle after all three tragic
events. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was watching still dumbfounded
when a moment came that I will never forget. Belle Holder the hostess on the
CBC (The Barbados TV station) at the time said the following words.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“We don’t now why things like these happen, it’s a mystery!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I turned to the TV and blurted out, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“It’s a mystery? It’s only a mystery if a God
exists. If no god exists then there’s no mystery.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I caught myself and was almost shaking. What did I just say?
Yes, it was the first time in my life that I had ever really entertained the
thought that God might not exist. I went over what I said and realized this was
a huge sting. But this one would not just go away in minutes like others before
and it wouldn’t be covered up by any flimsy band-aid either. I had to look into
this latest cut more deeply.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The feeling was definitely strange. It’s not that I had
never been exposed<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to the concept of
atheism. I even had a close atheist friend once. It’s just that I had never REALLY
thought about it, or considered it as something that could be right. But that
changed immediately at this moment in question, as I realized that without a
God a collapsed roof or failing brakes are perfectly understandable. It’s just
the laws of Physics at work. And sometimes we are on the right side and
sometimes not. Sometimes we are lucky and sometimes not. Whether we deserve it
or not is irrelevant. So good things happen to good people, bad things happen
to good people, good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to bad
people.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s not that I became an atheist at that moment, but that
was the pivotal point. That was the day when I stopped assuming that a God
existed. God belief was no longer my default position. This new perspective led
me to think a lot, I decided to give myself a test. For the next week I would live
my life as if a God did not exist. It would be my chance to look at the world
through a non believer’s eyes. I never expected to stay there, I just wanted to
know what it was like, so I could better understand a perspective that I had
never really entertained before.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
An amazing thing happened. The more that I thought about it,
the more obvious it became to me that the things I experienced in the world
made much more sense if there wasn’t a God there. There were gaps in
understanding. The origin of the universe, the origin of life and the
explanation for the emergence of consciousness are still not completely
understood. However, these are the only large gaps within a complex tapestry. I
came to realize that these gaps were nothing to panic over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were more of an opportunity for future
learning than a earth shattering piece of ignorance that had to be expunged right
away. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other thing I noticed during that test week was just how
prevalent God and religion were in Barbados. I was genuinely shocked that I had
never noticed this before. These are some of the phrases I frequently heard.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Praise the Lord thank God”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“ If God spare life”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“ I just here waiting on the Lord”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Lord come for your world!” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“ Get me vexed and I’ll let you know which God you serving!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“ Only God knows why you would do such a thing!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“ Jesus is Coming Soon (Again)”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s written in God’s word the bible!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But how many times did I actually hear someone making an
argument for why they believed this God was there, coming back, or working in
some way? None, not one. No one ever did because no one was ever asked to back
up the talk. There was never a need to justify. They appeared to be just as
convinced as adults, as I was at five with my Psalm 100 evidence.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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What was more, was that in spite of the lack of evidence by
these God claimers, their statements were presented with an expression of
certainty. There was no ‘if’, ‘perhaps’, ‘might’ or ‘maybe’. God for these
people was not only true, he was obviously true. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For these people it wasn’t about belief, it
was about knowledge. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knowledge
ultimately gained from the bible that everybody somehow just KNEW was true. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That was just the point, when it came to God in the
Caribbean, we just KNEW. Assumed knowledge is a vital component of any faith
system and it’s not so hard to see why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because one thing about knowledge, is that you don’t question it. There
is no need for further investigation. You can tick that box and move on. And
many of our people do exactly that. They move on to questions like:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What does God want from me?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“How should I worship him?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What wonders does he have in store for me?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘Why has he given me this cross to bear?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But these statements are all begging the question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They all rather surreptitiously brush aside a
glaring unsupported God assumption underneath. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am thankful for that first ‘mosquito sting’ that got
me<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>questioning and digging deeper into
assumptions from early.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So thankful that
the ‘sting’ eventually made me realize that trying to turn assumption into
knowledge was a sleight of hand, no less plausible than a fairy tale where a Rumpelstultskin
claims he can spin gold from feeble straw.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yes, it took me over 35 years before that first ‘sting’
stated to really burn. But now I understand that naked assumption was all my
faith was ever built on, and that having the unanimity on this one fact by all
who I was in contact at the time, didn’t make it in any way close to truth.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once I recognized
this assumption, my faith skin fell away and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>the long ago pain of the ‘sting’ began to feel more like the jolt of a
spring. A spring to push me higher and further in pursuit of knowledge.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In becoming an atheist, it’s not that I discovered any piece
of evidence that disproved the God I knew, nothing that I unearthed to firmly
knock the Lord off of his sacred perch. I just simply came to the realization
that there was never any foundation beneath him to keep him standing up in the
first place.<o:p></o:p></div>
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caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-6163403291326648382015-11-12T19:53:00.000-08:002015-11-14T20:09:39.207-08:00 Pendulum swinging in our direction: but faith equilibrium a major challenge <div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">t's been quite an active last few months for me as an atheist and secularist. Haven't had the chance to put out all the various thoughts and reflections,</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">but there has been no shortage of material coming in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Starting back in August, I had the pleasure of attending the first atheist conference held in Puerto Rico. That filled me with optimism as I heard stories of secularism and activities to make sure that the separation of church and state that is clear in the US constitution, extends to this Caribbean island territory. However, at that conference there was also a measure of despair as I heard of the hold that faith thinking has in that country. A kind of addiction to dogma that I have seen at play in many other Caribbean islands. The news that they had a police road stop to force drivers to have a pray was certainly an eye opener. Definitely won't be forgetting that one soon. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the USA itself, the excitement of marriage equality was tempered by the obstinance of Kim Davis and her continued refusal to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples. A lot has been written and said about that issue, but it shows plainly that the defiance of those in the religious right who always think they are right, knows no bounds. Then news</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> of Pew studies showing declining interest in faith and religion in the youth was counter balanced by the Popemania that surrounded the tour Francis took to the US. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On a personal note, the feature of some of my work in Greta Christina's blog was a boost to me to continue to work to promote secularism in the Caribbean. I still feel humbled to be considered an 'atheist leader', but I received quite a few new contacts and messages of interest in our efforts in the Caribbean stemming from that article. I can only believe that this will augur well for our future growth. So thanks again to Greta for all of that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Meanwhile, in Calgary a torn banner at our counter protest against Jesse Rau, the driver claiming persecution for having to drive an LGBT bus, reinforced in my mind the vitriol coming from the small but very vocal and influential fundamentalist wing here in this city. A few weeks later, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">the first Alberta secular conference was cause for some optimism once again, even as we learnt of creationism and other anti science attitudes pervading the schools throughout the province. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In Barbados, my island of birth, a tragic vehicular accident that left four dead, has been met with calls to pray and look towards God for assistance rather than exploring ways to fix the condition of a road that has seen many serious accidents at that spot over the years. My brave colleagues in the Agnostics, Atheists and Freethinkers group in Barbados still have their work cut out in convincing those around them that leaning on the Lord is not worth it all in the end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The latest flicker of hope has come here in Canada where the new prime minister Justin Trudeau has brought what looks like a sweeping change to how critical thinking will be valued. Ministries dedicated to issues such as science advancement and climate change are definitely steps in the right direction. Meanwhile south of the border, Donald Trump and Ben Carson battle for first place as the Republican nominee for the 2016 US election. Enough said. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As I write this, reports are coming in of a deadly terrorist attack in Paris at the hands of ISIS. Yet another grave reminder of what can happen when religion holds sway over reason.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I could speak of many more ups and downs to my secular morale over recent times. Over and over again, you think the pendulum is swinging in a progressive secular direction, but just as you are about to celebrate, there is a sharp and vicious swing back to faith positions and a trust in dogma and the divine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In looking back at how the pendulum has been swinging recently, I couldn't help but think that the same movements that happen towards and away from secularism in our societies, happen in the minds of individuals who are exposed to the paradigms of both religion and realism on a daily basis. Of course we in the atheist community would just like to grab hold of these ever swinging pendulums and hold them in the rational position. We as persons that consider reason to be the best road to reality, don't go back and forth on the faith issue like so many of our believer friends do. As atheists, we see no reason to return to faith positions even for a fleeting moment. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">However, if we don't understand the nature of the faith/ reason swing in the minds of different believers, we'll never figure out what we need to do to get people to get off this continuing, repeating cycle and dwell in the region of reason, that promises a future ripe with exciting possibilities for all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Analysing the swing </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, let's look at this pendulum in more detail. W</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">here does this oscillation come from? It comes from that conflict that leads to the much discussed cognitive dissonance. The dissonance we experience from living in a world where we are regularly fed the message that faith and reason are both important. Every believer that I have engaged in discussion over the god question, has assigned some value to both faith based and evidence based beliefs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Some believers see the two as equally important, for some faith should always trump reason and for others of them reason takes precedent over the dogma. But whatever they have faith in and however strongly they believe it, they argue that these unsubstantiated beliefs have some value to individual and/ or society and that is why they hold on to them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That being said, believers cannot deny that they live essentially in a world where rationality rules. A world where we have proven over and over again that looking at the evidence, developing hypotheses, testing those hypotheses in light of observations, drawing inferences and then further testing these inferences through making predictions, is by far the best way to learn what is true about the universe we live in. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Invariably these truths that reason tells them comes into conflict with what faith and religion tell them, but because ultimately survival in reality is first and foremost on the mind of most people, believers are just as quick as atheists to put all their trust in science when it comes to those critical decisions that could mean the difference between life and death.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They will go to doctors when sick, take out insurance, consume medicines that have been FDA approved and wear helmets or seatbelts that have been tested to the required safety standards. When believers engage in these actions, they are behaving like a pendulum swinging away from its faith centre. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The swing away is not permanent however, because latent faith inherent in them remains strong even while they do their reasoning. We know from observation that a swing back to faith is never far away for these believers. That pull of attraction from the extremes of reason back to the centre of faith, comes from the emotional factors in their lives and the widespread idea that is perpetuated in many societies that I have been exposed to. The idea that everybody needs to have faith and that we all 'have to believe in something'.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We are told that we need to have faith even to make sense of anything. In one of life's greatest oxymorons we are told that reason means nothing unless there is faith to ground it in. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We are told we need it to have purpose, to be assured of a life after death, to experience love, to be moral beings, to be true supporters of our families traditions or the countries in which we live. The combination of all these forces is what continually ensures that the pendulum swings back towards the faith centre after each journey towards the extremities of reason.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">To explain this more clearly, I hope you indulge me in a short physics lesson.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit;">Faith is represented by the </span><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">middle position (A) which is equilibrium. This is where the believer feels most comfortable. It's a natural, familiar position and any deviation from this point feels like a displacement.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit;">Education, exposure to the scientific method, problem solving and critical thinking pushes the believer away from his midpoint of faith comfort, just like a physical push of a hand on a pendulum 'bob' causes it to move it away from equilibrium. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">Just as with the pendulum in the diagram above, the greater the force of reason the greater the push from the equilibrium and the greater the amplitude of the swing towards (B) or (C) which are the points of maximum 'reason'. These points of maximum reason are where the potential (energy) of the believer is at its highest. As the distance the pendulums swings increases, the height which it can reach also increases.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit;"> It can be thrilling and exciting for even the most devout believer to push towards those reason 'maximums' where you can figure things out by thoroughly thinking through a problem. Exploring topics such as the evolution of our species or the expansion of our universe after the Big Bang can be truly </span><span style="color: #454545;">exhilarating</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit;">, like being thrust into the air on your favourite ride at a theme park.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But of course with that excitement comes a level of fear as well. The further the believer gets away from that initial ground level, the greater the worry of being separated from 'home territory'. They can see their faith slipping away in the distance, even as they revel in the height of discovery in science and reason. Eventually the forces that act as a constraint to reason become too strong, and the believer slows down as 'reason maximum' is approached. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you look back at the pendulum above, you will recognise that </span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">the greater the distance from the initial equilibrium point (A) the greater the force pulling the 'bob' back to that equilibrium point. In my experience, this is how faith works</span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> with a lot of believers. The greater the extent to which their faith is tested, the stronger the urge within them is to get back to their faith. The more they start to doubt, the more scared they become and the more desperately they </span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">try to cling back on to the faith centre that keeps their life in balance.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This not only comes when they are pushed into reason by intellectual pursuits, it happens when they have those emotional jolts in the pendulum of life that make the god they believe in seem distant. The times like four families in Barbados are facing right at this moment, as they come to terms with the fact that four of their most beloved have had their lives snatched away in their prime. Those kind of tragedies that push the believer's pendulum into planes of uncertainty and doubt are followed up by extremely strong dependencies on faith present at their core to get through it. In essence, the more experiences in life push these people away from belief, the greater their desire to hold on to that same belief. That's how it tends to work for believers and that's why they keep swinging like a pendulum and most never get to the point of grounding themselves in reason's territory.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sadly, this swing back to faith centre happens also when we atheists engage believers in extended, discussions and debates. For many, the more you bring arguments against their belief the more they dig into hold their belief. They'll acknowledge the points we make but still say that the belief in the god they believe in is locked at 100%. I can't tell you how many believers that I have had discussions with, claim that their faith in God has been STRENGTHENED as a result of our discussion. It's frustrating as hell, but now I am realising that it is nothing more than the simple harmonic motion of their pendulum of faith.</span></span><br />
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The strength of the centripetal force in the faith pendulum is immense, but remarkably still often underestimated. Faith congregations, faith communities and faith countries all play a large part in<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> this force to bring back those swaying from the faith. They do this by telling the believer who deviates from faith that they just have to pray more, ask Jesus for help, or just go to the pastor for a counselling session. The more the believer questions the more measures the faithful around the believer will put in place to stop them from drifting completely away.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With these types of messages circling around, the believer will then actively try to erase the doubts. The desire to have faith will at that point come to the fore. The believer will while acknowledging doubt, continue to tell themselves that they 'just got to have faith'. It's the old 'fake it til you make it' rule. If you believe enough, suppress your reason enough, you will be able to force yourself back to the centre with the help of those 'pulling for faith' around you.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545;">But what happens when the believers get back to centre? Let's look at the pendulum again. The believer starts moving away from faith once more. That is because as much as faith is a comfort, it's easy to be pushed away again to reality through reason. Indeed in a pendulum the velocity (speed) is maximum as it moves through that equilibrium point. The 'bob' of the believer just can't stop there in the middle as the challenges to faith and belief are always around. They feel the urge to keep moving, because in that position they have a large amount of kinetic energy. As much as a believer just tries to remain at that faith centre, it very seldom happens. Many Christians will claim that this failure to remain at the centre is the fault of sin or the devil. But I don't think so, it's just nature and reality. You just can't live in that fantasy world all the time. That's why so many faith activities, are done at certain times with a definite start and finish and then it's back to 'reality'.Church on Sunday morning, bible study on Wednesday night, or praying facing mecca at five specific times of the day. Faith is a little 'check in' with god to make sure you are OK. Then you can move back out in to your world of reality and reason, until you have the realization of too much drift and then come surging back to centre for one more go around.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the reason why believers, however questioning and skeptical they may be in everyday life, never quite get away from oscillating back and forth around their faith equilibrium. They may swing miles and miles away from their faith home, but there is always something in their centre that brings them back. The swing back may be after one week from Sunday to Sunday, a year between Easter and Easter, or even decades between when the children came along and when the sceptre of death begins to threaten.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I know many believers that are on the pendulum. They swing a lot, they swing widely and sometimes wildly, but they keep hanging on. I was on it myself for more than 35 years. So I know more than most, that it can be extremely hard to remove yourself from it. As it is with the pendulums we come across in physics, so it is with believers. Not all of them swing to the same extent or with the same frequency. Below are three types of pendulum believers I have come across. Maybe you know them too!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit;">These are by far the hardest believers to deal with. The ball on their pendulum is heavy, really, really heavy. You try to push it and it just doesn't move an inch. Yon can try every instrument you have in your reason toolbox, but they just won't budge. They are rigid in their beliefs, the entire bible is inerrant, everything written there is absolutely and undeniably true. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit;">You bring your skeptic friends around, yell at everybody around to push simultaneously, and still no movement. Feels like this type of believer's stubbornness weighs over a tonne and it probably does. They deny evolution, climate change and any other part of science that even appears to be a distant threat to their cherished dogma.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit;">You may have to bring a crane to get movement, but you must be careful, because balls of that mass at the end of a pendulum can be really unstable. And because they are heavy if they move and hit something they can do a lot of damage to everything around them. People, buildings, towns, vehicles, nothing is safe. These are wrecking ball believers.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit;">Their beliefs in absurdities can easily turn to atrocities. These are the raging fundamentalists. The Fred Phelps, the ISIS, the Westboro Baptists. No controlling these kind of believers, just best to try to contain them and make sure they are never close to anything that can be destroyed.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545;">These type of believers are not usually dangerous but they can be infuriating as hell. I know quite a few of these and there were common in the Anglican church that I was once a part of.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545;">For these believers its all about routine. Everything has to be done in an exact and completely predictable way when it comes to worship. They are like clockwork. Like a metronome keeping exact time to the music.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545;">Prayers must start at a certain time. Incense must be swung when it has to be, not a moment too early or late and the swing must be consistent. Hymns must be played as written, no slowing down or quickening up, no pretty improvisations. These guys will go crazy if anything changes in the church. Ask them what their faith means to them they can't tell you. Ask them what they believe is true and they give some vague wishy washy answer.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545;">But change one thing in the liturgy and it's hell to pay.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;">These are the type of believers I like to engage with and I daresay most atheists too, even as we wonder why they don't just jump off the swing and join us. These believers swing in reason's pendulum with childlike glee. Not that they have childlike faith, far from that, they have great maturity. However, they have a child like curiosity, that spurs them on higher and higher. They are like the kid playing in the park that just wants you to push the swing harder and harder, so that they can feel their body going up, up into orbit. They don't settle for the regular or ordinary, they seek to push the envelope of discovery.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545;">At their best these free flowing pendulum believers can be among the greatest of scientists and skeptics. They can blow your mind with ideas, levels of creativity and understanding of complex concepts. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #454545;">These tend to be the liberal believers, the 'spiritual but not religious', those that insist there are agnostics or even ignostics. Yep they'll carry any label that sticks just to avoid 'atheist'</span><span style="color: #454545;">. Let me clarify that I respect people's right to self identify in their faith or non faith in any way that they see fit. But when I see people who essentially agree with my philosophical position, desperate to avoid the label that quite clearly fits, I tend to ask why. I think it has a large part to do with there desire to keep that faith equilibrium, be seen to have it or at least not be seen to have lost it. Perhaps the strongest emotional force that keeps people wanting to have a faith centre of some kind is the idea that faith is a virtue. It may be irrational, it may sometimes be laughable and ridiculous, it may even in some people lead violence, but it's still all in all seen as a trait to be desired. And nobody wants to identify with a trait that is </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: inherit;">undesirable. People generally don't want to go around saying they have thrown away that faith equilibrium that is valued by so many.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We as atheists often don't see this when we are dealing with these free flowing pendulum believers. When they swing up in to reason's territory we get excited. They reason with a critical eye, </span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">see through biblical contradictions, smell the bullshit like it really is and we sit there waiting, thinking that it's just a matter of time. We'll just keep the challenges up, show them more and more about how faith isn't worth it and they'll come around to reality, </span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">happily throwing faith away completely, just like we did. But they don't, they keep holding on to that faith centre no matter how much their rational mind tells them it's not needed. And what do we do? We keep adding more reason pushing them harder, forcing them more but like the pendulum 'bob' they just keep swinging back.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We have to understand that giving then the push of reason is not effective on its own, the only way to truly make the difference is to break the chain of the pendulum and set the 'bob' free completely. We need to break the pendulum not just push it harder in the hope that </span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">magically sometime in the future the system will collapse under its own weight. Breaking the oscillatory cycle means chipping away at that centripetal forces that draw believers to the centre. That force is mainly about desire stemming from an assumed need, so essentially what we have to do from an individual and community perspective is to work at removing that desire to embrace faith. As long as people continue to hold the position that faith is a virtue, they will seek it out and we'll keep going through the same cycle over and over again.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We atheists often actively encourage believers to cling to their faith </span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">equilibrium. We tell them if faith works for them they should cherish it and keep it. Sometimes we even apologize for not having faith ourselves. I used to do that a lot. We tell believers that we wish we could believe but we just can't. It gives people in the faith the idea that atheists are people with an emotional handicap, a kind of 'god blindness'. So those liberal pendulum believers begin to feel they are better than we are. Having the best of both worlds, reasoning with the best and still able to hold on to a steadfast faith.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We have to stop speaking about losing faith as if it we have lost something of value. We have to emphasise that faith is NOT a virtue. This is where I agree a lot with Peter Boghossian's approach of showing faith as a flawed epistemology, a bad process for making decisions</span></span><span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, doesn't matter if it's a decision about what to eat for dinner, which elementary school to send your children to or what god to believe in. It is more the method of faith belief rather than the content of faith belief that we should be attacking.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If people start to realize the dangers of making decisions without evidence, eventually they will abandon it. It will be a long eventually, because of all the other emotional forces that keep the believer swinging back to faith centres. But in time as we build the secular institutions and show how much wonder there is in the world and the satisfaction associated with really figuring out an answer rather than guessing at an answer, faith will become less attractive. I look forward to the day that the masses look for centres for inquiry rather than centres for faith, to keep them moving froward. When faith is seen universally as an unattractive way to live, believers will cut away from the pendulum themselves. I did it and more and more people are doing it. As I said, I was swinging on that pendulum for years before I got my scissors and had the courage to cut the cord.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #454545;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the end, my decision to cut that faith out was done not because I no longer needed it. It was done, believe it or not, because I no longer wanted it.</span></span></div>
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caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-89719094683618206062015-10-30T13:53:00.002-07:002015-10-30T13:53:20.767-07:00 Profile for Greta Christina's blog!<div>
I have long been a fan of Greta Christina's blog. She was one of the first in the atheist community that I ever followed and I enjoy her style of writing. A conversational playful, humorous style that makes her points logically and clearly while still having that fire to call somebody an 'asshole' every now and again, if she thinks it's merited.</div>
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She is the author of "Why are you Atheists so Angry" which is an extended rant of all the thinks that frustrate and enrage us as non believers, she also wrote"Coming out Atheist" and "Comforting Thoughts About Death that have nothing to do with God". In contrast these books seek to provide methods for non believers to cope with the emotional challenges that face many of us as we adjust to living as atheists among a population that is still very religious in the most part. These books are extremely useful to any atheists struggling to come to terms with the challenges. Pease check them out!</div>
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Greta played in huge part in my own 'coming out' as an atheist by featuring my blog among atheists of colour. She did me a great honour once again by doing a profile on me among 'atheist leaders' The article is at the link below. </div>
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You can give aid a read and tell me what you think! </div>
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Thanks again Greta!</div>
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<a href="http://freethoughtblogs.com/greta/2015/09/14/atheist-leaders-david-ince/">http://freethoughtblogs.com/greta/2015/09/14/atheist-leaders-david-ince/</a>caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-36205138585790466562015-07-28T21:53:00.000-07:002015-08-11T14:18:23.832-07:00Reaching the goal of Marriage Equality: Why I truly felt the pride<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It happened now over a month ago, but I am still reflecting on how the aftershocks of THAT decision in the USA continue to reverberate all across the Caribbean. The lingering vibrations even greater than the ones the Kick'em Jenny underwater volcano has been able to produce.<br />
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It was Friday June 26th. The day when we all read the headline.'Same sex marriage is now legal all across the U.S'. Ever since then, pastors from my home country Barbados and the wider Caribbean have been been digging their heels in, vowing to keep 'marriage equality' from reaching their island shores, as if it were a rare and lethal form of dengue or ebola.<br />
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Of course for me, it was not a decision that filled me with any worries. Indeed, I saw it as a landmark victory and I felt without doubt that I was part of the winning team. In some respects, it reminded me of how I felt in 2008, when Barack Obama was declared US president. It was a day you hoped you'd be alive to witness, but never in your wildest dreams expected be there to see. I felt elated for the LGBT community, because I know for them it has been and will continue to be a long hard struggle. But even in my own euphoria, I stopped to reflect a bit.<br />
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I am not a member of the LGBT community and I don't live in the US, so why was I feeling so excited? Why was I so emotional? Why was I fighting to hold back the tears? To be quite honest, I really wasn't sure. Canada has had marriage equality for a decade now, so it's no really an issue here where I live. However, though we don't always like to admit it, what happens in the US tends to have a far greater influence on the rest of the world than what happens in other countries. I knew what happened in the US would have a big impact on the debate in other parts of the world and that has happened. As a result of this ruling, I believe that full marriage equality worldwide is now a matter of 'when' rather than 'if'. And that, as a certain vice president would say is 'a big fucking deal'.<br />
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But that still doesn't explain why it was a big deal for me. Having had now more time to think about it, I recognize why. It is because I myself have had my own journey over the last few years. A journey which has brought as significant an opening of the mind as an opening of the heart. My journey has not been one where I was to trying to be able to love who I wanted to, mine has been one of a loss of love, separation from the God I once believed in. It was coming to terms with accepting an idea I embraced six years ago. The notion that there is no higher power, no cosmic leader or arbitrator beyond space and time that pulls the levers or keeps things in motion. Going through that transition in my belief system certainly provided its degree of emotion and at that time I considered it to be perhaps the biggest struggle of my life to get through. I remember well the anxiety and uncertainty of walking that narrow secular road ahead.<br />
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At that time, it was all about finding my own way and figuring how I would "come out" to family and friends and psychologically be able to navigate in the world without that spirit to guide. Still, I happily embraced the world of 'reason' and looked on it to lead the way. In trying to come to grips with my new life, I started to reach out. First through this blog which I started back in 2010 and then through joining organizations such as Centre for Inquiry (CFI) here in Calgary.<br />
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In time these associations and activities brought me in contact with more atheist, humanist and secular groups. I discovered atheist and secular podcasts which quickly became my daily diet of listening. Two years later, I would also become a podcaster, doing what I could to add to reasonable rational voices already out there.<br />
<br />
I realize now, that on that Friday 'same sex marriage' morning the journey that was pulling at my heartstrings was not my journey to atheism, but my journey since atheism. The journey that has led to me walking arm in arm with so many secularists all over the world. Now that I have successfully navigated my personal 'coming out' as an atheist, I have discovered that my non-theism is about far more than ME. It goes far beyond just getting through as David Ince. It's about a family, a community and a world that is held back in so many ways because of the prevalence of religious laws, religious norms and religious thinking that will still take many more years to sweep away.<br />
<br />
In the beginning of my atheist life, as much as it was exciting to find a community that I could identify with and feel good about being able to reason with, it was also at times distinctly uncomfortable. The discomfort came from the fact that I realised just how much 'un-reason' there was in the world and how many people were suffering because of it day by day. People have lost their lives, families, jobs and been sent into exile in many places due to 'unreason'. Much of this irrationality stems from religion, and I felt that we as secular people, who understood these issues more than most, had a responsibility to try to fix them. But were we doing enough? Was I doing enough?<br />
<br />
<b>Moving beyond my disbelief</b><br />
<br />
I quite quickly realized that one of the biggest issues that the secular movement was involved in, certainly in the western world, was gay rights and rights within the LGBT movement in general.<br />
The first president of the CFI in Calgary when I joined back in 2010 was Mike Gray, He was an enthusiastic leader, passionate about building the secular community and also openly gay. I remember he would from time to time wear a t-shirt with the word "Gaytheist" emblazoned on the front.<br />
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I smiled when I saw him do that, but it also was a genuine eye opener for me. For all my time growing up in Barbados I knew my fair share of gay people, or should I say my fair share of people 'rumoured to be gay.' But that's the point, it was never something anyone wore as a source of pride, it was a mark of shame, something to hide from at all costs.<br />
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<b>Discovering the word 'homosexual'</b><br />
<br />
I remember very well the first time I heard the word 'homosexual' when I was about seven years old.. One heavy set young fellow pushed a smaller boy on the pasture at school and the little guy responded with the words "You're a homosexual!" I can guarantee that none of us around there had a clue what that word meant. But we just knew it had to be something bad, really bad. A word so big couldn't be benign. It had four whole syllables, it had to be something dangerous and terrible. Indeed at the time, I think it was the only four syllable word we knew.<br />
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So, for the rest of that term the word 'homosexual' became the insult word of choice. It was all fun for us as kids, nothing too serious. But looking back I think the anti gay sentiment was set in for us even back then. I came to learn that homosexual was just the more formal word for 'buller' that pejorative 'b' word for being gay in Barbados.<br />
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Yes, as I grew up into adolescence in Barbados I came to realize that you could pretty much survive being accused of anything, but one thing you never wanted to be was to be 'accused' of being gay. No, if anyone were to think that even for a moment, your entire reputation would be flushed down the toilet. Guaranteed! In fact in my parents' generation a common euphemism for referring to a person who was gay was to call them a person 'of doubtful reputation'. I have seen it many times, artists, musicians, scientists and sportsmen. All their achievements glibly glossed over as people say ' but you know he is a 'b*****.<br />
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<b>Backing away</b><br />
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I can remember one term in secondary school when I began to talk quite regularly to this one guy, as we both used to get picked up from school around the same time. One morning, a classmate called me aside and said he had noticed I had been spending a lot of time talking with this friend. He warned me that this individual was known to be gay and if I continued to hang out with him, people would start to believe I was the same way too. I was shocked by what I heard and from the very next evening I started cutting my conversations with my new friend short and about two weeks later I was finding other people to hang out with on afternoons. It's embarrassing to look back at that now and I wish I could go back and change it, but that's just the way it was.<br />
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In spite of this, I certainly was not among the 'homophobic' in Barbados. As a liberal, I was always in favour of gays having whatever rights others were entitled to. However, there was still a level of distance that I felt I wanted to keep from them. I endorsed the idea that gays should be equal but still separate. You should tolerate them, but that didn't mean you went out of your way to have them as your best friend. People may find this surprising, but my position at that time was at the very progressive end of the spectrum of attitudes in Barbadian society. The more conservative view was. 'You gays just need to find Jesus and stop sinning'. And of course as 'good Christians' the conservatives were called to reach out to this community in 'love' by helping them to turn from their 'nasty' and 'wicked' lifestyle.<br />
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In spite of this hurtful kind of rhetoric, I have to say that at least to Barbados' credit, we never had the violence against gays that other Caribbean countries such as Jamaica had to endure. Indeed, many in the Caribbean often saw Barbados as the most 'gay friendly' island and we Bajans can attest to being frequently teased about this from our island neighbours. Additionally, within Barbados we often made fun of the gay community ourselves. The easiest way for a comedian to get a cheap laugh, was to make a joke about homosexuals or trans sexuals. The way they talked, the way the walked the way they dressed, it was all fodder for various forms of ridicule. That was the comedy we seemed to like more than any other type. The popular comedy and calypso singing group MADD milked it for all it was worth through their 'ArchiBULL Cox' character. For so many years we laughed and laughed, lapping up the hilarity without much of a second thought. For those of us who were straight, we would privately let out a sigh of relief that at least we weren't one of THEM.<br />
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So when I came in to the secular world and realized that the people I grew up identifying as those "THEMS" were actually important allies, it was somewhat of an about turn for me to take. As I said. I have never had problems with the movement for 'gay rights', but a lot of my feelings before being an atheist activist were pretty apathetic. I thought they deserved rights, but I didn't see it as something I needed to get up off the couch and join them in the fight for.<br />
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But my views changed quickly, from the time I started going to weekly CFI meetings, held at the 'Sapien ' night club.' Sapien' was a gay club, it's name a clever short form for 'homo- sapien'. I remember feeling a bit uncomfortable telling people I was going there for meetings. Especially people from the Caribbean, who had enough trouble getting over the 'atheist' thing already. I had to admit that even as a freethinker and atheist I still had lingering fears about someone thinking I was gay when I was not. I felt embarrassed about having such feelings and never shared them with any of my new secular friends, most of whom had grown up in Canada and appeared to have no such hang ups like this at all.<br />
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I realized somewhat in horror, that even though I was a liberal by Barbadian standards, I still had a way to go in dealing with aspects of my thinking which still had remnants of indoctrination. Shedding my belief in a god was indeed only the first step of many I would need to take to embrace rationality fully. Going on to meet people like our following president Nate Phelps (son of Fred Phelps) and strong LGBT activist made me understand more. I began to realize this was more of a fight about human rights than about 'approving' of particular sexual practices. Then we interviewed gay individuals from the Caribbean such as Duane Howard and Dadland Maye on 'Freethinking Island' who had faced backlash in their respective countries of Jamaica and Trinidad. Later we interviewed Angeline Jackson whose work as an advocate in Jamaica has made her recognized publicly by no less a person than President Barack Obama.<br />
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But it wasn't all about the social impact of my new friends in the LGBT Community that affected my thinking. It was reason and evidence of their arguments that ultimately made me open my mind fully on this issue. The LGBT movement, in putting forward their arguments for their rights, always made a convincing and compelling case. Their arguments made me realize that not only did they deserve tolerance and acceptance, they deserved to be fully embraced and supported in their push for all basic human rights. That included the important right to all the benefits of being 'married' if they chose to go that route.<br />
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I came to learn that to look at the gay community as 'equal but separate' was just not good enough. To do that, would be like saying to blacks in times gone by, that you can drink the same water as the whites but you just need to go to a different water fountain. I began to understand why it was important that the word 'marriage' be used to define gay unions as well as straight ones. Many people like to say that if you let gays have a 'marriage like' union you should call it something else. But that's part of the 'separate but equal' mentality that I now definitely reject.<br />
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This is what I have come to love about being in the atheist and secular community. You get your views challenged all the time and you move or adjust your position in the face of a rational argument. That's how it should be. Losing my belief in a god, has allowed me to investigate these human rights issues without the inhibition of dogma. I have come to recognize that a world where rights are extended to more people is a win for all. When this happens we should be proud that we as a human species have identified an imbalance in our system and have taken measures to correct it.<br />
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<b>Love your neighbour</b><br />
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So, the marriage equality win is not a win for the 'gays' it's a win for the world. I realize this is a difficult concept for some people. For as much as Christians claim that being good is about loving your neighbour and caring for others, the truth is that religion is generally not about including others and loving unconditionally. It's about loving your 'neighbour' in a restricted sense. Loving those who are 'next to you' culturally or ideologically. In general, religion is not about loving people who are different and respecting them for who they are. For them, love is about trying to push others who may live far away into becoming 'neighbours'. For its only when you are in the same 'neighbourhood' as them that they think you can experience love fully<br />
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This is where the whole 'love the sinner, hate the sin' comes from. Translated it means, 'We love you, but that love is expressed through placing emotional pressure on you to embrace our belief'. So they will argue that you can't really appreciate or understand love until you experience the love of Jesus. They'll say you will only get God's full approval, if you turn away from your 'sin' of being a homosexual. Love in a religious context definitely comes with strings attached.<br />
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<b>You don't have to be in our neighbourhood</b><br />
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But those of us on the secular side don't operate from that premise. Our aim is to love our 'neighbours' but also those who have taken up residence far away, those who may have likes, preferences and cultures far different from ours. It's about looking to defend the rights of the marginalized wherever they may be. It doesn't have to be us atheists ourselves that are the ones being denied the right. In fact it could be and often is the very religious who we disagree with, whose rights we want to defend.<br />
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I realize this is a very difficult concept for a lot of people. That's why some of my friends in Barbados, including some in my own family, wondered if my putting the rainbow filter on my Facebook profile pic, was actually me coming out as a homosexual!<br />
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It's weird, but I think I get it. So often our world promotes a 'stand up for YOUR rights' attitude. Fight for what you think that YOU have been denied. It's important to do that, but that's not where it should end. You need to stand up for the rights of others as well, even as others stand up for YOUR rights. That's how we make the world better. The fight is not over and the battle continues. Other groups will need the support as the years go on. None more so than the 'T's in the 'LGBT' movement, I think of my brave colleague in the Caribbean secular community Gabrielle Bellot, who is the Founder of the 'Caribbean Freethinkers' Society' blog and facebook group. Gabrielle is a transgender woman living in US, who now lives in fear of returning to her native Dominica since her transition. Given the disparaging comments that have been made about people like Caitlyn Jenner in her island and the rest of the Caribbean, her fear is not at all unfounded. Things like this make it clear that we need to keep up the fight both for those in our 'neighbourhood' and those who live well outside.<br />
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So we must go on. It's amazing and remarkable. A journey that started out for me as a mere disbelief in the existence of a god has become so much more along the way, and I truly feel the PRIDE when I think about that.<br />
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<br />caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-12902806001193266252015-03-02T13:48:00.000-08:002015-03-04T01:02:24.389-08:00Why do women hide their penises?: If only the believers could get hypothetical'Why do you hate God?'<br />
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'Why are you so mad at him?'<br />
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'What did he ever do to hurt you?'<br />
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These are the kinds of questions that I have heard a lot from Christians, especially over the last few weeks as the Stephen Fry video about what he would do if he met God played out in mainstream media. If you haven't seen it you can watch it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suvkwNYSQo">here</a>, he is unapologetic about how evil, stupid and capricious that god would be. The facial responses from the interviewer are priceless. He clearly was completely taken aback. But we atheists weren't, we have seen it many times before from the likes of Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Lawrence Krauss, Matt Dillahunty, Greta Christina and many, many more. The tirade that says that surely if a god exists he would be an evil, capricious tyrant rather than the benevolent, all caring, protective, merciful god that so many Christians have in their minds when they think about their lord and saviour.<br />
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Most of us non believers have at some point given our own version of this argument, commonly referred to as the 'problem of evil'. We use it to justify why we don't subscribe to the god that they seem to quite willingly put all their trust in. There are very few believers I have talked to who don't admit that the 'problem of evil' presents a challenge to their faith. They usually put it down to God and his 'mysterious ways'. Deep down, I think they see it as an unsatisfactory answer. It certainly felt like a weak response to me when I was a Christian. However, the 'mystery' challenge didn't knock my faith down back then, as I reflected on how often great triumph can emerge from tragedy, and that there's plenty of opportunity to make delicious lemonade from the limes and lemons that life throws at us.<br />
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I imagine that this is the way that most of my religious brothers and sisters still think today. So, when they hear rants that the likes of Stephen Fry throw up, they hear a person who is just not willing to try to make the best of the world he has been given. Doing the easier thing of sitting back and blaming someone else for the shit, rather than getting up and trying to help ease the pain as it happens. When words like evil, bully and tyrant are used. The believers cringe, wondering what on earth could cause those that claim to not care or believe in a creator god, hate him so much.<br />
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As one of the persons who commented on an extended conversation on my Facebook page told me,<br />
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"How can Stephen Fry say all those bad things about a person whom he has not ever met."<br />
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<b>The power of the hypothetical: IF changes everything</b><br />
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What Christians seem to miss every time they chide us for being upset with God, is the impact of that simple two letter word, 'IF'.<br />
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A small word that signifies a BIG hypothetical.<br />
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<b>IF I won a million dollars</b><br />
<b>IF the moon were made of cheese</b><br />
<b>IF men could become pregnant</b><br />
<b>IF I were a squirrel in a tree.</b><br />
<b>IF there was a God.</b><br />
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In the 'non God' examples, nobody ever makes the mistake of thinking that the speaker actually believes that what is being hypothesized is true. However, when it comes to god, many Christians just don't hear the 'IF'.<br />
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They hear "God is evil".<br />
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When what is actually being said by atheists is,<br />
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"If there was a God existing in the world, that god would be evil".<br />
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These are obviously two completely different statements.<br />
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I think that a big part that plays into this problem is many believers' inability to hypothesize in the way that atheists do. Atheists do not believe in god, but every atheist I have met has been capable of imagining what a world with a god in it might look like. We can conceive of different gods in the universe and imagine the implication of each of these god's actions or character. Much in the same way that we can imagine a super hero, give him or her fictional powers and imagine what the person may do in a particular scenario that we conjure up in our minds.<br />
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But for some reason, this power to hypothesize seems to be very difficult if not impossible for the majority of believers, even for believers that claim they were once atheists. They just seem incapable of imagining a world without a god. I have met some who feel that even putting that thought in their head for a split second would be a severe insult to the god they serve. Since they can't make that theological leap into the hypothetical, they assume we also can't.<br />
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So, whenever we mention anything about a god, they believe that we actually believe in that god. Any slander against his character is a slander against a real entity. Blasphemy for them is not a victimless crime. But their god is safe, because even if he exists, we atheists have never seen him, so we certainly won't be able to find him to hurt, maim or kill him.<br />
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One of the things that is troubling about this widespread notion that atheists hate god, is that it demonstrates a barrier to many believers' ability to empathise with us. In all aspects of life one of the most important things to be able to do is to show empathy. Through being able to imagine what it would be like to be the other person we are speaking to, we are more easily able to relate and provide the right response, or engage in the behaviour that is more likely to help that person.<br />
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It's not always easy to be able to fully empathize with a person or concept foreign to us, but I think we have an obligation to try, so that we can bridge the gap a bit. I can imagine what it might be like to be white, gay, a woman, an elderly person, a professional athlete, a starving infant or a middle aged man diagnosed with a terminal illness. Doesn't mean that I immediately can become an expert on those things by just thinking about it, but I can often come to an understanding or at least learn to ask the right questions when I think of something that I really can't get my head around.<br />
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By imagining what it is like to be gay doesn't mean I will suddenly start being attracted to men, thinking of being a woman isn't going to make me start ovulating overnight and imagining what I might be like to be laden with a terminal illness isn't going to cut my life expectancy in half.<br />
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However, when I talk to theists and ask them to imagine what it might be like to be an atheist like me, there are often unable to do it. They say that the idea is just too far 'out there'. But why should that be a problem? I can imagine myself being a lot of things that are 'out there'. I can imagine I am an alien living on another planet coming down to investigate and probe humans. Why can I do that and my theists friends not make the relatively tiny intellectual leap to imagine what it would be like to not believe in god like me? Why can't they walk in my shoes for a block or two? I am not telling them they have to keep the shoes on for life. Just a brief walk around to see whether or not the shoes are super comfortable or pinch around the toes.<br />
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The fact that most of them can't do that is telling. And I think that is a definite indication that the indoctrination and brain washing is deep. People's minds have been so closed off, that they can't become an atheist even for the sake of argument. It's unfortunate, because that creates a barrier to understanding our position. It explains why we so often get questions from them during our discussions that just don't make sense. Why they are often talking to straw men rather than talking to us.<br />
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It's the reason why they can't see the absurdity of using the bible to prove the bible.<br />
It's the reason why they don't see that it's ridiculous to try to convince an atheist to have faith by telling her that without faith it is impossible to please god.<br />
It's why they can only see our non belief in god as a denial of a god that we know in our heart is true.<br />
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The fact is that the best most believers can do when talking to us is put themselves in the position of a believer pretending to be an atheist. That's are far as their powers of hypothetical thinking can take them on this topic. So the questions we get are the questions they would pose to a person who believes like them but is trying to convince themselves that they actually believe the opposite.<br />
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It would be like if a man tried to understand a woman by assuming that the woman he was speaking with was actually a man like him, only trying to believe that she was of a different gender.<br />
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With this in mind I came up with an example of such a HYPOTHETICAL interview between Simon (a confused man) and Jenny, a self proclaimed woman in a HYPOTHETICAL world where the prevailing view is that gender differences are a myth and that all humans are either men or people who try to deny that they are men. I call this fictional interview 'Why do 'women' hide their penises?'<br />
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<b>Why do 'women' hide their penises?: The Hypothetical Interview</b><br />
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<b>Confused Man (CM)</b>: I am confused. What made you decide that you are a woman? Could you please explain? Why do you go around trying to deny that you have a penis ? Why do you self proclaimed women spend your whole lives trying to hide your penises? It just doesn't make sense to me.<br />
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<b>Self Proclaimed Woman (SPW)</b> : It's pretty simple really. From the time I was a kid I was told by my parents and everybody around me that I had a penis. I just accepted it to be true, even though I never saw evidence for the existence of such an organ on my body. For years and years I kept looking and looking, waiting for a penis to show up on my anatomy as promised, but it never did. One day I just came to the conclusion that I really didn't have a penis. It was hard at first, but I thought it was important to embrace the reality that it wasn't there. Ever since that day I have identified as a woman.<br />
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<b>CM</b>: So, just because you looked and haven't found a penis yet, you came to the conclusion that there is no penis on your body? Did you really look hard enough? Can you honestly say that you have searched every millimetre of your body? When was the last time that you did a complete body search? How do you know it didn't become visible a minute ago? There are some parts of your body that your eyes can't see. There are some parts of your body that your hand can't reach. How do you know that your penis isn't located in one of these out-of-the-way crevices? The way I see it, you can't prove with absolute certainty that you don't have a penis.<br />
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<b>SPW</b>: That may be so, but I think it is very unlikely that my penis is located in one of those out-of-the-way places. I would need some strong evidence to believe that my penis is any of those locations. I have no reason to believe it would be and without any evidence pointing to that possibility, the most reasonable conclusion for me to come to, is that it's not there. Why is it so hard for you to accept that I am really not a man?<br />
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<b>CM</b>: This may come across as harsh, but I honestly don't believe in the existence of women. There are only people who claim to be women. Men who choose to deny their manhood or who have been deceived by 'the enemy' to believe that their manhood isn't there. The book of peneology makes it clear to all mankind. There is no such think as gender. Our Lord Testiculus has placed the mark of the penis on every human body.<br />
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<b>SPW</b>: Peneology is a myth. The reality of gender that we see all around us clearly shows that the words of Testiculus are false. I don't set my beliefs according to that ancient book, science has long since proven those old beliefs about a genderless universe false.<br />
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<b>CM:</b> (Gasp) Are you telling me you deny the words of Testiculus? You really have to have some balls to do that.<br />
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<b>SPW:</b> Yes, of course I don't believe in Testiculus. Read any book about chromosomes and reproductive organs and you would see the truth too.<br />
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<b>CM</b>: Oh my God! You're a genderologist! Do you really believe that propaganda that you came from a mutation? Those liberal universities really brainwash you young people. Sadly, you have been taken in by the religion of embryology.<br />
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<b>SPW</b>: It's not propaganda it's scientific fact! Based on evidence!<br />
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<b>CM: </b>Ok, I can see you're very set in your views. Even if Testiculus came down from the heavens now and showed you his holy appendages you wouldn't change your mind. Let's move on.<br />
<b><br /></b>
Have you ever found anything on your body that you even once thought might have been a penis? You can't tell me that there isn't at least one time in your life that you felt something that might have been that hidden organ.<br />
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<b>SPW:</b> Well there was one time that I was exploring my body and I came across something that for a moment made me think I might have one.<br />
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<b>CM</b>: I knew it! You do believe! Deep down inside you know your penis is there!<br />
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<b>SPW</b>: No, I did some investigating and deep down inside me, what I was feeling was my clitoris. It wasn't a penis. It was too small to be that.<br />
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<b>CM</b>: A clitoris? Are you sure?<br />
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<b>SPW</b>: Yes.<br />
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<b>CM:</b> No. What you felt was a penis. I am sure. You said it was too small to be a penis. But that's a mistake that many of you self proclaimed women make. You see pictures of penises in magazines or porn sites that show all penises as large and long. So you start to look for penises that look like that. But that was your error, you were looking for the wrong type of penis.You didn't find a penis that looked like the ones you were exposed to in popular media, so you assumed that no penis existed on your body. Just because you didn't find THAT penis on your body doesn't mean that ALL penises are absent from your body.<br />
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<b>SFW</b>: That's ridiculous, the clitoris is inside my vagina. It's a totally different from the penis.<br />
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<b>CM</b>: You and your genderology indoctrination again. Why are you so keen to hide your penis? I don't get it. Whatever the evidence you find, you always go out of your way to seek out the non peneological explanation.<br />
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<b>SFW:</b> But peneology has nothing to support it except for ancient writings. Surely the logical thing to do is to go with the explanation and descriptions found through science. It's not like I am making a predetermined decision to deny peneology or the fact that I have a penis. If I found a penis on my body tomorrow I won't deny its existence,<br />
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<b>CM</b>: Really? That's interesting because I still don't think you have done all you could have to find that penis. I mean, have you ever got down on your knees and begged the Lord Testiculus to reveal your penis to you? I urge you to try it. Try Testiculus, you won't be disappointed.<br />
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<b>SPW</b>: No, I am not going to do that.<br />
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<b>CM</b>: Why not?<br />
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<b>SPW:</b> Because I don't believe in Testiculus. If my penis is there, there should be some good evidence for it. Why should I have to beg Testiculus to reveal to me a penis that he has already supposedly bestowed on me openly? It just doesn't make sense.<br />
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<b>CM</b>: Let me explain. Testiculus has given you free will, but you have used that free will to turn away from him and reject belief in all possible penises, you have indeed become an a-prostate. This a-prostatecy has blinded you so much that you are now unfortunately unable to see your penis in all its glory.<br />
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Anyway, let's move on to my other questions. Without a penis how does your life have worth? How do you find pleasure?<br />
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<b>SPW: </b>Believe me, I can find pleasure in more ways than you could ever dream of.<br />
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<b>CM</b>: Nonsense, I know what my penis does for me! I know from personal experience that having a penis is great! It's got me through so many hard times. Do you want me to tell you about all the occasions when my penis has given me ............<br />
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<b>SPW</b>: No, it's fine. I don't need all the details. I get the point. Your penis is important to your life, I would never try to take that away from you. I am not saying that you don't have one, I am just saying that I don't have one but I am absolutely fine.<br />
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<b>CM:</b> I still find that very difficult to believe. It's not just about pleasure. I mean, without a<br />
penis where does your sense of urination come from?<br />
<br />
<b>SPW</b>: Again I can tell you, I don't need a penis for that. I know it's really difficult for you to understand, but we women can do all the things you men do and we don't need your organ to do it. You really don't need a penis to pee.<br />
<br />
<b>CM: </b>I am telling you, it's just because you haven't found your penis yet. Once you find it your life will be transformed immediately, I guarantee it. Thousands of testimonies from people all over the world speak to the might of Testiculus and the transformational power of the penis.<br />
<br />
But moving on. I must at least give you a compliment. I can see you have a considerable amount of courage about your conviction and you are more than capable of standing up for your beliefs.<br />
<br />
SPW: Well thank you sir! * statement made dripping with obvious sarcasm which nonetheless is completely missed by confused man*<br />
<br />
<b>CM: </b>In fact I am sure many would say you have testicular fortitude.<br />
<br />
<b>SPW:</b> Of course.<br />
<br />
<b>CM:</b> And tell me how can you have testicular fortitude if you have no penis or testicles! Ha! Checkmate genderologist!<br />
<br />
<b>SPW</b>: That's just an idiomatic expression. Doesn't speak to anything in reality. It's like how I might say, " Oh my God!"<br />
<br />
<b>CW: </b>Oh my God? How dear you take our Lord' s name in vain. I just hope Testiculus is merciful to you when it comes to the day of judgement.<br />
<br />
<b>SPW</b>: That sounds like a veiled threat.<br />
<br />
<b>CW:</b> No it's not. I just love you and don't want you to suffer due to your choice to deny that you have a penis.<br />
<br />
<b>SPW</b>: For the final time. I am telling you. I do not have a penis! Don't have one, never had one, never will. And in spite of not having one I have a healthy, happy and contented life and there are billions in the world like me. We have purpose without a penis!<br />
<br />
<b>CM</b>: I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. There is just no getting around your non-peneological worldview. It's quite sad really. Maybe one day Testiculus will reveal to me why you are the way you are. Then I may be able to answer this big question that has baffled mankind for centuries. Why do 'women' hide their penises?<br />
<br />
(End of Interview)<br />
<br />
Now, if you found that hypothetical interview absurd, silly or ridiculous, you now understand how it sounds when people ask us atheists why we vehemently deny the existence of a god, that we know deep within our hearts is real.<br />
<br />caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-741752118553108662015-01-27T14:24:00.001-08:002015-01-27T14:24:18.895-08:00Charlie Hebdo, terrorism and freedom of expression: How theism distorts the dialogue<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May 2013 Calgary CFI protest in support of Bangladeshi atheist bloggers.<br />
The more things change the more they remain the same.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Well it didn't take long. Barely a week into 2015 and once again the impact of religious beliefs and irrational behaviours that can follow as a consequence, were on display for us all to see. The attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris served as a reminder, as if we needed it, of the horrors that can occur when fanatic religious beliefs get out of hand. To add even more injury to insult, we recently heard the story of Raif Badawi, the Saudi Arabian blogger who is as I write this serving his sentence of a public flogging of 1000 lashes.<br />
<br />
These two pieces of news immediately reminded me of the protest we had in Calgary in 2013, where some of us marched in support of atheist bloggers in Bangladesh who were at that time facing persecution for their writings. That situation then was by no means as severe as the mass murders committed in Paris were, but nonetheless it was part of the overall problem we are plagued with whether through blogs, cartoons or badly produced movies. The idea is that there are some ideas, well at least one idea that has special immunity from criticism or ridicule.<br />
<br />
As is usual in these moments, two basic perspectives came to the fore after the Charlie Hebdo massacre. One condemning the action but also reminding us that we should respect the religious beliefs that others may hold dear. The other set proclaiming that free speech must prevail, that no ideas should lie beyond the pail of being challenged. From my photo above and the fact that I too regularly challenge beliefs in this blog and beyond, it shouldn't be hard to ascertain in which camp I stand.<br />
<br />
The other discussion that came up once again, was the extent to which religion or Islam has played in the atrocity we have just witnessed. In my experience, those outside Islam scoff at the idea that things like a belief in a saviour Jesus or a commandment bearer in chief like Moses could have anything to do with Mohammed's followers' violence.<br />
<br />
Within Islam there are attempts to disassociate the more moderate members from the radicals at the extreme end. We hear the following comments.<br />
<br />
"Not all muslims are like that!'<br />
<br />
" You shouldn't paint the whole group with one brush!"<br />
<br />
" Most Muslims are peaceful people who respect others of different faiths and beliefs and abide by the laws in the societies in which they live."<br />
<br />
There is also the common narrative about Muslims going to grocery stores or owning a bakery at the end of a street, speaking fearfully about the backlash they are worried about as people put them into the category of 'terrorist' without a second thought. I understand these type of responses within Muslim communities and others internationally who value the rich diversity of religious beliefs as much as they love the variety of species in a wildlife reserve.<br />
<br />
I agree that when it comes to issues of terrorism, our emphasis should be first and foremost on those who are directly responsible for the evil acts. You can't hold those who have not pulled a trigger, brandished a knife, detonated a car bomb or piloted a plane into a tower responsible for the blood of the hundreds and thousands. But far too often while looking at direct causes after these much highlighted cases of terror, we are as quick to exonerate institutions with influence as we are to condemn individuals who commit the acts.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Never a single cause: Underlying systems are often at the root</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tragedies and terrorism: <br />Always direct and indirect causes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In any tragedy there are direct and indirect causes. When a plane crashes, the investigation will usually lead to figuring out the direct cause. Perhaps it's a fire on board, a pilot error, a mechanical failure or a problem with something in the communication system.<br />
<br />
But it doesn't end there. In trying to ensure that these kinds of things don't happen again, they look at the whole process, the overall management of the airline, the systems of maintenance on the ground, the relevant aviation regulations and the overall governance structures. This is not to say that the CEO, president or prime minister can be held responsible for a rookie pilot ditching an aircraft into the ocean at 2 am in the morning. But the point is that in a tragedy like that, there are a number of stakeholders throughout the system, from the designer of the plane right down to to the co-pilot. We have to pay attention to all these actors and associated networks if we want to be sure that air safety is not compromised in years to come.<br />
<br />
When it comes to air crashes, the public doesn't seem to be resistant to the practice of looking at all aspects of the system in the aftermath of an accident. However, when fatal crashes occur as a result of religious fanaticism, millions are quick to jump up and say it wasn't me, it wasn't you, it wasn't us, it wasn't them, it wasn't this, it 't wasn't that.<br />
<br />
But we do ourselves no favours if we immediately try to assume that the secondary factors are irrelevant or of little relevance. The thing about systemic causes, is that they very rarely come down to the fault of an individual or even a single group of people. It's an ideology, an established rule, norm or a way of thinking that can lead to problems right down the chain. In the case of an airline, there may be a practice of skimping on cost that leads to reduced safety or a culture where subordinates do not feel confident enough to speak up to a captain when they discover an error made by their superior. There are indeed examples where such systemic failures were identify in an airline's management system and there have been improvements made since.<br />
<br />
Religion in general and Islam specifically are systems, which include beliefs, widely held ideologies, laws and cultural practices. These have developed and evolved over the centuries and have been influenced by a multitude of people. But whenever these things are criticized, some people immediately leap to stop you because your criticism of a system is seen as personal attack for all who follow or are in any way connected. The result is that those of us who are sensitive about not offending others, back off from the criticism of the system so as to avoid accusations of directly attacking individuals.<br />
<br />
In looking at most if not all the atrocities committed as a result of fanatics in the last few years, I see theism being a significant and perhaps the most significant systemic problem that runs through. Notice I am saying that the systemic problem is theism and not religion. The key issue in my view is the general promotion of the idea that a god exists. This may be surprising to many. I know it is often thought that it is organized systems of faith that are the problem. Generic, nebulous god beliefs or acceptance of a higher power and a spiritual dimension are often thought to be benign. However, I think these ideas all play a part in the system of thinking that makes Charlie Hebdo and the numerous other horrific acts of terror a reality.<br />
<br />
I hope it is clear by now that I am not saying that each individual that believes in a god of some kind has blood on her hands when a suicide bomber decides to strike. It's similar to how I am of the opinion that the sharp decline in the performance of West Indies cricket in the last twenty years relates to general problems within the mindset and psyche of Caribbean people. That does not mean that it's the personal fault of anybody with roots in Barbados, Jamaica or Trinidad when we get bowled out for 86 or our bowlers get caned by South Africa for a score of 439 for 2. Still, in as much as those of us in and from the Caribbean contribute and influence culture, we can and do play a part in the system and can explore ways in which we can help to improve things overall. <br />
<br />
Hopefully, that illustrates the point, but let's take a closer look at how theism plays into so much of the bad stuff that happens.<br />
<br />
Persons who believe in some kind of god or 'higher power' in the universe tend to believe the following<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>1. He/she/it is all powerful or at least far more powerful than all humans that have ever lived combined. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>2. He/she/it is all knowing or at least has knowledge far beyond the combined knowledge of all humans who ever lived.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>3. He/she/ it is all loving or at the very least works in the best interest of humanity and generally looks out for our welfare far more than any human individual or institution does or can.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>4. He/ she/ it has revealed itself in some way that those that experience the revelation can be sure that the entity exists and have at least a good idea of what that entity wants from them and all of us.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>5. He/she/ it is the source of everything in life and is the ground of their entire being. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
None of these beliefs necessarily point to a specific belief in bible, koran, torah or any particular holy writing. Nor do they necessarily indicate that the believer aligns with any particular church. Indeed many religious people who will identify as non denominational, 'spiritual but not religious' or just feel that there is 'something out there' will have these five beliefs indicated.<br />
<br />
Now if you are convinced such a god exists and has these characteristics, it makes sense to listen to what the god says and let it override your own thinking. If you know there is a being out there that can think much better than you can, see the consequences of your actions better than you or anyone else could ever do and is looking out for you better than anyone ever would, why would you not simply follow that entity, that deity, that saviour, that higher power? I know I would. If I knew for certain there was a god out there like that, I would totally lay down my own reason to follow him, her or it. Just on the basis of characteristics 1 to 3 alone.<br />
<br />
If I am to logically follow what my beliefs suggest, I will harm or even kill others if I am convinced that is what the god I believe in wants me to. There is no room for me to use my own reason to override the message, because as can be seen from my five step belief system, my own reasoning and even the reasoning of any human being in no way compares to that of my 'super god'.<br />
<br />
Of course many believers will say that the god that they believe in never would suggest killing innocent people. But how can they be so sure? After all, they would be suggesting their knowledge is equal to or greater than their god to presume that they know what their god would or would not do.<br />
<br />
The big problem with people who have this super god belief, however undefined, is that it completely obscures discussions had with people who don't have a 'super god' belief. I know from experience that some will assume they can trump you in any argument because your views and opinions are only those of 'man' weak, puny, fallible, ignorant 'man'. No way that even the best humans can in any way compare to god. Even the bible says that the wisdom of man is no where near the 'foolishness of god'. So in effect what we have in discourse of most topics is an unfair advantage given to those that have this 'super god' backing. The debate becomes distorted in favour of believers. As atheists, without that god to turn to as our source, we are forced to back up all of our positions with some kind of rational argument. We have to do all the heavy lifting. We cannot as the theist do, claim god revelation or faith knowledge when our reason tank runs out of logic fuel.<br />
<br />
<b>With god in the discourse you distort the dialogue</b><br />
<br />
In a world where logic and reasoning are generally not seen as the end all, skeptics obligation to justify all their arguments with reason can be quite a disadvantage in the public square. Arguments in defence of faith ahead of reason are given through statements like the following.<br />
<br />
'science doesn't know everything'<br />
'you can't put god in a test tube'<br />
'sometimes we need to go beyond logic and listen to the heart'<br />
'humans are not just molecules in motion'<br />
'sometimes faith and hope is what really matters'<br />
'some things just can't be solved by equations'<br />
' if you know something from personal experience no one can take that away from you'.<br />
'you can't prove that miracles aren't real just because you haven't seen one'<br />
<br />
These kinds of arguments allow for religious beliefs to get through without having to go through the level of rigour for acceptance that other beliefs do. The result is that there is no filter for bad religious beliefs in the way they are for bad secular beliefs. A bad idea from science and secularism will be tossed away by reason. A bad idea from a religion will be propped up by tradition, mystery and the 'heart of the believer'. Without god as part of the dialogue, all ideas would begin on equal footing and would be fairly assessed on their own merits. Unfortunately we don't live in such a godless utopia. In our world, once a 'super god' stands behind one idea, that equity is shattered and the god idea not the good idea rises to the top of the pile.<br />
<br />
The only way to stop this from happening is to aim to create a world where theism is not the default position. Where ideas, ALL ideas have to pass through the same filter in order to gain acceptance by the masses. The fact that people are moved to not offend Islam is because the reason for the sanction is seen as coming from god itself. If the argument was made that images should not be drawn because of tradition, culture, laws or any other factor, people would not be moved to adhere at all cost. But as soon as the words of 'my god said so' is in there, there is an immediate feeling that respect is needed even if the person moved to show the respect does not believe or ascribe to the god being touted.<br />
<br />
The reason why? Most people have some kind of god belief themselves and want to hold on to it. They realize that if they don't respect another person's faith theirs will one day face the same consequences. So once theism remains the default, respect for and reluctance to criticize religions will stay. This means religious beliefs will stay in spite of their lack of supporting evidence. Once religious beliefs stay, some form of fundamentalist strands will stay and once those fundamentalist strands stay, terrorism and other Charlie Hebdos will keep coming.<br />
<br />
<b>Need to cut that umbilical cord: Belief must be separate from believer</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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Notwithstanding all that I have said, there is one factor ( #5 in the list above) that makes addressing religious beliefs a gargantuan challenge. It is the idea of the god (whatever that is) being the source or the ground of all your being. Many of us in the atheist camp don't have much of an idea what that means. But to the theist it usually means that god is part of everything of who they are, as essential to their continuing existence as the air that they breathe. That kind of belief makes a link between the belief and the believer that is nearly impossible to sever.<br />
<br />
The link to the god becomes like the umbilical cord to the unborn fetus. Cut that link and death would be instantaneous.<br />
This is what makes religious beliefs so pernicious. It's not so much that they are irrational and toss up ideas which quite simply don't comport to reality, it is the fact that they embed themselves completely with the personal identity of the believer. Even people who don't subscribe to belief in any specific religion still tend to believe that their 'god' is at the root of their existence and they would be nothing without him.<br />
<br />
This idea is responsible for the argument that we often hear in atheist/ theist debates that says that science, knowledge, morality and our very ability to reason could not be possible without a divine provider. Extrapolating from this, any criticism of the creator is like biting off the hand of the one who feeds you. So we atheists get caught in this trap where before we even open our mouths in a debate, whatever we have to say is deemed automatically null and void in the minds of certain believers.<br />
<br />
<b>Belief in a god is only an idea</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
So how do we change things? How do we begin to separate those beliefs out from those who hold them clasped so tightly? The first thing I think we need to do is to remind people that all god beliefs are 'ideas'.<br />
<br />
The placard I am holding in the demonstration above states that, " Ideas don't need rights, people do"<br />
<br />
However, so long as people don't see their faith as an idea, these messages will not have the impact that we would like. We don't have to attack the idea of god, we don't have to go out of our way to say it is bad or doesn't make sense. We just have to emphasize the point that it is an idea about the world that some people hold and some people don't. As an idea it is not something that should define who a person is, their nationality, family identity, level of intelligence or moral character. It's just an idea to be brought to the table for consideration. And ideas are always good in so far as they push the dialogue forward and cause us to explore something valuable that we may not have considered before.<br />
<br />
We must nonetheless not forget that god beliefs as ideas have to go through the same process as all ideas do. They don't get special privilege because there is a 'super god' inside. The super powers of your god idea have no more power to take your belief into the mainstream than Superman or any ideas conceived in the minds of DC comics can make Krypton into a real planet.<br />
<br />
So you have to be ready to have your beliefs scrutinized, criticized and lampooned just like all the others. It's not a matter of faith being picked on. Just like other ideas, people proposing religious ideas have all opportunity to defend them, show those who push them aside why they are wrong for doing so. We as atheist have to do this all the time. When some theists laugh at our idea that the universe could come from nothing or that even the bacteria in a sewage plant are our distant cousins, we don't get mad or violent or seek to have large world media outlets protect our deeply held beliefs from being mocked. We simply attempt to explain in as clear a way as we can, why what seems ridiculous at the outset can actually be reasonable when we look deeper. All we are asking is for people who bring god ideas to do the same. If a god idea could be backed up with reasonable evidence and logic it would be treated with the same seriousness as any ideas proposed by Darwin, Einstein or Newton that have made their way into the realm of scientific fact.<br />
<br />
The key point for the religious to recognize is that there is no double standard here. Ridiculous ideas outside of religion are also ripe for being satirized and mocked. The difference is that other ideas that don't make sense in other realms are laughed off the stage early, as those that bring them up see the logic crumble right in front their eyes.<br />
<br />
God ideas however survive for much longer, as those who promote them try to ensure that they never have to go up in front of a critical audience even as they seek critical acclaim. But you can't hide ideas from the impact of skeptical minds forever, and it's better to test them in small open venues before your ideas go on to get laughed off of the world stage.<br />
<br />
Maybe if Mohammed is given a chance to take his stand up before his critics more often in years to come, our grandchildren may one day truly be able to say that all is forgiven.<br />
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caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-45554113065859454522014-12-27T18:48:00.000-08:002014-12-27T18:48:39.973-08:00Why I embrace Christmas as an Atheist: Trying to avoid the package deal fallacy<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.plrtitan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Christmas_Gift_Basket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.plrtitan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Christmas_Gift_Basket.jpg" height="276" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't let the Christian marketers fool you: You don't have to buy everything in the Christmas basket.<br />
You can take the gifts you want and leave back the ones that don't interest you.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Another year and once again a chance to enjoy Christmas. A day that has held a special place for me since I was five years old and rushed down to the tree in my pyjamas to unwrap those magical coloured packages that 'Santa' brought.<br />
<br />
These days things are a bit different as an adult and an atheist. This is now my fifth Christmas as an atheist and every year I seem to get into some discussion with someone about why I still celebrate and perhaps more significantly why I continue to embrace the name 'Christmas' for the thing that I am celebrating.<br />
<br />
The big question from some of my believer friends is "Why celebrate Christmas if you no longer believe in Christ, his birth for mankind and the truth of the Christian gospel?" The big question from some of my atheist friends is "Why celebrate Christmas if you no longer believe in Christ, his birth for mankind and the truth of the Christian gospel?"<br />
<br />
That's right, this is one time of the year when the believer and non believer question can be the same. There is a view on both sides of the theistic divide that Christmas is for the Christians. This is not by any means the perspective of all, but it has significant sway it seems. These people believe that if there is any mass an atheist should be playing on the morning of the 25th, it shouldn't be the one with Jesus' name.<br />
<br />
I think this is unfortunate. I continue to celebrate Christmas and call it 'Christmas' and try to enjoy it to the fullest. I believe that we atheists that have come up in a culture where Christmas has had significance within the family and wider society should do the same. I'll explain why.<br />
<br />
<b>Anything to keep you in the 'club'</b><br />
<br />
It is not difficult to understand why many Christians are unhappy to see atheists and secular people on the whole embrace what they see as being THEIR festival. For Christianity and indeed religions on the whole, the main goal is getting and keeping as many people in the 'club' as possible. The arguments for the belief in the doctrine collapse easily on their own logic so it is important that other types of social pressures or manipulations are there to keep you in their camp. One of the ways to keep you in the 'club' is to maximize the benefits from being in the group and withholding as many of the benefits as possible (or even dish out punishments) if you decide you prefer to stay outside. Yes, once you deny their saviour they immediately want to place you on the naughty list.<br />
<br />
It's the proverbial 'carrot and stick' technique that is epitomized to a large extent by the creation of the various heavens and hells in different faiths. But it doesn't end there. There is an earthly aspect too. Although they claim that becoming a Christian is giving up all the tempting attractive worldly goods, the truth is that leaving Christianity also means giving up the numerous attractions of being in faith.<br />
<br />
Christmas with all that goes with it, is seen by a section of believers as one of those in-house treats. The rich traditions of colours, lights, trees, mistletoe, gift giving, music, food and all manner of consumption of alcoholic beverages is fun for many people who believe nothing of miracles, Magis or mangers. The general good will, joy and happiness that go along with the festivities makes it something that millions the world over are keen to latch on to.<br />
<br />
So, of course one way to make atheists pay for going for the rational over the religious is to tell us we have to give up all of the activities of the festival that bear their saviour's name. Of course, as people like Seth Andrews The Thinking Atheist' have repeatedly pointed out, most aspects of Christmas have nothing at all to do with Christianity. Most of what people love about Christmas comes from much older practices of pagan origin. Even the date of December 25th was the birthdate of many 'gods' that came down to earth long before the Christ child.<br />
<br />
All of this is undeniable, but the fact is that whatever you say, the celebration still carries the name of CHRISTmas and believers milk that for all that is worth. If atheists or church people who enjoy the season can be convinced that they need to stay in the Christian fold if they want to truly enjoy Christmas, the church benefits from increased club membership and club dues.<br />
<br />
<b>Keep Christ in Christmas but don't dare give church kids a 'Christ' gift on that day</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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That is why the "Keep Christ in Christmas", "Put Christ in your Christmas" and "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" campaigns are so important. Christians that make such remarks and protest the over commercialization of the day know full well that Christmas is not centred on the baby Jesus and will almost certainly never be. Neither would they want it that way. Show me the Christian parent who would dare forego buying a 'Star Wars' lego set to purchase a 'Jesus Christ Super Star' figurine for their eight year old son. You can talk about keeping Christ in Christmas all you want, but put Christ in a Christmas present and you are history. Most Christian youngsters would rather get a lump of coal in their stocking than have it stuffed with something 'Christ filled' and they'll let their parents know it. So, if Christian parents want to prevent a juvenile war on Christmas they know that they have to keep their Christ far away from the Christmas tree.<br />
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Yes, by and large, Christians are happy to keep Christmas the way it is. The Jesus part is just lip service, but it is important lip service. The message is that if you don't at least claim a belief in the Jesus baby and the surrounding story you don't get to do all the other fun stuff.<br />
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<b>The Package Deal Fallacy</b><br />
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It's the package deal fallacy. Marketers often indulge in this type of practice. If you have an item that people don't want and something that is very popular, you tell them in order to get popular item 'X' you need to buy this other superfluous item 'Y'. So they trap you into buying 'Y" when you don't need it and often don't even want it. But the result is that 'Y' flies off the shelves and gets into the hands of consumers. Then the makers of 'Y' can claim their product is a best seller. So they can make you buy the transistor radio with the smartphone you want just to make sure their old time radios don't go extinct.<br />
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We can't let the Christian marketers get away with that type of thing. As consumers of Christmas we can buy what we want and leave back the things we don't care for. Many of us have bought a lot of it but have opted to leave that weird looking baby Jesus on the shelf. Belief in a claim should be based solely on whether the evidence for that claim is reasonable. If the answer to that is 'NO' it means you can and should reject that premise, but this should have absolutely no bearing on whether you choose to continue to practice any traditions that may be associated with the belief. As I have said in one of my earliest blogposts, tradition does not equal truth.They may often be sold together but they don't have to be bought together. We have to resist the package deal fallacy and we do that by explaining to Christians that we are free to continue to hold to their traditions while rejecting the beliefs. Throw out the baby and keep the bathwater.<br />
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<b>Bathwater yes! Baby no!</b><br />
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There are quite a few people that find a lot of value in the bathwater after the baby is gone. They can find some degree of nourishment in the traces of the babies dead skin in the water even as the blood and the body are rejected. We should not be afraid to continue to enjoy the music, sing the hymns admire the art and poetry if we still get some enjoyment and fulfilment from them. We have to remind believers that being an atheist simply means we don't believe the god they believe in exists. It REALLY is nothing more than that. It's not hypocrisy to continue to do some stuff associated with religion when we don't believe in the central doctrine. Hypocrisy would be pretending to believe in the doctrine when we don't. To not believe but explain we practice something because we identify with aspects of the culture is not only fair enough but something that should be encouraged. What we need to do is find a place to practice these outside of a church service context because staying in the church keeps us in their club and helps swell their numbers which is not in our best interest. But concerts featuring the church music are certainly great as far as I am concerned.<br />
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<b>Enjoying Messiah Myth Music</b><br />
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So it was for me this year. I had the pleasure of attending a wonderful performance of Handel's Messiah with the Calgary Symphony Orchestra. The concert was every bit as moving as it was when I listened to similar performances as a young Anglican in Barbados. As a side note, I have to say that I got a totally different meaning out of the piece '<b>All We Like Sheep'</b>. I smiled all the way through that one. I couldn't help but feel that Handel highlighted the entire problem with Christianity today in that single title and opening line. I wondered for a moment if Handel in a cheeky way was giving his own satirical take on the gospel. If only Christians would listen to the words coming forth from their own bibles and their own mouths. We can only live in hope.<br />
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But I digress, the point I am making here is that Handel's music is for me an essential part of Christmas and the fact that it surrounds a myth doesn't diminish the beauty in any way. We as atheists shouldn't have to apologize to other non believers for going back to enjoy something from the faith museum that we grew up visiting week after week or year after year. Neither should we have to deal with Christians trying to pick from our love of the tenor line in "And The Glory of the Lord" that our hearts are secretly yearning to join them back in God's kingdom.<br />
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No atheist should be pressured into taking part in an aspect of religious ritual or celebration they no longer feel comfortable engaging in but by the same token, no atheist should be pressured to give up an aspect of religious culture that they feel happy to keep doing. Indeed, whenever atheists engage in something from a religious tradition, it gives us an opportunity to emphasize that you don't need to give up other things when you admit that you don't believe. This is important because many atheists, including myself, for years identified ourselves as Christian because we liked and appreciated the culture, especially the music. We bought into the package deal fallacy by assuming that our love of choral arrangements and organ improvisations was all part of our love for God and belief in his inspired word. It's only when we recognized we could look at our beliefs solely on their own logic with no additional trappings of culture and social expectations that we were able to break free of our indoctrination. So emphasizing the importance of analyzing religious beliefs ONLY on their logic and evidence to those still in the faith gives them the chance to take that same approach that many of us eventually took. Maybe one day they will reach the same conclusion we have. That's how we will end up with more non believers and have a chance of strengthening our secular movement adding to those of us who champion reason, logic and evidence.<br />
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So when we who are atheists seek to encourage atheists to not celebrate Christmas and opt instead for going with Winter Solstice, Newtonmass, Festivus or push to popularize a more generic "Happy Holidays" we may not be doing ourselves a favour. I am not saying that these other celebrations don't have their place, because they definitely do. But if we over emphasize these we can play right into the Christian 'package deal' argument that says Christmas is only for the Christ followers.<br />
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<b>Keep the name but broaden the nature of the traditions</b><br />
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Each year Christmas embraces more traditions and becomes potentially an umbrella that more and more people can exist under. That to me is a benefit not a drawback. Christmas does not and should not mean the same thing to everybody. The more we can get Christmas to embrace new traditions the more people will be able to feel that they actually belong. In a world where we have divisions over race, religion, gender, nationality and political ideologies the potential of a festival that unifies us across our common humanity is exciting and attractive.<br />
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At the moment the celebration most likely to do that is Christmas, notwithstanding the identification of one single religion in its name. But lets not fixate too much on this nomenclature. Already many don't associated Christmas with Christ's mass. It's just a name connoting no more feelings of a religion that when we talk to Christine, Christopher or Christian.<br />
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For me December the 25th is Christmas, has always been Christmas and will also be Christmas. It's being dressed in my cassock and rough singing treble as a 12 year old in the St. Michael Cathedral Choir Nine Lessons and Carols. It's playing Christmas carols with the Christ the King Church ensemble outside Super Centre. It's using every ounce of energy from my lungs to make my clarinet be heard above the blast of the pipe organ at Christ the King Church in 'O Come all ye Faithful' at midnight mass. It's playing and singing with the Cavite Chorale back in university days in Barbados. It's appearing with the gospel band 'Promise' in the park on Christmas morning. It's treasure hunts for Christmas presents in the house as a kid in Rock Dundo Barbados. All these things I did in the name of Christmas and I won't and can't delete such memories from my December holiday hard drive. There's an emotional connection I get with Christmas that I can't get from a vague wish of 'Happy Holidays' or ' Have a fine Winter Solstice'.<br />
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If you are an atheist and you never had such traditions and memories with Christmas, by all means celebrate something else or don't celebrate at all. I certainly would never judge you negatively for it.<br />
But if you are an atheist like me who has had Christmas written all throughout your heart and history, give it a chance. Let's play our part in further secularizing this pagan festival. Let the Christian's keep the name. Let them have their moment to bask in some glory.even as we know that all they have is the Word. The Word that they think is key to salvation while we see a symbol of a relic long past.<br />
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A Christmas 'tree' that carries their name at the root, paganism in the overlapping rings of the trunk and our secular traditions in the modern branches makes the resulting 'evergreen' something that both those that believe and those that don't can justly identify with. That's what I think makes Christmas special. If we do it right, Christmas may one day be something that all the world can truly share.<br />
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Because having a holiday season where believers celebrate one holiday and non believers celebrate another one is not ideal. The holidays should be about families, communities and the world coming together, breaking down the barriers that tend to divide us. It should not be a time where we seek to separate ourselves based on our differences in philosophies about origins of the universe. More and more families are now going to have a mix of believers and non believers and having that divide over holiday celebrations will only add to the tension.<br />
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So let's see what we can do with Christmas, keep Christ in it but let's keep adding more things, take it in all the other directions it can go to make more human beings culturally feel a part. Those who grew up with traditions in Islam, Judaism, Hinduism or Buddhism will be wondering why this western religion has to be the chosen world celebration ahead of the ones embedded in other peoples in the world. I take that point, but hopefully in time their traditions will be included in Christmas too and the origin of the name will fade in importance. Then the role of Christ in Christmas will actually become as relevant as the role of Thor in Thursday.<br />
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Who knows? One day historians may be arguing among themselves about whether the popular December festival's name hearkens back to an ancient religion that came from a Jewish tribe or finds it's genesis from the name of a famous champion of anti religion, who came to wake us all from our intellectual slumber by giving humanity a 'hitchslap' of salvation.caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-84357411460497198902014-10-26T19:41:00.000-07:002014-10-26T19:43:01.047-07:00Doesn't the truth matter? <div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">I have observed an interesting change over the years as I have continued my discussions of theological matters with theists. In the early days I got inundated with arguments for why the universe testifies to God's </span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">existence.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><b> </b>'Look at the birds, the trees, the planets, pretty flowers and beautiful sunsets.' </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">These I call the 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' argument for God. Many Christians just consider these signs of a god obvious and are often flummoxed when non believers push back and say that these things prove nothing. The existence of the universe is evidence for the existence of the universe, nothing more, nothing less. No, you don't need a creator. Just because you call it a creation doesn't make it so.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">As my friends that are Christians have become more and more aware of the weakness and the circularity of saying that God's creation proves God and that God's existence is proven through his creation, they've changed tact. They have switched to the </span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; line-height: 22px;">'Well, if it helps people it can't be bad, right? ' argument. What I call the 'utility' argument for belief in God that many refer to as belief in 'belief'. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 16.5pt;">People will say that religion has a record of motivating people to do good, keeping people from harming others, giving people a sense of purpose and reassuring them of a better life in the great beyond to keep them from falling into the desolation here on earth.</span></div>
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So many times I have been asked what I intend to replace religion with once I have stripped it away. I have been told over and over again that people need something to believe in, something to hold on to.These are all valid points and issues that are certainly open to debate. <span style="line-height: 16.5pt;">But what people don't realise when they present me these arguments is that they are reinforcing to me that the God they believe in doesn't exist. With every appeal to how belief in their God is helpful it becomes clear they have no good argument to put on the table for why their God is real.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 16.5pt;">Surely the strongest defence you can bring for holding on to a particular belief is that the belief is true. If Christians could clearly demonstrate that, there would be no reason to go on to all these secondary arguments for faith. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 16.5pt;">In no other area of life do we spend time debating whether it is better to spread belief in a lie rather than the truth. I have never attended or read about any international conferences that have been held to discuss whether we should opt for reassuring lies over difficult truths because it might be better for people.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 16.5pt;">No one argues that we should work to suppress the truth about Ebola, AIDS or Chikingunya because it would reassure people that they live in a healthy world. In those cases, we recognize the far greater dangers we will face if we don't deal with reality head on.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 16.5pt;">No one is setting up missionary trips to push universal belief in Santa Claus because the idea of an omniscient saint who knows when 'you've been bad or good' and rewards you accordingly would help to keep kids all over the globe in line. Nobody as far as I know has made it their goal to seek to extend this delightful delusion into the over 20s so that grown ups around us will cut down on their naughtiness too.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 16.5pt;">Indeed, if what matters in faith is how we are led to behave or how it makes us feel, why don't we just construct a religion to have all those elements we want? We could make religions that speak about how to treat technology and the importance of minimizing climate change, we could author new 'holy books' with commandments about not texting and driving or how to invest wisely. If usefulness is what matters and pragmatism is what it's all about, why don't we just dive right in and come up with a 'create a religion' app that works on all platforms, ensures the optimum in behaviour of us all and equality in treatment right across society with no 'us' versus 'them'?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; line-height: 22px;">So why DON'T we do that? The truth is that truth does matter to </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">believers.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">I don't think I have ever attended any religious service anywhere where I have not heard the word 'truth' uttered at sometime or another.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">At my church I used to hear about </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">The TRUTH of the gospel.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">The TRUTH of Jesus' sacrifice for all mankind</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">The TRUTH of salvation</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">The TRUTH of everlasting life</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Here in Calgary there is a church that even has the audacity to call is self simply 'Truth Church'.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Hank Haanegraph who runs the 'Bible Answer Man' podcast has as his tagline ' Because the truth matters.'</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Yes, religion's huge selling point is TRUTH. Each of them has it and they do everything to convince you that YOU need to know it. That's their big marketing strategy. They are selling TRUTH, of course whether people buy it is a different matter altogether. But once they get a few customers, they can usually survive. Churches know full well that they would not have a snowball's chance in hell of surviving without playing the ' We have the ONE truth' game.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><b>Don't ask don't tell: Keeping congregations in the dark</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">When I point this out to believers of different types, they tend to object. They tell me that their faith is not about certainty, that they question their pastors regularly and that they grapple with doubts and it's not fair to lump them in with the fundamentalists who say that they know for sure. That's all well and good, but the layers of doubts and uncertainties come from those in the pew not from those in the pulpit. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">How many times have you heard a preacher even in the most liberal of churches go up to a pulpit and speak about his or her doubts or doubts that exist within the doctrine he or she is promoting? And of course they will never ever talk about doubts of the existence of the God they are preaching about. But why not? In other areas of life people often speak about the arguments out there in society against their positions and actually ADDRESS THEM! Any scientist positing a hypothesis that does not speak about the objections of others in the field to it is not taken seriously. Why are those in churches so happy to let their leaders get away without responding to </span><span style="line-height: 22px;">the points of those raised from other sides?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">For every religion in the world there are more people that reject that doctrine than accept it. No denomination can lay claim to having more than 50% of the world's population. Yet the existence of gods being preached about are spoken about as if they are as clear to humans as the existence of the sun. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">There are doubts about the authorship of the gospels, historical accuracy of the exodus, the crucifixion story and as Richard Carrier would tell you, even the existence of Jesus himself. Many priests especially those that went to top theological colleges are well aware of these doubts and controversies among scholars but will not dare speak of them to their congregations. They withhold the </span><span style="line-height: 22px;">truth even as they go out of their way to proclaim to all and sundry that they speak only in its name. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">They know that the Genesis stories are ancient Jewish myths. They know that the talking snakes, magic gardens and floating zoos are as real as any of Aesop's fables. They also know that their congregations by and large, buy these stories literally. When atheists like me come along to talk to their faithful and break the news that it's mythical and not mystical, they think we non-believers are the crazy ones. I am sure they would have a heart attack to know that very likely the views of their pastors align much more with my perspective than theirs.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">It's hard to live with the fact that the group of people that follow the word 'TRUTH' so much forsake it so often. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">When I went to Anglican churches, the supposed leaders of the liberal, I heard them say that 'This IS the word of the Lord' not</span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; line-height: 22px;"> ' This may be' or 'this might be' or ' this could be.' </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">So truth does matters to religious people, that's why they join religions in the first place. They like the comfort that certainty brings. It's also the reason that many of them feel uncomfortable about leaving religion and being atheists or agnostic. When we say we don't know it scares them. It's just not good enough, they have to put their money on the people who 'KNOW'. But saying you know doesn't mean you do any more than me saying I am a millionaire results in a six figure deposit being lodged in my savings account.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Indeed, if churches were more honest about the limits of their knowledge I might still be attending them today. If only they would stay something like this </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><b><span style="line-height: 22px;">" We come here on Sundays because we value the social support we give each other and the love that is shared among us. We respect the tradition from which our faith has emerged but recognize that the truth claims made are dubious at best and many of the claims are plain ridiculous in light of the scientific knowledge of the 21st century. However, we think that there are certain basic teachings that come along with our faith tradition that are beneficial both to individuals and society and we choose to focus on these principles as we seek to make a better world for ourselves and everyone we may influence or come </span></b><span style="line-height: 22px;"><b>into contact with</b>.'</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Now that is a church I could get behind. That would be a real 'Truth Church' . Truthful about what it knows and what it doesn't. Recognising that the true value of the congregation is in the people and the solidarity and support that could be given. The funny thing is, is that you will hear this type of statement from church people quite often but usually only when the truth claims they start by affirming have been torn apart. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Preachers don't talk about doubts because they know if they did their church would be empty in a few weeks. Believers aren't looking for 'ifs', 'buts', 'maybes' or 'on the other hands'. It's all about what IS. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">But it's not fair for churches to be able to go about catching their prey through a classic 'bait and switch'. They reel you in with unreal 'truth talk' and then keep you there with an ' It makes you feel better' appeal. That's dishonest. If you are selling your beliefs based on 'truth' then you have to back up with arguments that speak to 'truth'. How it makes you feel inside or the purpose it gives you in your life are irrelevant to what's real.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><b>Useful? Only if you make yourself believe the unbelievable</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">I know after all this talk, there will still be a few who will prefer to take that 'fantasy' pill. The one that works and tastes good too. The thing is that when you look at it, all these cited benefits of 'belief' are only helpful if you believe. And to believe in a religion like Christianity you have to suspend reason, attempt to believe the unbelievable and claim to comprehend the incomprehensible. Convincing yourself of facts that you know that you would reject out of hand in any other context, ultimately unthinking your way out of reality. How useful is that really?</span></span></div>
caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-86912707408774684792014-09-26T18:26:00.001-07:002014-09-26T22:17:41.670-07:00Breaking the silence: Being in Barbados as an 'out' atheist, and other reflections on a year of transition<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OHccmW4OuJw/VCXaQLAaCOI/AAAAAAAAAlY/JXgMUT_fD38/s1600/photo-5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OHccmW4OuJw/VCXaQLAaCOI/AAAAAAAAAlY/JXgMUT_fD38/s1600/photo-5.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atheist meet-up during my most recent visit to Barbados. A memorable evening<br />
and sign of hope for things to come!</td></tr>
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It's been a long, long time. Over a year !!<br />
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Can't believe I have gone so long without making an entry in this blog.<br />
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Don't think that the lack of writing in any way signified that nothing interesting was going on in my life. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is there was perhaps too much happening, lots of things to think about and reflect on. There were so many times when I thought to write, but I think it was a matter of trying to figure out what I should say, what I could say and how I should say it.<br />
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What I have realised, is like anything else, writing blogs is a habit. When you're in the groove you seem able to churn them out weekly almost with no effort. But when you lose the habit and find one week, two weeks, three weeks, a month, six months, a year has gone by without you saying anything it becomes harder and harder to break the silence, even when you know deep inside that you have a thousand things to say.<br />
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As I look back and see my last blog post, I remember the wonderful Black Out Secular Rally we had in New York last year and the exciting launch of the Caribbean Secular Alliance (CSA) we had back then. The formation of the CSA was an exciting beginning and one I had personally looked forward to making happen for a long time. I was impressed with the team of secularists that we had from countries as diverse as Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Grenada, Dominica and USVI. Many of these key members present at the inaugural meeting live or online were either avid bloggers and/ or podcasters. It was a thrill to be able to assemble and then be a part of such a group.<br />
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But with high hopes of building on this group, I faced my own start-up challenges both professionally and personally. I had recently completed my PhD degree in Calgary where I had focused on the development of renewable energy technologies in the Caribbean and was exploring the possibility of returning to Barbados or the Caribbean to work on projects there. At the same time I have been pursuing interests within Canada and as a result the last year has seen me travelling to Barbados and the Caribbean quite a bit both for work and general reconnecting. However, I remain based in Calgary, Canada.<br />
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On the personal front, last year I separated from Heather, my wife of 13 years. It was a break that came just one month before my thesis defence and it sent my world into a tailspin. Heather is from Barbados and of course I have many memories there of being with her when I was there last. I knew I still had quite a bit to deal with emotionally and still do.<br />
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To say that I had much on my plate over the last year and a half, would be the epitome of understatement. I got through 2013 thanks to a lot of support from family and friends, some old and some new. But it certainly wasn't all gloomy. I had something to celebrate in being a brand new 'doctor' and with the formation of the CSA now behind me I had something new to get my teeth into and drive forward.<br />
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But just as I was at that pinnacle, I found myself feeling emotionally drained and unfortunately my work in secularism took a hit. I wasn't able to continue with the 'Freethinking Island' podcast which I had been doing frequently with co host Joy Holloway- D' Avilar. The blogging stopped and after a few initial meetings of planning we have not in recent times had meetings with the CSA.<br />
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I felt disappointed to not be taking an active role in a movement that I feel so proud to be part of, but I just needed to take some time for myself. Still, I kept being involved in the dialogue and meeting people and talking on the subject. I just wasn't writing or getting things in podcasts. Today I am finally putting thoughts back into words<br />
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<b>Interacting with the believers in Barbados</b><br />
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It was an interesting mix of emotions going back to Barbados in 2013. My friends there had so much to talk about when it came to me. The two big topics were of course the news of my two break ups. As far as my divorce from God was concerned, that was starting to become common knowledge in many circles in Barbados. It didn't take me long to realise that inspite of the deafening silence from my friends in Barbados that often accompanied my facebook status updates, blogs and podcasts announcements about my non belief, people were reading.<br />
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I will never forget when driving through Bridgetown, I heard a good friend shout at me through the window " Hey Incey (that's what many of my childhood friends call me), Man I read all of your stuff!"<br />
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That had an impact on me. I found it telling. This guy has never made a single comment on anything I ever posted, yet he was reading. Even though he hadn't seen me for years that was the first thing he thought to say when he set eyes on me.<br />
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There were others who were not so forthright in talking about my writing, but whenever the subject of religion came up in conversation I could see they were well aware of my new perspective on the divine. On one occasion I met a friend from school. We started out just catching up on what we had been up to in recent years and she mentioned about her involvement in teaching Sunday School. I casually stated that I used to be involved in that sort of thing but now I was no longer a believer.<br />
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She smiled knowingly, as if she was waiting for me to bring it up. Then she did her best to win me back over telling me all about the love of God and 'evidence' for his existence with some not so fine tuned cosmological and teleological arguments. When all was said and done, we had been standing there talking in the open for well over an hour. It happened to be an overcast day and the sun popped out from behind a stubborn cloud just at the moment that she made a point about how powerful He is and the great things He had done in her life. Her smile beamed as the sun rays suddenly streamed down, " There, look at how God is showing himself to you."<br />
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I gave a little chuckle and thought about the weakness of belief. It was one of those times when you get something from a believer that is kind of half joke. Deep down they know it's lame. At least I think they must do, but they still hope that you will go 'hmm'. Or maybe it's just a good distraction, something you'll both laugh at to forget the hammering that they just got when the logic of their argument was pulled to shreds.<br />
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This type of interaction was repeated in Barbados on many occasions. I got to know about all the struggles with health, relationships, finances, jobs, studies and much more more that friends and acquaintances of mine have had to go through in the last few years. They revealed these things to me to show me how real their gods have been in getting them through these situations, giving them strength to cope where they would not have been able to do it otherwise.<br />
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I think I made a discovery. For any of you in the Caribbean who like to 'know people business', just go up to a person and tell them you don't believe in God and ask them why they believe and wait for the 'testimonies'. If you are patient you'll have all the inside gossip of their lives. All jokes aside, it just amazed me that these people expected that such stories would move me. That somehow, hearing THEIR testimony was the one thing I needed to sway me back to faith.<br />
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Didn't they realise that I have been hearing these types of stories poured out to me constantly for five years plus? What would make theirs a game changer?<br />
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I have had so much experience with these discussions now I took some time and formulated the following template. Here is what they say:<br />
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<u><b>Testimony Template</b></u><br />
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<b>(1). At some point in life I had a very difficult situation to deal with. </b><br />
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<b>Today, either 2a, 2b or 2c accurately represents reality.</b><br />
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<b>(2a) At some point (seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years or decades later) I got through that difficult situation. </b><br />
<b>(2b) I haven't got through the situation but I have faith that I will get through the situation someday. </b><br />
<b>(2c) I haven't got through the situation and don't think I ever will but I have learnt to live with the situation and adapt accordingly.</b><br />
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<b>Therefore I can be sure that (3) is the case.</b><br />
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<b>(3). God is real and never fails me.</b><br />
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<b>If skeptic is not convinced, go back to step (1) and mention another difficult situation that had to be dealt with. Repeat cycle.</b><br />
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<b>When there is no movement on the part of the skeptic after several cycles, he or she is accused of being close minded by rejecting every example. That's how it works.</b><br />
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One of the most interesting interactions I had on that first Barbados visit came with a friend I used to play with regularly at church. He revealed that the priest at a church we used to perform at had got wind of my atheism. According to him, they 'went ballistic' and wondered how I could possibly do 'something like that.' He said that that he himself was not sure if I would ever be welcomed back into the church again given what he had witnessed in terms of the response from the priest.<br />
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This revelation had a profound effect on me. Up until that point, I always considered the decision about whether to go into a church or not in terms of my comfort level. Did I feel like I really belonged there? Was I being hypocritical? Could I justify it based on the social aspects of the service? Was there enjoyment I could get out of singing the hymns or playing the music even if I no longer believed? Were their things I could learn from the sermon or the lessons even though I rejected the overall doctrine? Could I make it through the tedium of the Te Deum and all the rest of the droning?<br />
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But never, never had I thought about things the other way around. The perspective of how they would feel. Would they want to have me? It's then I realized of course the big difference between being an atheist and being a person that everybody knows is an atheist. On my trip to Barbados in 2011 the former was the case. Now things were different.<br />
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I began thinking about reactions that I have had from people after saying I have been to church or a religious event.<br />
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" Wait, and the church roof didn't fall down?" ,<br />
" Lightning didn't strike you?"<br />
" Nobody didn't hold you to douse you with holy water?"<br />
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These comments of course are meant in jest and I take them in the spirit that they are meant. Indeed, even atheists tease me like this sometimes. But I think there is a seriousness that lies behind these comments sometimes, because deep down some people are a little uneasy about knowing that there is an ungodly mingling with the godly, especially during worship. The unsaved 'black sheep' that could contaminate the pristine flock.<br />
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Much as the idea of me being struck down by lightning during mass may seem a ridiculous notion, I am sure that if anything 'out of the ordinary' happened on a Sunday morning while I was there, people would make connections. Suppose the large crucifix hanging from the roof suddenly gave way under its weight and fell to the floor, or someone in the choir feinted due to an asthmatic attack and had to be carried to hospital or a bird in need of defecating suddenly flew into the church and decided to 'bless' the altar.<br />
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I know there would be people in the church that would think that these were not be coincidences. The same mindset that leads them to make the joke about 'how come lightning didn't strike David' would make them at least wonder if their God was sending them a message about having 'non believers' or opposers to the doctrine in church. Worse yet, they might wonder whether my presence had opened some portal from hell that Satan was now barrelling through.<br />
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I began to realize that given the public stand against religion that I had taken, things would not be quite the same for me now if I walked into a 'House of God'. Now it would be more difficult to go into a church in Barbados and sit incognito at the back and hang out. Probably nobody would talk to me openly, but they would be watching, looking for signs. If I smiled or appeared to be enjoying any aspect of the service they would take that as evidence that I wasn't really the 'non believer' I purported to be on line. I was just a meek sheep in wolf's clothing. If I rolled my eyes, shook my head or chuckled after hearing an absurd line like ' Our father who lives in heaven' this would be taken as gross disrespect for their faith. They would be wondering why I came to mass if I am not going to behave properly. I felt that being at church would be truly a 'damned if I do, damned if I don't' proposition.<br />
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So, I took the decision to just not go. Not even to see old friends or have the experience of what it's like. Honestly, I didn't really want to be there anyway. It has become harder and harder for me to ignore all the harm that faith and 'non evidence based thinking' has inflicted and continues to inflict on our world. It's so easy to think when you live in a place like Barbados that you have a benign faith, but it is important to look beyond your cocoon. I get angry when people say they know when they know that they don't know. When they think that saying that they know will suddenly magically give them the knowledge that they seek.<br />
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So, I met with former colleagues from church in other places to the extent that I could. I had many conversations long into the night, both one and one and in groups. These interactions made me recognize that there is still a lot about atheism that is not understood. The strong level of religious indoctrination which transcends every aspect of culture makes the belief that everybody 'believes in something' widespread.<br />
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They believe that as an atheist your faith must be in Satan or Darwin or 'science' must be your religion. I have tried to explain on many occasions that atheism is not a belief in something but actually a response to theism. Saying ' I disagree' to the person that says ' There is a god'.<br />
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Still, it's hard for them to escape the widely held notion that everybody has a faith and their belief that we choose the one we want in the same way we choose which shirt we put on in the morning. It appears to be a huge challenge for people to get their head around the fact that when it comes to religion, it's quite acceptable to go out naked.<br />
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Through all the discussions I have had in Barbados, I continue to hear that I am merely on a journey seeking and there are more than a few that are confident I will one day return to god. They implore me to keep thinking, but they don't realize that if they want me back that is the very thing they should discourage me from doing.<br />
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Nonetheless, I have to say that on the positive side there is a feeling in Barbados that everyone is open to follow the life that they choose and they therefore have no right to be hostile to me about my atheism. Generally, they are prepared to respect me once I respect them. I am Ok with that but wish they were more prepared to engage me on the conflicting ideas rather than agreeing to disagree which so many of them prefer to do.<br />
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<b>Atheists in Barbados</b><br />
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The situation for non believers in Barbados is improving albeit slowly. Atheists in the country are beginning to feel more comfortable identifying themselves as such and I was very encouraged to have 14 people attending the atheist meet up on the island while I was there. (See photo at the top of the page)<br />
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In addition to those pictured in the photo, I got quite a few messages of support from people who expressed their deep regret for not being able to be there that evening. These I see as encouraging signs for the movement there. I think we now have a core set of persons living in he island who can promote the virtues of reason in the public domain and provide an effective opposing voice to the bombardment of the various religious views that are heard everyday. I take the time here to make special mention of Brian Vaughn (Nairb Nhguav on Facebook). This week he has started the facebook group Agnostic, Atheists and Freethinkers of Barbados which I hope will build the community and let those in Barbados who have lost their faith or are having doubts recognise that they are not alone.<br />
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When speaking of changing attitudes to religion in Barbados, some of the atheists pointed to the outcry in the island over the visit of the controversial Pastor Benny Hinn. Lots of people went on their facebook pages and called him out as a fraud. They didn't think that Bajans would have been bold enough to do that even five years ago. That is at least a small sign that things are changing.<br />
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<b>Then and now - Feelings of being an atheist</b><br />
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When I look back over my time as an atheist, I see significant changes that I have gone through. I think when you first become an atheist the feelings are a bit like when you first fall in love. There is a beautiful mixture of excitement and fear. You want to tell the world of your discovery but at the same time your heart patters with trepidation.<br />
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How will my family react? What will my Christian friends think of me now? Will they be angry? Will they pity me? Will they disown me? Will they breakdown in tears at the thought of going to an eternity in paradise while I writhe in unimaginable pain in the depths of hell?<br />
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At the beginning I had no idea what the various reactions would be and I had all sorts of imaginary conversations where many over reactions played out in my head. For that reason, a shock used to go through my spine in the early days whenever I mentioned the 'a' word and I would drop my voice with an almost apologetic tone when I said it. I would say things like ' I identify as an atheist', or ' I consider myself an atheist' or 'I see myself as an atheist' because I could not bring myself to say what I really wanted to say which was ' I AM an atheist.'<br />
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Here I am four years later and the story is completely different. I am an atheist, fully out, unapologetically out and proudly out. I can say the phrase 'I am an atheist' without the slightest of unease. It flows off my tongue as easily as 'I come from Barbados', ' I play saxophone' or ' I live in Calgary'. Atheist simply defines who I am. At least one aspect, an important aspect. Whether I am correct or not is not really the point. Whether I got there through my own efforts or was convinced, coerced or co-opted by whoever or whatever is also irrelevant.<br />
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"He/she/ it/ they does/ do not exist."<br />
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That's my perspective on the god question, on all the gods I have heard defined or described in my life. I can't change what I believe through will or desire. I never chose to be an atheist and I can't choose not to be an atheist. So the people in my life have to accept in and move on. It is what it is and I am what I am. So, you can say I have reached a state of peace as far as that is concerned.<br />
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<b>Not always good without God but honesty much, much better in long run</b><br />
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While I was going through the initial pain of separation last year, I remember that there were atheists pushing a campaign of ' Atheists are good without god.' At the time I remember thinking that, this is probably not the message that we should be pushing. As atheists we can certainly go through all the depths that the believer can go through. Things can get bad and we can become 'bad' as a result. But what I would say is that whoever we are and wherever we are, we would not be better off with a belief in god. Well, maybe we would be if god were real, but he's not. Belief in a god who isn't there doesn't help us in the long run. It may be a plaster for the sore for a while but it won't ultimately fix us up. I still maintain that the best way to deal with reality is to understand reality as well as we possibly can, then make decisions that appear to best fit with our situations. You'll be wrong sometimes, but when you are you'll learn and you'll get better.<br />
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I can say without doubt that I feel far more free having embraced my atheism five years ago, Being able to be intellectually honest has definitely released a major load from my shoulders which I think far outweighs any social fall out that I may now be experiencing. There were times over the last year where I wished I could benefit more from the many prayers and 'god' support that my Christian friends offered up. I thank them for remembering me and I truly appreciate their support, but I prefer to look to reason as my guide. Holding on to the principle that honesty is still the best policy.<br />
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Honesty is indeed one of the main values my Christian upbringing taught me and it is this value that has ultimately led me to become an atheist. It's a touch ironic of course but it has helped to remind me that even though I have turned my back on my religious belief, I have not thrown out the foundational beliefs that I learnt alongside religion as a child. In fact, if anything I hold to those values now more strongly.<br />
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<b>Great to be back writing</b><br />
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Once again, I apologize for my extended absence from the blogging world. Thanks for those who have checked up on me in the interim, it has meant a lot.<br />
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Also happy to see the movement on the whole in the Caribbean getting stronger. It has been great to see the strides of the Jamaicans Hilaire Sobers and Clive Forrester and more recently Sharon Smith in developing the 'Yardie Skeptics' podcast and the supporting shows of ' Air Me Now' and 'Skeptically Speaking' as part of the Yardie Skeptics Network. It was with a significant measure of pride that I told atheists in Barbados about these wonderful programmes that are now available for freethinkers to be part of throughout the region. I also thank the team there for giving me a few opportunities during my 'absence' to take part in the discussions.<br />
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Of course I am still committed to getting back in the groove with 'Freethinking Island'. We returned earlier this year after the few months break and it was great to be behind the mic again as we welcomed Greta Christina and then Sharon Smith to the 'island.' Both giving us educational and entertaining interviews delivered in the forthright manner for which they are known,<br />
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We have been forced to take another break however. This time it's great news, as my cohost Joy recently gave birth. Exciting to have Mila with us and heartiest congratulations to Joy and husband Neil!<br />
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The CSA remains dormant for the time being, but I will definitely be pushing more on that front in the months ahead. Recent developments and interest in Barbados has given me more encouragement to continue to drive forward on the regional front. The atheist meet-up in Barbados gave some impetus for the group in Dominica to convene the week after. This is the kind of transfer throughout the region that I love to see. If you are interested in working with us on the regional front let me know. Happy to have those extra hands on deck.<br />
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But above all my friends, I just feel great to be back in the blogosphere today. Months I have wanted to break my silence. Endless weekends that I thought ' This is the one where caribatheist comes back." But it hasn't happened. So, today I am happy that once again I will be able to push the 'publish' button. There was much more I wanted to say in this blog ( although I know I said quite a bit) but I just let the secular spirit move me. As I get back into the writing I'll share much more about my life and adjusting to all the changing scenes that I have been through in leaving religion and relationship.<br />
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You all know that renewable energy is my business. In the cycle of energy, changes always occur. Energy is conserved, but not in the same form after a process as it was at the beginning. That is how I feel about myself today. My energy is there, I can feel the renewing after operating for a while with a battery that was well and truly drained. I don't know if I'll be the exactly the same though, as I prepare to go forward secularly once again. All I can tell you is that whatever happens I'll be there mixing it up on behalf of team 'reason'. It's what I love to do and I won't give it up for the world.caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-50397821941754264392013-08-12T19:50:00.002-07:002013-08-12T19:51:49.067-07:00Freethinking Island at the BlackOut Secular Rally<br />
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I am still buzzing from the excitement of the weekend of July 27th in New York. Joy Holloway-d'Avilar and myself made the rounds for Freethinking Island at the BlackOut Secular Rally and interviewed attendees that entertained, enlightened and enthralled.<br />
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We podcast virtually (in both senses of the word) every week but it was a rare opportunity for Joy and I to be together in the same place. We didn't have this chance since being Sunday School students in the same class more than 20 years ago. We made the most of the opportunity to produce a LIVE show.<br />
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We had a lively exchange with Jamaican Laurie James who captivated us all with her fierce passion as an unapologetic 'militant' atheist. We also spoke to Hilaire Sobers, Seon Lewis, Jeremiah Camarah, Mandisa Thomas, Joe Dixon, Gary 'Gifted Anomaly' Gibson and many more.<br />
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I was honoured to be a part of this inaugural event and have an opportunity to speak about the development of the Caribbean Secular Alliance which was formed on the day following the BlackOut. It was also a privilege to be able to interview David Silverman the President of American Atheists and get his endorsement for our new secular group.<br />
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Highlights at this rally were many. Mandisa Thomas of Black Non Believers and Ayanna Watson of Black Atheists of America deserve lots of credit for hosting it. The numbers were not huge but it was a great start and the quality of what was said on the day certainly deserves as wide an audience as possible. So, share, share, share!<br />
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I'll be writing more soon about my thoughts on the weekend, particularly regarding the formation of the Caribbean Secular Alliance. I will also have some reflections from being in Barbados, the island of my birth and the place where I grew up. People in this overwhelmingly Christian society are still trying to come to terms with my loss of faith and my role as a secular activist after I was heavily involved in the church less than five years ago.<br />
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So lots to come, but in the meantime watch and enjoy the special episode above of 'Freethinking Island' LIVE from Flashing Meadow New York.caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-30051335707576710412013-06-26T14:38:00.000-07:002013-06-26T14:38:46.644-07:00Conversing with believers: 15 things to NOT let them get away with.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Some call me a glutton for punishment, others tell me I must have been born with some type of martyr complex. Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Baha'is, Mormons, New Agers, whatever, once invited I just get in there and engage in the verbal jousting.<br />
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People don't understand why, but I usually enjoy it. I like listening to people who bring different faith angles to me, even if it is just to learn a little bit more about another irrational way of thinking. Sometimes people see my engagement as an opening to get me to their brand of belief. On the contrary, I regard a chance to bring my doubt and skepticism as an opportunity to chip away at some of those 'eye of a needle' sized cracks that may be hiding somewhere in the crevices of their faith armour.<br />
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Whatever the nature of the exchange, inevitably there are some 'sleight of hand' techniques that the believer tries to slip past my logic shield. Many times I am able to spot these and deal with them before they cause trouble later on, but little morsels of irrationally get through here and there.<br />
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Whenever I leave after having discussions with believers, I do a post mortem.<br />
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'Why didn't I challenge him on that?'<br />
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'How could I let her get away with that?'<br />
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Yes, there is always something I could have said, would have said, should have said even if I have outplayed an opponent. When I am debating with a theist I don't take comfort from a victory. The battle is primarily against myself. I am trying to just do a better job than I did last time. Learn from any mistakes until I successfully hone my craft.<br />
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Still, the idea of practising until perfect is not always enough. In a discussion you can get distracted, go down an unnecessary rabbit hole that obscures the issue, or simply succumb to raw fatigue, because theists can easily wear you down by talking around in never ending circles. Sometimes the fallacies they spout are coming at you as fast as the water that gushed from the rivers here in Calgary last week and you just can't keep up with all the nonsense.<br />
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After all the hours of talking with these believers of all stripes, I thought it was about time I produced something useful to other non believers that occasionally try to engage theists in debate. I wanted to develop a resource for those brave secular warriors who take the challenge of boldly going forth into frontiers where reason may never have gone before.<br />
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That's what this post is all about. Yes, the blog today is designed as a support for atheists. In some ways it is a note to self, a reference document to glance at during a debate to make sure I don't miss any of the contradictory, illogical or downright silliness that may be presented when I am trying to wrap up a marathon conversation at 1:00 in the morning, or terminate a discussion over an early breakfast that has morphed into lunch.<br />
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It's by no means exhaustive, but below is a list of 15 major things that I want to urge you atheists out there to NOT let believers get away with.<br />
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<b>15 things to NOT let them get away with</b><br />
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1. <b>Don't let them get away with saying their holy book has no contradictions</b>. <br />
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The way I intend to deal with this one in the future is to ask them if their 'holy book' has any gods in it. If the answer is 'yes' then their claim dies right there. For gods by nature are contradictory. Once the god of the text has powers to act in nature yet can't be established by investigating nature, he is a contradiction. Once he can give you free will while still having full control of what you can do through an unalterable plan, he is a contradiction. No need for further investigation,<br />
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2.<b> Don't let them get away with saying you haven't brought any new arguments. </b><br />
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The validity of an argument has nothing to do with how long it has been tossed around. They keep bowling the same balls at us over and over again, so it is unsurprising that we play the same strokes time after time. The arguments we make are as poignant today as there were 100 or 1000 years ago. Arguments do not have expiry dates like cartons of milk nor do they become obsolete like last years laptops or smartphones. Arguments remain valid for as long as there has been no successful defence against them.<br />
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3. <b>Don't let them get away with making up their own definitions. </b><br />
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There is nothing that theists like to play with more than definitions. It's like a slinky that they roll, twist, slide, press and pull to get whatever shape they want. Almost every word in the world of faith has an unclear definition, 'spirit', 'faith', 'worship', 'holy','transcendent', 'metaphysical', even 'God'. The definitions slip around continuously.<br />
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Consider that in Islam, a Muslim is defined as 'someone who submits to God.' Muslims will go on to point out that we know from the bible that Jesus submitted to God. Therefore Jesus was a Muslim. QED.<br />
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Yes just like that, the Christian's saviour gets sacrificed to Islam through a definition with whom only Muslims have a personal relationship. We have to let Muslims and other religionists understand that they can't go off in the corner and make up their own definitions. If they persist we'll just join them in the game too.<br />
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Since by atheists' definition, there is no such thing as a 'true god', everyone who believes in a God is not believing in the 'true God.' Therefore all Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus and other believers are atheists. They are all like us, non followers of the 'true God'. Wow! That was easy. I think it's time to re-evaluate and inflate our numbers.<br />
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<b>4. Don't let them get away with saying that the people who wrote their holy book were 'righteous' or 'noble' men or women whose word can be trusted.</b><br />
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This is laughable, but you wouldn't believe how many times that believers in different religions have told me this with a straight face. 'Righteous' and 'noble' people are indeed usually less trustworthy than the masses they represent. Reputations often don't reflect reality, especially when the claims come from their own followers who have something significant to gain from being loyal.<br />
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Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden and Hitler were well respected as 'righteous' and 'noble' by those who followed them at the time. For those on the other side, not so much. Today Mother Theresa is still regarded as a paragon of virtue and goodness by many all over the world. How much is this reputation fairly earned?<br />
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<b>5. Don't let them get away with telling you they believe with 100% certainty even though there are things within their religion that they are not sure about.</b><br />
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They say that they are sure about God and then talk to you for half an hour on all the things about God they are not sure about. Contradictions anyone? Refer to item one on this list. Enough said.<br />
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<b>6. Don't let them get away with saying they have a faith that's based on evidence and logic.</b><br />
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Oh boy, contradictions they keep a coming. If faith was based on evidence and logic then we wouldn't have to call it faith. To promote 'knowing by faith' as a virtue is to say that the best way to gain knowledge is through absence of knowledge. It is no less absurd than saying that you should pluck out both your eyes in order to attain 20/20 vision or that the best way to became a virtuoso violinist is to go through life making sure you never commit the 'sin' of picking up a bow or plucking on a string.<br />
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<b>7. Don't let them get away with assuming that because you accept a claim they make for 'the sake of argument' that you are agreeing to the truth of that claim.</b><br />
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You always have to be careful with this one. There are so many things wrong with theistic claims, that if you addressed every one during the course of a debate, discussions would probably end up lasting 40 days and 40 nights. So if you are to be effective you have to quickly recognise what points are critical to your objections and which are not. For the sake of argument, you go along with some assumptions because you know even if those patently false assumptions were true their argument would fall flat.<br />
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A lot of time theists don't get this and interpret your lack of argument as if it was acceptance. That's why they fool themselves into thinking that atheists en masse accept things like a historical Jesus. Many atheists do not, it's just that whether there was a 'real Jesus' or not is not central to the most important point, which is whether the miracles happened or not. We have to remind them that silence is not consent otherwise they will go away thinking we have conceded far more ground than we actually have.<br />
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<b>8. Don't let them get away with saying you can't judge any claims made in their holy book unless you have read the entire book.</b><br />
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This is a classic move by theists. They try to make you feel that your atheism is not really stemming from a lack of belief in God, but rather from problems you encountered from the specific version of God you grew up with. If only you were exposed to their faith you would be still in the fold of belief. It is akin to telling somebody you don't like ice cream and they respond by telling you that you just haven't found the right flavour yet. Of course it always happens that they have five or six tubs of this elusive heavenly brand sitting in their refrigerator.<br />
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Well, unless you want to end up bumbling about weighing about 800 pounds, you can't spend your life going around the world tasting every ice cream until one titillates your pallet. What the people trying to sell you the faith sweetness don't understand is that it is the principle of faith you're rejecting not any individual belief system. It wouldn't make sense to keep trying to sell ice cream to someone who has a violent reaction to having a cold tongue. Changing out chocolate for strawberry, banana or 'tootsie frootsie royale' is not going to relieve the suffering.<br />
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<b>9. Don't let them get away with claiming that your refusal to consider living by faith is close minded.</b><br />
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It is not. Faith is accepting something without having a reason to do so. It is not difficult to realise that if you accept an answer before you even look at the problem you are far less likely to be right than if you actually look at the problem and work towards an answer. Refusing to accept a proposition through faith is not closed mindedness it's making a decision to actually use your mind.<br />
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<b>10. Don't let them get away with saying that depending on reason 100% of the time is just as bad as depending on faith 100% of the time.</b><br />
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Is trying to be good 100% of the time the same as trying to be evil 100% of the time? Again, enough said.<br />
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<b>11</b>. <b>Don't let them get away with claiming that the fact you don't reject what they are saying means you accept what they are saying.</b><br />
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This is the old burden of proof mixed with the argument from ignorance fallacy that believers like to exploit. Yes, there are many claims believers make in arguments that I don't outright reject. I don't reject the possibility of the supernatural or an after life, but I am extremely far away from accepting either of these propositions.<br />
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<b>12. Don't let them get away with saying you are not like 'all the other atheists'.</b><br />
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This is an underhanded compliment that anybody who is part of a marginalised group can identify with. It's the 'I Like you' but 'I still want to discriminate the group you belong to' tactic.<br />
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Many theists that I have had discussions with have complimented me on my rational discourse but try to maintain that I am some sort of anomaly among non believers. <br />
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They claim that unlike me, most of my counterparts are rabid, foaming at the mouth militants ready to pounce on theists due to some childhood trauma they endured for which they are blaming God.We have to let the theists know that for the vast majority of us atheists, reason has been the sole guide to non belief.<br />
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<b>13. Don't let them get away with dismissing an argument as irrelevant because they don't understand it.</b><br />
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I often during exchanges with believers point out instances where they have used circular reasoning, tautologies, arguments from ignorance or special pleading. They look back at me blankly. It is clear they have no idea what I am talking about.<br />
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This is a frustration. Trying to argue logic without an understanding of logic, is as pointless as going into a workshop without bringing a single tool and expecting to construct a bookshelf a cupboard and a complete dining room set.<br />
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I have explained to people that they have manufactured a God whose existence is unfalsifiable and they grin from ear to ear thinking that this is a concession that their God is real. I don't have time to suspend an argument to teach the other person in the conversation the rules of logic. Training needs to be done before you run out on to the field of play.<br />
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Often theists use their lack of knowledge to their advantage, just ignoring the arguments that go over their heads. You are required to follow rules of logic in a discussion just as you need to follow the road traffic laws when you drive. In logic just like driving, ignorance of the law is no excuse.<br />
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<b>14. Don't let them get away after you debunk a reason they believe in their God by allowing them to say 'well that's not the only reason I believe'.</b><br />
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This is another slippery tactic. As soon as they realize a reason for why they believe in a God doesn't hold water, they quickly shift to the next one on what is always a long list. They can always come up with another reason for believing and they never acknowledge the weakness of the one that you just knocked out of the park.<br />
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Invariably the next argument up is just as bad as its predecessor, but for them it doesn't matter, once they can keep spitting out another one and another one and another one into the debate, they think they are holding their own.<br />
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Don't let them move on without acknowledging the failure of their previous attempt. Let them know that a string of bad arguments lined up together doesn't get them anywhere. One thousand times zero is still zero.<br />
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<b>15. Don't let them get away without reminding them that their 'Truth' should have absolutely nothing to fear from your continuing investigation.</b>caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-14932825768207528532013-05-24T04:54:00.002-07:002013-05-24T04:54:59.291-07:00When is the next bus coming?: Looking to reality to tell us about reality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a long time. Indeed, recent circumstances have made it difficult for me to keep up blogging with the regularity I would like. I have to apologise to those who have over the years looked forward to reading my blogposts. I appreciate and will always be grateful for your support and I will be looking to make up for my inactivity over recent months in the weeks to come.<br />
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I am happy to report that since my last post at the end of March, I have successfully defended my doctoral thesis looking at the development of renewable energy in the Caribbean. That brought to an end the piece of work that I have dedicated myself to over the last five years and it was certainly exciting as well as a great relief to complete that journey.<br />
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At the same time I have had to go through a significant life challenge. One that I hope to write about someday, but that someday is not today.<br />
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A break from blogging has not in any way meant that I have had a break from thinking. I have kept up my activism through the weekly ' Freethinking Island' podcast where I continue to be inspired by the great guests that we have had coming through. I was part of a demonstration in support of the atheist Bangladeshi bloggers here in Calgary and I have taken part in a Pathway River Cleanup with fellow atheists that produced a very unlikely reunion with Shanon. When I last saw her four years ago she was a fundamentalist Christian that would not even walk to the other side of the room unless Jesus told her. I once played music with her every week in a church group as we led worship. Since that time, unknown to each other we both took our separate journeys away from faith. Now we are both playing on the side of the atheists and are quite sure we have finally chosen the correct team.<br />
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Yes, there was much to think about in the last few months, but it is a challenge when you've been away from writing a bit and need to just pick that one idea to blog about to get you back into the groove. I was thinking about all of this today while waiting for a bus in the rain. On days like today in Calgary, any wait for public transportation seems like an eternity and while it's not as bad as being in -30 in January, it's still definitely in the uncomfortable category.<br />
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Fortunately in today's world, at least in Canada, you don't have to be left guessing about bus arrivals too much as there is a 'Teleride' phone number you can call that gives you a relatively accurate idea of how long you have to wait. Well, this morning as I took up my phone to call the automated number, I saw the trademark white with red and blue stripes of Calgary Transit in the distance and I knew my bus was on its way. Once I spotted it, I hung up the phone and put it safely in my pocket. No need for any info now, the bus was here. All I needed was to wait for it to stop and get on.<br />
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What happened this morning was nothing unusual. I have experienced this many times. You go to make the call and then you don't need to because you have your answer right there in front of you. Seems quite straightforward, but I realized today that for many in faith, looking for answers is far from being as simple as that.<br />
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For them, direct observation of the thing they are trying to find out about is not where they go to first to find out about that thing. No, their trust is more in the thing that talks about reality than reality itself. It sounds crazy, but that is exactly how it is with fundamentalist Christians. In their worldview the bible is more real than even the reality of which it is purported to speak to. When you give the thing that maps to reality greater credence than reality, you end up with absurdity. Imagine if I took a leaf out of the fundamentalists' book when I was at the bus-stop today.<br />
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I could easily reason that 'Teleride' was the true source of knowledge for all bus behaviour. Honestly, it is generally accurate and if you put your trust in what it says, you will get where you want to on time at least 80% of the time. I can vouch for this from personal experience and others I am sure can testify. So at least in terms of ability to 'prophesy' arrivals of buses, 'Teleride' has a track record. The book that the fundamentalists carry around has pointed to an 'arrival' for centuries now but neither the 'holy train' nor the luxury coach on the highway to heaven has made a stop to pick up all the eager passengers. So, from my perspective, having faith in my 'Teleride' is at least just as rational as putting faith in their bible.<br />
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So today if I was in fundamentalist mode, I should have continued to listen to the machine and get the info on the arrival times even though the bus was right in front of my nose. I should have understood that the position of the bus depended solely on where 'Teleride' said it was and it could only arrive when 'Teleride' said it would arrive. So if the automated voice said ' #72 will arrive in five minutes' I would be forced to wave on the driver of the apparent # 72. I would have to call the bus 'apparent' because it just could not be real. It would have to be a fake, the driver the equivalent of a false prophet, sent to lure unsuspecting passengers on board, taking them on a road trip to hell. I should have stood waving my cellphone wildly, scaring all the passengers climbing on board, by explaining that only 'Teleride' could answer that question that all users of public transportation since the beginning of time have wanted to know. "When is the next bus coming?"<br />
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<b>The Prophecy of 'Teleride' revealed </b><br />
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If you think that trying to rationalise away the bus that doesn't conform to the 'Teleride' prophecy is ridiculous, think again. The 'fake bus' theory is not without precedence in history. One driver told me about an incident one night when an angry passenger actually drove off one of the buses when the driver had got off momentarily. It is not uncommon here in the city for drivers to leave buses idling as they slip out for a quick smoke, toilet break or coffee when they are a couple minutes ahead of schedule. Apparently on one occasion a passenger just drove off the vehicle and it took them a couple of hours to track down this 'rogue' bus. So it can happen and has happened. Why could it not be that this morning's bus was one of those? False buses, false drivers, false passengers, I am sure I could dig up or fabricate some 'Calgary Transit' pamphlets that could be interpreted in a way that speaks to their existence. I could scoff at the public for being so gullible to believe that every bus driver sincerely has a desire to lead them to the correct destination.<br />
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I can hear atheists laughing even as I am writing this, in considering life in a world where the gospel according to 'Teleride' held sway. At the same time, I can imagine my religious friends shaking their heads vigorously. They would admonish me for using a poor analogy, for making the same mistakes all atheists make, by thinking that Christians just rely on the bible. They will no doubt tell me that their belief is based on direct experience too. Direct experience with Jesus, who they have a personal relationship with. They will let me know that they are as sure of their Jesus as I was of the existence of the #72 this morning.<br />
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But there is one big problem with a claim like this. Many people that have been hanging around their bus- stop for years have never seen this driver nor his bus. Some report seeing a bus, but it is entirely different. Maybe driven by Mohammad, Shiva or Abraham. I have even heard of a young driver called Joseph who has a sleek vehicle with gold plated license plates. I would have to question Christians as to why only people with a particular cultural and religion conditioning see the 'Jesus bus' and want to get on.<br />
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One thing about the 'Calgary Transit' buses is that they are accessible to everyone. It doesn't matter the culture, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation or level of ability or disability. Everyone can get on, but moreover everyone acknowledges when buses arrive at the bus stop. Sometimes people rush on, other times people enter circumspectly, waiting for the driver confirmation. Some get on and then get off smartly when they realise the bus is not the one they want and some just wave the bus away entirely. Everyone acknowledges or reacts to the bus in some way or the other. So even as there is no doubt about the existence of the buses, there is passenger free will as commuters can hop on and off the buses as they see fit or 'motion' them to go on if they are not interested.<br />
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<b>Infallible until it fails</b><br />
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It's hilarious to think of how much religionists skew the nature of reality right before their eyes by trying to make it fit with a book that they consider to be an infallible guide. I personally have never understood this concept of infallibility. To me there are two categories of things. Those which have failed in the past and those that haven't been seen to fail as yet. To make the leap from something you have not seen fail yet to assume that it would never fail is mind boggling. But that is what happens in the mind of the fundamentalist.<br />
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<b>' He never fail me yet, He never fail me yet, my Jesus never fail me yet!'</b><br />
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This is a favourite chorus in the Caribbean. Presumably that line is evidence that Jesus will never fail them in the future either. Well, my heart has never failed me yet, but does that justify me believing that it will never give out? A thing only needs to fail once and that is when infallibility becomes null and void.<br />
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So, no matter how accurate your book has been in the past, if it doesn't conform to the reality it purports to describe you have to go with what reality says and conclude that the book was wrong this time. Any authority can be wrong once. If you catch a bus every morning for ten years and it s never late, you can rely on it. But if one morning the bus doesn't show up you can't argue that it 'has to be there' because it has never been late before. If the bus is not there, it's not there. Doesn't matter what has happened before in history, what the statistics suggest or what is prescribed in a schedule. Reality is still reality and if you have the direct evidence available that's what should always win out.<br />
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I had the pleasure of chatting with world renowned physicist Lawrence Krauss last year when he came to Calgary and one thing he said is that if you want to find out what the universe is like you go out there and look at it. A simple message but one so often overlooked. No amount of philosophical musings and 'what ifs' can substitute for going out and making a direct measurement.<br />
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When creationists go out of their way to make the universe 6,000 years old to fit with their book rather than the 14 billion that we have been able to accurately measure through various scientific methods, they are doing just like the person who pretends that buses in Calgary are only able to behave in accordance with the word of 'Teleride.' They are like the person who maintains that only 'Teleride' can answer the ultimate question. 'When is the next bus coming?'<br />
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Creationists are like conspiracy theorists that say that all the buses, drivers, passengers and even the bus stops are fake. A God who provides that much fake evidence would be a prankster not worthy of following, far less worshipping. That God would be as silly as a public transit company that put 'dummy' buses on the road just to fool passengers.<br />
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<b>When is the next blog coming?</b><br />
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Well, I suppose the only remaining question for readers today for me is, ' When is the next blog coming?'<br />
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I won't do like the divine writer in the sky and just say I write in mysterious ways and bloggers' 'time' is different from readers' 'time'. I'll try to return to some kind of earrhly schedule. Those of you that take buses regularly know that sometimes when you have a long wait for a bus, two come in close succession. I am trusting that what is true for the bus will turn out to be true for this blog as well.<br />
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Meanwhile, I hope you enjoyed the return ride today! </div>
caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-25827015281956389042013-03-31T22:32:00.000-07:002013-03-31T22:34:17.083-07:00A long way to go to get past the bigotry: 'NO GAYS!' headline in Barbados newspaper highlights disturbing attitude<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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NO GAYS!</div>
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That was the blaring headline of the <i>Nation Publications</i> 'Saturday Sun' of yesterday, March 30th, 2013. I cringed when I saw it. It's a headline that makes all of us that live in, or have roots in Barbados seem backward and bigoted. It is ironic that it came at the end of a week where many in the world made their support for marriage equality known through changing facebook profile pics and making various statements to emphasise that people should not be discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation. All the while the Supreme Court in the US was hearing oral arguments in the Proposition 8 Case dealing with these same issues.</div>
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When I saw the headline, I and most other readers I suspect, had no idea of the context of the statement. No Gays? No Gays in what? Where do we want to bar them from now? Who is making the statement? The sub heading gave a clue by revealing that it was all about the Chief Scout and his organization.</div>
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It may seem a bit odd to say, but for me that didn't really matter. The headline was in my view distasteful in the way it lashed out at a minority group. The message to them was ' We don't want you!'</div>
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Newspaper headlines are things you glance at quickly. The words hit you out of the corner of your eye when driving as you see the vendor at the side of the road, or catch your attention in the front of a bookstore in an airport terminal as you hustle to catch your next flight. Most people who see the headlines are never going to read the fine print below, but the impact of the words can be devastating.</div>
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We can recognise this by inserting another group for 'Gays' in that headline. The one that comes to mind first is 'Blacks.' What would the reaction have been if the front page headline had read 'NO BLACKS!' ? Would Barbadians have accepted that? What if we went to a country in Europe or Africa? How would we react to walking through the airport with our luggage and someone handing us a paper with 'NO BLACKS!" screaming as the headline? To say I would feel uncomfortable would be the understatement of the year. It wouldn't matter the context, it wouldn't matter what the article was saying that I shouldn't be a part of, I know I would feel tempted to just haul my suitcase up and book the next flight out and I am sure they are many that would feel the same way even if they didn't act on impulse.</div>
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What about other 'NO!' possibilities? </div>
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NO WOMEN!</div>
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NO CHRISTIANS!</div>
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NO JEWS!</div>
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NO BAJANS!</div>
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NO TRINIS!</div>
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NO YANKEES!</div>
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I think you get the point. Any of these headlines would have been greeted with outrage. Calls would have been made for a retraction or apology.</div>
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Today after getting over some of the original disappointment over yesterday's front page, I sat to read the actual article that had prompted the ' NO GAYS' headline. I purchased and downloaded the entire newspaper to make sure I got the full story. To read the whole thing yourself you'll have to purchase the paper, but there is a summary of the story on their webpage <a href="http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view/gay-move/">here</a>. After reading the story, I was once again in shock. There was absolutely nothing said by the Scout Leader in the article that could prompt a headline of ' NO GAYS!'<br />
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It's not as if he went off on a rant against homosexuals and said never do we want anyone of 'those people' coming near our organization. What I read was nothing like that at all. There was a statement made that the Scouting movement in Barbados maintained its closed door policy against open homosexuals, but that the local organization was monitoring what was happening in the United States as petitions were being made there to change things. The discriminatory policies of the Scout movement are well known and as a member of that organisation all the leader can do is give its position whatever his personal convictions might be. I saw nothing in what I read that could be interpreted as 'Chief Scout rules out letting them join the organization.'</div>
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Recognising this inaccuracy just made the whole thing more horrible. I know that my friends in journalism will tell me that you have to editorialize. That's the way you sell newspapers, but this is going too far. The Scout leader was just stating facts, explaining the current Scouts' policy which are set internationally and have a history behind them that promotes prejudice. Thankfully people are now trying to change that. However, the Scout master can only speak to what is currently in place. In fact it sounds to me that given he is 'monitoring' what is going on in the wider world, he would acknowledge that there is a possibility that changes will have to be made in the local movement based on these developments. The Scout Leader went on to recognise that under the current regulations, atheists are also unable to join the Scouts. So indeed the headline could just have easily been 'NO ATHEISTS!'</div>
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In a way, I wish they had printed that. That would have been a great can of worms to open up and I would love to get that 'belief' debate out there in the open in Barbados. But I guess at the moment the 'Gays' are more sexy. What is happening here is that the<i> Nation </i> that Published the ' Saturday Sun' is taking advantage of a prejudice that they know is present, prevalent and widespread in Barbadian and Caribbean society. They know that many of their readers will have a positive rather than disgusted reaction to a headline like that. Many will be thinking something along the lines of the following.<br />
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'Hooray! Thank God we're keeping those gays at bay. It's a relief to know that we are not following those North Americans who have no benchmark for morality and where absolutely anything goes<b>.</b>'<br />
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Just like me, these readers will see the headline without knowing what it is gays are being barred from, but they'll be happy to know that at least someone in the country has enough courage to stand up against this wayward lifestyle.<br />
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For many of us in the Caribbean, maintaining the stance against the homosexual position is a matter of national pride. It is as if we expect to be congratulated for choosing to continue to discriminate and be praised for standing in opposition to a progressive social world movement that is seeking to extend basic human rights to a marginalized group. Of course, I criticize the <i>Nation</i> for misrepresenting in the headline and for sensationalising at the expense of demeaning a group in Barbados and the wider world that deserves better. But the fact is that a headline like this would never appear if the national attitude was different. It wouldn't be published if the masses on the whole decided to stand up and say we won't stand for this kind of discrimination. It wouldn't happen if the <i>Nation</i> thought that they would be backlash and loss of sales for being so insensitive. What is needed is for people to recognise that gay rights are human rights and treat the needs of this group with as much sensitivity as they do any of the other minority groups in Barbados. Alas, this is unlikely to happen, because in our country, the right for a person to be anti-gay appears to outstrip the right of the gay or gay advocate to push for equality.<br />
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So, life in Barbados will go on, with the homophobes cheering for a nation sticking to its anti-gay guns and a few dissenters saying that this type of treatment for people with a different sexual orientation shouldn't be. Then we'll all march forward, with the majority thinking that being anti-gay is a reasonable stance that should be respected as part of being patriotic and holding oneself to a higher standard.<br />
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Who sets that higher standard? Well, for most in Barbados and the Caribbean, that standard setter is God, the God of the bible. The one whose abominations include shell fish eating, wearing a mixture of clothing textures and trimming beards. It is the belief in that God, cherry picked as his teachings may be, who ultimately keeps a section of society from enjoying basic rights. It's not the first time that our 'Holy Book' of choice has helped us to justify denial of a human right and we can be sure that it will not be the last. If this doesn't tell us that this bronze-age book's expiry date has long past, I don't know what will.<br />
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By now, most of you know that it frustrates me no end to see our country continue to look towards Christianity to lift us up, when it so clearly continues to provide the basis for holding social development back. But sadly we in the Caribbean continue to choose faith, prayer and religious rites over thought, reason and human rights. </div>
caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-57240705034223799202013-02-27T22:31:00.000-08:002013-03-02T13:49:44.437-08:00The Uncertainty of Polls and Ten Reasons why God can't get my Vote<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last Thursday will long linger in the memories of Barbadians. It ended with a night of intrigue that went back and forth as many times as any of the classic cricket test match that people talk about for decades. After the dust had settled the result was a narrow victory to the incumbent Democratic Labour Party (DLP) over the Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP).<br />
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Tongues are still wagging in Barbados over the result. The fact that a government that came to power five years ago was voted back in is not especially remarkable, but what was noteworthy was that it went against the predictions of the poll conducted by CADRES led by Peter Wickham.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RhBBP2d6keo/USspFpMJLDI/AAAAAAAAAfw/NHsV41HcR7E/s1600/Peter+Wickham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RhBBP2d6keo/USspFpMJLDI/AAAAAAAAAfw/NHsV41HcR7E/s1600/Peter+Wickham.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peter Wickham: Pollster not Prophet</td></tr>
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What some people don't seem to realise is that a pollster is not a prophet. Even as we that promote the scientific method try to explain that the strength of science is in its ability to correct itself and not in its ability to give certainty, people are quick to dismiss Mr. Wickham and even the whole value of statistical tools based on one example where it missed the mark. But to his credit, Wickham's reaction is exactly in keeping with what you would expect from a scientist that prides himself on his work and wants to learn from any errors that he may have made.<br />
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He was quick to admit that he got his prediction wrong and immediately went about seeking to find out what factors may have been overlooked. This he did even as some in his corner tried to diffuse criticism by saying he really wasn't that far off. It's refreshing to see Peter stand by his predictions like that. He could so easily have taken the route of trying to rationalise his way out of trouble. It's the opposite of religion, where outcomes are retrofitted to try to align with obscure statements made somewhere by somebody in the hazy past. The evangelist's playing field could not be more uneven when it comes to religion versus science. Science only has to be wrong once to fall from its perch, faith only has to be right once to establish itself as the bearer of absolute truth<br />
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At the same time that Wickham tries to figure out what went 'wrong', he has stoutly defended the integrity of his method. That is to say he is defending himself against claims that he deliberately 'rigged' the data to produce some desired result. Some people have criticised Peter for being too defensive of his position but I can definitely understand why he is so keen to confront such allegations. I would do the same thing. For any scientist, criticism on method, theory or interpretation is fair game, but any suggestion that you deliberately skewed your data is essentially implying that you are a cheat. You have to deal with that as seriously as if you are a World Champion 100m sprinter and people are claiming, without anything to back it up, that you are taking steroids.<br />
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This idea that somebody has deliberately set out to make things come out wrong is an idea that has always been prevalent in the Caribbean. I noticed it even when I was a kid going to Kensington Oval to watch cricket. If Brian Lara was given out caught behind by an Australian umpire when he clearly didn't touch the ball, that umpire would be immediately labeled by all in the crowd in the stand as a 'tiefin' umpire.' I could never understand it, why was it that everytime someone made an error that ended up favouring one side, people jumped to the assumption that there was some intentional conspiracy.<br />
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Looking at it now, I see the cynicism aimed at pollsters. umpires, referees and judges as a spillover from the religious mindset. In faith, you are encouraged to believe things that are deliberately constructed to get a desired result. You believe in God because you want to get to heaven or avoid hell, because God requires it from you or because it gives your life purpose. It is rare that anyone analyses the methodology of faith itself, assessing the strengths and weakness of this way of thinking in leading you to truth. It is easy when you are raised in such a mindset to think that other decisions in life are made on the same basis. People think that you predict that a certain party will win because you want them to win. To many people in our islands, expressing an opinion on something means you are showing a bias. They don't get that in the scientific world, the outcome is not what really matters, it is the method that is the key. If your method is sound you will be close to truth far more often that not . If your method is fundamentally flawed you'll 'hit' occasionally if you get lucky, but over time people will come to realise that you are shooting in the dark.<br />
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This idea of thinking that everybody that has an opinion, comes to it with a clear pre existing bias, helps me to understand why believers respond to us that are atheists in the way that they do. While we continually seek to promote our method for coming to the conclusion, all they see is the outcome. For them, we don't believe in God, because that was the outcome we wanted. That's what we wanted our 'polls' to say. If we want it to be that way there must be a reason. Perhaps we are angry at God and want to get back at him, we want freedom to do as we like or we just hate the hypocrisy of church people and want to see their cherished institution brought down to earth. Of course by thinking those things, they show us their hand. They think we make our decisions the same way that they do. We think about what we want to be true and then go out to prove it. But like Peter and CADRES, all we are doing is applying a method. If like Peter our 'polls' turn out to be wrong, we will admit our mistake and look to see where we made our mis- step. We will admit our mistake but we will still stand by the principle that we used the best method of assessment given the data we had. We do not rig numbers to get we want. Because what we want is not what we want. What we want is truth.<br />
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Our theist friends will no doubt tell us that we are wrong about the existence of a God for the same reasons that Peter Wickham was wrong in predicting the result of the elections. Indeed, immediately as the final results were clear, Sandra a Christian facebook friend of mine, with whom I have had several lengthy exchanges on the subject of God's existence posted the following:<br />
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'<b> Father God you are sovereign. We declare you as king over our nation. Continue to confound the wisdom of the wise!'</b><br />
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I laughed. I knew exactly where she was coming from. Apart from his reputation for being a pollster, Peter has gained some level of notoriety for his stance against religion on the local 'Brass Tacks' Call- In programme. Peter has been a true champion of reason when he has been on the air. He speaks of how people require him to back up his polls and predictions with evidence and he demands the same level of accountability from his callers. He is not prepared to accept any argument on faith from them and he let's them know it. He openly ridiculed those people who were trying to suggest that Reinhard Bonnke had done miracles when the government were getting ready to usher him in to Barbados. He said that it was a disgrace that a country like Barbados with its high standard of education in this 21st century was endorsing such superstitious nonsense. I was following from a distance online in Canada, but I was punching the air in delight while he said that. It was as if I was on "Freethinking Island" listening to my co host Joy go off on one of her famous rants.<br />
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I was overjoyed, but deep down I knew there would be more than just a little consternation from those on the evangelical side. Hitting out at God is something that you just don't do in Barbados. I was sure that the faithful would not forget. As it turned out election night was when they and their God got their own back. Sandra's post said it all. God had come out of hiding to reign supreme and show Peter who was the real boss.<br />
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But what kind of God would that be to deal with? One who refused to reveal himself to a skeptic like Peter directly; but went through the trouble of making sure the polls he published indicated one thing and then knowingly inspired voters to do something different purely to leave Wickham with egg on his face. A God that would do that would be nothing more than a petty prankster. But that's not only Sandra's God, that's the kind of God that millions in the Caribbean and the world believe in. Prankster or not, the global electorate have kept faith with this leader and his rather unfathomable style of governance for many years. Why? I have no idea. Sovereign or not there is no way this God could ever get my support for leadership. For so many reasons, I could never give him my 'X.' Below are just ten that immediately come to mind.<br />
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<b><u>Ten Reasons why God can't get my Vote</u></b><br />
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<b>1. Poor management of his Ministers and Ministries</b><br />
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God has a strange way of choosing his ministers and there just seem to be way too many. I suppose with all the ministries he has to administer he needs staff, but they often just get in each other's way. Messages conflict, divisions in the party happen almost daily and everybody just tries to one-up the other. We never know what criteria he is using to choose Ministers either. At one time he did not allow females to serve, but that has changed. Once he was firm in not picking those who were openly gay, now that's changing also. We just don't know what new rules this Prime Minister will bring. Also, in spite of his omniscience, he doesn't seem to pick the right people for highest office. For example, just a couple of weeks ago his most senior Minister resigned suddenly. People say that this event shows that he isn't careful enough it putting the right people in the right positions. My opinion is that the whole thing is simply a case of far too many square pegs in round holes.<br />
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<b>2. Where is his Constituency Office?</b><br />
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For years now God's party faithful have told me that I need to get off my backside and try to find God. I have always found this a strange request. God wants MY vote apparently more than anything else in the world but it is ME who has to go out of my way to find HIM. Whenever I ask his supporters to ask him to at least come into my veranda and put in an appearance, they tell me I am being unreasonable. That God doesn't work on my terms. Excuse Me??? Not on my terms?? He is the one that is looking for a term in office not me!!<br />
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Still, just to satisfy his supporters I have tried to find him, but it is a fruitless search. His 'yard fowl' followers can't even tell me where his Constituency Office is. I can't even get a hotline number or an email address to get him at. Come on! How serious can this candidate be?<br />
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<b>3. Who really has the right Manifesto?</b><br />
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God must be a very good campaign manager or at least a convincing one. He may never do house to house, but his workers in the constituency never seem to tire of going all out for that one extra vote. To their credit they usually come armed with manifestos that give details on what God's programs and policies are. The problem is that the language of these documents is usually not the most simple and things are often open to multiple interpretations. Sometimes the people that are soliciting you are themselves unsure about what their party leader really wanted to say. Also, all the people working the area for him don't seem to have been given the same manifesto. Sometimes there are little discrepancies I see between the documents, probably because they are different versions, other times it seems like I am looking at a different book altogether. Perhaps there was some printing error or somebody picked up an outdated stack of literature by mistake. Whatever the case it points to poor administration. I can't give my vote to someone who can't get something so basic right.<br />
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<b>4. Lots of services provided but no social development</b><br />
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One thing you have to say about God is that he knows how to provide services. He can provide services for any one of the electorate at any time. The most common one is his morning service but he can also give noon service, service at sunset and even mass service at midnight if you really want it. Any time you want a service, you know God will provide.<br />
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The problem is that in spite of all these services, the communities he serves never seem to progress much. We are not seeing the social development or transformation we would expect. Clearly the services are not achieving what they were set up to do. Somebody is failing big time and the buck stops at God. Another reason I have to withhold my 'X.'<br />
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<b>5. When is he going to call elections?</b><br />
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Earlier this year, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart in Barbados received a lot of flack for delaying the calling of elections. Some people thought that this one of the big reasons why he almost lost the government. They wanted a PM that would throw down the gauntlet and positively seek his new mandate. The thing is that God has been far more tardy than Freundel in setting a day for humanity to go to the polls. I have met several people who believe they are ideal candidates to get into heaven, but God just refuses to set a date when they will finally find out whether they have made it into that house of assembly. Over the years there have been rumours that God has already set a date, but in spite of many hopeful glances upwards into the clouds there is still no sign of a Returning Officer. I am not going to vote for a God who holds up the democratic process like that.<br />
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<b>6. Slow in adopting new policies</b><br />
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For an all powerful deity, God moves awfully slowly, especially when it comes to matters of policy. He seems to follow the trends in society rather than lead from the front. I find this worrying. He only realized slavery was wrong after we realised it. He only recognised that women should not be forced to marry their rapists after we pointed it out to him. He only realised that mental illness was not caused by demon possession after doctors and scientists gave him the evidence. If you want to be a leader I can support. you have to lead on policy, not change your view because of the electorate. I understand that people have power, but God has to start acting like a real leader. So far I just ain't seeing it.<br />
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<b>7. Never turns up to speak on his platform</b><br />
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Invisibility has to be God's main weakness in trying to get a vote from me. Ok, maybe he thinks the door to door thing is beneath him, but surely he can turn up to speak on a platform in front of the masses, right? But election after election he is conspicuously absent. If God is the best candidate he has to show us. If he doesn't make his presence felt and get up and demonstrate to us what he can do for us, he can't expect to win. I will vote for the man or woman who presents the best case to me. If God has what it takes but doesn't show me, I am not going to vote for him. If you don't communicate your message properly to voters and they reject you at the polls, choosing the weaker candidate as a result, it's not the electorate's fault it's yours.<br />
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<b>8. Shabby treatment of his staunchest supporters</b><br />
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This part is really bothersome to me. When I look at the people most enthusiastically waving God's party banner and showing the colours, I don't see prosperity. Some of God's supporters have done pretty well for themselves but the vast majority have not. In fact the constituencies where he is most popular are usually the ones that are most impoverished. God has not treated those that have been loyal to him well. Illness, poverty and natural disasters plague those that give him the vote every election day. If God treats his followers so badly how will he treat those that stand in opposition? I shudder to think. Another reason for me to keep far away from this God candidate.<br />
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<b>9. Aligns himself with every party</b><br />
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This is a huge problem because it speaks to God's integrity. It's hard to trust a God who is a PIP (Party in Power). Wherever I go in the world, I hear that the ruling government is God's government. Whether it's Democratic, Conservative, Libertarian, Republican or Socialist it is always the party that God supports. This is not good enough. God has to set some clear principles and stick to them. He can't just swing every four or five years from one party to another. Sorry, I am not voting for a flip-flopper God.<br />
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<b>10. Shamelessly tries to buy votes from the 'undecideds'</b><br />
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God should be ashamed of himself and his supporters for allowing this to happen, but I see this all the time. I hear talk that the two main parties in Barbados engaged in this, but God's party is far more guilty of this in my opinion. I know God does it, because I have had people from his party coming around trying to buy my vote numerous times. Once they hear that I am 'undecided' they swarm like bees.<br />
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Unlike many other political parties, they offer me far more than just money for going in the booth and voting for God. Sometimes they court me by offering to take me out for a lavish dinner or a fancy show. But they don't stop with just offering earthly, transient delights. They promise me health, happiness everything I ever dreamed of even sometimes including sexy virgins, not for just five years but all ETERNITY.<br />
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It's just ridiculous. If this kind of thing doesn't qualify as bribing voters, I don't know what is. It's got totally out of hand over the years and it is high time that the authorities clamped down on such disgusting behaviour. It goes without saying that I can't endorse a God or any party members that support such unethical behaviour.<br />
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So, Need I say more?<br />
<br />caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-12793394174427778152013-01-30T22:30:00.001-08:002013-01-30T23:02:36.919-08:00Going bonkers over Bonnke: Our lack of skepticism continues to plague us<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonnke preaching in Barbados (photo- www.nationnews.com)</td></tr>
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It was utterly disturbing but at the same time completely predictable. German tele evangelist Reinhard Bonnke came to Barbados and the throngs came out from all corners of the island. It's by no means the first time that a famous preacher has brought out numbers like this. Back in the 1980s I remember Jimmy Swaggart filling the national stadium, with Barbadians from all walks of life swearing that he was God's special anointed without the moral failings of ordinary men. Days later they saw that same preacher in tears in a well publicized television interview, confessing to an illicit affair with a young girl he was meeting up with regularly in motels.<br />
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Other evangelists from foreign shores have come since, offering up prophecies of pending national disasters and deliverance through their words that they claim have power to remove tumors and balance financial statements. People touting magic olive oil and bath soap have also made their way to Bajan shores. So Bonnke's visit was not the first and you don't need prophetic powers to tell you that it won't be the last.<br />
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As was the case with many of the big preacher names that went before him, talk about Bonnke dominated the local discussions on the call-in programs both prior to his arrival and in the aftermath of his visit. Views on his participation were mixed, with discussions surrounding his caucasian pigmentation as much as the veracity of his miracle claims. Much has been made of Bonnke's not particularly modest claim of raising a man from the dead. People have suggested that there are many local preachers capable of delivering any message of salvation that Bonnke could bring and that it is sad that Bajans in 2013 still believe that a white man with a foreign accent preaching the word has more authenticity than anything local. Some joked that the government needed a Bonnke like miracle to bring themselves back to life after what is seen in some corners as a lacklustre performance. With elections in the country just called, it is left to see if the lingering Bonnke effect will make its supernatural presence felt at the polls.<br />
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Those supporting Bonnke have given the 'at least he is bringing the word of God to the masses' argument and one preacher repeatedly argued that the bible states that 'many will do greater miracles than me in my name,' suggesting that the idea that Bonnke brought back a dead man is not as absurd as many Christians may think.<br />
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What added to the intrigue of the whole thing, is that Bonnke's visit was a government sanctioned event. His involvement was eventually the headline act in a service for 'National Blessing and Spiritual Renewal.' This week on Episode 11 of <a href="http://freethinkingisland.com/">Freethinking Island</a>, Joy and I explored this topic quite a bit, especially from the perspective of race which always comes to the fore when one analyses phenomena such as these. I certainly encourage you to follow the link and listen to that exchange.<br />
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However, notwithstanding the race element, there are other aspects of a visit like this that merit discussion. There was definitely doubt about Bonnke by many people of faith in Barbados. Just as Joy and I ridiculed Bonnke's 'miracle', so too did many in the island. Indeed, I was hearing that there were women who brought their ageing husbands to see if Bonnke really had the power to raise the dead in truth. The problem that I have with these scoffers in the fold of faith is similar to the issue I had with those rapture ready Christians who were rolling on the floor laughing and pointing fingers at people like Harold Camping and the Mayan apocalypse believers. I looked at some of that irony when I wrote about the<a href="http://caribatheist.blogspot.ca/2011/05/how-can-they-know-its-not-may-21st.html"> irrational 'Amayists'</a>.<br />
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Christian fundamentalists dismiss end times prophecies that come up today by quoting the bible passage that says ' no one knows the time or the hour.' Statements like this boil down to ' right rapture, wrong day.' Those people who are rolling their eyes at the idea of a man raising the dead today, believe that sometime ago exactly that happened, it certainly happened and you are a fool or simply evil to not accept that obvious fact. So with Bonnke it's a case of right miracle, wrong man and wrong millennium.<br />
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<b>Why not Bonnke?</b><br />
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But is it really? After all, as was noted earlier, Jesus himself said others would perform even greater miracles than he in later years. So, I ask the same question of the Bonnke skeptics as I did for those who dismissed Camping. How do you know that Bonnke is not the real thing? What method are you using to determine who God will give healing power to? If God is the one who has total charge, one who can call whosoever he wants for delivering messages and miracles, why not a white man, why not a German? It is curious to bring in these personal cultural preferences of yours and impose them on a God. Once you believe that God can do anything you have to be open to really ANYTHING. But typically Christians only want the windows of our minds to open up on their side of the avenue. When it comes to other believers selling equally untestable products they prefer to put blinds over their minds and close their windows tight, tight, tight.<br />
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Well, we on the atheist side can congratulate our theist colleagues for their personal skepticism to all faith claims other than their own, but they push themselves into a corner in trying to tell these others that they shouldn't sell their unjustified stories. They have to stop short of calling them frauds because deep down they know that their own glass houses are every bit as fragile as their neighbour's. They have to admit that if they want to keep faith their way, they have to let others have their way however absurd that way is, how ever conniving that way is, how ever money grabbing that way is, however abusive to the vulnerable and gullible that way is.<br />
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Why? Because it's God we are talking about and he can do what he chooses. That's the argument they always give to us atheists and if they want to be consistent that's what they have to accept when others bring their faith arguments to them. The result of this? A 'live and let live' attitude to religion that many believers and even some atheists consider ideal. I won't throw stones at your glass house, if you don't interfere with mine. When this happens neither 'house' gets exposed to the level of skepticism that it should have and we get more and more structures that are filled with eager tenants but are far too brittle to justify anybody putting trust in them. It is rarely recognised, but nobody ultimately benefits from this ever expanding neighbourhood of flimsy dwellings.<br />
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Believers by contrast, see the mutual respect for religions as a move towards fairness, a levelling of the playing field for all who claim belief in a God. But this levelling of the playing field means that all religions get to be in the game. ALL religions, the best and the worst, the liberal and the fundamentalist, the racist and the righteous. They all get the same rights and once that happens, those with the least admirable moral principles will win and win handsomely, feeding off of all the rest.<br />
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Tele-evangelists like Bonnke know that the best places to sell their fraud is in places where religion is strong, where belief in the God they are promoting is already widespread even if there is no clear definition of who or what that God is. All they have to do is tap into that entrenched supernatural belief and the money will flow like water. Our Caribbean Christian populations will go bonkers over people like Bonnke, those who believe in him will quote from the bible just like he does and even the supposed skeptics will often hold at least a little feeling that Bonnke might be the man. However you look at it, pockets will be filled with funds gained from people of modest means in recession hit countries that can obviously ill afford it. Those who will say 'no' to Bonnke will say 'yes' to the next televangelist that visits or 'yes' to the one after that.<br />
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<b>Reason the only way out</b><br />
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The only way I see out of the cycle is to promote the values of reason, evidence, logic and critical thinking. That's why I continue to blog and that's why I continue to do podcasts. I want people to be able to apply the tools of reason to all that come to our shores and all that live within our shores. Whether black or white, foreign or local, young or old, smooth talking or rough and crude around the edges all must be submitted to the same level of skepticism. We must learn how to investigate people's claims, understand what are the tell tale signs of deception so we can learn to avoid the wolves whatever the colour, design or patterns in their sheep costumes.<br />
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When the tools of reason are not available or are left unused, people will simply jump on to their bandwagon of choice. We'll see that over the next three weeks in Barbados as the BLP 'Bees' and DLP 'Dems' battle it out for supremacy and the right to govern the country for the next five years. For most people loyalty to the party tribe will feature far above any rational, reasonable debate on the issues. It is unfortunate, but so long as the country remains susceptible to phenomena like Bonnkemania and pushes aside critical thinking in favour of charismatic talking, things aren't going to change very much.<br />
<br />caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-14186896070318759962013-01-13T13:16:00.000-08:002013-01-13T13:22:47.504-08:00My Interview for 'Secular World': Where we are and where we can get toHappy New Year to you all! At last I am emerging to rejoin the blogging world for 2013. Recent weeks have had me tied down finishing the writing of my doctoral thesis. Still, I managed to have an enjoyable holiday season and a peaceful Christmas Day, notwithstanding the Facebook debate I managed to get involved in.<br />
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<b>Reason for the Season</b><br />
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Yes, even with a simple status update of 'Merry Christmas to one and all!' I found myself defending my reasons for celebrating a day which according to one friend was a day specifically meant for the celebration of the birth of OUR saviour Jesus Christ, who I don't believe in. I took the opportunity to remind her and all the rest of my facebook friends that everyone has a right to choose their own reason for the season. Hence the better phrase to use might be ' This is MY reason for the season' rather than 'This is THE reason for the season.' Interestingly, the status got quite a few 'likes' but all except one were people I knew were atheists, none was from a professed Christian. It does appear to me that as free as we may be in this world to have whatever beliefs we want, it's the theist not the non believer that is reluctant to share ideological real estate with the rest of the globe. Well, I suppose when your worldview is 'top down' you find it hard to understand how anybody can throw a party unless his or her Father gives permission.<br />
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Anyway it's been three atheist Christmases now and I am gradually finding my groove and it did feel good, even on Christmas Day, to remind those in my online neighbourhood that non believers are here too. I firmly believe we must educate whenever we can and if that means taking a few minutes away from turkey to talk it's worth it. I later told someone that as an atheist you're always on duty.<br />
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<b>Looking back and looking ahead</b><br />
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I sit here at the beginning of 2013 with lots of great things to look back on from 2012 as far as the Caribbean atheists and non believers are concerned. <a href="http://freethinkingisland.com/">The Freethinking Island podcast</a> and the <a href="http://carithink.blogspot.com/">Caribbean Freethinkers' Society website/blog </a> are two initiatives that I feel very happy about and honoured to continue to be a part of. There are other groups, forums and initiatives springing up all the time and West Indians who don't buy in to the God claims are speaking up more and more.<br />
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I had a great opportunity at the end of the year to talk about all of the things I have seen develop in this regional non believing community since I have been in it and where I would like to see us go. It was a privilege to speak to Han Hills on 'Secular World' (the Atheist Alliance International official podcast) as a representative of the Caribbean atheist community. You can hear that interview at the link below, Episode 008. Have a listen to the full show with Jake and Han, well worth it, lively holiday banter dealing with a variety of topics including 'end of the world,' Christmas and the Atheist Census. My interview comes in after about 51 minutes. Enjoy!<br />
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<a href="http://www.atheistalliance.org/secular-world/podcast">My interview on Secular World Podcast</a><br />
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Thanks for your continued support and I look forward to sharing much more with you in the year ahead.caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-34251829020743345452012-12-22T21:33:00.000-08:002012-12-22T23:46:54.162-08:00Irrational response to irrational behaviour: The problem with turning to faith in times of tragedyThere are times when as a blogger in the atheist community you feel you just have to speak out. In the aftermath of the slaughter of 26 in Connecticut last Friday, now is one of those times. My heart goes out to the families and friends of those who died in the face of such unimaginable horror.<br />
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Not surprisingly, the response to the massacre particularly on the internet, was to call for prayers for the families of the victims as people tried to grapple with the enormity of the tragedy and how to make sense out of the senseless. We atheists, when faced with these sudden rush of 'prayer warriors' in these awful moments find ourselves in an awkward position. Two years ago I reflected on this when I wrote about a similar type of tragedy in Barbados when six young ladies were killed as a result of the throwing of a Molotov cocktail into a clothing store. I titled that blog <a href="http://caribatheist.blogspot.ca/2010/09/when-is-right-time-to-criticize.html">"When is the right time to criticize?"</a> and I find myself asking that same question once again today.<br />
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The thing that bothers me after these tragedies is that there is an attempt by many in the faith world to shut down any view that runs counter to the idea that we all need to pray to God for comfort to the grieving. Quick dismissals of anybody who suggests that this afterlife is simply a product of wishful thinking. Just a suggestion that it might be a better approach to try to deal with the reality on reality's own terms leads to us being lambasted as being insensitive, uncaring, disrespectful and not allowing people to grieve in peace. We are often made to feel that we are not much better than the murderer ourselves, stripping mourning family members of their spiritual well being after they have already survived such a severe physical loss. We then get accused of having a personal agenda and for using this completely inappropriate time to get up on our 'soapboxes.'<br />
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In a way, I can understand these criticisms. When you are leaning on God for all you are worth, the last thing you want is to hear someone kicking over your support by saying that there is nothing other than a concept in your mind holding you up. But that is just the nature of life. Truth is truth and sometimes it is hard and cold and cruel. Trying to spruce it up in a fancy dress and coat may give you a warm feeling for a while but it doesn't change reality at its core. Ultimately you don't end up avoiding pain, you merely delay it and the deep scars can remain as open wounds for years and even decades to come.<br />
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But generally theists don't see the God belief that way, they will often tell you when it comes to things like God and the afterlife, they just NEED to believe it. It's the only way to face the darkest hours of their lives. People have admitted to me from time to time that they know that the beliefs they have are in all likelihood not true, but they just must believe them in order to get through life happy, healthy and content.<br />
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I have heard it in the media that the time to deal with the reality of having better gun control is now; the time to deal with the reality of a mental health system that is not working is now; but the time to address the widespread irrational belief in a supernatural entity that makes people prone to embracing a delusion seems to be never.<br />
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What happened last week Friday was that an entirely irrational act was committed which led tragically to the death of 27. We can speculate as to what was behind the irrational act. In all likelihood a mental disorder of some sort or another. Whatever the cause, an irrational act is what it was and irrational acts come as a result of irrational thoughts and irrational thoughts can be traced back to irrational beliefs. No matter how we try to spin this one, it is the irrational that lies at the heart of this massacre. Somewhere along the line, something got in the way of human reasoning and lives were lost as a result. Logic suggests that the only way to deal with a problem of irrationality is to bring rationality.<br />
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<b>Piling on the irrationality</b><br />
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But what do we do in times like this? Well, we do exactly the opposite. We run headlong into the arms of anti- reason, anti-logic and anti-evidence. Meanwhile we jettison any ideas of using a method that is reality based. It's all about talk of children running about in heavenly puddles that we know are as real as the caramel rivers in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. What we are doing is piling on the irrational on top of the irrational. Somehow we believe that if we replace deadly irrational beliefs by irrational beliefs of the warm and fuzzy kind, one set will cancel out the other and we will be left with a saner and safer world. It's not going to work.<br />
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The reality is that when we keep piling up the irrational beliefs we end up digging ourselves into a deeper and deeper hole. Irrational beliefs whether in fairies, pixies, goblins, gods, angels or demons often lead to flawed reasoning and bad thinking habits. Once you get into the routine of holding something as true even if you have no evidence to support it, that behaviour can become an integral part of your life. You become sloppy in checking out facts and poor at second guessing yourself in all areas if what you believe 'feels right.' Once you make desirability of a belief one of the criteria you use for determining its truth you put yourself in trouble, if as a community or a country you actively encourage that attitude it can become thousands of times worse. You end up with a society who can be controlled and manipulated so long as you can push the right emotional buttons or sweeten the belief pot enough. This at the end of the day, is not going to give you a society that will learn to be progressive or deal with the real problems it faces head on.<br />
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Reason can be a great ally even in the most dire circumstance. It's true that people speak of faith in the midst of stressful situations regularly, but when you listen to their stories carefully, it becomes clear that it was their ability to put training into action and think through the steps they needed to take rationally that was often the key to survival or saving a life. These accounts tells me that rational behaviour in all situations is what we should be promoting, rather than the need to believe in the supernatural.<br />
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So, that is what scares me when I see the sprint into the arms of Jesus that I see now. I am puzzled by the notion of trying to find comfort in a God who either directly caused or passively allowed the action from which the afflicted now seek relief. If God's primary interest was the happiness of the families, the thing to do was to stop the massacre from happening in the first place, not just sit on the sidelines watching and then run out at the end with a heavenly tissue to wipe away a tear. It's a case of too little too late for God. Like having your star striker in a football (soccer) match scoring a wonder goal in the 89th minute that takes the team from being 6-0 down to 6-1. In those occasions celebrations of the losing team are muted. I don't see why God's supporters should be upset when I am not cheering about what he is desperately trying to do now, deep into injury time.<br />
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What I see in times like this is irrationality being advertised like the latest brand of iPhone. Everyone in or around the tragedy feels obliged to do the<a href="http://caribatheist.blogspot.ca/search?q=godvertising"> godvertising</a> and get in on the magical thinking marketing. Grieving relatives, fortunate survivors, brave first responders, counsellors, news reporters and presidents all feel obliged to speak about faith in some form. Thoughts and prayers being offered up, spirits of dead ones looking down, snowflakes as signs from them that everything is alright 'up there.' I know that many of these people are probably nominally religious if religious at all. For them it's just like taking part in a ritual. Saying the things that you say in tragedies, just because that's the custom and culturally we are perhaps primed to find comfort in such empty platitudes.<br />
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<b>Faith becomes part of thinking routine</b><br />
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For some people the harm may be minimal. When they go back to 'normal' life they'll forget about these heavenly sentiments and embrace the rational life fully once more. The same President Obama that mentioned last week that he knows that Jesus 'called the children home' and that they are safe in a heaven for which no evidence exists, will be asking in the months ahead for strong empirical evidence to support the assertion of those that are arguing that fire arms in the hands of teachers would make kindergarten schools safe. Politicians like Obama may be able to turn on and off their faith switch to suit differing situations, but the masses in the country don't have regulators in their minds that work quite as well. Many will remember these faith messages long after Adam Lanza is a forgotten name.<br />
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The message that will stick with them is that faith is something we all need and should all strive to have, particularly in times of tragedy. They will become convinced that there are many times in life when faith in the unseen should be valued above evidence and logic. Once they buy into this way of thinking can we really blame them if they choose to follow their faith which says that the world is 6000 years old and give it greater weight than the evidence that is readily available and tells us that the correct number is in the billions? It's easy to slip faith in at these opportune times, but once it gets out their in the water you can't just filter it out.<br />
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People who are better at keeping scientific thought separate from faith ideas may fare better, but a lot of them will reach back for faith when they have a personal 'Sandy Hook' to deal with in life. They'll remember all the heroes in that tragedy that held on to their bibles and beliefs and consider that they'll need to do the same thing if they are to get through as well. When the next national or global disaster comes a calling, memories will be evoked of sacred memorials and make shift crosses from last time and everyone will turn back to God. This is the cycle. The house of logic and reason becomes like a sand castle on a Caribbean beach, beautifully made, constructed painstakingly with intricate detail when the tide is out and things are calm, but the whole edifice gets swept away in seconds as soon as an emotional wave crashes ashore.<br />
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People are turning away from deities in their numbers, churches are becoming emptier and more and more people are declaring openly that they are atheists or have no religious affiliation.The last bastion of the religious is the 'mass tragedy.' It is the one time that priests and pastors hold the limelight. The time when they are given liberty to say almost whatever they want, because in the eyes of the influential people in society, there is no such thing as too much faith in the wake of a disaster.<br />
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Still, there are glimpses of little changes. At least it was refreshing to see religious leaders being called out for making the ludicrous argument that God didn't save six year olds because we had the gall to expel him from the classroom. So, maybe things are looking up.<br />
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I am encouraged to see the progress we are making in getting people to discover the new dawn that can come in the light of reason, but our advance will continue to be stifled if those same people don't have enough faith in the ability of reason to give guidance through the dark and desperate nights as well.caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-42559655326118383932012-12-19T19:12:00.000-08:002012-12-19T19:22:45.729-08:00Whether you're a dot or not: Get on there and make sure you're counted!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Atheist Alliance International is administering a census that seeks to get an idea of the number of non believers in the world. Who are we? Where are we? What are our backgrounds? The survey looks at demographics such as age range, gender, level of education, former religion (if any) and the term you prefer to be known by (atheist, agnostic, humanist, freethinker etc.)<br />
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It's been a challenge since the census suffered from a denial of service (DoS) attack on the first day it went up. The survey is back online now and the response has been steady, up over 87,000 now. I find myself looking back there from time to time because there is a running tally of the overall responses and pie charts representing how the breakdown of responses to the various questions is so far. It's there both from a global level and a country by country level.<br />
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The results are already interesting, with by far the greatest number of responses coming from the US. Brazil is in second place, which is perhaps a bit of a surprise, ahead of UK, Australia and then Canada. We always knew that atheism was skewed towards the men, but so far we are seeing that the ratio is about 3:1, which is probably not where we would want it to be. But that's why statistical studies are so important, by knowing where we are, we can take some actions to get to where we want to get to.<br />
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I am especially interested in how the Caribbean is doing. In trying to get a movement going there, those numbers will be especially useful to us. Small populations will of course mean numbers will be comparatively low. It also means that most of our countries don't show up on the globe they have on the site that shows high response countries turning steadily from a brown to green. Well, I guess that's what you get from being born on a 'dot.' But these 'dots' do add up and it's a pity that the secular world will need to do special searches for our countries if they want to see our numbers piling up. Maybe one day we'll have to stand up and insist on more 'high def' maps for these things to combat the anti 'dot' discrimination we have to live with now. But that's way in the future, we all have to deal with 'anti atheist' attitudes long before then.<br />
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Barbados my home country, has so far had 11 responses, which is interestingly enough not that few. I see that countries in Africa with large populations like Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya are barely in double figures if that. Trinidad and Tobago has got 55 responses which is certainly noteworthy and probably represents one of the strongest country responses in the world on a per capita basis. Jamaica had 30 responses which is good also.<br />
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Still, as encouraging as these numbers may be, a census like this will only be as good as the number of people that take part in it. We have to try to get every non believer we can on board if the effort is to really tell us valuable information. Let's try to get as many people counted from our 'dots' as we can. At the same time, let us show the world that these little dots in the region can be huge masses of reason.<br />
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So big or small, get on there and take the <a href="http://www.atheistcensus.com/">Atheist Census</a>!caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-18498814828893504562012-11-16T15:42:00.000-08:002013-01-30T23:16:11.661-08:00Trying to deny the undeniable: Why can't God come down like gravity? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>"You'll definitely know it when it happens to you." </b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">It's the trope that I am hearing more and more nowadays as believers tell me that my conversion moment will come and it will be so emphatic that my life will instantly be transformed. God has a special plan for me and I better had be ready for him when the time comes. But there is an element of contradiction in this, because they will also say that I have to accept it, have my heart open to it in order to truly be able to experience it. But an undeniable experience is just that, it is what it is. It is one that by definition just can't be denied. Hearts open, closed, half way locked or on the floor there is just no other way of interpreting it. How could you possibly deny the undeniable, even if you wanted to?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The more in depth the discussions that I enter into with my theist friends, the more it appears to me that if and when I become convinced that a God exists, it will be in a single spectacular event. Something 'experiential' as one person put it. The kind of 'Saul on the road to Damascus' experience which I won't be able to deny. I have to admit that this worries me . It suggests that revelation comes from God knocking me over and beating the belief into me, rather than by just standing back and letting the evidence speak for itself. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Tampering with the lab equipment</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">I see it like if you go into the lab to do a chemistry experiment and you don't get the concentration measurement of the acid that you were expecting. Rather than looking at the mixture under review and making sure you prepared the chemicals in the way you were supposed to, you recalibrate the burette and tamper with the pipette until you get the result you want. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">In terms of evidence for God, Christians treat us like that burette. Instead of looking at the compositions of the solutions they want us to accept, they spend all their time trying to bias our 'readings', so we can give them back the 'right' results. What they forget is that just like in chemistry, tampering with the lab equipment is not going to change the nature of the reality under test. Reality is reality whatever the dials on our heart meters may tell us. Pulling my emotional strings to get me over to your side really doesn't prove anything one way or the other. That's why I am unimpressed with the claims of death bed conversions even if they are real. It is telling that a change from non belief to belief even under duress counts as evidence for God, for them. They never take into account that meters often malfunction in extreme conditions.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">However, when when we change colours from a red blooded believer to a shade of grey agnostic atheist during the course of our lives, the theists want to dismiss our experimental conclusions as flawed. They insist we throw out all the chemicals that may have affected us, clean out all the beakers and start all over again from scratch. A change from belief to non belief they will argue means nothing, as they will say that God still exists whether we believe in him or not. I tell them that bringing such clear personal bias to an experiment could not get their findings published in any respectable journal but they tell me that the only publication that matters to them passed peer review by their saviour centuries ago.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Still, I am really trying my best to be open and understand what this 'experiential' evidence that theists talk so much about could be like. In trying to construct this idea, I am taking the key aspects of what these believers tell me. I have heard that this revelation is just something that hits you inside, when you feel it you'll know it is there. It is undeniable, impossible to explain from a scientific perspective but you just know that you know that you know.</span><br />
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Ok, I think we can use science and what we know through that method to study this concept of undeniability. I am not trying to compare types of evidence here, just the way that human beings react to something they consider undeniable. The type of reaction we have to something undeniable should be the same regardless of the way we come to the conclusion that we have experienced something we can't deny.<br />
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The closest thing to undeniable that I can think of in the natural world is the law of gravity. Sure, the purist will say not even that is strictly speaking certain, but it is as close to it as you can get in science. What the religious people are telling me is that the thing that they experienced, manifests itself in such a way that they can be as certain about it as we as general human beings are that gravity is real.<br />
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So, whatever it is that these people who have this personal experience go through, it leaves them with gravity-like certainty. Clearly the difference between the two examples is that the spiritual revelation is not something experienced by everyone, at least not yet. People experience this gravity-like spiritual awakening at different times in their lives. So I am quite open to the idea that God just hasn't gotten around to given me my heart jolt yet. Why God would have some of us wait decades while giving some others revelations at age four is of course another of the mysteries in this convoluted novel that is God's, but we can wait for another day to explore that chapter.<br />
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The point I want to make here is that I would expect the reaction of those religious people fortunate enough to have the spiritually undeniable experience, to be similar to my undeniable experience of gravity. Curiously, when I look further, there are some differences when it comes to undeniablity in this spiritual realm. Here is a look at some of the things that Christians and theists in general will say about their undeniable experiences that just don't measure up to me and my gravity.<br />
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<b>1. The God I believe in turns up regularly</b><br />
<b><br /></b>I could perhaps say the same thing about my gravity. Actually no, I would put it more like he came at the beginning of time and never left. Gravity is truly impossible to ignore. He is in our face from the time we walk out the house in a morning and see a leaf fall from a tree, to in the evening when we drop a fork into the sink before washing up after supper. Gravity is indeed so omnipresent that it is difficult to remember when was the last time you saw evidence of him. I mean, how many times did gravity reveal himself to you this week? You can't count because you don't even notice him, that's how eternal and ever present he is.<br />
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Compare this to how the believers speak of their 'undeniable' experiences with God. Ask people about how God has touched them and they will inevitably provide you with a list of events. A story about something that happened yesterday, or last week, last year, ten years ago. Some will tell you God has made his presence felt so many times they can't count them, but the fact that they can pinpoint specific God moments is telling.<br />
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I don't sit down marvelling about the time when gravity revealed itself in all its glory twenty years ago when I saw a coconut fall on a pavement. I don't have a journal set aside to remind me where and when I saw gravity at work. Even though I see gravity every day, I can't give you a single gravitational testimony, because he is always there.<br />
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If the spiritual experience of God was as undeniable as gravity, you would expect that theists would have similar difficulty in pinpointing specific instances of a God manifestation. A god that is always there should be always obvious to the believer. I can provide evidence of my gravity at any moment. Wake me up in the middle of the night and I can pick up a pen on my night stand and drop it. I don't need to give you anecdotes our point towards epic stories of how gravity moved through history.<br />
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The spiritual is different, but it shouldn't be. Sure, since I am not in their special club, I cannot expect them to provide evidence to my satisfaction, but they should at least be able to give immediate God examples to convince themselves. I know that people will say that the religious do see God in everything. That not even a breath can be taken unless God gives his say so.<br />
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That may be so, but they never go for these trivial arguments when they want to convince us through personal experiences. Whenever I have asked Christians to tell me of their evidence or experience that convinced them God was real, they give me something far more telling. A life transformed from drugs or prostitution, an illness defeated against the odds, a surprising job opportunity that came out of nowhere, or an indescribable super feeling that one day shot them deep down in their hearts. When it comes to convincing us our convincing themselves the more spectacular the evidence the better. But why the need to even bring these up? If God is the one who gets you out of bed everyday why do you need to reach further by bringing out these majestic accounts.<br />
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Indeed by emphasizing these major God moments they are in effect saying that the 'he woke me up this morning' proof does not cut much ice. Interesting again to compare with my gravity. I don't need to look in to a meteor shower or some other once in a lifetime event to strengthen my belief in gravity. A drop in the bucket is more than enough.<br />
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If the evidence is all around, you don't need to look beyond present time and place to prove it to yourself. You can't detect the presence of God without recognising the absence that immediately precedes and follows it. If you have to wait on something to show up at specific times it means it is spasmodic and that's not what you expect from something undeniable. That ex boyfriend that shows up regularly in your life, leaves you standing on your own just as often.<br />
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<b>2. You need to understand (insert religion here) in order to understand your experience</b><br />
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Spiritual revelations tend to have a strange mix of the intellectual and the emotional, even as God supposedly can speak directly to the heart. It does make me scratch my head when I hear religionists tell me that it's so obvious that God made the world that even a five year old can see it, yet Prof. Richard Dawkins is unqualified to speak on whether there is a God or not because he lacks a PhD in theology.<br />
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Yes, God can move any heart, but you need to read up and learn exactly what he is going to reveal to you before he reveals it. God miraculously manages to reveal himself with a message identical to that which his followers told you in advance. I suppose God is like a lazy university lecturer who has his Teaching Assistant hand out notes with worked examples on the first day of class and then brings back every one of those questions in the final exam. Not surprising then that students in every religion come back with 100% regardless of the name of the God that does the grading.<br />
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Again my gravity seems to beat out all of the religionists. Sure I can present references, resources from all branches of physics and cosmology and even at the quantum level to explain how my gravity works throughout the universe. I can give you all the differential equations that will make your head spin. But you know what? None of that is necessary. You can experience gravity without any prior knowledge in any field.<br />
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You don't need to speak ancient languages, you don't need to know Newton or Kepler, you don't even need to be literate. You don't need to be at the age of reason either, a toddler in a pram understands that her favorite toy drops when she opens her hand. In fact even if you live alone on a desert island and never had a single human interaction, you can notice that things high up tend to fall. So universal is gravitational revelation you don't even need to be a human. You could be a chimpanzee or a primate on a branch of any evolutionary tree, but you know that when you let go of that twig you will fall.<br />
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Yes, the revelation of gravity has the ability to come down from on high and touch everybody, everywhere in the same way. But spiritual revelations not only seem to be open only to the privileged X %, followers apparently need to come with specific pre existing conditions as well.<br />
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<b>3. Sometimes in moments of weakness I have doubts</b><br />
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Doubts!!!? Doubts!!? How on earth can you have an undeniable truth and yet readily admit to moments of uncertainty. But this is exactly what believers who have this experience with God will tell you. They will speak of dark, desolate hours where they wonder what God is doing or if he is even there. Then they will tell you they will get through after prayer or directly through a revelation of the same God.<br />
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I know they always have an explanation, but remember we are speaking of the UNDENIABLE. If something is clear and certain to you there is just no way you can doubt even for a second. Again I have never had this issue with my gravity. Not once in my life have I gone to bed with nagging feelings that things may not fall for me tomorrow the way that they did today. And it's not only me, nobody has ever taken me aside to tell me that they have worries over a drop in their gravity faith. You can only have doubts if you have some evidence that is in opposition to your certainty. Doesn't matter how fleeting or rare, doubt in any form means you have something that can be denied. Once again the spiritual experience falls flat in the face of gravity.<br />
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<b>4. You can never get the experience if you don't want it.</b><br />
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This is another very strange condition of an undeniable truth. This statement is a variant of 'your heart must be open.' When it comes to undeniable truths, there is literally no way you can reasonably come to another conclusion when presented with the facts. It doesn't matter how much I don't want to gravity to be real. How much I wish I could just take off in the morning and fly to work over the traffic. I can rationalize about how much better my life would be without gravity. The benefits of a life without gravity at least some of the time can easily be seen. If only we could turn off that earth attraction for just a moment.<br />
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But no matter how much we dream of these things, how many sci fi movies we come up with where this is possible, how much we wish upon a star or pray to a fairy, we can't will ourselves into becoming anti-gravitationalists. We would indeed feel justified to lock away in a mental institution, anyone that denied the existence of the law of gravity.<br />
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It's strange that in the spiritual realm, desire can have such a telling effect on the experience that you get. No alarm bells go off when someone says no to their undeniable experience. No move to throw those who don't accept the revelation into an institution for the spiritually crazy. In fact, many believers have told me that to have a spiritual experience and not accept it as real is quite reasonable. Undesirable, but reasonable just the same. But it just doesn't follow, it's like telling someone you're a bit sad they don't believe in gravity, but you can accept it so long as they don't impose their anti falling dogma on you.<br />
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So I am left in confusion. I am to expect an experience straight to heart from an all powerful God that I have no power to deny and yet I have to make a decision to be open that heart and allow his omnipotence in.<br />
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Whatever the case, I simply wish God would leave my heart alone, it seems a bit of a cheat to circumvent the brain he gave me and just go inside and turn on some magic switch in the ventricle.<br />
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I would prefer if he left my internal organs alone and just provided the evidence for me like my gravity does. You would think that a deity that has dropped the ball so many times in the past would have grasped this simple concept by now.</div>
caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-42887412205540414692012-10-26T17:30:00.001-07:002012-10-26T17:30:25.170-07:00Come join us on Freethinking Island!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Welcome to Freethinking Island! Where the prevailing winds of reason blow and the waves of evidence and logic flow!</b><br />
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Yes, last week was the first episode of<a href="http://freethinkingisland.com/"> "Freethinking Island"</a> a podcast designed to bring the voice of Caribbean atheists, agnostics, humanists skeptics, freethinkers and whatever other species of non believer to the world. For a long time I have felt that notwithstanding the power that the written word can bring in highlighting our story in the islands, there is nothing more captivating than hearing the actual voices of those among us who have chosen to let go of God. <br />
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You can flip through any Christian based TV channel in the Caribbean and hear story after story of 'lost souls' who were 'set free' by Jesus and turned their lives around. Moving as these stories may be, for everyone of them, there are equally compelling accounts of people going in the other direction. Stories of individuals of all types, finding new purpose and drive in life after abandoning the faith that had previously held them in emotional and intellectual bondage. The problem is, nobody hears these stories.<br />
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At least until now.<br />
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'Freethinking Island' is seeking to change all that. In the last few years, I have come across many persons who have been 'set free' from religion, especially in the Caribbean. Now, on 'the island' you will get to hear these voices and realise that even in a part of the world where the rough seas of religion often mercilessly pound away at our shores; freethinkers with a different vision for what the islands could be are making their presence felt and taking a stand. I feel honoured to be now in a position that I can help them tell us of their experiences.<br />
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Helping me make this happen is Joy Holloway. She is the broadcast professional that has been guiding me through the ropes as a 'newbie.' I am learning fast that 'talk radio' is an entirely different challenge from writing blogs, but I am really relishing it. Joy is also very keen and has a passion for reaching out to our people and getting Caribbean people to 'wake up' as she likes to put it.<br />
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Joy and I have a strange shared history in that we are not only both from the same island, Barbados, but were in the same Sunday School class! We completely lost track of each other since then, only meeting up mere weeks ago through Facebook. Her journey has taken her since to New Jersey in the US and mine has led me to Calgary, Canada but we join forces now to promote the virtues of evidence, reason and critical thinking for the Caribbean. I hope that you will all join us on what promises to be an exciting journey.<br />
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On 'the island' we also look forward to inviting 'tourists' from around the world. Leading voices that can bring an outside perspective and help to guide us as we start on this journey. At the same time we hope that our stories will enrich them and help them understand the challenges of leaving faith for those of us that come from the region.<br />
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In the first episode we set out to give you a taste of what to expect in the weeks ahead and let you know who we are. I got into telling my own deconversion story and ended up going far deeper into things than I expected. I have to say it was cathartic and I was happy to get things out there in a way that I never had the opportunity to before. It means that I now have a one hour audio capsule that I can make available to anybody who wants to understand why, how, when or where I made the change.<br />
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Today I will leave that with you to listen to <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/freethinking-island/id571496712?mt=2">here</a>. Having spoken to the public through written word for the last couple of years it was great to now be able to speak to listeners directly. I can only hope that others that join us on 'the island' will feel the same liberation as I did in sharing my story with the Caribbean and the world. Look out for Joy's story next time and make sure you keep tuning into 'the island' where the prevailing winds of reason blow!<br />
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<b>Caribbean Freethinkers' Society</b><br />
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This week has to go down as a memorable one for our secular movement in the Caribbean, because even as the podcast came online, there is now a new '<a href="http://carithink.blogspot.ca/">Caribbean Freethinkers' Society' </a>blog/ website where the intention is to collate writings from many of the secular writers in our community in one place. This will be another great resource and a 'one stop shop' for seeing what is going on in the region.<br />
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Great to see all this happening, I feel very proud to be part of a movement like this and I am grateful to all who have worked hard to make these initiatives happen. We have to rally around our West Indian freethinkers. We are by no means in the forefront of the world of non-believers yet, but at least we now have a team on the field and we are playing. We can only look to go from strength to strength.caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-40487228245111380652012-10-13T00:12:00.000-07:002012-12-27T00:20:49.048-08:00Congratulations to our boys!: Beautiful Sunday morning mass with the West Indies cricket team<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was a glorious, glorious Sunday morning! A lift to my spirit that is difficult to describe. I tell you, If there really was a heaven I would have been in it. Yes, I am proud of my team, the West Indies cricket team that on Sunday won the final of the T20 Cricket World Cup. For those of you not familiar with the game, T20 stands for twenty 20, 20 overs a side. It's a shortened form of the game, developed to bring excitement, draw crowds out to the sport and please people who can't imagine sitting and watching a game for six hours of a day, to say nothing of the traditional five consecutive days that make up the conventional Test Matches. A T20 cricket match can be over in three hours, just a little bit longer than a football or soccer match.<br />
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The short length of the game and the concentration on entertainment as much as competition has led some purists to say that the game is not the real thing, notwithstanding that this is now the format of the game where you can make the millions of dollars. But whatever you think of the game, it was clear that this was a trophy that all the cricketing world were keen to get their hands on, and it is obvious that teams have now become focused on perfecting this new form of cricket, with all kinds of innovations being used. So, for West Indies to come out on top after coming through tough first round, Super 8 and Semi final matches, and then win the final against Sri Lanka on their home ground with a roaring crowd behind them, was no small feat.<br />
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When I watched the celebrations at the end of the match on Sunday, I have to admit I was overcome. Try as I might, I just couldn't hold back the tears. Often those who prefer to spend Sundays in places with steeples, chapels, organs and wooden crosses, try to tell us who have abandoned such things, that we just don't know what it is to have a heart, to be moved by words, sermons and testimonies that are so central to their lives and who they are. I am convinced however, that the mass I had last Sunday with the Windies was better than anything they could have got from the pulpit on that day. So, like a true evangelist I have to share the good news with those who weren't as fortunate as me. In case you think my service was one of those that was only about praising you are mistaken. Even as I joined in the mass of dancing and gyrating in the aisles with my boys in maroon, I made sure that the acts of these eleven West Indian apostles didn't make me miss the more important messages of the sermon.<br />
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<b>A Bit of Old Testament History</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sir Garfield Sobers: Greatest of the greats</td></tr>
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Before I get to the details of the sermon, a little Old Testament background is necessary to put the whole thing in context. For me West Indies cricket is something that runs deep in my blood. From the time I was small, I was hearing the stories of West Indies cricketing heroes. My father grew up in the Bayland in Barbados where many of the greats had their start. One of them Sir Garfield Sobers, widely acknowledged to be the greatest to ever play the game of cricket. I heard exploits of his feats as a boy and the talent even of his brothers George and Gerald. George in fact was married to one of my Aunts. A fact that I was always proud of, especially when I went to school in England for a while and told the boys at school that I was 'related' to the great Sir Gary.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">West Indies with pace like fire</td></tr>
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My Dad's interest in cricket meant that from about six years old I was carried to watch games at Kensington Oval, the famous international cricket ground in Barbados. Long before I understood claims of God, Jesus and resurrection for sins, I had first hand experiences of gods on the cricket field. Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes,Michael Holding, Clive Lloyd, Joel Garner, Andy Roberts and Malcolm Marshall. These were the first deities I knew of. No human being in the world could stand up to these giants on the cricket field, no demon, however powerful could ever prevail against them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viv Richards - The Master Blaster</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">At that time it was the dream of every single boy to one day play for the West Indies. We would all have or time pretending to be one or the other of the 'greats' when we went out to play at lunch time. Unfortunately, most of us didn't go on to wear the maroon, although there was one a little bit younger than me who did. A quiet understated guy, who was somehow able even at eight years old, to bowl six balls in a row exactly on the same spot. His name was Ian Bradshaw and he would one day hit the winning runs to win a trophy for the West Indies in 2004. That was our last major win before the one on Sunday and that had also been a tear jerker to watch.</span><br />
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So, from early cricket meant a lot to me. But it was more than bat and ball to me then and it is more than bat and ball to me now. Even though I never got anywhere near the top in that sport I love, I took a lot from what I saw in my heroes as motivation. At the time, as a black boy coming from a tiny island like Barbados, it was hard to feel that you could be world class and compete with the best. But seeing guys who looked like me coming from the same small villages I walked through, dominating people from vast countries like England, Australia and India gave me a great deal of confidence. It really made me feel that if I put my mind to it and worked hard I could be up there with the world's best in whatever field I chose to pursue. There was no other context in which I saw outstanding Caribbean performance on display and I often wonder where I would have gotten the idea I could truly make it to the top, if they hadn't been these guys to look up to then.<br />
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I grew up with the West Indies by my side, almost literally. Many nights when we were playing in Australia, I went to sleep with them under my pillow as I tucked away my favourite 'Tony the Tiger' transistor radio. That radio would be playing the voice of another Tony, Tony Cozier giving the commentary as we we batted merrily through the night. When we were playing in England, matches would start about 6:00 am Caribbean time, and when I got out of bed I had to turn on the radio to make sure we hadn't lost any early wickets before I could even think about having my breakfast.<br />
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Yes, those were the lovely days of yore. It was all brilliant until one morning after one Australia Test match, I heard the words ' West Indies lost.' West Indies lost??? How was something like that even possible? I was 14 years old and this was the first time I had an experience of West Indies losing a Test Match. It was if my worldview had collapsed overnight. Like if you woke up and realised that the laws of gravity no longer applied. Thankfully, at that time, it was just a blip on the radar, something to show me that my heroes were less than perfect. Still gods, but maybe not quite as invincible as I once thought.<br />
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<b>Drought after the days of plenty</b><br />
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Ten years later we lost again, but things were different this time. It became very clear that this was no one off thing. We were definitely going into decline and it was rapid. In the blink of an eye, we went from heroes to zeros. Losses followed losses with as much regularity as the wins had piled up fifteen years earlier. All over the Caribbean people argued about who was to blame. Was it the players attitude? Competition from other sports? Bad management by the Board? Insularity of certain countries? Fingers were pointed all over the spectrum and the results just kept getting worse and worse.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It is not to say that in this period everything was bad in our game. We produced the great Brian Lara, a batsman just as much of a master with the bat as any in that glory era, but it was as if he had escaped from a time machine, because there just wasn't the talent around in his day to match him. At times, he himself was blamed for the decline in our game which was ironic, but at least losing as we were, we could still lay claim to having one of the games brightest stars.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brian Lara: The great that often stood alone</td></tr>
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When his career came to an end and we were still losing, the future began to look even bleaker. We were at the bottom of the ladder without a star who could even shine occasionally for us. We did have a very industrious whole hearted player in the form of Shivnarine Chanderpaul who could be counted on to save us from indignity, but he lacked that flair and star quality of a Lara. Behind him the cupboard seemed bare and it was not unreasonable to think that once Chanderpaul was gone, the decline in West Indies cricket would be terminal. There were times indeed when we even wondered whether the entity 'West Indies' would survive. After all the West Indies is not a country, and the only institution other than cricket that bears its name is the UWI, University of the West Indies.<br />
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<b>The Offering we couldn't resist: The Temptation of Stanford and the Indian Premier League</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alan Stanford: Turned out to be not the real thing</td></tr>
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The downward spiral continued and the pain especially for the fans who had lived through the glory years was palpable. It is often said in the Caribbean that cricket is like a religion, that may be true, but people were starting to lose faith and few new converts were coming through. A struggling religion is a bit like a struggling business. When things get a bit tough people look towards trying to get money in. In business this is done through looking at the bottom line in religion it is all about the collection plate, how to get more offering coming in on Sunday morning. The first man to come a calling with promises of adding to that plate was a Texas billionaire by the name of Alan Stanford, but it soon became clear that he was not the Good Samaritan he was touted as, he was indeed a fraud from abroad. Whether you could say he was like the Anti- Christ, I don't know, but the West Indies Cricket Board and many of the players in the region definitely ended up with a false profit.<br />
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Not to worry, money soon came a calling again, it came from the only other part of the world where I am told cricket is also the national religion. That country is of course India. Yes, India had developed the Indian Premier League (IPL), cash was floating around and the owners of big Indian TV franchises were like the glitzy American tele evangelists, tempting our cricketers with lucrative offers. Their sales pitch was like a prosperity gospel and many of our players eagerly signed up. It was indeed an offering that even after the sting of Stanford, they just couldn't refuse.<br />
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The IPL was to be the short T20 version of cricket. Well suited to some of our younger players who seemed to have lost the appetite for concentrating over the long periods necessary in the traditional game. The guys who were happy to give a thrill a minute to DJs in the Party Stands before going back to the pavilion and enjoying a bit of merriment themselves. In a way you couldn't blame the impressionable youth to be lured by these smooth talking evangelists in the IPL. With the West Indies team not performing, these players had more to gain from seeking individual fame and glory than by sitting on a sinking Caribbean ship. In India they would be sold to the highest bidder for their pieces of silver and in so doing they would make themselves less available to play for the Caribbean side. Try as they might, the Board could do nothing to stop the exodus of the few top class players we had left in the region and weak became weaker.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris Gayle: West Indian star in the IPL</td></tr>
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Not only did the team decline but great rifts between players and Board emerged. Acrimonious relationships ensued over the players decision to put loyalty to Indian Franchises above the West Indies. The public at large had their say as well and all kinds of dirty linen was hung out. In the most recent melee, the main protagonist was Chris Gayle. A hard hitting Jamaican batsman that was in the shorter game threatening to become the kind of star that Viv Richards and Brian Lara had been in the longer game before him. Just maybe someone like Gayle, could help save our game. But no, the rifts between him and the Board became greater and greater. Eventually the Board decided not to make him eligible for selection on any West Indies team and he went on his way plying his trade as a freelance cricketer. It seemed at that time that Gayle was unlikely to play for West Indies again.<br />
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Others followed Gayle to the lure of the IPL and from all reports were successful. Gayle stood out in the tournament along with a few other West Indians, including a young emerging slow bowler, Sunil Narine. Meanwhile our West Indies team continued to struggle. I used to hear my Indian friends telling me how much they loved our players over there, they spoke of the great innings they were playing and the outstanding bowling performances they were putting in, but I just couldn't watch it. Why couldn't these guys be doing these things for us? Why should Kolkata, Mumbai, Decca and Bangalore be prospering on our talent, while we languish?<br />
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So now we come up to the present. Thankfully, things seemed to get a little better before this tournament, as there was some mending of fences and it appeared that we would have all of our big players available. It was a surprise to me when some commentators even installed us as being among the favourites. We blew a bit hot and cold in the tournament but we made it to the final. A final which as I said at the outset was to produce a powerful sermon with some great testimonies.<br />
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<b>The Sermon: Preaching from the book of 1st and 2nd Samuels</b><br />
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Like all good sermons, the one last Sunday built on the readings from the past and applied them to present day. The poignant message was taken from the books of 1st and 2nd Samuels, no not the one in the biblical Old Testament, this is the modern day West Indian version. The story of Marlon.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marlon Samuels: Subject of the sermon and star of the show</td></tr>
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<b>1st Samuels</b><br />
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The Book of 1st Samuels does not read well. It is a true testimony of tribulation. I remember watching this 1st Samuels on television scoring 100 runs as a youngster barely over 20, in a One Day match in India. Never had I witnessed more consistent clean hitting, even from the greats I saw in our glory days. It looked like he had what it took to be a cricketing saviour. But Marlon faded badly, disappointing time and time again after that. He walked on to the field to play as if he didn't care and wished he was somewhere else. Talent he had, but he never seemed to accept it and make the effort. He was truly like the Prodigal Son. But things got even worse for this 1st Samuels, he was caught giving advice to an Indian involved in betting and match fixing and was subsequently banned from playing all cricket for two years. He also had further indignity by being suspended from bowling because his action was considered illegal by the International Cricket Council.<br />
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When all this happened we thought that was the last chapter and verse as far as Samuels was concerned. Here was a man that couldn't even make good when everything was in his favour, to think that he could ever get close to a West Indies team after two years out of the game was a joke.<br />
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<b>2nd Samuels</b><br />
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Last year after the period of the ban was over, we heard for the first time, the word from 2nd Samuels. He was back, he told us ready to go again, he had been practising for the last two years. Samuels practicing on his own to get back to where he left off and then go further? No, not the Samuels we knew. But they were some early suggestions that this 2nd coming of Samuels might be different. He started to score runs with regularity for Jamaica, he really seemed to want to atone for previous transgressions. He was even to be seen admonishing himself if he got out as a result of playing an injudicious shot. This was something we never ever saw in 1st Samuels.<br />
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When I was in Barbados last year I went to a match against Pakistan, where I saw this 2nd Samuels myself. He did not score heavily, but he did appear to be more focused, watching the ball carefully, picking the right balls to hit. Still there was none of that clean hitting I saw of him when he first came on the scene and though I thought he could probably hold a place on the team, I didn't see him doing much more than that. Now we know that there was a lot more to be written in that Book of 2nd Samuels. In 2012, he just has not stopped scoring runs. In spite of his success he has never got carried away or suggested any bravado or don't carishness he showed in his earlier Book. He has just told us over and over again that he wants to keep playing and practising hard because he knows he has two years of runs put down that he has to make up for. It really did appear that this Samuels was a changed man.<br />
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The question was, did he have what it took for the big occasion? The answer over the last few weeks was a resounding YES. With bat and ball he has been the captain's 'go to ' man and he has delivered every time. None moreso than on Sunday. We made the worse possible start we could in the match. We lost Gayle or star batsman very early and the other batsmen just couldn't get any runs. It was clear we would be left with a paltry score and Sri Lanka would walk to victory. The crowd was roaring and the Sri Lanka party was about to rev up, but out strode 2nd Samuels to make sure that there were more verses to come. He started hitting clean and hard as he had that time when I saw him first on television. The ball disappeared over and over into the night sky and suddenly West Indies were back in the game. No one else in our team could get going on the day, but Marlon Samuels stood up to this stiffest of tests. Even if we were still to lose, he made sure we had a fighting score. And fighting is what we did after that, with everyone involved. Marlon once again was in the forefront with the ball and as they say the rest is history. 2nd Samuels had delivered and all I could say was "Amen!"<br />
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If you ever wanted a story, a testimony a parable of redemption, there it was. Not in a myth or a 'Holy Book' from ancient times, but in the story of a real flesh and blood human being living in our own time. Not a person with any special divine powers, not a 'chosen one.' Just an ordinary person, determined to turn his life around after many years of hardship. Finally the Prodigal Son had returned home and the whole village was ready to throw a party in his honour.<br />
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Marlon's story reminds us of much; that we can always come back strong and we shouldn't give up, that we mustn't be quick to write off people because of earlier transgressions. It illustrates to all that we can make a horrible circumstance work dramatically in our favour. It's not to say that now Samuels is the saviour of the West Indies. We don't know what the future will hold and they may be a 3rd Book of Samuels that doesn't quite deliver the goods. I hope for all our sakes that there are no other installments of Samuels and that things follow on like the Bible, because after Samuels comes Kings in that 'Holy Book' and no one in the Caribbean, not even the ones most staunchly in favour of a republic, would begrudge us having a period of West Indies cricket monarchy right now.<br />
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<b>Further inspiration in the Book of Sams</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darren Sammy: Captain that landed the big prize</td></tr>
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If the Samuels story wasn't enough for the morning, there was further inspiration from the Sams. When I used to go to church, I always tried to draw a lesson from the verses of the Psalms and this morning the Sams kept coming up as well. There was another Samuel from Trinidad whose bowling kept us in the match, but the other stand out Sam, was Sammy. Darren Sammy the St.Lucian captain of the West Indies team.<br />
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Again I need to give some back story on Darren. When I think of him, I remember a St. Lucian lady that I worked with in Barbados that was probably the biggest fan of the West Indies team that I have ever met. During the time I worked with her, win, lose or draw she always stuck with them, referring to them consistently as ' My boys.' It was interesting for me at the time, because her home country St. Lucia of which she was intensely proud, had never produced a single West Indies player in their history. She never had the privilege of watching anyone from her country put on the maroon but she held the West Indies team as close to her heart as a family member. Many of us would moan about who was in or not in the team, but for her it didn't matter. Once they were West Indians playing she was 100% behind them.<br />
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I used to encourage her by telling her that one day she would be able to cheer for one of her own too, a St.Lucian out there on the field. At that time none seemed that close to the mark, but she always used to say that there's this boy Darren Sammy who came from her village. "He is a very good cricketer, one day Sammy will make it." she would often say. By 'make it' she meant, play for the West Indies, maybe one match sometime, somewhere.<br />
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On Sunday there was that Darren Sammy I had heard about all those years ago. Not just wearing the maroon, but as the captain, yes the CAPTAIN of the West Indies team. And not just any captain either, he was the one holding the WORLD CUP aloft. I thought about how my former workmate must have felt at that moment. I just couldn't even begin to imagine the pride that must have been inside her. As I watched the proceedings, I realised that I in a way had come to the position that she was once in. For as many great cricketers as Barbados has produced over its illustrious history, not one was part of the eleven that played in the match to win the Cup on Sunday. Yet, it didn't matter one iota, these were still 'My boys,' just as I had learnt from my St. Lucian friend back then, this team is our team no matter what.<br />
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Just like Marlon Samuels, it's not been an easy road for Darren Sammy. Sammy himself would be the first to admit that he is not the world's greatest cricketer. He took over the captaincy at a difficult time and many have argued he shouldn't be playing because they don't think that he is good enough to make the eleven. That is debatable, but what Sammy lacks in talent he makes up for in heart and effort. Like the office mate I had in Barbados years ago, he seems to really believe in the West Indies and playing for 'the crest' as he puts it. Whatever his personal abilities and failings may be, he has managed to take the team and make it gel, putting the mission of 'one team, one people, one goal' in the forefront. His success is definitely a reminder that one needn't be the biggest star or come from the biggest island to achieve greatness.<br />
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I remember being in St. Lucia three years ago watching a match when Sammy was not playing, much to the dismay of many St. Lucians at the ground who felt he had been unfairly left out. Darren walked among the ground while the match was going on to tell those there that it was OK. He didn't fuel the crowd by expressing disappointment, he said he recognised his own faults and that he would go away and work harder on his game, so that he could make the team next time. Of course I don't know Darren Sammy personally, but this was an early impression that I got of him that made me believe he was a decent man. I am delighted that his diligence has paid off in such an amazing way. So, there ended the morning's lesson, at least for the most part. You can't finish a service without the Benediction and there was plenty of that going around. "Thanks to the Almighty," was the repeated phrase. I guess the "Almighty" could be any kind of God you wanted it to be.<br />
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Interviews are always 'must see TV' after games like these. During his interview, Sammy was asked about how he handled criticism over the years. He responded by talking about Jesus and how he was crucified even though he didn't do anything wrong, so who is he Darren Sammy, to bother about the critics. It made me laugh because I knew that Christians hearing that would be caught in two minds. On the one hand, they would have been glad to hear reference to Jesus, they Lord and Saviour at such a public moment before all the world. On the other hand, they would be somewhat perturbed by the fact that Sammy was comparing himself with that Jesus. That would seem like blasphemy to many. Thankfully, blasphemy doesn't regularly lead to violence in our part of the world, so all was well. Still, I am sure the dissonance of the listening believers would have had them in a bit of a bind.<br />
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Not withstanding the God references, I was proud of how the guys spoke at the end of the game. Excited as they were with winning, they made no bones about the fact that they know that this is only the beginning of what is still likely going to be a very long journey back for West Indies cricket. On Sunday I rededicated myself to sticking with them in that journey, long and hard as it may be.<br />
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Of course the next thing up was the song service, with the music and dancing. A combination of cultures with the new West Indian version of Gangnam style led by worship leader Chris Gayle! If you have any questions about whether Chris Gayle is the 'annointed one' you can hear that he is in the clip below, straight from the mouth of the Bishop on commentary. Gayle prophesied before the game and it was a prophecy that came to pass.<br />
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The scenes shown here are something to watch and there was even more revelry to come later. International commentators and sports lovers the world over keep commenting that they love the way we celebrate and the joy we bring to what we do. It is this kind of unrestrained exuberance that they respond to. Whether it's the cricketers as we are seeing here, or Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake in the Olympics. It's great to know that in an age where war and conflicts seem to dominate world news, that we can at least lead the way in making the world smile. It is a trait in the Caribbean that is not by any means limited to sportsmen. It's just the way we do things. In North America and Europe there is often emphasis on curbing natural instincts so as not to upset anyone present who may not approve. In the Caribbean, it's about self expression and letting your true self show to all the world. Showing that true self includes expressing our religion and beliefs as can be seen here. Some may be surprised to hear me say this, but I have no problem with it. If they are convinced that the Lord has guided them or that a lucky yellow band around the Samuels' neck did the trick it's all well and good.<br />
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<b>If only we could dance to atheism too</b><br />
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My only wish is that one day we with different beliefs will also be able to join the party. It would be great if one day Caribbean atheists will also be able to express themselves, openly proclaiming their faith in reason to the world. As Caribbean people it's not in our nature to have to live and hide who we are, to not be able to evangelise about things near and dear to our hearts. I look forward to the day when we can all dance together regardless and proclaim the 'Word of truth' whatever we may think that truth to be. It is unfortunate that as things stand, anytime we say anything against religion it is deemed to be a 'no ball.' Then Christians get a ' free hit' where they are allowed to dispatch our arguments anywhere they please, often going way beyond the boundaries of logic. They can swing at us with maximum force knowing that under the rules that they have established, they can never be caught out.<br />
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Well, that little caveat was just but one moment of sober reflection, in the midst of the jumping with pride. It may sound strange, but in a way I enjoy the victories now even more than when I was a kid. These days I no longer see the gods I once saw wearing West Indies colours. I see flawed men trying their best to put together their talents to make us feel a sense of pride. Sometimes they will make us deliriously happy other times they will flop and leave us in deep disappointment, but that's all part of the game.<br />
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Even though the parties are no doubt still going on from Jamaica right down to Guyana, I am not convinced that every West Indian has got out of their chair to cheer along with the 'Gangnam Style' beat. For many, I think it is that they have been disappointed too many times. Too many false dawns. Many West Indians will gladly show of their allegiance to Chelsea, Manchester United or Arsenal, the Miami Heat, the New York Nicks or the Chicago Bulls. But when it comes to their own West Indies they want to hold themselves back. I remember wearing my West Indies shirt to an exhibition when the West Indies team was struggling. I was told rather publicly by a man in attendance that I should be ashamed to wear it. That was a comment that hurt.<br />
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We have to do better as Caribbean people, supporting a team, means being there through it all, through thick and thin. That's why I loved the way that Sammy ended on Sunday by thanking Peter Matthews who has traveled the world supporting the West Indies. His unmistakable tall maroon hat has been spotted all over the globe. As Sammy said, he has been there ' through rain and sun.' I wish more West Indians would follow suit. I can sense even now, that some from the islands are waiting in the wings for things to go sour again, to say, " I told you so!"<br />
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We know that the rains in West Indies will come again, and that our day in the sun will not last forever. Being a winner just like life itself is transient. Neither will be here for eternity, and that makes both of them precious moments to be cherished. As I know after four years here in Canada, you don't shut up yourself in the house in the summer just because you know that winter's coming. So, I am certainly going to take the time now to bask in the Caribbean sun whether or not it's another false dawn or the start of a brand new day.<br />
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<b>Recessional Hymn</b><br />
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Well friends, that's it. Great service from the West Indies on Sunday. Please stand now for the Recessional Hymn, Number 137, "Rally Round the West Indies!"<br />
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<br />caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7556283067410105.post-5794301928777875542012-09-22T03:08:00.000-07:002012-09-22T03:13:01.417-07:00Messages of faith for Birthday week<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No, the attempts to woo me back to Jesus have simply not let up. While the lady that I went to church with a few weeks ago continues to do all she can to make sure my first visit is not my last, I have had new measures aimed at restoring my faith, coming from back home in Barbados.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />I celebrated my birthday last week and was thankful to receive many messages of good will. However, two messages in particular demanded my attention. The first was from a close friend from childhood. We were born just two weeks apart and many of our friends used to say back then that we looked very much alike. Because we also spent a lot of time together around church, music and other social circles, people tended to assume that we were brothers. The belief became so widespread that we started to see ourselves in that way, and eventually we came to refer to each other as 'brothers.' This 'brother' of mine was actually Best Man at my wedding. I will never forget that because he said on that day, that one thing my wife could always be sure of is that with me, she would always have a committed Christian by her side. I have often wondered if ever a more ironic statement has been made in a wedding speech.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Well, my friend and I have remained close over the years in spite of the fact that we have both spent considerable time out of Barbados, the country where we both grew up. This time that we have spent out of the country, in addition to the fact that my friend is a leading professional in his field and always in demand and busy, has meant that although I have seen him on the last two visits I have made to Barbados, we have not had the chance to sit down for an extensive discussion. In other words, we have not had THAT religious talk. Another important point, is that this friend is not on Facebook. Facebook is the main medium through which I have revealed my non belief to the wider world. He is not part of that network and therefore has missed out on this news story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />In spite of our lack of time interacting in recent years, one time of the year that we always make contact is on each others birthdays, this year was no exception. However, the text that he sent me this year made me sit up and take notice. Here is what it said:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><b>"A beautiful, holy and God filled birthday to you. May God grant you many many more birthdays."</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Wait a minute. What was this? I am still caught in two minds about what happened here. At first glance it seems obvious. He is laying on the God thing just a bit too thick. Clearly someone has told him of my atheism and this is just his way of testing the waters. Either pushing me with a stick of provocation to see if he gets a resistance reflex or putting that stick there with words for me to grab hold of, hoping he can eventually pull me out of the abyss.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />But truth is I am just not sure. I think it may just be his way of wishing me birthday greetings with sincerity. I have to add that he was always a bit more into religion than I was anyway. If he had sent me a message like this even three years ago, I wouldn't have thought twice about it. I may have thought to myself that he seems rather 'godly' this year, but it would have ended there. It made me realise how much I had changed. I have moved so far from religion now and spoken so much in its opposition, that any mention of the 'G' word just resonates in my head. It's like an alarm that goes off or a red flag that goes up. Quite often in everyday discussions with believers who are very aware of my atheism, God will be mentioned by them in passing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />' I hope to God this' or 'Thank God for that,' ' God help me with this' ' The Lord knows what's best' 'God don't sleep' and many more. I smile to myself when these phrases come up. The believer carries on with whatever he or she is saying without missing a beat. I know that if I stopped them to point out their use of a superstitious referent that I don't subscribe to, they would be completely oblivious that they had called on God. If they were aware, I am sure they would have stopped and smiled, teased me a little or at least made a note of my non belief. Indeed, there have been times when I have expressed to people in no uncertain terms about the difficulties of being an atheist, the isolation I sometimes feel, or the anger I feel when people try to make judgements about my morality or intelligence because I don't believe. The person I would be talking to, would nod and empathize and say that they understand and agree, then attempt to give me support with a reassuring , 'God is good.'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />I know it sounds like something from a sitcom, but the theist makes the statement in these situations out of sincerity. It's not something said in irony or to piss me off, it's actually said in love. Because that's how it is when <a href="http://caribatheist.blogspot.ca/2011/05/do-you-speak-theish-relearning-my.html">'theish</a>' is your native language. 'God is good' in that context is a statement meaning to say I feel your pain and wish you much better. So I wondered if it was just my God sensitivity at work when reading my friend's text. Maybe it was just a nice little note my friend was giving me in his own 'theish' way. Assuming of course that he was talking to David the committed Christian, the one who he knew, the one who existed as recently as 2006.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />I know I have gone through a transformation. I have a 'God-dar ' now. It's a kind of antenna that I am sure must have some commercial application which I can put to use some day. I have this ability whereby I can have a conversation on the most mundane subject with a theist and at the end of it I can tell them how many times they said the word 'God' and what was the context in which it was used. Not that I actually do that, of course. However, I know people who pay quite a bit for software that is able to do word frequency analyses like that. Try to top that, Google!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Well, whether it was a proclamation of my friend's faith or a provocation due to my lack of faith, one thing is for sure. I have to respond by telling him something now and I will.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><b>The Auntie Fundamentalist </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />My friend's short text was not the only one that caught my attention on my birthday week. A few days earlier I had received a letter from my aunt. This aunt is no ordinary auntie, by the way. She is one I can only classify as a super fundamentalist. From the time I was a small child this was clear to me in every visit we ever made to her home. There were bible verses on the walls, the bible itself was always on hand as a reference and conversations never wondered far away from God and the spiritual. It seemed every time we visited her, that she was either just about to get ready for church or had just got back. She asked me several times on visits even before I was ten, whether I had accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and saviour. Back then I hoped that telling her that I go to Sunday School regularly would be good enough. From her facial expressions, I don't think that it was.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />In my childhood, her strong emphasis on faith made her not the most fun Auntie to be around. Birthday parties, movies and sporting events were definitely not part of her repertoire. In adulthood, I had come to know this Auntie better and appreciated having a relationship with her more. Of course she would still bring up the subject of faith from time to time, but I generally didn't engage her in this area. This was especially so when I came to the period of my life where I was beginning to have doubts. I just knew there would be no way I could talk to her about such things. I remember just before I left to live in Canada she told me that she hoped I would be able to balance the spiritual, with the intellectual. It was as if she sensed danger on the horizon. I agreed to keep that idea in mind, even though I knew by then that my faith was extremely close to slipping right of the scale.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />When I reached that point where I had recognised that I was indeed an atheist and was contemplating if, when and how I would tell others of my change, I thought of my Auntie regularly. I just couldn't imagine telling her, it would break her heart. I knew it would. In fact, at one point I just vowed that I won't tell her. I would just smile and play along with her God talk and just be atheist when I was outside of her four walls.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />I remember receiving a phone call from Auntie on December 31st, 2009. This date sticks in my mind because I made a New Year's Resolution that I would start making my atheism public in 2010. It is amazing to reflect on it now, but at the end of 2009, my wife was the only other human being that knew I was an atheist. On that last day of the year, Auntie called and we wished each other a Happy New Year and she spoke about how the weather had been in Barbados, that it had been very strange and that the waves had been extremely rough, even on the usually placid west coast. I told her that I thought it was clear that there were significant changes in climate patterns all over the world and that we had to get serious about studying the phenomenon and put our minds together to find ways to effectively deal with some of these impacts. I got a response from my auntie, that stopped me in my tracks. " No!" she said. "There is no way that any human being can do anything to solve these problems. Our only option is to call upon God. The answer to these problems has to come from the supernatural!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />I tried to argue that I didn't think we could just pray the angry waves away, but I knew my Auntie would have none of it. I also knew at that moment that I had to stick to my New Year's resolution. This was exactly the reason why I thought that religion was a foe rather than a friend. Much of my work and research is aimed at promoting the development of renewable energy technology. A large reason for doing this, is to reduce the climate change impacts relating to burning fossil fuels. When people like my Auntie, tell me that ' there is nothing human beings can do about these problems' they are effectively telling me that all my work is for nought. Better just sit back and do nothing. I thought of how much her words sounded like a slap in the face of the scientist. Declaring my atheism starting the following day, would be my way of sending out an SOS. I just simply had to save our science.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />I am happy to say that was one New Year's resolution I stuck to. Probably the only one ever. From the next day I started to make the movement 'out of the closet.' A journey that of course continues to this very day. Since our New Year's Eve talk three years ago, the interactions between my Auntie and I have been brief "hellos" over the internet and a solitary visit to catch up with her when I was home in Barbados last year, but not much in the way of discussion. Then earlier this year I got a friend request from my aunt on Facebook. That made me sit up and take notice. For one, she is not the person that I would easily associate with technology and social networking, but more than that, I knew that I could be in for a difficult ride. Once I accepted her request and she clicked on my wall, my atheism would be revealed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />I thought a bit, and then considered I could handle whatever came and basically waited for the other shoe to drop. Months I waited and nothing, but I also saw that she wasn't ever posting or commenting and concluded that she was one of these people who signed up for the service but didn't really use it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Then I got the email for my birthday. I have posted it below. You may wonder whether I have done some editing because after the subject heading of 'birthday blessings' the word birthday, never actually appears in the email. No, it's not an edit, that's just the way I got it. I can only surmise that the atheistic shock after finally visiting my wall, blasted the birthday thoughts straight out of the brain. Anyway, I am still glad she took the time to write me and share her concerns.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />The only part I haven't included here is the link she sent me. She went to youtube and put in a search for 'testimonies of atheist conversions,' copied the link of the page showing the search results and put it at the beginning of the email. I watched a few of the videos there and soon I found myself laughing. Of the first four search results, two were by atheists giving an idea of what it would take to convert them to Christianity and saying why the religion has fallen so woefully short of meeting this mark. There were arguments that could not have explained my present position regarding faith any better. The next video was this hilarious parody shown below, where an atheist, ironically named David, talks of his 'conversion' to Christianity. He talks about how he traded in his thinking for belief in the bible and now he has all the answers he needs, including the knowledge that slavery is OK.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_HrIS2Jz0Ow" width="560"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">I was in stitches when I watched this video, the </span>irony in the fact that my Christian Auntie had inadvertently sent me videos that were anti Christian was thick. But after I got over the comedy of the whole thing, I had to accept that this was typical of a Christian fundamentalist's reaction when finding herself in a situation where someone's soul was at risk. It was quite clear that my Auntie had not watched any of these videos before she pressed 'send.' This was not any systematic argument being built to convince me to come back, this was just her pelting widely at the dartboard hoping that something, ANYTHING would stick.</span><br />
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" See these atheists in this video, they came to Christ, so can you!" That was the simple message.</span><br />
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This is not a new approach by people trying to reach us that are atheists. It is how they operate, but they just don't get that this is not what will work with us. They always think that if we could just hear one more testimony, we would be right back inside the house of the Lord, but they really don't understand. We don't make decisions on what is true based on that which makes our heart bleed or moves us to tears. Indeed, when we find ourselves emotionally reacting to something, that that's when we become more skeptical of the message of 'truth' that is wrapped inside, I have said it many times that truth is truth no matter what we think about it. Emotional pleas just don't cut it.</span><br />
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Well, no matter how many times I said it before, I had to put my head down and prepare to bring the message one more time. This time specially for my Auntie. Some of you may be surprised to hear that I thought long and hard before crafting the reply. After all, I have quite a bit of experience now in dealing with fundamentalists, I also have gone through the experience of discussing my deconversion from faith with close family members. However, this was the first time I was dealing with both individuals within the same person.</span><br />
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Talk to family members who are not quite bible thumpers and you know that in spite of their shock you can get at least a modicum of empathy from them by knowing that they have their doubts as well. When you deal with a fundamentalist that is not your relative, at least you can take heart from the fact that even if they fear for your soul, they will breathe easier that it is not their family in the fire.</span><br />
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With fundamentalist and family mixed together, you have to be able to handle the situation with double the care. Hopefully I was able to do that. In my email, I tried to emphasize that I wanted to build on the good relationship I have with my Auntie but at the same time made it clear that I was comfortable with the decision I had made and was happy with no regrets.</span><br />
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I have posted both her email and my reply so you can tell me how you think I did. So far I have not got a reply back from her, but I now know from experience that one has to have patience when it comes to these faith and family matters.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Subject: Birthday Blessings</i></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hi David,</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Truth, David, I do not know what it is not to believe in God. I don't even want to know. He is too good to me.; He is very real to me; He is my best friend. He has "rescued" me time and again.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know my story- I may have been insane if He was not there for me and saved me. I owe my life to Him.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> I thought it best to let some of those who have walked the path you have now chosen speak to you.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Above is a whole web page for you. Listen to the converted atheists. L-I-S-T-E-N!!</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love you,</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Auntie</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">P.S--- "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. "<var id="yui-ie-cursor"></var> I agree. This is true.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Re: Birthday Blessings</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hi Auntie!</span></i></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Great hearing from you and thanks for your greetings and birthday blessings. I enjoyed the day.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I recognize and understand the concern that you expressed in your email. Admitting to myself and others around me that I no longer believed in God was not an easy thing for me to do and I gave it considerable thought before telling others about it.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the main reasons why I thought so long and hard about speaking out, is because of persons such as yourself. Indeed, you were often in my thoughts as I went through this transition. I know that for you, faith is the centre of your being and as you said in your email, you couldn't imagine and don't even what to imagine a life without it. I figured that knowing that a close family member like me had openly declared that he no longer follows this faith, would likely cause you some distress. However, at the end of the day I felt that it was more important that I be honest and express who I really am and what I really feel, rather than what I thought others would like that I feel. So, I hope that you will understand and accept this, even though I am not expecting that you will ever see things my way.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Amazing as it may seem to you, I have actually found a level of joy and 'new life' in becoming an atheist and have found a great deal of fulfilment in encouraging people to challenge and critically assess the beliefs that they hold. Not specifically in order to prove or disprove the existence of a God, but to get a better understanding of reality, whatever that reality may turn out to be. I think that a better understanding of reality will lead to better decision making by people and we will all benefit in the long run. I believe that if God is part of reality, applying reason and critical thinking to that which we experience within this reality, will eventually point us in the direction of him, her or it. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the main ways in which I have tried to reach out to others, is through a blog that I have been posting articles to over the last two years. The link is below you can check it out if you want to.</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.caribatheist.blogspot.ca/"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">http://www.caribatheist.blogspot.ca</span></i></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I appreciate that you sent me some links to videos that you want me to see. I have watched a few of them. All of the perspectives presented there are ones which I considered before I came to my position and some of them are actually produced by atheists who are expressing a view similar to that which I now hold. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Auntie, I respect that you have always believed in God and see him as working daily in your life and I have no intention or desire to take from you that which you hold dear. Likewise, I hope that you will understand that I also have principles which I hold dear. I no longer hold to faith as one of those principles, but I am as committed as I ever was in trying to live a life based on honesty, treating others as I would like to be treated and being tolerant of persons who may have opinions and perspectives different from my own. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The way I see it, that means we have far more that unites us than separates us. I love you as much as a friend as I do as an auntie and I hope with all my heart that the fact that we have a difference in what we consider reality to be will never change that.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Best Regards,</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">David</span></i></div>
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caribatheisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00141510965594558342noreply@blogger.com1