God Report

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Last week we went over the story of young David's battle with the Philistine champion Goliath. While this display of prowess was impressive, the social intrigue that happens in the wake of the contest is arguably more important and more meaningful. At this point in First Samuel (chapter 18 specifically) the story becomes considerably more dense. Many events take place in the space of a single chapter and it's easy to miss a number of the many important details along the way. One element that has been a source of much debate and distraction over the ages is the relationship between David and Jonathan, Saul's son and the heir apparent to the throne of the two kingdoms.

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Today is Religious Freedom Day, a day on which we can celebrate the fact that we’re not executed for our beliefs as many of our ancestors were. However, that doesn’t stop the persecution and violence directed against people of many religions today—both at home and abroad—and we still need to work together to overcome such atrocities and treat one another as brothers and sisters. Here are ten things you can do to do just that.

10. Refrain from judgment. Unless someone is getting hurt, a person’s religion is his or her personal choice. Being different does not mean being bad; it’s simply something other than what you are used to. If you have questions or concerns, he or she will probably be glad to answer them as long as you ask in a nonjudgmental way. If nothing else, do a little research from a nonpartisan website. Read more

While the focus of this blog is to promote secular concepts in opposition to religion, as well as to point out some of the inherent absurdities of popular faith, I feel as if a lot of the ire generated by the atheism vs. religion debate is misplaced. Both sides of the argument oversimplify each other, if for no other reason than to generate a series of straw men to be knocked down by a blunt and ultimately fallacious point. I would like to take this opportunity to stand in defense of faith, not from a position of biblical literalism or moral condemnation, but from the perspective of someone who does not believe that rationality and religion are truly diametrically opposed.

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Pope Benedict Calls for Ecological ResponsibilityEnvironmentalism and the church have had a strange and shifting relationship over the past few decades, perhaps always. On one hand, environmentalists tend to fall in the democrat party, and the church tends to stick with the republican. Environmentalism is about changing the way the government and people do the things we do- the church tends to have a set of traditional ways and spends a lot of time talking to people about how to adhere to those ways. Read more

DesertBeing an Atheist is not about ruining other people’s religious parties or crapping on dogma. It is not about rebelling or being different. It is not about disrespect or an urge to crinkle the noses of the powers that be.

Being an atheist is about seeing things for what they are, unencumbered by myth, opinion or ritual. Its about understanding the natural urges that live inside you, rather than denying them, it’s about using that knowledge to guide and steer our humanity. It’s about seeing the beauty that is nature and understanding the minute and varied processes that shape and create the world. To see a river running is not a static thing as God had created once and always, but a river is a changing thing, a force of creation and change. Read more

Creation Museum MugAlright, so I have this mug from the religious institution known as the Creation Museum. The CM is a privately funded religious indoctrination facility designed to use the stories of the Bible to interpret everything in existence, including things not mentioned at all by the Bible. The museum discredits evolution as a man-made myth and follows the idea that the Earth is 6,000 years old and was created in six days by a hand wave of the almighty, who created us in his image, except for those with bad eyesight, club feet, harelips, mental deficiencies and the innumerable other afflictions “God’s creatures” have been afflicted with as a consequence of their pre-natal sins, I assume, or to test their parents faith, of course. Read more

Meryl Streep and Albert Brooks in "Defending Your Life"

Regardless of individual religious beliefs, the concept of some kind of existential state after death has been a fixture of human culture since before recorded history. The most common motif in this, if I may use the term, genre of human storytelling is some approach to justice. People want their lives to have meaning and maybe just as importantly, they want to exist in a universe that has some kind of central value, a moral core that keeps everything from being chaos and meaninglessness. In the 20th century, when atheism and agnosticism became a major fixture of new philosophical thought, the concept of the afterlife didn't so much disappear as transform into a powerful narrative device. Here are three unique imaginings of life after death from some of the greatest minds of the last century.

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FruitcakeIf you want to do something a little different this Christmas season - maybe you're an atheist (like me!) or a pagan, or maybe you just feel quirky - why not celebrate Yule instead?  Yuletide is a traditional winter solstice festival, originally a pagan festival that originated in Germany.  It was later incorporated into the Christmas tradition, when everyone suddenly decided (against all evidence and logic) that Christ should take over the December holidays.

The traditional Yule or Saturnalia was all about fertility, and traditional Yule foods reflect that.  Yule festivities typically consist of a ton of food, a celebration of the harvest of the year, and a demonstration of abundance.  

Yule Log
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