Tiana, Kate, Seattle, Skepticality!

So, gentle readers, this coming weekend I'm flying up to Seattle to see my fabulous friend Tiana. There shall be drinks. There shall be fun. There shall be ... doing an interview for a Skepticality podcast about our time at the Discovery Institute, what? Yes! Stay tuned for more information, but realize in the meantime that it shall be awesome. I only wish I was flying into Seattle on Friday so we could visit Casey Luskin and pals one last time so Tiana and I could test the theory that all skeptics are welcome at the DI with open arms.

I'll be sure to post the date it comes out because I'm sure you'll all want to tune in. We can even make a drinking game. Every time Tiana and I saw 'Bwaha' for Behe (as in Michael Behe), take a shot. Every time we mention the term 'Country Club Christian' take a shot, etc. We'll formalize this as time goes on, but I think it's a fantastic idea.

Cuddles

Later at the Airport - Beauty and Logic in the Universe

I had the fortune to sit next to a kind and interesting gentleman. We began our conversation about cameras as he had a Canon I would maim for. Somehow this led to the topic of astronomy, which is something I'm very interested in and unfortunately know very little about. Eventually, after he explained some very excited long-exposure astro-photography techniques, we were on the subject of atheism. I won't try to directly quote him and if my paraphrase is slightly off, I do hope he'll correct me, but I found what he had to say to be beautiful and close to how I feel. He related that his notions about theology and where we come from are directly related to cosmology and the origins of the universe - pure logic and objectivity. It doesn't put god into the equation and it doesn't take him out. It doesn't involve philosophical ponderings on the existence of god or circular reasoning. I'm a big fan of what he had to say and I realize it's the same way I feel, only I choose to label it atheism. I lack a belief in god, not so much because I dwell on it but because there are so many more beautiful and helpful ideas to spend time thinking about. It's nice to meet someone who elegantly states a position you realize you already held. It's a conversation I imagine Carl Sagan would have enjoyed.

We are star people.
Cuddles

Kill 'Em With Kindness

There's a "virtuous woman" who believes that child abuse is going to save her tiny tot's soul for all eternity. Please read and, if you agree that this is tragic, comment on her blog in a non-alienating way so we can perhaps help at least some people see just how atrocious this sort of behavior is. Please don't engage in any of the "other side's" baiting tactics. Keep it civil and sane and eventually we'll get the message across to ... well, at least one person would be a victory, wouldn't it.

I posed the following question, which I hope someone will answer:

"A question for the religiously-inclined: If this lady was an atheist telling her child she was born evil and awful would THAT be abusive? Honestly, take religion out of the picture and it’s just as bad. It just so happens that religion gives the majority of people an excuse for this sort of atrocious behavior."

If anyone can answer this for me, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Cuddles.

Shy Atheists, Bashful Skeptics

I am sure you know or have met somebody who thinks like this. You may, in fact, be one of these people I'm about to describe. If you are, I strongly urge you to consider what I'm about to say.

You're an atheist, but you feel that too many hard-nosed vitriolic cynics have given the label a bad name so now you refuse to refer to yourself as what you truly are. And yet. Yet, you could always make an effort to proudly assert that yes, you are an atheist but that you're willing to discuss your (lack of) belief system with anyone in an open and non-biting fashion. It's what I do. So many people, after talking to me, remark in surprise that they thought atheists were supposed to be bitter and angry and closed to all other arguments. They walk away with at least one new example of atheism and I feel good about myself for representing both myself and my belief system in a positive light.

The same is true of the 'skeptic' label. So many choose the term 'critical thinker' which is fine, but I don't see why a word I view as positive (skeptic) should be taken away from us because others choose to use it negatively. I choose to take it back. I explain, with a smile on my face, what being a skeptic means to me and how I use it to view the world and make decisions by thinking critically. At this point nearly everyone agrees with me and I feel I've reclaimed the world for happy skeptics everywhere.

My point here today is that there is no reason we should let the terms 'atheism' and 'skepticism' become negative words. I've been called an atheist before in a negative fashion. It was spat at me like a slur. I should have wanted to laugh but it stung and I never want anyone to feel that particular arrow again. There is no reason, if you lack a god belief, to not declare yourself an atheist (unless, of course, your job depends on it which will hopefully seem a ludicrous notion one day). So, if you can put a positive face to these labels, by all means do so. In fact, I see it as your duty. Let's move forward for the next generation.