Loss of faith in Humanity

For a little while i have been reading the 'Atheist in a mini van' blog, it seems that due to her blog some unpleasantness befell her children when they went camping. While there are no details the commenters seem to assume that some one took information about the trip to work out where they would be and then attacked them about the mom's blog.

It is things like this that really wreck my faith in humanity, there can never be a good reason for taking out your issues with some one on there kids. PZ Meyers has recently received a number of threats against himself and his family because of his wish to destroy a cracker, surely no-one can think that this is an acceptable way to behave in anyones (good) book.

I don't want to make this about religion, I actually don't care about the motivations of people who are so broken that they feel that this sort of behaviour is not only acceptable but positively laudable. Have these people forgotten the basic rules of citizenship and society, do they not understand that, regardless of peoples beliefs or lack of them, threatening people or there loved ones with violence is no way to convince people of the rightness of their arguments and more to the point should result in punishment.

Unfortunately my writing skills are not up to really saying how I feel so I guess this is about as far as I go.

Mauled by a Christian

I have not been posting for a while, I am sad to admit that I almost gave up on all of this after a rather unpleasant encounter with a poster on a christian blog.

This guy was arrogant, rude and abusive. He was posting stuff that would have got pulled on any site that was not moderated by someone who considered him the second coming. On the one hand he did manage to demonstrate just about all the issues that most people come up when trying to talk to a fundy, he ignored my questions, or refused to answer them, insisted on using personal attacks, did not read my citations and insisted on using a number of logical fallacies (appeals to authority and appeals to popularity). All the verbal garbage I could have dealt with but when he started accusing me of being either uneducated or to young to understand,(I am university educated and rapidly approaching middle age) I rather felt there was little that he could say that would be of any interest to me.

The worst thing of this whole affair was that he said he was a professor, an educator who thinks that belittling the person who has come ask for information seems a very poor teacher indeed, it made me feel briefly sorry for his students, until I realised that he probably lectured in theology (given his stated expertise in the subject) and it was unlikely many of his students would be challenging the fundamental basis of his world view. It was also sad to see the sycophantic hangers on that basically sat on the side lines and cheered him on regardless on how pointless and personal his attacks became.

I suppose I get that people get angry when you start to suggest that their sky fairy may be all made up but if it is going to make them abusive they should probably not be in the public domain.

Perhaps I need to develop a thicker skin? strangely I don't feel that I should extend courtesies to people on the Internet that I would not in real life. If some one insults me to my face the least they should expect is for me to walk away from them.

Well this is turning into a long post

Another point that came up during my little eye opener was he was questioning my ability to argue based on the fact that I say I am an atheist because there is insufficient evidence or argument to believe in any god, rather than because I fundamentally believe that there is no god. This actually really wound him up, which baffled me. As a believer in the scientific method surely I have to allow for the fact that we cannot prove there is no god, otherwise you are not a non believer, you are a devotee to a religion that has core beliefs (that there is no god). Would that not make me as biased and closed minded as the theists?

I know that theists have a real problem with understanding that most atheist do not actively disbelieve, I was reading a post saying that atheists all appear a little dumb because they are using up most of their brainpower denying the creator, as if I walk around all day reciting ' there is no god' to myself? I think it bothers them that I only ever think of god when someone or something brings it up. Why should I spend my time thinking about something that does not exist?

Any way I think I shall bring this ramble to a close, I shall see if anything else is happening in the real world.

Religion and Work

So some christian registrar thinks that same sex civil partnerships are sinful and refuses to officiate at them. Now as far as i am aware her job was to fulfil the duties of a registrar not to shove her bigoted christian morality down peoples throats. She is at liberty to believe what she likes however surely it is her responsibility to take a job that does not force her to go against her religion. If her employer cannot discriminate against her because of her religion how come she gets to discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation.

This kind of crap makes my blood boil, if you won't do all aspects of a job why should you continue to be paid for it. How far would i get as an atheist siting a moral objection to something i wonder? what if i was a surveyor but refused to enter a church because of what it represents, does anyone really think i would get any more than very short thrift from my boss and a tribunal would laugh at me.

It is strange how she is allowed to discriminate against gay people, replace gay with black and suddenly the whole situation would be very different. Not only would she have been sacked but also vilified by the very people/papers that are citing her bravery for fighting for her beliefs.

I think the worst thing about this case is that it is being heralded as a victory for religious liberty, rather than condemned as another example of religious intolerance