Obama wearily produced his birth certificate, so the loons changed the subject. “How did he get into those Ivy League schools? Huh? Explain that!”… Read the rest
Russell Blackford on atheists against atheism 
Apr 28th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Atheist thinkers have joined the backlash against the New Atheism, often employing far nastier tones than anything in the New Atheist writings themselves.… Read the rest
Oh hai, why can’t the new atheists be nice?
Apr 27th, 2011 5:18 pm | By Ophelia BensonWhy can’t they, asks “interfaith” atheist (don’t ask me, I don’t know how that works) Chris Stedman via a guest post on his blog by someone called Karla McLaren. He says “It’s a hugely informative and clear-eyed assessment of the state of the atheist movement.” I don’t agree. I think it’s just the 14 millionth installment of “new atheists are bad and mean ick.”
Atheism, McLaren informs us, is more visible thanks to those books by the four New Ones, or as she calls them, “the Fractious Four.” Yes really.
… Read the restI call them the Fractious Four, which has a cool superhero ring to it (even though their superpower is to argue with everybody).
Dawkins, Hitchens, and Harris have written polemics
Ron Lindsay on atheism, humanism and “interfaith”
Apr 27th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
We should avoid the “faith” label at least as vigorously as we avoid the “religion” label.… Read the rest
Topp theologian says genocide ok if god says so
Apr 27th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Look: the Canaanite adults were corrupt and deserving of judgement. The children inherit eternal life. It’s all good.… Read the rest
Definitions
Apr 27th, 2011 12:40 pm | By Ophelia BensonThe question is, how do we decide what “new atheism” is? What is new atheism, who gets to decide, how do we know?
The answer turns out to be that we simply define it as that which we dislike. Easy. Circular, but easy.
Do the New Atheists really believe that they aren’t being argumentative, aggreessive, and generally dickish in their attacks on religion? Or, are the religious the “other” against whom any sort of rude behavior is justified?
There we go – easy. “The” New Atheists are – always and everywhere – being argumentative, aggreessive, and generally dickish in their attacks on religion. End of story. Simple. “I dislike ‘New Atheism’ because ‘New Atheists’ … Read the rest
Atheist “chaplains” in the military
Apr 27th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Atheist leaders acknowledge the seeming contradiction, but they believe the imprimatur of the chaplaincy will embolden atheists who worry about being ostracized.… Read the rest
Sanal Edamaruku on India without Sai Baba
Apr 27th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Sathya Sai Baba launched a “counter revolution” of superstition, supported by irresponsible politicians and other public figures who should have known better.… Read the rest
Barbara Forrest’s brave and important work
Apr 27th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The Synthese controversy will have one good outcome if it brings Forrest’s work for real science education in Louisiana to the attention of the philosophical community.… Read the rest
A Gnu does the Colbert Report
Apr 27th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A C Grayling explains humanism to Stephen Colbert.… Read the rest
Texas: Bill Nye booed for saying moon reflects light
Apr 26th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
See, the bible says there were two lights, a big one for the day and a little one for the night, and that’s good enough for Texas.… Read the rest
Comment 29
Apr 26th, 2011 | By Paul WPrologue: James Croft wondered about some fundamental value not shared among gnu atheists and accommodationists. Paul offered an answer which many readers found illuminating, too illuminating to be hidden as comment 29 on a long thread.
I think that gnu atheists and accommodationists disagree mainly over one thing: is there too much forthright criticism by atheists of religion generally, or too little?
Gnu atheists think more people ought to regularly speak up critically about bad religious ideas, and that those bad religious ideas are common to “liberal” religion as well as, e.g., fundamentalism.
The reasons why gnus think there’s too little forthright criticism and accommodationists think there’s too much vary considerably.
Accommodationists typically think some or all of the following, … Read the rest
Shaker Srinivasan on “Sai Baba”
Apr 26th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Nothing exemplifies better the “peaceful coexistence” between religion and science than the cozy relationship between Indian scientists and the b-grade magician.… Read the rest
A death in the family
Apr 26th, 2011 3:15 pm | By Ophelia BensonBugger!!
The mother eagle at Norfolk Botanical Garden was hit by a plane and killed this morning.
The eaglets are alone on the nest; the father is in a tree nearby. (They’ll be ok. If the father can’t provide food the eaglets will be removed. They’re almost old enough to feed themselves anyway.)
Dammit.
Update: more here. (Starts with horrible goddy ad though. You’ve been warned.)… Read the rest
Be really nice to the people who are telling you to hush
Apr 26th, 2011 12:52 pm | By Ophelia BensonStephanie Z has an excellent comment on Josh Rosenau’s post about how I’m totally wrong about what he means by “the New Atheism.”
… Read the restIt’s worth remembering where this debate came from. Atheists, only recently starting to stand up and be counted in any number, are seeing the people who have been saying the same things that atheists have been saying for centuries (as noted in comment 5, then largely ignored) being told to hush up because they’re being noticed for once and that’s making trouble. These are frequently also the people who gave your rank-and-file atheist the courage to come out and who provide sympathy when coming out results in the crap it always results in. But hush, because what
Brooklyn: girls from West Africa recall FGM
Apr 26th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Many elders in West African communities hold great social authority and do not seek parental permission to have it done to a girl.… Read the rest
Mo is sexually harassed
Apr 26th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Jesus is sympathetic.… Read the rest
Man attempts suicide faking devotion for Sai Baba
Apr 26th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
He pretended he was so upset about Sai Baba but actually he was just in debt, so the police are investigating.… Read the rest
Fred Halliday on solidarity
Apr 26th, 2011 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Solidarity rests on one important principle: the shared moral and political value and equality of all human beings, and of the rights that attach to them.… Read the rest
Watch those assumptions
Apr 25th, 2011 12:39 pm | By Ophelia BensonJosh Rosenau has reservations.
As I’ve said before, it’s hardly surprising that making a group more visible is a better way to build public acceptance than being less visible, and I support efforts to increase atheism’s visibility. But New Atheism is hardly the only way for atheists – or nontheists more generally – to get the word out that they’re here and want to be taken seriously.
Yes it is…at least under the most usual and obvious definition of that much-used pejorative label “New Atheism.” The minimal definition of “New Atheism” is, surely, atheism that makes a point of increasing atheism’s visibility. “New Atheism” means getting the word out that atheists are here and want to be taken seriously. … Read the rest
