Posts About Atheist/Agnostic
Fair and Balanced Hitchens
Certainly, one can appreciate that Chris has made known the fitting targets of his moral indignation: Mother Theresa but not Vice President Cheney. Perhaps for Chris, the former is the threat to the world; the latter, only to duck hunters.
Shout Louder
I would suggest that Mr. Hitchens read a good book: professor of sociology Rodney Starks' The Victory of Reason. It might embarrass Mr. Hitchens in his ranting and raving, but probably not.
A Distorted View of Religion
Why can Hitchens not acknowledge the positive contribution of religious persons? Could it be because his reading of religion is a narrow and distorted one?
Candidates' Religious Hypocrisy Won't Stand
I don't want my candidates to lie, but I also don't want them to lose.
Muslims Must Demand Free Speech
The time has come for Muslims to step up to the plate and demonstrate that Islam is a great faith that has no need for violence or intimidation to maintain the loyalty of its congregation.
The Agony of Misplaced Ecstasy
How many millions of priests, pastors, rabbis, imams, nuns and monks around the world are living lives of similar duplicity?
Too Soon For Genuine Believer-Atheist Dialogue?
Good atheist reads have long been widely available and are wildly popular in the classroom—anything by Sartre or Ayn Rand will do.
Secularism's Religious Allies
The good Dr. Williams would have done much better for his Church, his people, and for British Muslims by demanding a completely secular government.
Theists, Atheists Fighting Torture Together?
Should the non-religious join and support specifically religious campaigns and coalitions?
I Believe in Life Before Death
The universe is not fair. If there is to be any justice in existence, we and only we must put it there.
Less Anti-theism, More Humanism
I have zero belief in god, gods, goddesses, or any other manner of supernatural spirits....My conviction that this life is all I have, however, is precisely why I don’t want to spend my days focused on the worst in religion. I prefer seeking the best in each of us. I am not an antitheist, and not simply an atheist, but a Humanist.
Islam Beyond Allah: Apostasy or Necessity?
There are millions of atheists and agnostics of Muslim heritage. How should we define or classify these individuals?
A Very Undead Christian Right
It's a dangerous delusion to underestimate the strength of Christian fundamentalism and its anti-rational influence on America.
The Subtle, Lethal Poison of Religion
Name a moral statement or action, uttered or performed by a religious person, that could not have been uttered or performed by an unbeliever.
A Divided World – Revisited
Can there be common ground and intelligent conversation among people of different faiths? My immediate response – YES, of course! No matter who you are or what you believe, conversation and common ground are possible and beneficial. My experience has proven it over the years, most dramatically in my recent book, Riverside Talks: A Friendly Dialogue between an Atheist and a Christian....
History, Atheism and Religion
Leninism, Stalinism, Maoism were all efforts to expunge all religions. Out of their experiments, scores and scores of millions were tortured or killed.
Religious Leaders Should Assail Hypocritical Views on Environment
In religions which profess faith in God the Creator there should be special concern by "co-Creators," earthlings, to be good "stewards" of creation.
Only Part of the Story
Religion can indeed be, "violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism and tribalism and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children." It does not, however, have to be.
Zero-sum Statements Are Inherently Boring
Hitchens' statement is fully protected by the First Amendment. He's got every right to declare his opinion. So does the guy wearing the "Yankees Suck" t-shirt.
Why Atheism in Vogue
Athesim is in vogue because of the amount of suffering in the world. There can be a productive conversation between believers and atheists over the design of nature....
Banishing the Green-Eyed Monster
Only a person infected by the sort of sanctimonious self-righteousness that religion uniquely inspires would apply the meaningless word 'sin' to private sexual behavior.
Logical Path from Religious Beliefs to Evil Deeds
It is easy for religious faith, even if it is irrational in itself, to lead a sane and decent person, by rational, logical steps, to do terrible things.
Kill for Your God? There is No God
There is no God. If you die a 'martyr' for your God, you will have died for nothing.
Only Man Could Be So Patronizing
The only alternative – that religion is woman-made – is hard to reconcile with prevailing attitudes of religious authorities to women.
What About the Atheists?
One is led to ask Mr. Hitchens some questions. Where are the great atheist-sponsored charitable and reform movements? Where are the atheist children homes and orphanages? Where are the atheist leaders who are taking vows of poverty and giving themselves in sacrificial service to others?
What Obama Could Not (and Should Not) Say
Obama’s candidacy is genuinely thrilling but also depressing, for it demonstrates that even a person of the greatest candor and eloquence must still claim to believe the unbelievable in order to have a political career in this country.
Religion as a Black Market for Irrationality
Being stocked stem to stern with incredible ideas, the world’s religions have had to find some way to circumvent reason, without repudiating it.
The Sacrifice of Reason
Teresa’s response to her own bewilderment and hypocrisy (her term) reveals just how like quicksand religious faith can be.
Religion for Adults
The image that kept coming into my mind as I was reading Mr. Hitchens’ book God is Not Great is of a large child stamping his foot and screaming in rage because things aren’t going his way. “Religion Poisons Everything!” he rants. Everything? Really, Christopher, every single thing? I doubt it.
Clinton, Obama, McCain: Human Beings, Not Moral Paragons
I cannot imagine any political process less suited to finding out whether a candidate is either honest or trustworthy than the American way of running for the presidency in an era when "character" is defined by shrinking sound bites and endless video loops on blogs.
White Ignorance, Wright's Narcissism
I have read the full text of Jeremiah Wright's remarks and I can recognize an egomaniac, black or white, when I read one. Wright represents the "black church" in the same sense that Rod Parsley, John McCain's wacko spiritual adviser, represents the "white church."
Pope Benedict And The Soul of Power
First, he was saying that the church and its members must live out their faith by engagement in social issues--not only by personal piety. As a secularist, I have no problem with that.
Pope Benedict Wants You!
One thing that devout believers in ecumenical dialogue simply don't get about the Roman Catholic Church is that its leaders, including Pope Benedict XVI, truly believe that theirs is the one, true faith.
More Faith-Based Tomfoolery: McCain And His Anti-Muslim Spiritual Guide
The true mystery is why the majority of Americans, having had a recent look at the goofy views of many clerics--yes, "spiritual advisers" to candidates for the highest office in the land--still regard faith as an essential qualification for the presidency.
Memo to Candidates: Pick A Feel-Good Pastor
A candidate should not be held responsible for the whacko views of a friend or family member, but the relationship between a congregant and the pastor of his church is quite different. The very essence of membership in a particular church is an assumed community of values. Obama can't deny that.
It's A Tool, Stupid!
I have no idea what this question has to do with faith, except that everything involving computers has become a form of faith in our society.
Memo To Politicians: Let Jesus Rest In Peace
Enough with this silly speculation about what Jesus would have done. I am interested in what Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain would do as president of the United States. And I am certain of one thing: none of these candidates is the reincarnation of Jesus.
The American Spiritual Bazaar: Something For Everyone
I wish that the large number of Americans who are unaffiliated with any particular religion would think seriously about secularism and atheism.
Hope Is Not A "Cult of Personality"
It seems that it's all right to talk about faith in political campaigns if you're talking about faith in some supreme being (who is not running for the presidency) but it's not all right to talk about faith in ourselves and in the future of our country, as Obama often does.
On the Civil Supremacy of Secular Law
The suggestion that British law should, in certain instances, recognize the authority of Islamic religious courts is the most politically destructive, anti-secular, and legally indefensible statement by a western religious leader in recent history.
Secularism: The New Taboo
We must find a way to rescue secularism, and the separation of church and state, from the denigration of both the religious right and the religious left.
It's The Theocrats, Stupid
My guess is that Afghan President Hamid Karzai will intervene to overrule this decision, handed down by local judges (without a defense lawyer to represent the accused) in an area of Afghanistan where fundamentalist Islamist mullahs dominate law and culture.
We're Electing a President, Not A Holy Fool
Even a great many of Huckabee's fellow fundamentalists, as suggested by the victory of John McCain in South Carolina, know that when you start talking about a godly amendment to the Constitution, you've ruled yourself out as a viable maintream presidential candidate.
Envy: Personal and Political Poison
Although there's nothing good to be said on behalf of gluttony and greed (and American society is certainly filled with both), it seems to me that envy is the most prevalent and destructive of all sins.
Jewish Identity Is What Each Jew Makes Of It
The neocons like Kristol and Wolfowitz have simply proved that a Jew can be just as stupid as anyone else--say, Bush. Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. Only in America.
Ever-Present Political Panderers
This bill pledges "support for Christians in the United States and worldwide." Whew! And here I thought our government hated Christians around the world!
Ho Ho Ho: We Spit On Heathen "Happy Holiday" Greetings
What the religiously correct want is a celebration of the birth of Jesus in public schools and in government ceremonies. This is not about religious belief but about power.
Religion No Panacea For Social Injustice
What many religious figures, including the empire-builder Rick Warren, do is confuse charity with work for fundamental social change.
Romney: Unfit Not As a Mormon But As A Religious Panderer
What does disqualify Romney in my view is that he is yet another right-wing religious candidate who wants to further erode the barrier between church and state.
Sexual Sin: A Private, Not Public, Affair
Secular Europe has the right idea: unless you're talking about forced sex or sex that involves the betrayal of national security, the erotic lives of political figures generally have no business in the public square.
When Happy and Unhappy Families Are All Alike
Thanksgiving, I should note, is most Americans' favorite holiday precisely because it transcends ethnic and religious distinctions
Does Any Sane Person Take Halloween Seriously?
We have talk of World War III, wildfires in California, record home foreclosures, and people are worried about the religious and satanic implications of Halloween?
Cooperate Or Die
If you're willing to stop driving obscene gas-guzzling SUVs, why should I care if you believe that the Bible is literally true?
Religion: Merciful, Merciless, Inescapably Human
If the merciful ideal of religion defined all religious traditions, the earth would not be filled with the corpses of people murdered for believing in different deities.
Deadline Is A Reality, Not Just A Metaphor
Say it now. Do it now. Show your love now, because you may never have another chance.
What Religion Becomes a Political Hopeful Most?
I would never vote for hypocrites who try to sound more religious than they really are in order to pander to the religiously conservative.
God Is Not...Well, He's Just Not
There are good people who believe in all sorts of gods or no god. Why are atheists so threatening to so many Americans that the only way to deal with our arguments is to demonize us as human beings?
Cult Plus Time Equals Religion
A more useful distinction would separate religions that attempt to control nearly every aspect of people's lives from religions that don't.
No Message Reaches Lunatics
There is no point in trying to talk to any of these people. They are utterly delusional (crazy, in lay terms) as well as evil.
The Theodicy Problem: No Problem for An Atheist
If there were a deity responsible for both human evil and impersonal natural disasters, I would hate him.
Road to Sainthood Paved with Good Publicity
What is striking about Teresa's doubt is that it is all about her. She is concerned about the destiny of Teresa.
The Sickly Smell of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
"Don't ask, don't tell" is an immoral policy for hypocrites and cowards. And that's true whether we are talking about a secular institution like the United States Army or a church....
"I Love This Poor Earth, For I Have Not Seen Another"
I derive comfort and inspiration from voices -- these great, fallible human voices -- raised in praise of mortal life.
Doctors Are Not Gods
It is unconscionable for doctors to deprive patients of information they need to make an informed choice. The Bush administration has encouraged this kind of misleading, faith-based medicine.
Religious Bureaucrats Are To Religion As Military Music Is To Music
What is important about this pope's preoccupations is his obliviousness to certain real and disturbing moral issues.
Once A Sacred Cow, Always A Sacred Cow
What is wrong with a religion that claims to have an infallible leader is the idea that what was once held sacred must remain sacred today.
Give Me Those Old-Time Religions!
Here is another argument in favor of atheism, as opposed to either polytheistic or monotheistic religion. Atheism costs the taxpayers nothing.
Enough of Heaven and Hell
Oh, for heaven's sake. This question irritates the...inferno out of me. Of all the pointless, utterly childish notions associated with traditional religion, belief in eternal bliss in heaven or eternal damnation in hell surely tops the list....
Doubt: The Voice of Reason
I have always traced the end of my own faith to the frequent repetition of the story of Doubting Thomas.
Hail to Chief Executive, Not Chief Theologian
One of the most repellent aspects of the Democratic debate this week was questioning candidates about how their faith had affected their most intimate lives.
In Praise of Foxhole Atheists
There is nothing good to be said for keeping one's faith in the supernatural in the face of war.
The Gods: Made in Our Image
If people truly believed in an afterlife, they would be happy to have lived into their 80s and ready to join their departed loved ones.
The Ill Truth About Falwell
Predictably, obituary writers are already portraying the Reverend Jerry Falwell as a more respectable figure than he was. Ah, what a beautiful tradition it is to speak no ill of the dead!...
The Man Nobody Knows
Jesus, it seems, is just about anyone any Christian wants him to be. Poor man.
Mormons: Time Sanctifies Everything
The beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the institution's official title, are no more--and no less--irrational than the beliefs of any other religion.
