Advocatus Atheist

Going Spartan is a catchphrase which means, in a nutshell, 'whipping oneself into shape not only to do ones best, but to actually succeed in doing the best possible as failure is not an option!' I apply this 'do or die' mentality to my critical thinking skills, but this begs the question, what is critical thinking and how does someone who may not be trained in critical methods of analysis go about learning how to think critically? This video sums it up nicely. Have a good one, and remember, if you get a headache take an aspirin and get good rest. Also, eat lots of fruit.

Andy Thomson always gives me those moments of epiphany where I go, "Oh yeah, that's so basic!" Great lecturer. You can watch the rest of the Atheist Alliance International 2009 videos over at Commonsense Atheism and on YouTube .

In a recent study done by the Barna Group (a Christian research outfit), in their year end summary they state that, "3: Biblical literacy is neither a current reality nor a goal in the U.S." (Read the full list after the jump for some really interesting statistics) It's not surprising for someone who has studied their Bible to know that most church going Christians don't know much about it. Atheists often point this handicap out time and time again, and the reason is because many of said atheists were Christians before they read their Bible--and afterward defected into the ranks of heresy and skepticism--and the flood of apostates who have taken up reason and rationality over superstition and faith are proof that the Bible is one of the BEST tools for generating new atheists. The problem is most Christians remain ignorant as to the content and stylings of their preferred holy book, let alone have any capacity to think critically about of any of it. Not beca...

Merry X'Mas all you present coveting, gluttonous eggnog guzzling, Christmas tree tinseling, heathen boys and girls out there! And whether you're religious or not, have a happy new year! And because she's a darling: Don't worry V- I don't know the lyrics either.

--> I have a dear friend who is stuck in the quagmire of unreason and blinkered thinking we call America's Bible Belt, and due to forces outside of her control, has been forced to become one of the numerous closet skeptics afraid to voice her doubt for fear of negative peer pressure, of being ostracized by family and friends, and receiving undue scorn should she speak her peace of mind. Forced into silence by "Christian love." Ironic, don't you think? Regrettably, she would have to endure all sorts of ill will in her overly zealous community at the hands of insular minded and intolerant religious partisans if she should confess her "honest to God" thoughts and opinions or mention, in any way, her atheism. She still sings in the church choir, because she loves music and singing, but if she mentioned her real thoughts and feelings she's be kicked out and bullied. It's not fair -- but that's the power of group-think -- where everyone sees ...

Francis Collins recent appointment as director of the National Institutes of Health has sparked some outcry in the scientific community as of late. See the fallout at: Jerry Coyne:   http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/francis-collins-pollutes-science-with-religion/#comment-7841 Sam Harris:  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/27/opinion/27harris.html?ref=opinion PZ Myers:    http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/07/monday_must_be_pick_on_francis.php Russel Blackford:    http://metamagician3000.blogspot.com/2009/07/sam-harris-on-francis-collins.html It's easy to see why the scientific community is nervous about appointing a devout Christian as head of all scientific funding and advancement, especially when the majority of Collins' beliefs directly contradict reason, or are limited in scope. For example, in a recent lecture at Berkley about the compatibility of Faith and Science, Collins stated as a matter of fact like, that:...

Many people say quite factually that without the Ten Commandments we couldn’t be moral. These people are obviously ill informed, to put it politely. Others may concede that we could be moral apart from the Bible, but that the Ten Commandments are still good rules to live by. I doubt that very much. One only need read them to know that they mostly devalue women to the status of property and tell you not to steal your neighbors goods, or boil a baby goat alive in its mother’s milk, oh, and not to worship other gods. These don’t exactly improve a person’s morality, and besides, such a list is unwarranted if common sense can handle the rest. In fact, I think George Carlin said it best. But the question remains, are the Ten Commandments even logical? Can a rational person buy into the premise of these rules if they feel there may be merit to them, perhaps, great wisdom hidden in them somewhere? First of all, I should point out that there isn’t just one list. The Bible has thre...

Introduction Does thinking logically, clearly, and objectively mean one is more rational than someone who is delusional, muddled, and purely subjective? Not necessarily, as there are certainly rational thinkers on both sides of the religious debate, but when it comes to proving an argument correct, it has been my experience that the clearly stated, strictly objective, and highly logical arguments are the ones which tend to fare better than those which lack these necessary tools for applying critical thinking to the subjects which concern us. In this short essay I intend to prove that although religious believers and atheists both use rational thought, that they use different forms of rationality, and that one form is superior in getting closer to the truth than the other. Strong Rationality Defined Strands of philosophy combined with the scientific method and enhanced by evidence and hard won proof along with critical analysis and good objectivity often culminates in the tot...

"Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so." --Bertrand Russell

What kind of music do atheists listen to? All kinds. Here's one of my favorite performers, look Jonathan Coulton up on iTunes or find him on YouTube. He's excellent. And a quote from Richard Carrier I came across today: Now, when we look at the few remaining gaps, honestly, what are the odds that this horse is suddenly going to lose those races, when it has won every other race before this one, and no competing horse has ever won even a single race? Prior probability is clearly heavily on the side of natural facts. The same cannot be said of God. And that's the difference between rational metaphysics and "god of the gaps" argumentation. The latter almost always relies on a repeated fallacy of possibilities ergo probabilities, "possibly, therefore probably." If any possible explanation can be conceived, the theist then simply assumes that that explanation is then probable. That's wholly invalid and irrational. We go with what is genuinely, dem...

  Religion’s Role in Oppressing Women “Do you not know that you are each an Eve? The sentence of God on this sex of yours lives in this age: the guilt must of necessity live too. You are the Devil's gateway: You are the unsealer of the forbidden tree: You are the first deserter of the divine law: You are she who persuaded him whom the devil was not valiant enough to attack. You destroyed so easily God's image, man. On account of your desert even the Son of God had to die.” –Tertullian “Organized religion always has been and remains the greatest enemy of women’s rights.” –Annie Laurie Gaylor One restless night I remember staying up unable to sleep and to bide my time I began to surf the Internet. Suddenly, I stumbled upon an interesting online video concerning a rather controversial subject matter. It was a heated news discussion between the boisterous blue-eyed Bill O’Reilly of Fox News and the busty American porn-star Jenna Jameson. At first I was intrigued, the...