I'm just going to post this and pretend that it isn't my first in over a year. >.>
It is that time again, time to talk about The War. No... not that War. No, not the War on Terror either. I'm talking about the War on Christmas. You know, the completely fabricated war that Pat Robertson and those like him begin hollering about come December. Cries of Christian persecution pervade the airwaves calling foul on bah humbug atheists for spoiling their holiday. No really.
Of course, it is just a load of shit. Yes, there are sometimes complaints or lawsuits filed against the use of public lands for religious displays. People like Robertson get upset, despite the clear legal grounds for the lawsuits. Tis a shame. Though I do find it hillarious when the likes of Bill O'reilly argues that christianity is a philosophy and not a religion.
As you may or may not have heard, the esteemed atheist Richard Dawkins had a scheduled talk in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Well, that didn't exactly happen. It is good to know that this is perfectly acceptable behavior. I understand that it was a private club, but the sad reality is that these people have no fear from public humiliation. They can get away with it (for the most part) relatively unscathed unless Dawkins & Company decide to sue for breach of contract. And we all know what the defense will be.
These sorts of things happen all the time. It rarely gets any media attention. The reasons for this are numerous, but I think one of the primary reasons is that there is a common misconception that atheists and non-believers are a very tiny (if not vocal) minority. And while the non-religious may feel comfortable enough to acknowledge their non-belief in an anonymous poll, most are still not "out" to their friends and family. It gives the religious (Christians in particular) a false sense of security about expressing blatantly discriminatory views.
I'm out. I've been out since high school. And I support anyone who chooses to make their Atheism publicly known. In fact I urge you to, but only if you feel comfortable that it wouldn't create problems in your family life. I wouldn't want anyone to lose a sibling or parent over silly ideas. But for every atheist that raises their hand, it makes it easier and easier for everyone else.
Sorry for the delay on my promised post (not that I have an audience). I sometimes get distracted.
In the article I linked before is described an ethics class given to military officers. Ethics are a good thing to be teaching people who are ingaged in a conflict. Especially since the conflict in which these people are engaged is one where pressing buttons or giving orders can lead to a number of deaths. I would even go so far as to say it is imperative to be sure that military officers have a strong ethical foundation. These classes in particular were taught by chaplains, which may not be of issue in and of itself. Many religious officials have gone to school and studied many philosophical points of view and are very likely equiped to offer a class on general ethical principals.
Unfortunately these classes in particular were taught bibilical ethics.
"There were several things that they found disgusting," Mikey Weinstein founder of the [Military Religious Freedom Foundation] said. "The first was the fact that there is actually a slide that makes it clear that they're trying to teach that, under fundamentalist Christian doctrine, war is a good thing."
There are a few obvious objections that a secularist would immediately raise. Nevermind those. Nevermind the fact not everyone in the military is christian or religious. Nevermind religious chauvinism. Lets instead think about the ramifications of what these types of ethical lessons might have on the christians who take this class.
You take a soldier, one that already believes in an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omniscient God. You teach this soldier that war is sanctioned by God. You show him the passages where war is commanded by God. This is all set amongst a backdrop of standard Christian doctrine: belivers go to paradise and non-believers deservedly recieve eternal torture. You take this soldier and you place him in a conflict where there are obvious religious lines drawn (intentionally or not). Now you give this soldier power. You give him missles. You give him command of other soldiers. You give him authority.
It seems like a volitile situation from my point of view. Now mind you, I'm only privy to the information in the article. I wouldn't dare accuse anyone in our armed forces of falling into this category without evidence. But as someone sitting on the sidelines, as someone who has seen how egregious acts become honorable in the eyes of fanatics, I would not think we would want to take the chance of poking that nest of bees.
But on a good note, here is one of the many, many totally awesome things that have come out of the US military
I'm speechless. Take a look at the Air Force's course on ethics as it pertains to war. I'll have some thoughts about this later after I've digested it.
I know I've heard Bachmann call herself a small buisness owner, but I had no I idea it was anything like this. I am trying to stay away from politics in general on this blog, becasue being an atheist does not require any particular political stance on any issue. Whatever your views on homosexuality may be, you will probably agree that selling a cure for an ailment without the cure being scientifically verified is immoral and potentially dangerous.
Just saw someone entering the Psychic on Rosedale Hwy near Allen. At first I laughed to my wife and cried "someone is actually going in there!". Then I realized that the poor woman was likely going to spend hard earned money to have someone blow smoke up her ass. Psychic businesses should be illegal.
Go ahead and take a look at what stem cell research is capable of. Now place your face firmly in your palm as you realize what religious beliefs have kept American scientists from achieving. Stem cell research represents the most exciting advancements in medicine. I am just a layperson when it comes to these types of things, but even I can understand the profound benefits of being able to grow your own replacement organs. For one, you wont have the fear of organ rejectionion. You won't have to be on immuno supressants. Strain will be taken off of the donor lists because donor organs will be temporary fixes until they can be replaced with your own living tissue.
Life extending medicine is likely the closest thing to being immortal we'll ever achieve. It makes me downright angry to think that what has been standing in the way has been pure make believe.
