Atheist Meme of the Day: Evolution Was Not Guided By God

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Today’s Atheist Meme of the Day, from my Facebook page. Pass this on; or don’t; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

There is no evidence for the idea that evolution was guided at any point by God. And there is significant evidence suggesting that it wasn’t. There are far too many flaws and quirks in the apparent “design” of living things for that “design” to have been intentional, or anything other than a series of small adaptations on previous generations. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Evolution Was Not Guided By God
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Greta's "Atheism and Sexuality" Talks at Indiana University and Purdue: Full Itinerary

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The full details of my mini-tour in Indiana are now complete! As part of my gig as a speaker on the Secular Student Alliance Speakers Bureau, I’m going to be speaking this week at both Indiana University and Purdue, on the topic of atheism and sexuality. I am more tickled than I can possibly express in words.

The topic for both talks is going to be the same: Atheism and Sexuality. The sexual morality of traditional religion tends to be based, not on solid ethical principles, but on a set of taboos about what kinds of sex God does and doesn’t want people to have. And while the sex-positive community offers a more thoughtful view of sexual morality, it still often frames sexuality as positive by seeing it as a spiritual experience. What are some atheist alternatives to these views? How can atheists view sexual ethics without a belief in God? And how can atheists view sexual transcendence without a belief in the supernatural?

Saiu
Here are the details on the Indiana University gig:

Thursday, February 4, 2010
5:30pm – 7:00 pm
Jordan Hall 124
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Hour lecture followed by Q&A
Free, open to public

This event is being sponsored by the Secular Alliance of IU.

Purdue nontheists
And here are the details on the Purdue gig:

Friday, February 5, 2010
5:30pm – 7:00pm
WTHR 172
560 Oval Dr
West Lafayette, IN
Hour lecture followed by Q&A
Free, open to public

The event is being sponsored by the Society of Non-Theists at Purdue University and the Purdue Queer Student Union. Both events are being co-sponsored by the Secular Student Alliance. If you’re in Indiana, I hope to see you there!

Greta's "Atheism and Sexuality" Talks at Indiana University and Purdue: Full Itinerary

Atheist Meme of the Day: Death Does Not Mean Judgment

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Today’s Atheist Meme of the Day, from my Facebook page. Pass this on; or don’t; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Atheism does have comfort to offer in the face of death. Among other things, it offers the idea that we don’t have to fear the judgment of an unknowable God with vague but intractable rules and a permanent afterlife of torture if we get it wrong. We can just live this life, according to our best judgment about right and wrong. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Death Does Not Mean Judgment

Atheist Meme of the Day: Religion Is Not Just a Story

Scarlet letter
Today’s Atheist Meme of the Day, from my Facebook page. Pass this on; or don’t; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Religion is not simply a story that helps us frame our experience. If it were simply a story, believers wouldn’t get so upset when atheists argue that it isn’t true. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Religion Is Not Just a Story

Why Atheists Don't Turn to Religion When Faced with Death or Disaster

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“Sure, you deny God now. But when you’re looking death in the face — when you’re sick or in an accident or staring down the barrel of a gun — you’ll change your mind. You’ll beg for God then. There are no atheists in foxholes.”

This is one of the most common accusations that gets leveled against atheists. The idea seems to be that our atheism isn’t sincere. It’s naive at best, shallow at worst. We haven’t really thought through what atheism means; it’s somehow never occurred to us that atheism — and its philosophical companion, naturalism — means that death is forever. As soon as the harsh reality of what atheism means gets shoved in our faces, we’ll drop it like a hot potato.

Now, the most common atheist response to this accusation is to point out that it’s simply and flatly not true. And it’s one of the arguments I’m going to make myself, right now, here in this piece. This accusation is simply and flatly not true.

If you go to an atheist blog or forum, and you make this accusation, you’ll be inundated with stories of atheists who have faced death: their own, and that of people they love. You’ll hear stories of people who have been mugged, people who have been in terrible accidents, people who have faced life-threatening illnesses. You’ll hear stories of people who have suffered the illness and death of dearly beloved friends and family members. I’m one of those people.

And we didn’t stop being atheists.

*

Thus begins my new piece for AlterNet, Why Atheists Don’t Turn to Religion When Faced with Death or Disaster. To read more about this “no atheists in foxholes” trope — and why it’s not only mistaken, but bigoted and ugly, a denial of atheists’ humanity and the reality of our experience with death — read the rest of the piece. Enjoy!

Why Atheists Don't Turn to Religion When Faced with Death or Disaster