Walking On Ice (or, “On Faith”)

I was reading Justin’s recent post, and thinking about metaphors for faith…

Faith is the thing, when you’re not really sure,
That allows you to walk on the ice
When the skeptical people are looking for proof
There’s no reason for you to think twice

Believe—just believe—it’s sufficient support;
That you won’t simply fall through and drown
Though no one has tested, and no one has shown
So the data are hard to pin down

You’re risking your life, or perhaps even more
As you make your way out on the pond
A crack, or a slip, stands between having fun
And an icy death waiting beyond

But life has its risks—there are no guarantees—
And faith is a virtue, we’re told
You’re taking a chance, going out on the ice
But promoting pure faith? Now, that’s cold.

A bit more, after the jump: [Read more…]

A Modest Proposal For Public Prayer

“It makes no sense”, the Christian said,
“To ask that prayers be ended—
The atheists do not believe,
Thus should not be offended!”

“The godless think it’s pointless, so
They shouldn’t even care!
When Christians start our praying, just
Pretend we are not there!”

You know, there’s something to that.
There’s a model there that works;
A way to tease inclusiveness
From all the privileged jerks.

When Christians offer up their prayers
I’m sure you’re well aware,
It doesn’t matter where they face
Cos Jesus doesn’t care

And so, to be inclusive (since
To them it’s no big deal)
The Christians should face Mecca
As they’re making their appeal

And maybe wear a yarmulke,
Along with matching shawl–
It doesn’t really matter, so
They shouldn’t care at all—

And if, by chance, it matters—
If they somehow take offense—
They may weigh again their lying
At the atheists’ expense

It’s not a simple matter
Of not caring what we do
But who decides for everyone
The many and the few

It’s hard to have inclusive prayer
While saying only one—
How ‘bout, instead, we compromise:
I’m thinking…maybe… none.

A bit more, after the jump: [Read more…]

Ultimate Morality (Or, Directions From East Orange To Hoboken)

Ok, so I’ve seen, one time too many, a flock of commenters congratulating a christian writer who pointed out that atheism must necessarily lead to nihilism, that atheists cannot have any morality whatsoever because in an atheist universe it would ultimately be meaningless.

The ultimately is key; it is the word that allows them to stroke their chins and nod sagely. “God says X, which makes it ultimately true.” The question of which god says it never arises, cos there’s only one in their universe, and they happened to get lucky and believe in that one. The question of human interpretation of that ultimate truth never arises, because their interpretation is the right one. They can’t see that they are in the same position an atheist is in, except that they have convinced themselves that the human choices they made are based on an ultimate truth.

Thing is, I’m really not looking for an ultimate truth, or an ultimate morality. I’m looking for something a bit closer to home. Something that applies to my life, and to the lives of my fellow human beings. Something that is meaningful to us, even if it is ultimately meaningless. An analogy: The fact that we are no longer considered to be the center of God’s universe, and that there is no absolute up or down, no absolute substrate against which to measure motion, no way of measuring speed or direction without some arbitrary relation to an observer… does not mean that it is impossible to give directions from East Orange to Hoboken. Directions are meaningful when relative. So is morality.

An ultimately true morality that does not care about humanity might allow some monster to believe that, say, killing children is a kindness, cos it sends them to heaven. Me, I like children. If God says “kill these children”, then God is wrong. And if God is ultimately right about that, fuck God, I’d rather be wrong.

The thing is, we can only judge whether our decisions have been good or bad through hindsight. Oddly enough, the same goes for morality–the moral codes that have worked, get to call themselves “good”; the ones that have not aren’t here to call themselves anything. So being kind to one another, saving for tough times, hard work, and so on, are things which our environment has selected as “good”. If religion disappeared tomorrow, our environment would still be selecting some behaviors over others. Morality matters, not because of ultimate decisions from some god, but precisely because of proximal usefulness. Directions from East Orange to Hoboken are not useful when phrased in terms of vectors relative to the big bang.

A Case Of Catholic Privilege

With all of the bluster a bishop could wish up
The Catholic clergy are making some noise
We hear them defending their privilege with snivelage,
With moaning, and tears, and complete lack of poise
Their habit of unfettered spending was ending
(“Our money, our rules”, as the White House explained)
When strings are attached to a dollar, they holler—
They’d much rather work with their funds unconstrained

Though priests wish to ban birth-controlling, the polling
Says people in pews are a whole different sort;
The people are more contraceptive-receptive—
Most Catholics use them, by latest report;
The bishops’ control has been shrinking, I’m thinking,
They’re aching for relevance now, you’re aware;
But sadly, their days in the clover are over…
I’m trying real hard, but I’m failing to care.

Bit of a rant, after the jump: [Read more…]

It Looks Like Measles!

According to a report by CBS Los Angeles, the upcoming Day of Solidarity for Black Non-Believers is ruffling some feathers:

The event set for Feb. 26 is part of an ad campaign by African Americans For Humanism (AAH) planned in Los Angeles and five other major U.S. cities targeting African-Americans who have privately or openly questioned their faith.

The ads are already fueling controversy in Dallas as the campaign made its debut Monday with a billboard reading, “Doubts about religion? You’re one of many.” erected within one mile of several area churches.

(continues after the jump, of course:) [Read more…]

Is It Sacrilegious To Believe In The Big Bang And Evolution?

Oh, the question was exquisite
(if a bit annoying): “Is it
Sacrilegious to believe a thing that evidence supports?”
While that wasn’t quite the phrasing
Still, the query was amazing,
Like accepting evolution is a mystery of sorts!

If a claim like resurrection
Is presented for inspection,
You accept it without question, cos the bible says you must
Is it really worth defending?
Could be yes or no, depending
If your view is all or nothing; if it’s literal or bust

But then, what of evolution?
Would you make some substitution?
Would you throw out settled science for an ancient holy book?
And existence’s beginning—
Is the Big Bang really sinning?
If they offer you the evidence, please tell me, will you look?

If a deep religious yearning
Is an obstacle to learning—
If the certainty of “gospel truth” leaves little room for doubt
You hear two conflicting voices
And you’ve got to make some choices
One’s religion, one’s reality; it’s time to throw one out.

First jump, then rant: [Read more…]

“Look Around”

Funny thing, perspective. The same comment can be seen as good or bad, support or refutation, because of all the often-unsaid baggage that the speaker or writer attaches to that comment.

In our discussions of de Botton’s proposed tower (btw, de Botton sounds far more reasonable in Kylie’s new interview than he has been portrayed in the media), one quote kept getting mentioned (in three different languages, actually): “Si monumentum requiris, circumspice.” Atheists apparently see more beauty in the real world than in any temple we might construct. Or that’s how we viewed that quote, anyway. This morning, though, I saw another point of view (after the jump): [Read more…]

On Adequate Sampling

He claimed it was a goblet of the sweetest, purest wine
But the first sip tastes like vinegar to me.
He said, “but near the bottom there’s a sip that’s just divine—
You may have to drink a lot of it to see.”
He calls me narrow-minded cos I haven’t tried the rest
Says my condemnation takes a lot of gall
And he’s sure that there’s a sip in there that truly is the best
Which I can’t deny until I’ve tried it all.
It’s true, I haven’t tried it all, but gladly I’ll forego,
Since the first sip only made me want to spit
It might not all be vinegar—I guess I’ll never know—
But the man himself is surely full of shit.

Context here, of course.

H.R. 290

H.R. 290 has just passed the House;
Now it looks for the Senate’s approval.
It’s meant to address the debate on the cross
And prevent its untimely removal

A memorial site is a wonderful thing;
It reminds us of terrible losses
Defenders of freedom who lay down their lives
And all of them, big fans of crosses

(Now, the Jewish, the Muslim, the atheist troops—
Shall we see that their rights are protected?
That’s not the intent of this bill; what it does
Is get Hunter, its scribe, re-elected.)

[Read more…]

On (Mutual) Respect

I’m striving to not be offensive
To respect every person’s belief
Though the effort is pretty intensive
And it’s giving me nothing but grief
No coffee or booze am I drinking;
I’ve given up shellfish and pork
I’ve given up beef, and I’m thinking
There is little that’s left for my fork

I’ve given up mocking the prophet
I’ve given up teasing the pope
I’ve told all my friends to get off it,
If we all have respect, there is hope;
Changed my clothes, my behavior, my diet
And I’ve given up shaving my beard
If they say it’s respectful, I’ll try it,
But I’ve noticed one thing, and it’s weird:

When I look at the faithful, my brothers,
There are times it’s not easy to see
They’ll insist I’m respectful of others
But they’re never respectful to me
I’ll give them respect when they earn it
It’s a matter of live and let live
And I’ll hope they’ll eventually learn it:
You only get back what you give

More, after the jump: [Read more…]