Nov 072016
Oct 312016
If you’ve got Netflix, check out the documentary Kumare.
I’ve been fascinated lately by gurus. The documentary takes a fun look at how people suspend their critical thinking when they believe they’ve met a “real” guru. To some degree the film-maker pokes fun at his subjects, like when Kumare draws a symbol of a dick-and-balls on a guy’s forehead and then gets the guy to meditate to photos of Kumare, Barack Obama, and Osama Bin Laden. But mostly the film shows respect and affection for Kumare’s duped followers, and paints them in a favorable light. They aren’t foolish people, they’re just people. We can relate to them and to their struggles. They’re intelligent and good-hearted. If these people can be fooled, anybody can be fooled. We’re all vulnerable to getting duped by charlatans.
Oct 312016
Mike Huckabee was on Fox News recently and he said he prays that Donald Trump wins the election.
I don’t fault Mr. Huckabee for supporting the candidate whose views are closest to his own, even if I disagree strongly with those views. I don’t fault him or any other religious person for relying on his faith for comfort during a stressful election. But I’m not sure I understand why a Christian who believes in an omniscient deity (Yahweh) would pray for one particular candidate in an election.
What response is Mr. Huckabee expecting from Yahweh?
“Thank you, Mike! I was sitting around up here in Heaven, all bored and omnipotent and looking for appropriate ways to intervene in human affairs, but I had no clue how to proceed. I knew I wanted to manipulate the 2016 USA presidential election but… who to support? Then you came along with your prayer and, in your perfect wisdom, which far surpasses Mine, you chose Donald Trump. Now, on your recommendation, I’ll manipulate the election to make sure Trump wins, thereby undermining American democracy and disregarding the ‘free will’ of my children.”
Mr. Huckabee thinks he knows which candidate is the right one for our country and he wishes to enlist the Almighty in ensuring his favorite candidate wins. What’s wrong with this? Setting aside the fact that Mr. Huckabee is asking his god to commit election fraud, it never seems to occur to Mr. Huckabee that if Yahweh exists and He is omniscient, a better and more sensible prayer would be for Yahweh, not Mr. Huckabee, to determine which candidate is the right one for our country.
But even this would be a waste of time, for Yahweh, if He is perfect, is already intervening in the world in all of the “correct” ways.
There is an inherent irony in prayer. If you truly believe in an all-knowing, all-wise, omni-benevolent deity, why would you waste your breath making pleas to it? The only sort of deity that needs guidance, information, or inspiration from its devotees in order to behave rightly is a highly imperfect one, not the sort of deity worth worshiping. Anyway, your omniscient deity must already know what you want. And if you truly trust in the perfect judgment of your deity, why would you ask it to put the full force of its divine power behind your imperfect judgment?
Sep 192013
Dan Barker was a fundamentalist minister, and a hardcore one at that. For many years he toured North America, convinced Christ would return any day and the world would end, trying to save as many souls as he could in the time remaining. Gradually he made his way to atheism. I just came across his 2010 speech to the Global Atheist Convention in Melbourne. He’s a great speaker and his story is compelling.
My favorite quote from the speech:
If the prodigal son is a parable and Adam and Eve are a metaphor then maybe God himself is just one huge figure of speech….
There’s no evidence for a god.
There’s no good arguments for a god.
There’s no coherent definition of a god.
There’s no good replies to the arguments against a god.
There’s no need for a god.
Check it out:
Aug 222013
This dude is cool.
Mike Aus was a Lutheran pastor in Texas who began having doubts about his faith. He eventually made the decision to leave it, which must’ve been incredibly difficult since as a pastor leaving his faith meant also leaving his job, his social network, and his sense of identity, and disappointing his peers, his congregation, and his family. He came out as an atheist in an interview on MSNBC in 2012. He writes an excellent blog, which I just discovered today. I’m enjoying catching up on his blog posts. His thoughts on prophets, faith, the Bible, and irreligious morality resonate with things I’ve written in Merrily Dancing Ape. As an ex-pastor trained in theology, he knows a ton about the Bible and has a fascinating perspective.
Check out the following talk he gave to the Humanists of Houston:
More stories about pastors transitioning from religion to free-thought can be found over at the Clergy Project.
Jun 252013
This video is four years old already but I just found it and it’s awesome.