Defaithed

"Arguing on the Internet is..."

Fill in the blank yourself with the punchline from any number of witticisms. They all equate to the same thing: "Arguing on the Internet is dumb." It's a waste of time, I know, especially responding to anonymous commenters... but once in a while, you just can't help but let fly.

Somehow I came across a story about a 12-year-old girl in Ethiopia beaten by men trying to abduct her for a forced "marriage". It seems that just as things looked the worst, three lions came along, scared off the men, and left the girl with no further harm. Wow!

An amazing tale? You bet! An open invitation to religious puffery by believers? Er, what else would you expect from people who see miracles imprinted on toast? It's no surprise that some goober commented thusly:

I am a Christian and I understand (and am OVERWHELMED at) this GIFT that GOD sent when HE had these lions come to protect this child. Angels can take any form...and then they just "disappeared into the wild"? THREE lions (as in The FATHER, The SON and The HOLY GHOST)!!?? Be THANKFUL that we have such a FATHER and GOD looking out for us!!

Well. Apparently bored and irritable, I responded: 

I am a Reasonable Human and I understand (and am OVERWHELMED at) this UNUSUAL EVENT in which NO GOD displayed evidence of intervention when HE OR SHE OR THEY failed to keep the girl out of this danger in the first place, and failed to punish the perpetrators of the hideous custom of bride kidnapping, and failed to perform any miraculous action on behalf of any children anywhere in the world, such as by clearing even one pediatric cancer ward of its patients (well, other than by letting them all die in agony, per the apparent default divine plan). Leprechauns can take any form… and then they just "disappeared into the wild"? THREE lions (as in CURLY, LARRY, and MOE)!!?? Be THANKFUL that sometimes creatures will act unpredictably, rather than outright killing children as lions and cobras and dogs and tuberculosis bacteria do too often in the utter absence of a FATHER and GOD looking out for us!

There! That'll raise hackles once it appears... which it hasn't yet, because... oops, the story is from 2005. Did not see that.

Chagrined, allow me to revisit my opener:

"Arguing on the Internet and doing so several years too late is really..."

Hot on the heels of yesterday's look at supporters of secular public education (and just as Richard Dawkins makes another trenchant plea to end special government support for "faith schools"), here's a roster of vocal notables who oppose a separation of religious indoctrination and public schools.

Surely this half-dozen would have no problem agreeing on whose religion to teach, what prayers to lead the class in, and which beliefs to instill. Why, I can't foresee disputes over such little details among the God-fearing proponents of public prayer, can you?

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Know anyone confused about who's for and who's against secular public education? Send 'em an image!

Here's a twist on the images I've been posting comparing the proponents and opponents of separation of church and state. A related – and equally crucial – topic is whether public schooling should stay secular, with religious education a matter of personal freedom in the home, the church, the mosque, and so on. Or should government, through the public school system, dip its hands into the matter of religion?

A lot of voices would disagree with that latter proposition – even voices as notably connected to religious belief as John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and George W Bush. (If Bush's clear-as-day support for secular public schools gives American "conservative Christians" pause, great!)

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Next up: The team opposed to secular public education. It's quite a collection of characters...

A slight twist from the previous installments: quotes not from individuals, but from national Constitutions. Click to enlarge

(So, Iraq. How's the theocracy thing working out for you?)

Next time: Something even more different.

You know religion is in trouble when even its leaders suggest we take a step back from it.

Tibetan Buddhism may not be a widespread faith, but its 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso is a globally known and influential religious figure. Said to be the reincarnation of his predecessors, the Dalai Lama was discovered through mystical omens and visions, was confirmed through "proofs" of his reincarnation, and was raised in a monastery. He conducts Buddhist rites, partakes in esoteric meditation practices, and hobnobs with popes, bishops, preachers, and gurus of all sorts. You can't get much more "religious figure" than that.

The Dalai Lama is also an author, and is working on a new book: Beyond Religion (out on Dec 6, 2011). Huh? Is this a warning of the dark immoral abyss awaiting those who venture beyond faith and dogma? No; according to the Dalai Lama, what lies beyond religion is secular morality – and the ethics we humans need to pursue.

The Huffington Post prints an excerpt from Beyond Religion. Huffpo may not be a name you associate with reliable reporting, but unless there's been some big screw-up, the text comes from "His Holiness" himself. The content is by no means religious bashing (unless you're one of the hyper-coddled believers who see anything less than fawning Jesus-praising as religion bashing), yet it suggests that religion is just another human system that can work for good or for bad, that the fact of multiple conflicting religions makes belief unfit as a universal basis for ethics, and that the creation of universal ethics need not depend on religion. Or as the Dalai Lama says:

What we need today is an approach to ethics which makes no recourse to religion and can be equally acceptable to those with faith and those without: a secular ethics.

Wow. Now let's see if we can get some popes, imams, evangelists, and the like to board that train, and some real progress may lie ahead for humanity.

At the risk of bringing down the wrath of Godwin, here's another Separation of Church and State "poster" with a quote from Hitler.

The next installment will be different!

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Here's another homemade effort at illuminating the debate over spearation of church and state. "Teach the controversy", right?

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There's more to come –

With the US election race gearing up, we're treated daily to more and more examples of American politicos, pundits, and plain old people who refuse to understand the simple, smart principles behind keeping religion out of government and government out of religion.

Millions of words have been said and millions more will be. In the meantime, I felt inspired to make a few images as reminders of what's at stake. (Click to enlarge.) None too subtle, I know, but subtlety doesn't seem to be working...

Link to it, forward it, pass it around. More are on the way.

As the world remembers the visionary who led Apple in more innovation than any ten competitors combined, WebProNews points out the ugly response by a familiar pack of loons. Yes, the Westboro Baptist Church is ready to take time out from picketing the funerals of celebrities and soldiers so it can defile the farewell to Steve Jobs.

Keep in mind: these people do not represent mainstream Christianity, or even mainstream humanity. Even fellow believers regard them as ugly nutcases, and for good reason. One has to wonder, though: if there were no silly religions with idiotic rants against "sin", would the Phelps clan be doing any picketing at all? If not for religion, what basis would they have for railing against "sin" or homosexuality or any of their bizarre targets? Just an idle thought; something to ponder while raising a glass (and an iPhone) in honor of Steve.

Speaking of iPhones: Yes, as the WebProNews article points out, the Phelps whacko tweeted that anti-Jobs screed from an iPhone. Really. (Believers say faith can move mountains, but apparently faith doesn't support a Twitter client.)

And speaking of Steve: I don't know what his religious stance was, but let's recall these wonderful words from his famed 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

Beautiful. No dismissal of life as nothing more than a rehearsal or a test for an afterlife. Rather, Steve suggests the all-out embracing of this world's life as the only life we have. Positive-thinking atheists have been saying so all along; few have said it so well, or to as many eager listeners, as did Steve Jobs.

A life well lived. Thanks for all you did, Steve.

The Atheist Nexus asks atheists and freethinkers to thank New York Mayor Bloomberg for a secular, clergy-free ceremony commemorating the 10 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 

In that post, you'll see handy link directly to an online form for sending a message to the Mayor. Why not do so right now? You're limited to only 300 words, so it'll only take a moment. Here's the simple message I sent: 

America's very roots lie in separation of church and state, in no government sanctioning of religion, and in the freedom to follow any religion or none at all. 

A secular 9/11 ceremony with no promotion of specific religions carries forward those ideals beautifully. Thank you, Mayor Bloomberg, for having the determination to make this a truly American ceremony. 

Make no doubt about; the Mayor did make a courageous decision. Trucking in pious Christian and Jewish clergymen would have not only been easy, it'd have been poltically expedient. As it is, the Mayor is taking a tremendous beating from Americans for his decision to hold a ceremony on behalf of the American people, and not on behalf of magic gods and Middle Eastern religions. (Witness the inidgnation of the zealots, like those here, bleating words like "disrespectful", "slap in the face", "tyranny", and – yes, it had to be there – "traitor". What, no "Bloomberg is Hitler" yet?)

Send the mayor your support. He deserves it.