Godless Apostate

[TorqueDog]

Relevant: http://www.clergyproject.org/

[TorqueDog]

Reza Aslan, just another lying apologist.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendl...d-this-is-why/

[troutman]

Are Factual And Religious Belief The Same?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2014/1...elief-the-same

Like fiction or imaginative play, religious beliefs may persist alongside factual beliefs precisely because they operate within restricted contexts and aren't firmly tethered to evidence. An important difference, however, is in the contexts that fictions and religion typically govern.

What is it that differentiates believing that something is real from entertaining it as a fiction? Van Leeuwen developed an approach to this question that led him to the tricky case of religious belief — he realized that his approach could work here as well, as long as he put religious "beliefs" closer to fictions and imaginings than to ordinary beliefs.

Is this philosophical hairsplitting? Van Leeuwen doesn't think so — he sees a real danger in conflating religious and factual belief: "If we conflate religious credence and factual belief — as so many are inclined to do — we'll simply miss an extremely important feature of religious psychology."

He also doesn't think that religious belief is simply a matter of faith, though his general framework could perhaps be extended to accommodate both faith and the attitude of provisional acceptance that scientists adopt toward even well-established scientific claims.

[Thor]

International Humanist and Ethical Union released its 2014 review on the situation in the world for atheists, humanists, secularists. Canada did not so great, US fared better, Iceland failed badly. Here's the direct link http://iheu.org/fot14/

Canada's review, sorry had to do this in pictures, stupid PDF!

Spoiler!

[nik-]

Posting mostly so I can see if Textcritic can help me out here. I'd like to find a really good historical text on early christianity. The growth in the early days from the time of the writings of the first Gospels up to, and preferably including, the Council of Nicaea and it's aftermaths.

I've been looking around, but a lot of them seem geared to "Christians" and I'm not really interested in that. I'm just curious from a purely anthropological standpoint. Facts about what we can know facts about, not conjecture and speculation.

Any hints?

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by nik-

Posting mostly so I can see if Textcritic can help me out here. I'd like to find a really good historical text on early christianity. The growth in the early days from the time of the writings of the first Gospels up to, and preferably including, the Council of Nicaea and it's aftermaths.

I've been looking around, but a lot of them seem geared to "Christians" and I'm not really interested in that. I'm just curious from a purely anthropological standpoint. Facts about what we can know facts about, not conjecture and speculation.

Any hints?

Not in Textcritic's league but I really enjoyed A History of God by Karen Armstrong, which covers the (common) origins of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

[Thor]

If I remember correctly TC was not a fan of Armstrong's book, I did get it for my kindle but have not read it yet.

[Nyah]

Will Religion Ever Disappear?

A growing number of people, millions worldwide, say they believe that life definitively ends at death – that there is no God, no afterlife and no divine plan. And it’s an outlook that could be gaining momentum – despite its lack of cheer. In some countries, openly acknowledged atheism has never been more popular.

Japan, the UK, Canada, South Korea, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, France and Uruguay (where the majority of citizens have European roots) are all places where religion was important just a century or so ago, but that now report some of the lowest belief rates in the world. These countries feature strong educational and social security systems, low inequality and are all relatively wealthy.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/2014...ever-disappear

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Nyah

Will Religion Ever Disappear?

As long as it makes money - no
As long as many people are sheep - no
As long as people live their alives afraid of everything - no

I use to think only the uneducated or stupid could believe in such rubbish but then Sam Harris opened my eyes.

You can be educated enough to build a nuclear weapon, and still be deluded enough to think you'll get 72 virgins if you use it. -Sam Harris

I also read that five of the nineteen 9-11 hijackers had PH Ds.

Personally I believe it will take a global event that threatens the human race to get rid of religion, something where all mankind would have to fight for survival...like an Alien attack.

[Thor]

Way too early to even suggest it, but there is some preliminary research on gut bacteria having an affect on the brain in a negative way, intelligence, behavior.

I'm fascinated by this possibility, could our political leanings, empathy, religious or non religious belief be coming from bacterial influence? Is this evolutionary, the symbiotic relationship we have with bacteria, is this a more basic symbiotic relationship that has much larger consequences for our much bigger brains.

I mean if we were still cave men, and this bacteria created a strong in group, fear of the outside, tribalism, with side effects like Religion, what does it do to an advanced human mind as ours is today in comparison.

[Thor]

Oh and what I'm talking about if you are interested in reading more:

http://scienceblogs.com/neurophiloso...and-behaviour/

[GirlySports]

The Negativity Scene

[Dion]

[T@T]

Neil deGrasse Tyson had some interesting tweets the last couple of days. He use to pretty much avoid religious comments. not anymore!

The jab on guns was good too

Neil deGrasse Tyson ✔ @neiltyson Follow On this day long ago, a child was born who, by age 30, would transform the world. Happy Birthday Isaac Newton b. Dec 25, 1642


Neil deGrasse Tyson ✔ @neiltyson Follow
Merry Christmas to all. A Pagan holiday (BC) becomes a Religious holiday (AD). Which then becomes a Shopping holiday (USA).


Neil deGrasse Tyson ✔ @neiltyson Follow
QUESTION: ThIs year, what do all the world's Muslims and Jews call December 25th? ANSWER: Thursday


Neil deGrasse Tyson ✔ @neiltyson Follow
Imagine a world in which we are all enlightened by objective truths rather than offended by them.


Neil deGrasse Tyson ✔ @neiltyson Follow
Some claim the USA is a Christian nation, compelling me to wonder which assault rifle Jesus would choose: the AR-15 or AK-47.

[HockeyIlliterate]

Originally Posted by nik-

Posting mostly so I can see if Textcritic can help me out here. I'd like to find a really good historical text on early christianity. The growth in the early days from the time of the writings of the first Gospels up to, and preferably including, the Council of Nicaea and it's aftermaths.

I've been looking around, but a lot of them seem geared to "Christians" and I'm not really interested in that. I'm just curious from a purely anthropological standpoint. Facts about what we can know facts about, not conjecture and speculation.

Any hints?

Consider "The Early Church," by Chadwick. Very dry reading, but I understand that it is a commonly used book in Divinity school.

Originally Posted by edslunch

Not in Textcritic's league but I really enjoyed A History of God by Karen Armstrong, which covers the (common) origins of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

I can barely get through that book. It is overly wordy, poorly written, factually incorrect, and hardly impartial.

[Antithesis]

I enjoyed the tweets by Tyson and personally don't find anything at all wrong with them. I can see the devout being upset by them (particularly the one re: the transforming of Christmas) but I see them all being either celebration of science and diversity or in the case of the Christmas one a criticism of modern society. I don't read any particular dig at religion in any of those.

[troutman]

Newsweek Cover Story, on how much the Bible is misunderstood:

http://www.newsweek.com/2015/01/02/t...ys-294018.html

Newsweek’s exploration here of the Bible’s history and meaning is not intended to advance a particular theology or debate the existence of God. Rather, it is designed to shine a light on a book that has been abused by people who claim to revere it but don’t read it, in the process creating misery for others. When the illiteracy of self-proclaimed Biblical literalists leads parents to banish children from their homes, when it sets neighbor against neighbor, when it engenders hate and condemnation, when it impedes science and undermines intellectual advancement, the topic has become too important for Americans to ignore, whether they are deeply devout or tepidly faithful, believers or atheists.

This examination—based in large part on the works of scores of theologians and scholars, some of which dates back centuries—is a review of the Bible’s history and a recounting of its words. It is only through accepting where the Bible comes from— and who put it together—that anyone can comprehend what history’s most important book says and, just as important, what it does not say.

[combustiblefuel]

[cracher]

We have blasphemy laws here?? So posting in this thread could theoretically land me in jail for 2 years?

http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/01...blasphemy-law/

[Dion]

Richard DawkinsVerified account‏@RichardDawkins16h16 hours ago

No, all religions are NOT equally violent. Some have never been violent, some gave it up centuries ago. One religion conspicuously didn’t.