A Mythical Slave Story

Sabio Lantz, 05/02/2012

A few days ago I saw a tweet which had gone blog-viral.  It quoted a letter from a slave to his former master.  I read the letter  – it was fantastic but then I started to have my doubts if it was a real letter.  (see Huffington post for an example of a post)

With a little searching, I found this  copy of the 1865 New York Daily Tribune that published the letter.  I almost said, “OK, well, I guess it is true.  Here is the actual letter.” But my skeptical mind said, “Wait, what if some Northerner made up the letter back in 1884 just to make his political points?”

You may think I am a racist for even having such suspicions about a letter that confirms your rightful hatred of slavery, but I am willing to risk that judgement to make my point on this post.  The letter seems too perfect, too ironic and too superbly composed. “But wait!” you may say, “Are you such a racist that you doubt a black man could be this brilliant work?”  No, but I am suspicious and I am very happy to be proven wrong.  But I am not afraid to doubt.

It is hard to verify the historicity of reports that were made even a 150 years ago yet alone 2-3,000 years ago when many of today’s religious texts were composed.  It is clear to me that the authors of these documents had an agenda and could have forged or altered the “histories” they wrote.  Modern textual analysis techniques were made to aid in this issue, but we still must face much uncertainty.

Did Jesus exist?  Did Jesus say what is reported he said?  Did people reporting these things have reasons to alter the truth or to just plain make things up?

Some people doubt about the Buddha in similar ways.  Unlike Christians, who depend on the historicity of their founder’s death and resurrection, many Buddhists don’t really care if their founder was highly mythologized.  But many other Buddhists, finding out that the Buddha was a myth, would be devastating.

Slavery wasn’t a myth, of course, but this letter could be fictional.  Yet we can’t go back and find out if it happened or if this letter was contrived to make a point.  But even if it were contrived, couldn’t something have happened very similar to what is written in this letter?  Sure!  But is this report real?  Hmmmm, what do you think?  Are you a natural doubter, or a natural believer?


Tagged: Atheism, Buddhism, Christianity, Civil War, History, Religion, Slavery

Source: Triangulations

Old Whine in New Bottles

lgranados, 05/02/2012

]The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has launched a campaign against what it calls a concerted attack on religious liberty. Not in Pakistan or Iraq, but right here in the United States. Archbishop Timothy Dolan, USCCB’s president, complains about a “drive to neuter religion,” intended to “push religion back into the sacristy.” He’s not claiming [...]

Source: Rant & Reason

Simply being near a church makes people more hostile to outsiders

Unknown author, 04/02/2012

Priming studies (in which you plant thoughts or topics in people's minds without their being aware of it) typically take place in laboratories. But you can get the same effects in the real world too. So, for example, people will vote differently depending on the location of the polling booth (in a Church, in a school, etc).

In a recent study, Jordan LaBouff (University of Maine) worked with colleagues at Baylor College to discover whether attitudes to different groups are affected by subliminal Christian priming.

Now, this could go either way. Most modern Christianity is at pains to be inclusive, spreading the message that all men are equal. On the other hand, we know that high religious fervour is often associated with distrust of outgroups and people who are, well, different.

So what effect does religious priming have on ordinary people? To test this, LaBouff stopped people at random outside a church in the Netherlands (and, to check if the effect was culturally specific, a few people outside Westminster Abbey in London). He asked them a series of questions, including asking them to rate their attitudes to different groups on a 1-10 scale.

He also stopped some other people in a location that contained only civic buildings (in England, the location chosen was the Houses of Parliament).

The mix of people was pretty typical for the area - 39% nonreligious, the rest Catholics and Protestants with a few religious minorities. They were pretty international too - only 28% were Dutch.

But, as you can see from the graph, attitudes towards every single group were more hostile when people were asked outside a church. All the differences are statistically significant (except the difference in attitudes towards Christians).

What I find remarkable about these results is how consistent they are. Sure, attitudes to Africans, Asians, Arabs and gay men take a hefty knock, but then so do attitudes towards the poor.

Not at all the effect that pious surroundings are supposed to induce!

ResearchBlogging.org
LaBouff, J., Rowatt, W., Johnson, M., & Finkle, C. (2011). Differences in Attitudes Toward Outgroups in Religious and Nonreligious Contexts in a Multinational Sample: A Situational Context Priming Study International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 22 (1), 1-9 DOI: 10.1080/10508619.2012.634778

Creative Commons License This article by Tom Rees was first published on Epiphenom. It is licensed under Creative Commons.


Source: Epiphenom

Play WeiQi ! !

Sabio Lantz, 04/02/2012

  • The Name: WeiQi (Chinese) goes by many names:  ”Go”(English), “Igo”(Japanese), “Baduk”(Korean).
  • WeiQi Beginner Books: Janice Kim’s Beginners series is great but there is plenty on-line stuff for those who don’t want books.

WHY PLAY WEIQI

  • UNIQUE & “EASY” : It is unlike any other game you have ever played.  The rules are easy to learn but the implications are amazing and hard to comprehend.  So don’t venture in if you don’t like challenges.
  • BEST Strategy Board Game:  Best on the planet !  Yeah, it looks like Othello but that is a laughable superficial comparison.  WeiQi makes Chess look easy.
  • USE YOUR FULL MIND: It requires you to use both the analytic and the intuitive sides of your mind.  It mimics life in many ways that invites philosophical conversations after a game. I have several posts based on the game: see my index post here.
  • GRADUAL TRAINING & HANDICAPS:  It is a handicap game, so a skilled play can play beginners and both can have a fun game and both have a 50% chance of winning.Different Boards:  Beginners start on a 9×9 board to learn, progress to a 13×13, then a full board (19×19). Thus not overwhelmed in the beginning.

HOW TO LEARN TO PLAY, On-Line 

  1. Finish all the tutorials here.
  2. Do Basic Life-Death Problems
  3. Play against a computer
    • Careful here.  People and computers play very differently.  Only play against a computer until you can win with 3 or 4-stones handicap on a 9×9 board or 5-6 stones on a 13×13 board.
    • Smart Go is great for I-Phone.  Anyone know Android apps?
  4. Finally! Sign up to play with the huge, world-wide, all-levels, friendly on-line community:
    See up an account on KGS. Here is how:

    • Click on “Download the Client and SGF Editor”
    • Click on: CGoban for Java Web Start
    • Sign in and registrar.  This part is a bit tricky but if you can’t pull it off, WeiQi is probably the wrong game for you anyway!  (smile)
  5. Then, notify me by e-mail and we can meet and play.  On KGS my handle is “Mosquito“.  I am only 8 Kyu, many of you will beat me quickly! (sniffle)

Tagged: weiqi

Source: Triangulations

Saturday Open Thread: Random and Interesting, Music Edition

Adam Lee, 04/02/2012

It's been a while since I last did one of these, but I want to start making it a regular feature. This thread is for you to tell us about something cool and interesting you've come across lately, something that makes you happy and that you think more people should know about. This week, I'd like to ...

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Source: Daylight Atheism

Have A Cup Of Coffee

Spanish Inquisitor, 04/02/2012

One of my addictions is coffee, and Starbucks is what I usually drink. My wife hates it, can’t stand the taste, prefers something …lighter…but taste is subjective, so I can’t fault her on that. But I like it. I even have the app on my iPhone, tagged to my bank account, so I don’t even need to have any cash on me to buy a cup of coffee. Yeah, I’m a sorry fellow. The only downside for me is that it’s a major corporation, and sometimes I feel I should be giving my business to local coffee shops. Actually, occasionally I do, but I still frequent Starbucks the most. Shoot me.

Fortunately, Starbucks is one of those companies with a social conscience. Or at least their PR department does a good job of convincing me (I’m not so naive as to believe that everything they stand for or do is in the public interest – they do have shareholders after all). They had recently, in response to the faltering economy and the high unemployment rate, started a campaign to increase jobs in the country, by arranging to work with localities to help finance community level small businesses. It is also very environmentally friendly.

In the political arena it’s a David against Goliath (the rest of monolithic corporate America), when it takes on positions that would seem to be counter to its economic interests (any polarizing position is counter to one’s economic interests). Recently it supported the Washington state initiative to legalize gay marriage. And, as you might expect, this drew the ire of the bigots.

A Christian (what else?) group, citing their favorite book of hate, called for a boycott of Starbucks.

“Christians are upset with Starbucks for turning against God…Starbucks can follow Satan if they want to,” Steven Andrew, and evangelical pastor and president of the USA Christian Ministries in California, said in a statement. “However, pastors are to help Christians. Are you on the Lord’s side? Will you help the USA be blessed by God?”

Sigh. I get such a headache when I read these types of blatherings. Follow Satan? C’mon. Are there really still people in 21st century that believe Satan is something more than a metaphor? Of course, they certainly have a right in this country to think and say what they want about it, just as Starbucks (now declared to be a person by no less an authority than the Supreme Court) has the same right.

But at least Starbucks is doing it for the right reasons:

…embracing diversity and treating one another with respect and dignity, and … providing an inclusive, supportive and safe work environment for all of our partners ["partners" is its quaint corporate euphemism for "employees"]…

whereas this so-called USA Christian Ministry is doing it for the wrong reasons:

Starbucks overlooked the health concerns for homosexuals. CDC reports that one in five homosexuals have HIV, with many unaware they are sick. The average homosexual dies at 42 years and has a higher depression rate,

as if not allowing gays to marry will end homosexuality, and therefor HIV, early death and depression. Clearly, such a position is based on a bigoted attitude towards homosexuality, using idiotic, irrelevant statistics and their holy book to rationalize their non-Jesus like intolerance and hypocrisy.

They think that if all Christians boycotted Starbucks, the company would lose 80% of it’s business, probably on the assumption that the country is roughly 80% Christian. Frankly, a better boycott would be if all Christians boycotted their churches, stopped contributing those tax free funds that keep them in business, and stop attending Sunday (and Monday though Saturday) services. That would show these bigots exactly what hatred, intolerance and bigotry means.

For me, this boycott simply gives me a better reason to feed my jones with a clear conscience.

Here’s the kicker.

Other companies taking a similar position [on gay marriage] include Nike, Google and Microsoft, Half Moon Bay Patch notes.

It’s easy to say “buy your coffee from someone else, like say, the local Halleluiah Blessed-Be-Jesus Coffee Shop” . It’s another to delete Windows and start using Linux on your computer, search the internet using Yahoo, and jog in your P.F. Flyers. You know these hypocrites won’t do that. I’ll bet they wrote their Press Release in Microsoft Word.

So lift a cup of Starbucks™ coffee to Satan, and have a nice day. :)


Filed under: AIDS, Apologetics, Beliefs, Bible, Christianity, Cults, culture, Current events, Gay rights, Health, Hypocrisy, Law, Legal, Marriage, morality, Political/Topical, Politics, Rationalism, reality, Reason, Religion, sex, Starbucks, Theism, Theology Tagged: Atheism, Beliefs, Bible, Boycott, Christian, Christian Nation, Christianity, church, First Amendment, Gay marriage, god, homosexuality, morality, Politics, Religion, Satan, sex, Starbucks, WASHINGTON

Source: SPANISH INQUISITOR

Skeptics in the Pub – what a combination!

DavidB, 04/02/2012

A few of us have started attending Lancaster Skeptics in the Pub and so far each session has been really good. I strongly recommend it. Usually the first Wednesday in the month at the Park Hotel Lancaster (very easy to … Continue reading →

Source: Lancashire Secular Humanists

…In Which I Defend Muslims

the chaplain, 03/02/2012

Yes, you read that title correctly. Today, I participated in a brief but bizarre conversation in which I defended Muslims. Here’s the story.

A co-worker (a conservative, evangelical Christian) was praising the mechanic who recently serviced his car. After reciting a fairly lengthy list of  services rendered and the incredibly low prices he was charged for those services, he paused for a second or two, looked astonished, and said in a voice full of wonder, “And he was a Muslim!”

I immediately said, “What does that have to do with anything?”

He responded, “Of all people, you think they’d be the least likely to be like that.”

I said, with astonishment, “There are something like a billion Muslims in the world and most of them are not terrorists. The vast majority of them are good, honest people.”

When he looked at me like I’d grown a second nose, I said, “Imagine a group of Muslims sitting together at lunch – like we are – talking about a business transaction similar to yours. Now imagine the speaker ending his story by saying, “And he was a Christian!”

The guy sitting next to the conservative Christian chuckled and said, “Touche.”

The conservative Christian grinned sheepishly and said, “Yeah, I see your point.”

Will the conservative Christian change his mind about Muslims? Probably not very much. He’ll continue believing they’re all going to hell because they don’t worship the right deity. But maybe the next time he does business with a Muslim he won’t be so astonished when his religious, cultural and ethnic prejudices are disconfirmed.

– the chaplain


Filed under: prejudice

Source: An Apostate's Chapel

yup, still here but moving

Ray, 03/02/2012

This blog will be moving up a level and the WordPress set up will be my CMS in the future for the whole Web site.

I spent a lot of time in the last year commenting and generally rousing rabble on other forums.   Better for me to link articles and put my opinions here.

So, if you are on an RSS feed or other subscriber service, be watching for the announcement to re-set your subscriptions to point to the main page at raywhiting.com instead of here.

Source: Ray Whiting » humanism

The unintended consequences of asking for more religion in schools

Clare, 03/02/2012

American comic creator Jennie Breeden of the Devil’s Panties webcomic (actually just an autobiographical comic, not as alarming as it sounds) makes some interesting observations about the consequences of asking for more religion in schools.

 

 


Source: This humanist

The Religious War on Reproductive Health

Adam Lee, 02/02/2012

When it comes to reproductive health in America, progress often seems like a one-step-forward-two-steps-back kind of situation. But let's start with some rare good news: in January, the Obama administration announced that most employers would have to cover birth control in their employee health ...

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Source: Daylight Atheism

BHA wishes David Pollock a Happy 70th Birthday

Unknown author, 02/02/2012

British Humanist Association (BHA) Trustee and President of the European Humanist Federation (EHF) David Pollock is today celebrating his 70th Birthday.

David has over fifty active years in the humanist movement, since he first became involved with the Oxford University Humanist Group in 1961. Since that time he has made an enormous contribution to Humanism both in Britain and internationally. He has been President of the EHF since 2006 and in those five years has been relentless in pursuing the humanist agenda of secularism, human rights and equality within European and international institutions: the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the OSCE in Vienna, the EU institutions in Brussels. He has been a director of New Humanist magazine for over 30 years and a trustee of the BHA for 24 years, serving as its chair in the 1970s.

In more recent years he has chaired the BHA’s Parliamentary Working Group and has worked tirelessly on its public policy and campaigning agenda and in 2011 received the Distinguished Service to Humanism Award from the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) at the World Humanist Congress in Oslo. He has contributed original thought to the movement as well as personal dynamism.

Speaking to The Times from Strasbourg, where he was meeting NGOs, ministers, and European humanists, he said: 'I absolutely ignore birthdays; life is a continuum, and I don’t get any older.'

Nonetheless, we at BHA would like to wish David a Happy Birthday.

Source: BHA news

Humanists rally for free expression

Matt, 02/02/2012

Namazie, MaryamUnited KingdomFreedom of expression

The International Humanist and Ethical Union has joined with its member organization One Law for All to hold a Rally for Free Expression in London on 11 February. The rally was organized to respond to the recent spate of attacks on free speech in the UK, including threats and censorship directed at Humanist student groups at the University of London (see IHEU stories at  http://www.iheu.org/humanists-condemn-another-attack-atheist-expression-london-university and at http://www.iheu.org/threats-violence-force-cancellation-university-talk-sharia-law).

read more

Source: International Humanist and Ethical Union

David Attenborough discusses his agnosticism on the 70th anniversary edition of Desert Island Discs

humsar, 02/02/2012

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2012/jan/29/david-attenborough-desert-island-discs

I don’t think an understanding and an acceptance of the 4 billion-year-long history of life is any way inconsistent with a belief in a supreme being,” the 85-year-old broadcaster and writer will tell presenter Kirsty Young. “And I am not so confident as to say that I am an atheist.

Source: HumanistLife

Church of England clergy call for General Synod to allow civil partnerships in their churches

humsar, 02/02/2012

The Daily Mail reports that nearly 100 clergy have joined a rebellion over a Church of England ban on civil partnership ceremonies.

The letter the clergy signed reads:

 We, the undersigned, believe that on the issue of holding civil partnership ceremonies in Church of England churches incumbents / priests in charge should be accorded the same rights as they enjoy at present in the matter of officiating at the marriage of divorced couples in church. Namely, that this should be a matter for the individual conscience of the incumbent / priest in charge.

We would respectfully request that our views in this regard are fully represented in Synod.

More detailed coverage from Ruth Gledhill http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/faith/article3306363.ece

Source: HumanistLife

Charles Clarke Lecture – Tuesday 7th Feb

Ian, 02/02/2012

Former Home Secretary, Rt Hon Charles Clarke, Visiting Professor in Politics & Faith will be delivering the Chaplaincy Centre Annual Lecture at Lancaster University. Sorry about the short notice but I only heard about it at last night’s Skeptics in … Continue reading →

Source: Lancashire Secular Humanists

Church of England clergy call for right to hold civil partnerships

Unknown author, 01/02/2012

Over 100 Church of England clergy within the diocese of London have written a letter calling for the Church of England’s legislative assembly, the General Synod, to allow individual priests to make the decision whether to hold civil partnerships on their premises, according to newspaper reports today.

An amendment in the 2010 Equality Act changed the law and removed the prohibition on civil partnerships from being place in places of worship. This reform is explicitly permissive: no church or religious group is required to hold civil partnerships ceremonies if they do not wish to.

However, the Archbishop of Canterbury has previously expressed his opposition to civil partnerships being held in Church of England premises, and no priest is permitted to register their church for civil partnership ceremonies without approval of the General Synod, which is due to meet next week to discuss the issue.

Commenting on the reports, BHA Head of Public Affairs Pavan Dhaliwal said: ‘We are pleased that gay Quakers, Unitarians and Liberal Jews will soon be able to celebrate legal partnerships in their own places of worship, and we hope that members of the Church of England will soon be able to do the same if they wish.

‘However, while these incremental changes are to be welcomed, we believe that marriage law requires much deeper reform, and discrimination against same-sex and heterosexual humanist couples persists.’

Ms Dhaliwal continued, ‘Despite their popularity in Scotland, humanist weddings have no legal status in the England and Wales, and the reforms of civil partnerships have not been extended to humanists. We will continue to advocate reform that encompasses both heterosexual and same-sex marriage, allowing all couples the choice of a civil, religious or humanist marriage, on a truly equal basis.’

Notes

For further information or comment, please contact Pavan at pavan@humanism.org.uk or

Times article (paywall)

BBC article

Humanist weddings in Scotland were granted legal status in 2005, and are now the third most popular ceremony, and ahead of the number of Catholic weddings

Read the BHA’s briefing on marriage law and civil partnerships

The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.

Source: BHA news

The Great Debate: Football or Baseball?

the chaplain, 01/02/2012

With the Super Bowl fast approaching, it’s time to examine the critical question of which sport is superior – football or baseball. Since this is a significant matter, I’ve enlisted two experts to assist us in our deliberations.

First, Bill Maher will present his point of view.

Next, George Carlin will give us another perspective.

Now, it’s time for you to decide. Which do you prefer, football or baseball?

– the chaplain


Filed under: politics, society, sports

Source: An Apostate's Chapel

London 2012: Primrose Hill ‘Jesus statue’ upsets residents

humsar, 01/02/2012

The BBC reports that:

Primrose Hill offers one of the most beautiful views in London but some residents are concerned it could be ruined by plans for a temporary statue of Jesus.

The statue marks the end of the London 2012 Games and the handover to 2016 host city Rio de Janeiro.

Source: HumanistLife

ASA prevents Christian group from stating that God can heal illness

humsar, 01/02/2012

Read the ASA Adjudication on Healing on the Streets-Bath and HOTS Bath response here. HOTS Bath states:

We are disappointed with the ASA’s decision, and will appeal against it because it seems very odd to us that the ASA wants to prevent us from stating on our website the basic Christian belief that God can heal illness.
The ASA has even demanded that we sign a document agreeing not to say this, which is unacceptable to us – as it no doubt would be for anyone ordered not to make certain statements about their conventional religious or philosophical beliefs.

Source: HumanistLife