Tacoma Atheists

From Huffington Post:

While Doctors without Borders was struggling to get anesthetics for amputations into Haiti, an Albuquerque group queued up aid of their own sort: 600 solar powered talking Bibles. Even now, food, water, and medicine are having trouble reaching Haitians because of damaged transportation facilities and supply lines, but the missionary group says some of their Bibles are on the way.

I first read about the solar powered Bibles after a friend forwarded an article from an Australian news source — the point being that half way around the world people found the story controversial enough to be newsworthy. Why?  Because it is morally troubling, even for many Christians. According to the gospel writer, Jesus says “I was hungry and you gave me bread,” not “I was hungry and you gave me Bibles.” How can anyone see pictures of crushed buildings, blood covered children, and people begging for food, and think of it as an opportunity to win converts?

Like many others, I read about the solar Bible effort with a sense of disgust. But as a former Evangelical believer, I also read about it with some sympathy for the people packing the boxes. There is no doubt in my mind that they think what they are doing is kind and good. I would bet my psychology license that their behavior is driven by genuine concern for the people of Haiti. I simply believe also that the Evangelical mindset has tremendous power to co-opt and redirect a believer’s moral priorities and compassion. Continue reading →

When: March 26 to 28
Where: Renton Technical College, 3000 NE 4th St., Renton, WA 98058

Be sure to register soon for the NW Freethought Conference in Renton, before it fills up! Space is limited! Registration is online, via PayPal! The conference website is https://www.nwfreethought.org/

Speakers include:

Ophelia Benson, the co-force behind several books and a superb website, the goal of which is “fighting fashionable nonsense.” She will open our conference talking about being as critical of what we agree with as what we scorn.

Dr. David Domke, University of Washington Communications professor and author of “The God Strategy” and “God Willing? Political Fundamentalism in the White House.” He was one of the two top-rated speakers at the 2009 conference, and will be the keynote speaker at the banquet this year. He’ll be sharing ideas from his most recent research.

Anu Garg, the founder of wordsmith.org, which goes to 800,000 subscribers in 200 countries, and has often included free-thought ideas in the daily quote. He’ll talk about his philosophical path from Hinduism (330,000 deities) to where he is now (none at all). He’s a member of FFRF and AU.

Topics include:

AU/CFI Forum: Reaching Public School Students for Christ — It’s Legal!
Green Eating
How We Know What Isn’t So: Why Personal Experiences Override Science
Critical Thinking Skills
Living without a Soul, Dying without a God
Green Burial
Faith-based Child Abuse: Recent Oregon Court Cases
Current Church-State Separation Cases
Drug Policy Reform

Sign up now! Registration is online, via PayPal!

Judi Gladstone, one of the Secular Jewish Circle co-founders, will be facilitating a discussion of the “You are not alone” billboard at two Seattle public libraries in February (selected for their proximity to the billboard on Lake City Way). While this will be an opportunity for outreach for our secular Jewish organization, it’s also meant as a general discussion of the billboard’s message, and she welcomes all who have a stake in it.

Saturday, February 6,  2-5 p.m.

Wednesday, February 10, 6-8 pm

This disgraceful letter to the editor appeared in The Tacoma News Tribune today, and made me just see red:

Christians stepping up; where are atheists?

By Brad Eleken, of  Graham

My prayers go out to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti, and I will help by donating through a Christian charity. I am thankful that the United States, as always, takes the lead in helping when disaster strikes. As I read The News Tribune, I am struck by the fact that the Christian organizations are mobilizing and sending aid and aid workers without any thought as to the religion of the people of Haiti.

Just as when the tsunami struck Indonesia, and tens of thousands of Muslims were killed, the United States and Christian charities took the lead.

So where are the atheist organizations? Are they sending aid workers, money or prayers? No. But they do have money to devote to a display in the Capitol building in Olympia, to tell us there is no God, there is no heaven or hell.

If there are atheists interested in helping the people of Haiti, I ask them to give to World Vision or one of the other fine Christian organizations. Or they can do nothing.

This screed is especially outrageous in light of the call to arms that went out from Seattle Atheists asking people to donate for Haiti relief that went out Jan. 14.

It’s more inaccurate because of the SCORES of atheist and humanist charities that were launched in the past few years, and which are SPECIFICALLY addressing the Haiti crisis.

Seattle Atheists itself commits itself to charity and community service, and has an ongoing food drive, a blood drive, and gift wrapping, of which 100% of the proceeds go to Childrens Hospital.

CFI’s S.H.A.R.E. project, Richard Dawkins Foundation’s Non-Believers Giving Aid, Humanist Charities’ Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund have all dedicated the full force of their giving power to the victims of the Haiti disaster. Additional secular charities include MADRE, Partners in Health, Doctors Without Borders, Americares, International Relief Teams, and Mercy Corps.

Atheists give to secular aid organizations, because we do not like to see money going towards  solar powered bibles. Because if that’s your idea of humanitarian aid, you need to really be shot out of a cannon.

We recognize that people need clean water, food, medical care, and shelter, and NOT proselytizing. They need care, not “ministry.” They need to survive. They don’t need half the money that would have gone to pay for these things going to fat cat pastors and churches.

So in other words, Brad Eleken of Graham, you’re an ill-informed ass.

Please voice your displeasure both in the comments and by writing letters to the editor. This will not go unchallenged.

On Saturday February 6th, Seattle Atheists will join other free-thought groups to celebrate the 201st birthday of Charles Darwin, the brilliant scientist whose revolutionary work became the foundation of modern biology.

Seattle Atheists and our fellow organizations in the Northwest Freethought Coalition (NWFC) will come to together to celebrate Darwin, science, humanity and in appreciation of verifiable knowledge that has been acquired solely through human curiosity and ingenuity.

The event is family-friendly and will include speakers, educational evolution-themed games, activities, and food. The public is encouraged to attend.

WHERE:
Juanita Community Club, 13027 100th Ave NE, Kirkland, WA 98034

WHEN:
Saturday, Feb. 6, from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m.

Below is my response to an old and dear friend’s e-mail. I have edited it so that it will not be evident to anyone reading it who the friend is.

Dear Friend,

I thought that you might be surprised, as most of my old friends and my family have been. It is difficult for most Christians to believe that a former southern baptist minister could be an Atheist. You responded very much like a lot of them and did so with concern, love, an obvious bias that I understand, and some false assumptions. I have no problem explaining my journey to you or anyone who has a sincere desire to know, but you really need to keep an open mind, because as you already have in your e-mail, you will be tempted to assume some things that simply are false. Nothing that you wrote that supports your faith is new to me and I think you know me well enough to know that. They are convictions I once held myself. I think you also know the answer to some of the questions you posed; especially the one about whether or not I ever was a Christian. You, of all people, know better than to ask such a question. As arrogant as this may sound, if I wasn’t a Christian, then no one is.

Let me answer some of your other direct questions. I do not believe in anything supernatural or spiritual, therefore I do not beleive in a god. Christianity at it’s core is a religion based on faith (believing without evidence). In fact there is no evidence that the God of the bible exists, there is only personal experience. This is how there can be so many different religions and so many different Christian denominations that can claim to have the truth. None of them have the truth, they have belief without evidence. So, to your question about death and an afterlife….when I die, I’m dead, gone, that’s it. No I will not see my wife and children somewhere in a “spiritual place.” No such place exists. Continue reading →

This Onion-worthy article is by Valerie Tarico, via HuffPo:

It appears that televangelist Pat Robertson is in the thrall of Satan, according to spiritual warriors, Drs. Valerie Tarico and Marlene Winell.  “It’s the only possible explanation,” said Tarico. “How else can we make sense of his repeated attempts to humiliate both God and Christianity in the wake of recent natural disasters.”

Tarico spotted what she saw as a suspicious pattern after Robertson’s recent remarks about Haiti. As people lay dying in the rubble of Tuesday’s tragic earthquake and nations around the world scrambled disaster experts, Robertson spoke to the Christian Broadcasting Network’s “The 700 Club:” ”Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it,” “They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the Devil. They said, we will serve you if you’ll get us free from the French. True story. And so, the Devil said, okay it’s a deal.” Robertson summed it up: “Ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other.”

“Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven,” said Tarico. “When Robertson blamed the Katrina disaster on God, and said He was punishing those black people for the sins of their gay neighbors, I thought it might just be human error. All we like sheep have gone astray, you know.  Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. But suddenly, when I read Robertson’s remarks about Haiti, it was like a light blazed down from heaven and a voice spoke saying, ‘Behold, the Father of Lies.’ I picked up the phone and called the only person more familiar with these problems than I am, Dr. Marlene Winell. She confirmed my worst fears.” Continue reading →

I went looking for some information on a bug on the Tacoma Atheists site, and as usual, the first thing you do when you run into one of these things is go to a search engine.

Unfortunately, the search engine told me I was pretty much on my own:

Searching for a function returns us as the first link.

That’s… not usually a good sign.

Guest poster Libby is a Tacoma Atheists member.

I grew up in an extremely religious home, attended an ultra conservative school and college, worked in the ministry for several years, and now I’m an atheist. Why? I hear this question from almost every person who find out that I no longer believe like I used to. And here are several examples of their reasons: I am angry or hurt. I am running away from their god. I just want to do my own thing. Something horrible happened. I’ve never had a close walk with their god like they do. I’m demon-possessed. And my favorite – I know deep inside that THEY are right. All these statements are 100% wrong. And this note is to explain my reasons for this drastic ‘change of mind’.

For as long as I can remember I’ve gone to a church, heard the bible stories, read the bible and prayed, and participated fully in all of the church functions, always believing that I was doing the right thing. I never questioned. I never wondered. I never for a second considered that what I believed could be anything but 100% true. I always considered myself very fortunate(or blessed) to be one of the few who knew the truth! Not the Muslims, not the Jehovah’s witnesses, the Mormons, the Buddhists, but ME! How arrogant I was!

Then one day I was faced with the possibility that I could have been misled, that everything I’ve known and loved for all of my life thus far could perhaps be wrong. This was the very first step to seeing things with an open mind, without preconceived ideas, and without having already made up my mind.

First it was the bible. I had never for a minute doubted the bible. I always believed (assumed) that it was the inerrant word of a god. I dismissed any claims of contradictions and inaccuracy. Of course I wasn’t exposed to much of it since I was told to never read anything that was not written by like-minded people. When I finally opened my eyes and read the bible for what it was, I found that there were errors. There were contradictions. There were barbarisms that I had just simply dismissed before. Continue reading →