Every Hour

I am writing this having made the assumption that you have heard of Earth Hour. If you haven't, go here. (Somehow or another I didn't post this last weekend when I meant to). I am not big on events that only "raise awareness". I don't know exactly what that means. I can understand events that raise money. I wonder if there is anyone who has not heard of climate change at this point? There are millions of people on the planet who don't have access to lights that they can turn off. For them, Earth Hour is "Every Hour"...and they aren't necessarily celebrating because of it. Playing around for an hour or a day in the dark is not going to solve any "energy crisis" we may have. We will solve our energy issues by developing new technology. And that is not done in caves or in the dark.

It seems to me the only real reason to have an event like Earth Hour, is to give you the opportunity to feel morally superior to someone else. It's like praying for Japan. It doesn't do anything to help, but you sure feel better about yourself after you do it. It's masturbation in public. It also has the side benefit of convincing you that you did your part, and now you can return to business as usual.

So here's the deal. If you are concerned about energy consumption, buy a hybrid car or "green" lightbulbs. (I am not endorsing either of these by the way, just citing examples). The best way to make change is through the market. If enough people start buying these items, companies will make more of them. Additionally, if you really care about helping people in Japan, make a donation. You can do so here or here. A LOT of people in Japan are PARTICIPATING in Earth Hour, but they sure aren't celebrating it. Praying might make YOU feel good, but it does nothing for people who have lost their homes and love ones. Just sayin'.

Is Agnostic Neutral?

I haven't posted in a little over a month, mostly because I haven't had anything intelligent to say (after reading this, you may conclude that I still don't). I have been thinking a lot lately about labels and their meanings. Three in particular; atheist, theist and agnostic. It seems in many circles (particularly ones I travel in), agnostic is viewed as a middle ground between believers and heathens (my team). The feeling is that those who call themselves agnostic have a more reasonable position than atheists and theists. This (quite frankly) is BULLSHIT!!!

Agnostic/gnostic and atheist/theist are answers to two completely different questions. The terms "agnostic" and "gnostic" comes from the Greek word "gnosis" which means knowledge. So when you ask someone whether they KNOW whether there is a God or an Easter Bunny, (etc.), they either know or they don't. If they say that they don't know (the only reasonable answer to that question by the way) they are an agnostic. It is an epistemological question. "What do we KNOW about the universe?"

Atheist or theist is an answer to the theological question, "Do you BELIEVE in god?" It is not about knowledge, but rather the best answer that you can come up with after you have reviewed all the evidence available to you (voices inside your head are not evidence by the way...you may choose to believe because you "hear" them, but they are not evidence). I have seen NO evidence that a god or higher power exists. It seems to me that the only "evidence" that such beings exist are ancient texts written by humans. For theists, that is enough. For atheists, it is not.

There are theists who choose to believe that the complexity of the universe dictates that it have a "designer" or creator. This too is a belief, as they have no knowledge of such a creator. It seems to me a very arrogant position to take actually. "I can't understand how the universe could have come into existence without a designer, and I am extremely intelligent so therefore, there MUST me a god." My apologies for being redundant but...BULLSHIT. By this same logic, wouldn't this designer need a designer? (Yea..now what?) We learn more and more about the universe every day, and with each question we answer, several more questions get asked. It's okay, we may get there one day. We may not. But we shouldn't just throw up our hands and claim KNOWLEDGE that we don't have, just because we can't conceive of an alternative.

I have no problem acknowledging the possibility (however slim) that there may be a god. I can't disprove his/her/? existence. I don't need to. I am not the one claiming to have special knowledge. That is the burden for the other side. And no one has PROVED it. It's a belief and nothing more. A belief that provides comfort to many, but one that is no more TRUE than a belief in Santa Claus. I'm not claiming that this belief is WRONG. Only that it doesn't deserve special treatment and it certainly shouldn't be called science (it's FAITH, if it's yours, be proud and call it such). My position is simply a lack of belief. I'm not claiming knowledge of the non-existence of a deity. Just that I've never seen one, so I have no reason to believe there is one. And I choose to find comfort in my friends and family, and for me that's enough. Because it's all I've got (and all that I need).

So the next time an agnostic claims to have the only reasonable position, call them out on it. They are not answering the same question.

Today anyway

There are some things that I always seem to be in the mood for. Some good examples would be science, burritos, Pearl Jam, Penn and Teller (speaking of Penn and Teller, you NEED to see Penn and Teller: Fool Me...AWESOME!!! I've seen them live and they are the best!!!). My interests (other than these) seem to go through phases. Here's a list of what I am digging right now.

The Bad Plus A modern jazz trio whose music has elements of rock and pop included. Their latest album is called "Never Stop" and is the first with all original compositions (previous albums contained several covers, including "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana). You may not be into jazz, but you should give them a listen. They are all I have been listening to lately.

Death From The Skies by Phil Plait "The Bad Astronomer" The subtitle of this book pretty much sums it up..."The science behind the end of the world..." Each chapter describes a different way in which the Earth could be destroyed, or at least harmed significantly. This may seem kind of gloomy, but as I mentioned in a previous post, I enjoy the idea that we are insignificant compared to the universe. The book does a good job of illustrating just how dangerous a place that universe really is.

An Idiot Abroad on The Science Channel Produced by Ricky Gervais, the show follows a British guy named Karl as he is sent around the globe to see the seven man-made "Wonders of the World". The trick is that Karl is not interested in seeing them, or in leaving England for that matter. He also seems to have no filter between his brain and his mouth. He says some of the most awful things, but it doesn't seem malicious when he says them. I think it just serves to highlight his myopic world view (it's also hysterical). You can see new episodes on Saturday nights at 10 PM. I'm hoping The Science Channel really benefits from a show like this bringing in new viewers. A little more science is good for everybody.

That's it. I wish I could include Washington Capitals hockey in this list. The truth is I'm always into Caps hockey, they just frustrate the hell out of me. Oh well, until next time...

A quick laugh

I read in Psychology Today that laughter is a "speaking in tongues" in which we're moved by an unconscious response to social and linguistic cues. They go further to say that this is why people often say that they "can't laugh on command" (note that I didn't say "can't laugh on cue", because then my second sentence would have been in contradiction with my first...a surefire way to weed out the already small group of people who read my drivel).

In my first ever post on this blog, I made mention of Buffalo Bills wide receiver Steve Johnson and how he blamed God for dropping a crucial pass in a game. As great as I thought that was, I forgot about it rather quickly. Until I saw this video.....

I had an unconscious response to this for sure, as well as the rest of Mr. Deity's videos. If you had a similar response, check out more of his videos here. By the way, the blonde in the green sweater plays a character named Lucy (short for Lucifer). I wonder what it says about me that I had a strong response to her too (she's HOT!!!..which is also funny..heat/hell, get it).

I have actually found quite a few pieces of "secular" humor this week. The following pictures are two of my new favorites:

On a serious note, my hero, Charles Darwin, and my fathers hero, Abraham Lincoln, share a birthday. That birthday is February 12, 1809 (isn't that crazy..exact same day) and they would have both been 202 yesterday. My father just had a heart attack last week (he's doing great, thanks) and I went to visit with him yesterday and we talked about Lincoln for awhile. Good stuff.

Well, that's all I got for now. I have been having some interesting conversations lately that are eventually going to lead to a lengthy post about science, biblical literalism and absolutes (the conversation started out being about Egypt and freedom...completely nutty). Today is not that day. I have a lot of reading to do (currently reading Death from the Skies, by Phil Plait aka the Bad Astronomer...you have to read this book!!!).

BS......of A

I was a Cub Scout in fifth grade. I liked the outdoor activities and the social interaction with other kids outside of the school setting. We met in the basement of a local church once a week. About that same time, something happened that changed me forever.

I had begun to question the existence of a "God" sometime around third or fourth grade. It was through private conversation (and by that I mean, talking to myself) that in the fifth grade, I came to the conclusion that his or her existence seemed unlikely to me. It was my "big secret". I had never shared my feelings with anyone else. Everyone talked about and seemed to believe in God, so I was uncertain how other people would react to my opinion. I began making small, private (or so I thought) demonstrations of my lack of faith. The most significant was omitting the word "God" each morning in school when we recited the Pledge of Allegiance. My display did not go unnoticed. As each day passed I got a little more animated in my rebellion, and I guess it became very noticeable that I was not saying it. The teacher told the principal, who in turn called my parents to report this "very disturbing" turn of events (I am going to keep the names of these people out of this, I hold no grudge against them...I'm actually grateful). My parents, of course, defended my right not to say it, though I think it may have upset my mother (a lifelong Christian). It seemed so strange to me (at the time) that I could create such a racket by the simple act of NOT saying a word. It seemed like they were saying "It's okay (kind of) to believe what you want, but you better keep it to yourself".

I then starting thinking about the Cub Scout Oath that I recited at each meeting with my friends. You know, this:

I, (your name here), promise

to do my best

to do my duty to God

and my country

to help other people, and

to obey the law of the pack.

From the time I started going to Cub Scouts, I had been mouthing the word "God" from this oath. I mean, if you don't say it, you're can't be a Cub Scout, right? Obviously, I didn't belong here. I stopped going. I remember telling my friends that I wasn't going to be able to continue with Scouts because it conflicted with my new Karate class (a lie, and the first of many that I would make trying to hide my atheism).

Today is the 101st anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America, an organization that openly excludes atheists and homosexual boys and scout leaders. As a private organization, this is their right, and no one will argue more for that right than me. I also would argue that they should not receive any public money or "special deals" on the use of public land BECAUSE of this. It's a shame that they have not attempted to evolve along with the rest of society (its also a shame that they don't offer an Evolution Merit Badge). Boy Scout membership is down 11% in the past decade and Cub Scouts membership is down 23%. Camping and outdoor education is a great part of growing up, and could be a nice counter to the video game culture that we live in (I have nothing against games, but you need some fresh air every once in a while). But as my son very appropriately put it (he too attended a Cub Scout meeting..he quit after the first one), "What does God have to do with camping and knot tying?"

I now talk openly with others about my atheism (obviously, you're reading this). I know some people judge me because of it, and that's okay. But I don't feel I have to HIDE it anymore. The experiences I had in fifth grade did nothing to help me get here. And that is BS!!!

P.S. - I use parentheses a lot!!! I'm not a writer, it's my other BIG SECRET!!!