Greta Christina's Blog

Atheist Meme of the Day: Atheist Activism Is Not A Waste of Time

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Atheist activism is not a waste of time. Rates of non-belief are going up at an astonishing rate, around the country and around the world. In fact, in every state in the U.S., the fastest-growing religious affiliation is "none." Those of us trying to get atheist ideas out into the world are clearly doing something right. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Religion Can Be Criticized Like Any Other Idea

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Religion is an idea about how the world works -- and it's just as valid to criticize it in public forums as it is to criticize any other idea. If you think it's okay to criticize ideas about politics, science, medicine, art, philosophy, food, and so on... why should religion be treated any differently? Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: We're Not Lumping All Religions Together

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Criticizing religion is not the same as "lumping all religions together." Most atheists understand that different religions are different, and that some do more harm than others. We still don't think any of them are right. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: There Is No God-Shaped Hole in Our Hearts

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Atheists do not have a God-shaped hole in our hearts. People evolved to yearn: to explore, to be curious, to search for more than what we already experience and know. We don't have a God-shaped hole in our hearts -- we have a hole-shaped hole in our hearts. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: "Open Your Heart" Is a Terrible Argument

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

"You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: A Finite Life Is Precious

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Atheism does have comfort to offer in the face of death. Among other things, it offers the idea that a finite life can be seen as more valuable, not less: that the impermanence of life can inspire us to see it as precious, and to savor it and treasure it as much as we possibly can. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Atheist Have Happiness, Meaning, Goodness, and Community

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Religion is not necessary for a happy, meaningful, good life filled with community and connection. Most atheists experience great joy and purpose in our lives, and care deeply about right and wrong. And the atheist community is blossoming more and more every day. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Atheist Activism Is Valid

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Atheists care what other people believe because people act on their beliefs. Religious beliefs affect how people treat both others and themselves -- and many atheists see that effect as doing more harm than good. If you disagree, then make that case -- but it's not fair to object to the very idea of atheists making our case as well. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Atheist Activism Is Not A Waste of Time

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Attempts to persuade people out of religion are not a waste of time. Rates of atheism are going up at an astonishing rate, all over the U.S. and around the world. And many atheists say that they were, at least in part, persuaded out of their beliefs by atheists' arguments against religion. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Believers Should Understand Cognitive Errors

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

If you care whether the things you believe are true -- including religious or spiritual beliefs -- you should understand cognitive errors and biases that commonly lead the human mind to false conclusions. And you should be willing to subject your beliefs to rigorous scrutiny, to filter out these biases as much as possible. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Modern Theology is Bunk

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

"You haven't studied modern theology" is a terrible argument against atheism. Many atheists have studied modern theology... and found it very much wanting. It either dresses up the same old bad arguments in prettier language, or it defines God so abstractly it's indistinguishable from atheism. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Intuition Is Not Good Evidence

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

"I feel it in my heart" is not a good argument for God. Intuition is valuable, but it's deeply flawed, and when it comes to figuring out what is and isn't true about the non-subjective world, it needs to be backed up by carefully gathered, rigorously tested evidence. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: No Good Evidence for the God Hypothesis

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

There is no better evidence for God than there is for unicorns, fairies, Zeus, or the three- inch- tall pink pony behind my sofa who instantly teleports to Guam the moment anyone looks back there. If you don't treat those ideas as plausible, you shouldn't treat the God hypothesis as plausible, either. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Atheism Is Not Faith

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Atheism is not just as much a matter of faith as religion. Atheism is a provisional conclusion, based on the currently available evidence. If atheists see better evidence for God in the future, we'll change our minds. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Atheism Is Not Nihilistic

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Atheism is not nihilistic, cynical, or despairing. Most atheists experience great meaning and joy in our lives, and are passionate about engaging with the world and making it a better place. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: No Right to Not Have Your Beliefs Questioned

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

"People have a right to their beliefs" is a terrible argument against atheist activism. Of course people have a right to believe whatever they like. But people don't have a right to never have their beliefs questioned and criticized. We question and criticize all other kinds of ideas -- why should religion be the exception? Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Unexplained Does Not Mean Supernatural

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

"We don't currently understand X" is not a good argument for why X must be caused by God or the supernatural. In thousands of years of human history, the supernatural has never once been shown to be the right answer to any unanswered question. Why would we assume it's the right answer to anything we currently don't understand? Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Religion Is Not Just a Metaphor

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Religion is not just a metaphor. If it were, people wouldn't get so upset when atheists argue that it isn't true. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Criticism Is Not Intolerance

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

It is not intolerant or dogmatic to say, "I think I'm right, and here's why." And that applies to atheists. It is just as reasonable for atheists to question and criticize religion as it for anyone to question and criticize any idea about how the world works. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: "Mysterious Ways" is a Terrible Excuse

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

"God works in mysterious ways" is a terrible explanation for why there's suffering. If you think you know enough about God to know that he exists and causes the good things in life, then you should have an explanation for why he causes the terrible things as well. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Spiritual Experiences Aren't Good Evidence

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

"I had a personal spiritual experience" is not a good argument for religion or the supernatural. Given the inconsistency and unverifiability of spiritual experiences, these experiences are much more likely to be entirely physical, produced by the fallible human brain, than accurate perceptions of a real supernatural world. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Atheists Aren't Vulcans

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Atheists care about emotion, passion, intuition, and irrational impulse. We're not Vulcans, and we don't think logic and evidence are the only things that matter. We simply think that logic and evidence are the best tools we have for figuring out the real, non-subjective world. Including whether or not God exists. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Reality Wins

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Reality is more important, and more interesting, than anything we could make up about it. Pretty much by definition. If your religious beliefs are contradicted by the best evidence available about reality, it is inappropriate to dismiss reality in favor of the stuff you make up in your head. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Atheists Experience Discrimination

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Atheists experience real discrimination, in the U.S. and around the world. Atheists have been denied custody of their kids, vandalized by neighbors, harassed and threatened in the military, kicked out of school, cut off by their families, discriminated against at work, targeted with death threats, and more... because of their atheism. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Hypothetically Possible /= Plausible

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

An idea can be hypothetically possible and still be wildly implausible. Including religious ideas. "You can't disprove it with 100% certainty" is a terrible argument for God: without good evidence to support it, the God hypothesis is no more plausible than the hypothesis of unicorns, fairies, or Zeus. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: No Good Evidence for the Soul

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

There is not one scrap of good, solid, carefully-gathered evidence suggesting that consciousness is animated by an immaterial soul. And there is an overwhelming body of good, solid, carefully-gathered evidence pointing to the conclusion that, whatever consciousness is, it is a biological product of the brain. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Dodging Criticism = Bad Argument

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

If your best argument against atheism is a meta-argument about why atheists are mean and bad for making our case in the first place, you might consider whether the case for religion is any good. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Society Does Not Need Religion

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

It is simply not true that society needs religion. Countries with high rates of atheism tend to have high rates of happiness and social functioning. This doesn't prove that atheism makes a society work better -- it's probably the other way around -- but it does show that we don't need religion to be happy or good. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Pascal's Wager Makes No Sense

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

"Believing in God is a safer bet" is a terrible reason to believe in God. How do you decide which god to bet on -- and which religion is right about how their god wants to be worshipped? For this bet to make sense, you'd need good evidence that the religion you've chosen is the right one -- which is exactly what atheists are asking for. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: "Religion Is Comforting" Doesn't Mean It's Good or True

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

"Many people find religion comforting" is a terrible argument for religion. Many people are comforted by the idea that global warming isn't real, too. That doesn't make this opinion helpful -- for the people who think it, or for society. And it certainly doesn't make this opinion true. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: "You Can't Disprove God" Is Not an Argument for God

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

"You can't absolutely prove that it isn't true" is a terrible argument for God. Just like it's a terrible argument for unicorns, fairies, Zeus, and the three- inch- tall pink pony behind my sofa who teleports to Guam the moment anyone looks back there. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: You Can't Have It Both Ways

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

It makes no sense to point to wonders in the world as evidence for God... and then dismiss horrors in the world by saying, "God works in mysterious ways." You can't have it both ways. If an all-powerful God is responsible for one, he's responsible for both. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Atheists Feel Love

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Atheists feel love. We don't see love as a supernatural force coming from God -- we see it as a human emotion, part of our evolution as a social species -- but that doesn't make it less valuable. In fact, many of us are humbled and inspired by the idea that physical matter and energy could create compassion, empathy, and connection. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Put Up or Shut Up

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

If you care whether the things you believe are true -- including religious beliefs -- you ought to be willing to subject your beliefs to rigorous testing, and to let go of them if a solid body of evidence contradicts them. And if you don't care whether the things you believe are true, then don't try to defend those beliefs to atheists. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Atheists Value Life

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Atheists see meaning, value, and joy in life. In fact, many atheists treasure life more after letting go of our religious beliefs -- since we see life as temporary, we want to experience the short time we have as richly as we can, and to make it better for others to the best of our ability. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: The Comfort of Reality

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Atheism does have comfort to offer in the face of death and suffering. Among other things, it offers the knowledge that our philosophies and coping mechanisms are based in reality, on a solid foundation of evidence and reason -- not on wishful thinking. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Religious Claims Are Fair Game

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Religion either makes claims about the world, or it doesn't. When it does, it's reasonable to expect those claims to stand up to questions and criticism, and to be supported with good, hard evidence. When it doesn't, it's irrelevant: in any practical sense, it's indistinguishable from non-belief. Pass it on: if we say ...it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: "Science Is Sometimes Wrong" Doesn't Mean You're Right

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

If you're going to argue that current science is mistaken and your opinion is correct, it's not enough to simply say, "Science doesn't know everything." You have to actually provide good evidence supporting your position. And that includes science that debunks religious or spiritual claims. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Atheists Are Happy

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Atheists are happy. Most of us, anyway. You don't need to believe in God to feel joy, connection, and meaning in your life. And while letting go of religion can be a difficult process, most atheists who have been through it are glad that we did. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Reasonable Conclusions =/= Faith

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Atheism does not mean being 100% certain that God does not exist. Any more than not believing in unicorns means being 100% certain that unicorns don't exist. Atheism is not unshakable faith; it is a reasonable, provisional conclusion, based on the evidence and lack thereof. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Real Beliefs Aren't Straw Men

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

When atheists argue against beliefs that aren't yours, that doesn't mean we're arguing against straw men. There are thousands of kinds of religious belief, and sometimes atheists argue against particular ones rather than religion in general -- even if they're not yours. Besides, we may have argued against your beliefs elsewhere. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Why Does God Reveal Himself to Some People and Not to Others?

If God exists... why isn't his existence obvious?

And is "free will" a good answer to this question?

A few weeks ago, in this very publication, I posed the question, "Why did God create atheists?" If God reveals himself to religious believers, in visions or revelations or other spiritual experiences... why doesn't he do it with everyone? Why are those revelations so contradictory -- not to mention so suspiciously consistent with whatever the people having them already believe or want to believe? And why doesn't everyone have them? If God is real, I asked -- if religious believers are perceiving a real entity with a real effect on the world -- why isn't it just obvious?

Why is God playing hide and seek?

When I wrote this piece, I addressed (and dismantled) two of the most common responses to this question: "God has revealed himself to you, you've just closed your heart to him," and, "God doesn't care if you're an atheist --- as long as you're a good person, he doesn't care if you believe in him."

But I neglected to address one of the most common religious answers to this question:

Free will.

"God can't reveal himself to us clearly," this argument goes, "because he wants us to have free will. We have to be free to believe in him or not. If he revealed his presence to us, we'd be forced to believe in him -- and our free will is a precious gift. It's what makes us God's unique creation."

It's a really, really bad argument.

I'm going to dismantle it today.

*

Thus begins my new piece on AlterNet, Why Does God Reveal Himself to Some People and Not to Others? To find out how I dismantle the "God has to hide so we can have free will" argument, read the rest of the piece. Enjoy!

Atheist Meme of the Day: Accepting Criticism

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

If you care whether the things you believe are true, you ought to welcome it, or at least accept it, when people point out problems with your beliefs. And that applies to religion. When believers call atheists disrespectful or intolerant simply for making a case against religion, they're prioritizing their beliefs over the truth. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Meme Vacation

I have an unusually action-packed week ahead of me, including my trip to Ohio to the Secular Student Alliance Annual Conference. (At which I'm going to be the keynote speaker. Did I mention that?)

So I'm taking a vacation this week from the Atheist Memes of the Day. If you like passing the Memes along, feel free to dredge some up from the archives. Or make up some of your own. Enjoy, and I'll be back with more atheist soundbites next week!

Atheist Meme of the Day: Disagreement Is Not Intolerance

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Atheists often get called disrespectful, intolerant, or extremist for saying things like, "I don't agree with you," "There are flaws in your argument," or, "What evidence do you have to support that?" If it's not intolerant to say these things about politics, science, art, or any other topic, why should religion get special respect? Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Atheists Aren't Angry At God

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Atheists are not angry at God. Any more than we're angry at Zeus, unicorns, or the Tooth Fairy. Many atheists are angry about brutality, oppression, and fraud committed in the name of religion -- but we're not angry at God. We don't believe in God. You can't be angry at something you don't think exists. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Atheists Know What Atheism Is Better Than Believers

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

It makes no sense for religious believers to insist that they know what atheism means better than atheists do. If you're saying "Atheism means X," and every atheist you talk to says, "No, that isn't what it means at all," perhaps you ought to listen to what we're saying instead of to your own preconceptions. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Death Is Just Like Not Being Born Yet

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Atheism does have comfort to offer in the face of death. Among other things, most atheists think that when we're dead, it will be just like it was before we were born -- not painful or bad, and nothing to be frightened of. Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Popularity Isn't a Good Measure of Truth

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

"Lots of people believe it" is not a good reason for thinking something is true. Including religion. If you ask a lot of people who have never seen the Emperor, "How tall is the Emperor?", would you decide that the Emperor was probably six feet tall, simply because that's what lots of people said? Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.

Atheist Meme of the Day: Being Open Minded Means Acknowledging What Isn't True

Today's Atheist Meme of the Day. Pass this on; or don't; or edit it as you see fit; or make up your own. Enjoy!

Yes, it's important to have an open mind. Is your mind open to the possibility that there is no supernatural, and the physical world is all there is? Being open-minded means being open, not just to what is true, but to what is not true. It means being willing to reject hypotheses if they have no good evidence. Including God or the supernatural.Pass it on: if we say it enough times to enough people, it may get across.