It’s been all over the news today that a man armed with a gun and a suspected bomb stormed into the Discovery Channel building in Silver Springs, Maryland, took hostages, and was eventually killed by the police. No one else was harmed.
In a bizarre manifesto entitled simply “My Demands” James J. Lee rants about overpopulation, evolution, and Daniel Quinn’s 1992 book Ishmael (which Lee incorrectly identifies as “My Ishmael”).
Lee apparently had an obsession with babies as a threat to the ecosystem. He refers to them variously as “filthy human children,” “disgusting human babies,” and “parasitic human infants.” He also calls for an end to TV programming that glorifies large families and military technology.
In several places, Lee mentions Malthus, Darwin, and evolution; for example: “Develop shows that mention the Malthusian sciences about how food production leads to the overpopulation of the Human race. Talk about Evolution. Talk about Malthus and Darwin until it sinks into the stupid people’s brains until they get it!!” As a reminder, Thomas Malthus (1766-1834) who theorized that the increase in population would soon outstrip the available of resources like food and lead to inevitable disaster. Malthus’ theory was a key influence in Charles Darwin’s development of the theory of evolution by natural selection. Although population growth is a major social problem, we have yet to realize the direst Malthusian predictions, partly due to advances in food production by people like Norman Borlaug.
It’s easy to sympathize with Lee’s frustrations. Only a fool would claim that overpopulation is NOT a problem. I, too, loathe programs that glorify gigantic families and the supposedly heroic attempts to conceive multiple babies. And while the little boy in me does enjoy watching documentaries about the latest military wizardry, I understand that such shows can lead some Americans into a false sense of technological invulnerability.
That said, Lee was clearly a disturbed man and not typical of people who understand the subtleties of Darwinian evolution. The way forward is through education and easy access to birth control, not taking hostages and blathering about “filthy babies.”
I’m sure more details will emerge in the coming weeks.
A NYC man named Thomas Magill jumped from a 40-story building and survived the fall when he crashed through the windshield of a parked car and ended up in the back seat. Even more statistically unlikely than the Magill’s survival is the car-owner’s explanation for the miracle. Guy McCormack is “convinced that the rosary beads he kept inside the Dodge saved Magill’s life.”
Just watched Phil “Bad Astronomy” Plait’s new Discovery Channel ShowBad Universe. Great stuff! He’s an enthusiastic and engaging host. We’ll be watching the whole series. Minor quibble: Phil uses his signature phrase “Holy Haleakala!” about six times too many during the hour. Maybe it’s just me. Overall, though, a thoroughly entertaining show. Check it out!
We interview Mary Roach, author of the bestselling science-humor book Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void. She’s also the author of Stiff (about human cadavers), Spook (the scientific inquest on life after death), and Bonk (the science of human sexuality). Packing for Mars is both educational and laugh-out-loud funny. It’s available in hardcover, audiobook, and for Kindle.
If you can’t get enough of Mary Roach (and let’s face it, who can?), John interviewed her back in 2005 at SciFiDimensions.com, and reviewed both Stiffand Spook.
It looks like a film version of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged will finally be a reality! At least the first 147 of 1000+ pages…
Fifty-some-odd years after its publication, Atlas Shrugged is still selling briskly, and is still controversial. Rumors of a film version–including one starring Angelina Jolie as Dagny Taggart and Brad Pitt as John Galt–have so far come to nothing.
But now, it looks like Atlas Shrugged, Part 1 will be released sometime next year, made possible by a cast and crew of relative unknowns. Check out this behind-the-scenes short from Reason.tv:
Say it ain’t so! The indefatigable PZ Myers has posted that he’s about to undergo (and at this point may already have undergone) heart surgery. The good news is it sounds like they caught whatever’s ailing him in time. If I were a superstitious type, I’d think the Almighty had it out for his most vehement detractors deniers. But since I’m rational, I’d say it’s just a bit of damned bad luck.
At any rate, we’ll be pulling for P-Zed to make a full and speedy recovery so he can get back to tweaking the righteous with style.
Meanwhile, enjoy Dr. Myers’ recent guest appearance on Mr. Deity. I laugh every time I see this.
We heard Greydon Square perform at the 2007 Atheist Alliance International Convention in Washington, DC. I admit I was a bit skeptical: a black rapper singing for several hundred mostly older, mostly white nonbelievers? In the middle of the day?
Bottom line: I was impressed, both by his talent and his clever lyrics. So I was glad to hear that Monsieur Square has a new album out. The Kardashev Scale includes nineteen tracks (the title track refers to the theoretical method of measuring technological advancement, conceived by Soviet scientist Nikolai Kardashev in the 1960s) and cool sci-fi artwork from Chris Cold.
Available at iTunes or from the Greydon Square website in various forms physical and electronic.
Back in April, I posted “Books maybe you should know about,” a list of upcoming freethought books I thought fellow freethinkers might like to read. We were about to cover about half the books on that list. And now, the march of progress continues! Here are four more books coming out between now and the end of the year, and I’ll try my damnedest to cover them all:
The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Moral Values by Sam Harris (pub. by Free Press, Oct 2010) – How often have you heard it said that science can tell us how things are, but not how they ought to be? Sam Harris (The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation) may have bitten off more than he can chew with this one. I’m also considering blogging my chapter-by-chapter reactions to this book, similar to what I did when reading Dawkins’ The Greatest Show on Earth.
Hating God: The Untold Story of Misotheism by Bernard Schweizer (pub. by Oxford Univ. Press, Nov 2010) – Speaking of oft-heard questions, how many times have you been asked, once your atheism is revealed, “Why do you hate God?” The answer, of course, is that atheists don’t hate God–they don’t think he even exists! But it makes a certain twisted sense that some percentage of those who actually believe in God don’t see Him as the Loving, Merciful Creator. (I’d never heard the term “misotheist” before, so I’m really looking forward to reading this one.)
The Good Atheist: Living a Purpose-Filled Life without God by Dan Barker (pub. by Ulysses Press, Dec 2010) – Something tells me the former reverend Barker will approach the problem of atheist ethics from a slightly different angle than Sam Harris. Should be an interesting contrast–and just in time for Christmas!
I stumbled, quite by accident, across this blog entry by Tom Elliff (who has been, among other things, president of the SBC Pastors Conference and two-term president of the Southern Baptist Convention). “Seven Questions You Should Ask an Atheist” is apparently Elliff’s idea of playing gotcha with the village atheist. But really, I can’t help but thinking that if this is the best the good reverend can come up with, he isn’t really trying.
Elliff sets up his little pop quiz by mischaracterizing the so-called “New Atheist” movement. According to Elliff, among other things, New Atheism “calls… for absolute intolerance of any belief in God, and the banishment of such belief by every possible means.” Really? “Absolute intolerance”? “Banishment”? “Every possible means”? Is Elliff seriously implying that New Atheists call for outlawing religion, persecuting Christians–even murder? Just about the only thing Elliff gets right is that atheists are increasingly unwilling to stay silent.
Frankly, I don’t believe the recent Pew Research poll that indicates 1 in 5 Americans believe President Obama is a Muslim. Sure, there’s some percentage of abjectly ignorant people who think that, but what this poll shows, IMHO, is the willingness of people who simply hate the president’s policies–or his race–enough to claim the worst about him in any category. Had the Pew poll asked “Does Obama smell bad?” 20% would probably say yes, even though they’ve never been in downwind proximity to the Commander in Chief.
I’m more inclined to believe the 43% of Americans who say they are unsure of the president’s religious affiliation. Since the president’s public falling-out with his Chicago church, the first family have not regularly worshiped with any particular congregation.
We heard Greydon Square perform at the 2007 Atheist Alliance International Convention in Washington, DC. I admit I was a bit skeptical: a black rapper singing for several hundred mostly older, mostly white nonbelievers? In the middle of the day?
Answering “Seven Questions You Should Ask an Atheist”
August 19th, 2010I stumbled, quite by accident, across this blog entry by Tom Elliff (who has been, among other things, president of the SBC Pastors Conference and two-term president of the Southern Baptist Convention). “Seven Questions You Should Ask an Atheist” is apparently Elliff’s idea of playing gotcha with the village atheist. But really, I can’t help but thinking that if this is the best the good reverend can come up with, he isn’t really trying.
Elliff sets up his little pop quiz by mischaracterizing the so-called “New Atheist” movement. According to Elliff, among other things, New Atheism “calls… for absolute intolerance of any belief in God, and the banishment of such belief by every possible means.” Really? “Absolute intolerance”? “Banishment”? “Every possible means”? Is Elliff seriously implying that New Atheists call for outlawing religion, persecuting Christians–even murder? Just about the only thing Elliff gets right is that atheists are increasingly unwilling to stay silent.
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Tags: seven questions you should ask an atheist, tom elliff
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