Never bring a knife to a gun fight. And never ask somebody on-air about God unless you’re sure they’re not an atheist:
It coulda be worse. She could have said she thanked God for sending the killer tornado so that she and her child could randomly survive it.
You may recall that back in podcast #171 we interviewed Dan Riley, author of the new book Generation Atheist, which tells the personal narratives of 25 people who found truth and meaning by fleeing religion. Dan was recently interviewed on an interesting new site called ChatBasket. The full interview is available at www.ChatBasket.com.
There’s trouble in Lumpkin County, with a capital T that rhymes with P and that stands for Prayer! At least fifty students and four teachers at Lumpkin County High School (north of Atlanta) ditched class for SIX HOURS to participate in an impromptu prayer rally that started when one student questioning his faith sought counseling from the weight coach. No one will be disciplined over this incident, and many in the community are outspoken in their support of the students and what they see as freedom of speech and freedom of religion. For more info watch this and this.
Also: A report from the recent protest of the National Day of Prayer rally in Roswell, GA. And an ad on Craigslist for a godless yard sale has tongues wagging.
Finally, another Baseball Bat of Doubt!
To listen to this episode click here.
We interview Susan Gerbic, coordinator of Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia, an international team of writers and editors whose goal is to ensure that skeptical topics on Wikipedia are fair, accurate, and have the level of detail they deserve. Those interested in participating should befriend Susan on Facebook.
Plus:
Herbert and Catherine Schaible have been on probation for the last two years for relying on prayer rather than medical care, resulting in the death of their young son from pneumonia in 2009. Now they’re back in court after another son–this one an 8-month-old–died in agony from diarrhea. At home. While his parents prayed. Amazingly, the worst these callous nutjobs could get is 10 years in prison.
In sports-related news, basketball pro Jason Collins becomes the first active player in the four major American sports leagues to come out of the closet. Most applaud his historic action, but a few have voiced (inevitably religiously-based) criticism. And Tim Tebow might be painting Bible verses on his cheeks and kneeling dramatically from the sidelines next season–the Jets have let him go.
Finally, the Baseball Bat of Doubt swings into action once again.
To listen to this episode click here.
Whether you’re “young” or not (for that matter, whether you’re a scientist or not), who wouldn’t want a little advice from E. O. Wilson? Dr. Wilson (and shame on you if you’ve never heard of him!) is a biologist and theorist, and a leading authority on ants. His work has spanned an incredible seven decades, and his most recent book is a humble volume called Letters to Young Scientist (available in hardcover and for Kindle).
Much has changed since a bright-eyed Edward Wilson launched his career. Although science has long been subdivided into tightly-focused specialties, the extent to which the subdivisions have proliferated, and the sophistication of the technology available to researchers, would have astounded–but no doubt delighted–a young Wilson fresh out of college.
Some things in science stay the same, and it is in these matters that aspiring scientists can learn from the octogenarian who has traveled the world, partnered with hundreds of coauthors, and been celebrated as one of the most brilliant and influential minds of the 20th (and 21st) centuries.
Be open to wonder. Be persistent. Work hard. Don’t be afraid to collaborate across unexpected disciplines. Make your mark. And if you’re not good at math, or don’t much like it, find someone who does and team up with them. That’s a very terse summary of Dr. Wilson’s advice, but, I think, a fair one. And it’s that last bit (about the math) that has provoked shouts of consternation from some critics. Math is, they object, so intimately interwoven with the essence of the scientific enterprise and the day-to-day work of research, that to poo-poo its necessity will discourage would-be scientists or irrevocably stunt their careers. I’m not a scientist, but I never found math a problem, so it’s hard for me to judge who’s right and who’s wrong. My sense is that we should do everything to encourage ALL young people, but especially aspiring scientists and technologists, to know math inside and out. It seems folly to me to think that in the 21st century one could get very far in science without having a solid command of the requisite computational and analytic tools.
I would have been happy having read Letters to a Young Scientist if for no other reason than learning what a “bioblitz” is. According to Dr. Wilson, “Bioblitzes are events in which experts on every kind of organism, from bacteria to birds, gather to find and identify as many species as possible during a stated short period of time, usually twenty-four hours.” It’s a great teaching tool, both for kids and adults, and I hope to participate in one someday.
In Letters Wilson shares a number of stories that show that science isn’t just number-cranking drudgery, but can be punctuated with experiences of surprise and delight. He recounts the story of painting living ants with dead-ant smell (my characterization) and watching their fellow workers deliver them, kicking and screaming, to the rubbish heap at the outskirts of the colony. He also shares his idea that one could extract traces of alarm pheromones from ancient ants trapped in amber, synthesize some quantity of the chemical, and inject it into a modern-day colony of descendant ants; in effect, delivering a message from 25 million years in the past!
It’s a sad truth that we won’t have E. O. Wilson around for much longer. He’s 83 years old as of this writing, but he’s still active, and no doubt still has a book or two left in him. If you have an opportunity to hear him speak (and I have) don’t miss it.
We interview Dr. Frans de Waal, world-renowned primatologist and author of The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism among the Primates (available in hardcover and for Kindle). In this new book, he looks at the pre-human basis for morality, how human beings do not hold a monopoly on morals, and takes the “New Atheists” to task for being “insulting” to religious folk. For more about Dr. de Waal, visit the Living Links website.
Plus:
A North Carolina legislator has proposed a resolution stating that the First Amendment applies only to the US Congress and rejects any federal court ruling that insists otherwise. Theoretically the state would be claiming the power to pass a law declaring an official state religion. What year is this?
An appeals court has tossed out American Atheists’ lawsuit to prevent the National September 11 Memorial and Museum from displaying a piece of rubble from the WTC that resembles a Christian cross.
The Baseball Bat of Doubt! In this installment of our new recurring segment, another listener from Finland shares what led him to reject religion and embrace science and reason.
To listen to this episode click here.
We interview Dr. Volkan Topalli, co-author (with Dr. Thomas Brezina and Mindy Bernhardt) of the new research paper “With God on my side: The paradoxical relationship between religious belief and criminality among hardcore street offenders,” just published in the February 2013 issue of the journal Theoretical Criminology. Volkan, an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Georgia State University, isn’t just some tweed-wearing ivory tower intellectual–he’s a dedicated researcher who visits some of the most crime-ridden neighborhoods in cities like Atlanta, New Orleans and Saint Louis, interviewing career drug-dealers and car-jackers to find out what makes them tick. For a detailed account of the gritty work this guy does, check out this profile from Creative Loafing.
Plus:
As the Supreme Court tackles gay marriage, we look at two interesting developments in the struggle for LGBTQ rights. First, there’s Republican Ohio Senator Rob Portman, who revealed how he reversed course on gay marriage when his son came out. Second, Green Street United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina announces it won’t perform any marriages–period–until their denomination changes its policy of discrimination against homosexuals.
The Baseball Bat of Doubt! In this installment of our new recurring segment, a listener from Finland reveals what led her to reject religion and embrace science and reason.
To listen to this episode click here.
If you haven’t heard of Vashti McCullom, you should have. She was the force behind the landmark ruling McCullom v Board of Education, in which the Supreme Court ruled that religious teaching in public schools was unconstitutional. A few years ago (just before Mrs. McCullom died in 2006) an award winning documentary was released called The Lord Is Not on Trial Here Today. And you can watch the whole thing for free right here!
The Lord is Not on Trial Here Today from BillMoyers.com on Vimeo.
I’ve been reading primatologist Franz de Waal’s new book The Bonobo and the Atheist (highly recommended!), in which he discusses, among other things, research that implies that morality predates homo sapiens and is not now exclusively a human characteristic.
One classic study–and one of the funniest animal videos you’ll ever see–is this experiment in which a capuchin monkey gives vent to his righteous indignation when he sees another monkey getting better food for the same work. Enjoy!
I was a big fan way-back-when of East Texas singer/songwriter Michelle Shocked, but I never particularly held her up as any kind of role model or anything. Plus… I always just assumed she was Of Alternative Sexuality. But who cares?
In recent years, Shocked has apparently evolved in her religious beliefs, including an embrace of evangelical Christianity. Certainly, she’s entitled to her opinions, but she’s not entitled to unchallenged opinions.
So it was more than a little weird when she imploded at a show in San Francisco (of all places), by claiming that we are “nearly at the end of time” and implying that Proposition 8 (xxx) would lead to preachers being “held at gunpoint and forced to marry the homosexuals.” While there was some audience laughter at first, it quickly became clear that audience members were angered and offended. After several minutes of Shocked rambling and audience members heckling, the venue announced the show was over.
You can read more about it (and listen to the whole second set) at LGBT activist John M. Becker’s blog.
Today, Ms. Shocked claimed she was misunderstood. After listening to the recording, it’s easy to see how she could be, although she clearly stated during her concert that she shared this anti-gay-marriage “vantage point.”
Frankly, I don’t think she’s thinking clearly enough to have a lucid opinion. I could be wrong. There’s no doubt it’ll take a loooong time for her to dig herself outta this hole.
