Time to Come Out

I’ve been slowly inching toward this moment for years now. It’s time to finally come out of the closet (at least online – don’t tell my family!).

I am an ontological naturalist. Since most people probably don’t know what that means, I’ll explain. It means I consider the natural world to be all there is. This rules out anything supernatural, including ghosts, spirits, demons, angels, devils, and gods.

I take this view because, as I see it, once something can be proven to exist, it must therefore exist in the natural world. We have no means of empirically testing for the existence of the supernatural; therefore, the supernatural has no meaning for me. I am essentially Ignostic.

I usually find myself aligned more closely with atheistic worldviews than with agnostic ones. And so, in the spirit of solidarity, I shall henceforth wave my freak flag high!

I invite all others in similar situations to come out, too!

Badass Bible Verses

Cracked.com has a list of the “9 Most Badass Bible Verses.” Here’s my favorite bit, about II Kings 2:23-24:

We’ve all been there. You’re walking along, minding your own business, when a gang of cocky, young bastards start hurling abuse at you. Most of us would just keep walking, or maybe, yell some insults back or flip them the bird. Elisha (commonly regarded as the Luke Skywalker to the Prophet Elijah’s Obi-Wan Kenobi), however, decides to take it one step further. Invoking the name of God, he summons motherfucking bears to come and claw the shit out of them.

That’s badass!

RIP George Carlin

George Carlin is dead at 71. Here are two great Carlin bits.

George Carlin on the Ten Commandments:

George Carlin on Religion:

It’s All Because the Gays Are Getting Married

Lucky I Had Leviticus to Protect Me

Day of Reason

Today is the National Day of Reason, not to be confused with the federally funded, annual abuse of the constitution’s establishment clause, the National Day of Prayer, which happens to fall on the same day (the first Thursday in May).

What’s wrong with a National Day of Prayer? Among other things:

The National Day of Prayer violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution because it asks federal and local government entities to set aside tax dollar supported time and space to engage in religious ceremonies. This results in unconstitutional governmental support of religion over no religion.

Why not focus on something we can all participate in? Let’s celebrate a National Day of Reason!

More on “Just a Theory”

Really, it’s “just a theory!”

He Cares

See? He really does care.

Speak Up!

Tolerance.org has a good pdf of proper responses to everyday bigotry. It’s called Speak Up! and it’s worth a read.

Science, Evolution, and Creationism

The National Academies of Science have produced a very thorough book on science, evolution, and creationism. It’s called, appropriately enough, Science, Evolution, and Creationism. It’s freely available for online reading or downloading. I’d like to highlight a few things from the Frequently Asked Questions.

One question asks what’s wrong with teaching critical thinking or “controversies” with regard to evolution? Part of the answer is:

There is no scientific controversy about the basic facts of evolution. In this sense the intelligent design movement’s call to “teach the controversy” is unwarranted. Of course, there remain many interesting questions about evolution, such as the evolutionary origin of sex or different mechanisms of speciation, and discussion of these questions is fully warranted in science classes. However, arguments that attempt to confuse students by suggesting that there are fundamental weaknesses in the science of evolution are unwarranted based on the overwhelming evidence that supports the theory. Creationist ideas lie outside of the realm of science, and introducing them in science courses has been ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts.

Another question asks whether it would be “fair” to teach creationism along with evolution. Answer:

Different religions hold very different views and teachings about the origins and diversity of life on Earth. Because creationism is based on specific sets of religious convictions, teaching it in science classes would mean imposing a particular religious view on students and thus is unconstitutional, according to several major rulings in federal district courts and the Supreme Court of the United States.

I found the whole book very interesting and thorough. Go read it!