Frank the Financially Savvy Atheist - The F.S.A.

Alright let's try this again...

Friends, freethinkers, rationalists. Lend me your ears. Welcome to the 41st edition of the Carnival of Godless. I will be your host, Frank the Financially Savvy Atheist, and while I am not that creative in my overall presentation, I strive for simplicity and ease of use. I have placed my comments in brackets [] and so without much further ado, here are our fine selections:

Stereotypes

Post: Shattering Stereotypes [Just plain good writing]

The most immediate problem faced by people who would identify themselves as atheists is the negative connotations attached to that word. Due to the lack of a strong, unified atheist presence in the media, appalling stereotypes about us spread by some theists have flourished and gone unchallenged. As a result, anyone who speaks out as an atheist is almost immediately tagged with a variety of noxious caricatures - atheists are nihilists, atheists have no morals, atheists are angry, atheists are unhappy and hopeless, atheists are unpatriotic, atheists hate religious people, and so on. Usually, we have to spend considerable time and effort just clearing these out of the way in order for our message to be heard.

[Daylight Atheism is a blog that I've been enjoying for some time now. This is another great post, and I highly recommend reading it]

Post: Is "Not Superstitious" a Better Way to Say "Atheist?" [Two posts on stereotypes in one carnival!]

David is absolutely correct that "atheist" has acquired a negative connotation, but I am not in favor of revising terminology. Replacing the atheist label with something else will not remove the negative association; it will simply create additional confusion. Instead, we need to do better about defining and explaining atheism.

[I concur]

Da Vinci Code
[Almost everyone and their mother has an opinion on this novel/movie. My wife wants to see it, so I will humor her, but from what I've heard the movie is mediocre.]

Post: In praise of hack novelists.

...The fact is, we don’t know a whole hell of a lot about what—if anything—actually happened in the alleged Earthly life of the guy the Christians now seem to feel is/was a god, a ghost, and the god’s son all at once...

[I liked the ending to this post. Excellent points made all-around].

Post: Code Red!

Okay, let me get this straight. Jesus was an ordinary man who married, had children, and died? Outrageous! Blasphemy! Impossible! Burn Tom Hanks at the stake!

[Not much to add to that one :)]

Post: The Dai Vinci Cold [From a fellow atheist in the UK]

The Dai Vinci Cold, for the many who couldn't be arsed to read it, concerns the famous painting by the Welsh/Italian Old Master, Dai Vinci - The Last Kebab - depicting the famous incident where The Holy Prophet Nhigel (May his plums dangle mightily) and His Mates are eating the fabled Last Kebabs.

[I was giggling the entire time]

Misc [The best of the rest. A really good hodge-podge of writing pertaining to this, that, and the other].

Post: What year is this again?. [Teaching the bible as literature, problematic?]

You will be shocked to hear that it is NOT, in fact, a Sunday School class designed to perform an end run around the secular public school curriculum and present the Bible and Christian doctrine as factual. Such courses, in the hands of qualified, competent instructors, allow students to read Biblical literature as literature, to unpack its archetypes and discuss the way its symbols have appeared in literature since its publication

[This person has a Ph.D in English, who else would be a higher authority on how to teach a literature class?]

Post: Bigotry and the Boy Scouts, Again.... [A kid is kicked out of the boy scouts because of his religious beliefs].

All of this because a few bigoted old men in the BSA insist on smearing the good name of the BSA, which has done so much good for so many decades. Smearing it with the stains of intolerance, bigotry and refusal to accept a diverse and changing society.

[I agree. There is so much that young boys can learn from such an organization, bigotry should not be one of them]

Post: Shawls and Bikini Tops [Quick, what do bikini tops and muslim shawls have in common? Read to find out. While this is only tangential to a carnival of the godless, it is good nonetheless and I decided to include it]

Looking at a shawl-wearing Muslim woman and saying, "oh, poor thing, she's so oppressed" is simply patronising. She is entrusted with the right to vote in general elections; surely we must assume that she can choose her own headwear.

[Join the discussion in the comment section, 14 and counting]

Post: Religion vs politics: a comparison

The question then arises : if religion is opposite to politics, how have they developed such a close symbiosis ? Well, on the one hand, extreme forms of religion or politics do try to wipe out their opposite (such as modern Islam, Nazism, Communism). But on the other hand, their collectivist nature makes them mutually supportive to a large extent. Religion subjugates the mind, while politics subjugates the body.

[Inquisitive comparison between religion and politics. Pertinent in a world where the Religious Right is striving for theocracy in the USA]

Post: Argumentum ad Ridiculum [Review your logical fallacies with Kirk Cameron providing the examples! Amazing learning experience]

Since my last foray into the evangelistic embarrassment called “The Way of the Master” was so well received, I thought I’d treat Kirk and Ray to another rational critique, courtesy of GTA

[It doesn't get much better than this]

Post: The Earth, Inc [Unusual corporate hierarchy for the concept of God]

I think that everyone would agree that THE EARTH is a dangerous place. Humanity is continually trying to destroy itself. Throw in a bitchy Mother Nature with her tsunamis, earthquakes, and hurricanes, and you have what any businessman would call a High Risk Venture

[So that's why god doesn't take a hands-on approach]

Post: Weird Science [Inside a scientology center]

It was hard at this point not to reach over and give him a big hug, a gentle pat on the head accompanied by a sympathetic ‘Bless your little starched socks! You really do believe in this shit dont you?’ Healing Hands was holding onto a half smile as if his life depended on it and I was still holding onto the pair of tin cans. I felt like a prick. I put them down. Yanni just looked pleased and slightly oblivious.

[Read it and look at the pretty pictures. Very well done post]

Post: The American View: it is fun to use history for Evil

I suppose this wiggly treatment of fact is inevitable since Christianity crashes squarely into evidence on the one hand and prejudice on the other

[Repeat after me, the United States was not founded as a Christian Nation]

Post: Perspectives -- a photo blog entry [A little sentimental]

Microbes and antibiotic resistance are all well and good, subtle and wonderful biochemical adaptations are one thing, but actually looking at nature, at observing the sheer size of some of these things really reminds you where all of this evolution business can lead.

[Sentimental but nice. I enjoyed the photos as well]

Post: Thag not center universe! [Funny, funny stuff]

“How grok Sky God angry?” Thag said. “Maybe it Snow God. Or Wind God. Earth God. Maybe it Invisible God.”

[Atheist cave man faces down Shaman. Hi-larious]

That ends this edition of the carnival. The next one will be at the Atheist Mama. If you've made it this far thanks, and if this is your first time here feel free to read the guide. And let me know if you want an ING referral link. Ok, enough pimping. Read the great posts above and enjoy!

Signing off.
Tags: atheism carnival of the godless