Adoptapoluza!

Thursday, Nov 4th, National Adoption Day will be celebrated in Austin in the courtrooms at the Gardner Betts Juvenile Justice Facility. While adoption finalizations can occur at any time, many families take the opportunity to participate in this event that celebrates kids, families, and happy beginnings.

The Austin Chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) will ride in at 8:45AM. Bikes will be parked out front during Adoption Day, and at least one will be available for kids to sit on and get their picture taken.

Each adoptive family will attend a hearing in a courtroom where almost every flat space will be covered in happy stuffed animals. The judge will hear the testimony of the parties that this adoption is in the interest of the child or children, then, with a flourish and a smile, sign the adoption decree using a long feathered pen.

There will be a yellow brick road, people in costumes, games for the kids, snacks for all, and at some point, a news conference where participants describe their experiences. Volunteers from the Adoption Coalition, BACA, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) as well as attorneys, judges, CPS caseworkers and media representatives will be present for the fun.

I can’t wait…

I support Obama, but...

Hillary Clinton conceded earlier today, leaving Barack Obama at the head of the ticket to go against McCain in November. I voted for Obama in the Texas primary, went to the precinct caucus to vote for him again after the poles closed, and I fully expect to vote for him in the general election.

Like many, I am excited by the prospect of a eloquent, inspiring young African-American in the White House, though the thought of a woman in the top spot would also be a welcome breakthrough. Still, there's something missing.

I like the idea of voting for someone who does not support unprovoked wars in principle, but I wish I had a chance to vote for one who hadn't already promised to back Israel's claim to even the Arab areas of Jerusalem. Most of the Arab people who heard that promise cannot vote for or against him, but they won't forget it, and the cause of a lasting peace was not served.

At this incredible point in history, I would absolutely love to be able to cast a vote in favor of a candidate who understood the concept of sustainability, someone who might lead the rest of the world towards energy, environmental, and food supply solutions instead of marching us toward the cliff.

So far in this campaign, the American electorate has been exposed to the idea of a Black president and a woman president. Neither idea seems to be as scary to anyone as it was just a few short years ago. It seems that we have acheived a bit of an important change in consciousness, but again, I am left wanting something more.

Is it too much to ask, here in a land shaped probably more than any other by the principles of Freethought, that I might have a chance before I die to hear a candidate reach out to the religion-free community? How cool would it be if an atheist actually became the nominee of a major party!

We have a lot of work to do...

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."

bfa

Golden Age of Atheism Coming?

Recently, I watched a video of David Mills talking on why he believed a new "Golden Age of Atheism" was beginning to unfold in America. I happen to agree that this is the case, but my thoughts are a little different than David's.

What exactly would it mean to have a new Golden Age of Atheism? I do not think either Mr. Mills or myself expects to see religion in this country withering away; instead, we think, atheism will become much more "mainstream".

The original "Golden Age of Freethought" was from the late second half of the 19th century to roughly 1929, and is characterized as such because various forms of unbelief were widely held (compared to now) and considered acceptable. The most popular public speaker in the age just before radio was "The Great Agnostic", Robert G. Ingersoll. My own openly-atheist great-grandfather was a pioneer Kansas farmer who participated in public debates and was highly-regarded for his public service in organizing the local school district, laying out public roads, etc.

For myself, I think we have a reasonable chance to achieve the following:

• a significant increase in the percentage of people labeling themselves as atheist
  
• greater acceptance of atheist ideas
  
• lessened discrimination against atheists

Here are the reasons David Mills thinks a period is returning where atheism would be both more prevalent, and acceptable:

1. Advent of communication technology (internet)

2. A proliferation of atheist-centered books Dennet, Dawkins, Harris and others)

3. Progression of science (less "gaps" for God)

4. Failure of creation science and ID

5. Even believers are abandoning biblical literalism

6. Public disgust with god-driven politics

7. Reduced tolerance for discrimination of all sorts

8. Parallels between Muslim and Christian fundamentalism

9. More people are seeking higher education

10. Many biblical scholars are beginning to see that Jesus never existed.

Clearly, the advent of the internet and related technology (#1) amounts to a incredible set of tools for a dispersed community such as ours. Many younger non-believers cannot imagine the isolation that almost all atheists dealt with routinely until relatively recently. The ability to post text and pictures as well as audio and video, and to search for exactly what you want is incredibly powerful. Now, an atheist should have no trouble finding those like-minded, and communication with other atheists is suddenly easy and cheap.

The surprising sales of atheist books (#2) is perhaps more symptom than cause of the change we are witnessing. Mr. Mills correctly points out that high quality atheist books were rare in the not too distant past, and he mentions two that influenced many of us "old-timers"; Bertrand Russell's "Why I am not a Christian" and George Smith's "The Case Against God". Whatever the cause, I am savoring the new atheist works, and am pleased that, for once, millions of Americans are reading what I am reading.

Personally, I enjoy the clear and direct style of "Letter to a Christian Nation" and the thought-provoking scholarship of "Breaking the Spell". I am in the middle of "The God Delusion", and loving every page. The arguments being presented in all these works are rational, clear and persuasive, and I can't help but think they will make a difference for those who give them a chance.

I disagree about the impact of scientific gains (#3), and the failure of creationism and ID (#4). Science is doing just fine, but we should never underestimate the ability of the hard core faith community to label anything scientific as part of an alternative and false religion. And creationism is alive and well in the literalist community.

And I don't see a rush to liberal religion (#5) in my neighborhood. Yes, there are liberal churches doing well, but conservative churches do a fabulous recruiting job. ( I've seen them in action!) Liberal religion may reject a literal interpretation of scripture, but they don't reject the Bible. In a sense, they may even function as "gateway" religion (remember gateway drugs?) that set people up for Fundamentalism. For example, suppose you are a young person raised in a liberal Christian church, and a friend you think highly of confronts you with a statement like "Do you believe the Bible is true?"

If you don't believe the Bible is true, why call yourself a Christian? I mean, how could you possibly tell which parts are true and which are not. But if you believe the Bible is true, literally true, then you belong in a different church. Right?

I do, however, agree that the last few years have given Americans a taste of what God-driven politics (#6) looks like, and even many deeply religious citizens are dismayed. Stem cell research was derailed and Iraq invaded by men listening to God's whispers in their ears.

Discrimination and bigotry does seem to be on the decline (#7). However, most atheists are aware that Americans now hold atheists in less regard than Muslims or virtually anyone else. I think this will begin to change as non-believers become more visible and, I hope, accepted. We'll see.

The similarities between Christian and Muslim fundamentalism (#8) are certainly apparent to atheists, and I can't help but hope that others are waking up to this as well. The constant calls to faith after 9/11 were not promising, but there has been much time for reflection since then. Some of us are making the connection that the war we are fighting is not with "terrorism" but political Islam, another set of religious literalists who are willing and even eager to kill us should we be unwilling to convert to their way of thinking.

Is it true that a higher proportion of Americans are seeking a higher education (#9)? If so, that's certainly a good thing, and we have all heard that religious intensity correlates with lack of education. On the other hand, I don't think America is educating itself out of religion.

Perhaps biblical scholars are coming to think that Jesus did not exist (#10). I know that many atheists would agree with this conclusion, and seem to put a lot of stock in the persuasiveness of the idea of a non-existent messiah. But while I have heard this idea frequently from other atheists, I have yet to be convinced that any concensus exists on the part of serious researchers.

To me, it doesn't matter. If Jesus did not exist, then Christianity is not true. If Jesus did exist, he was not God on earth, and Christianity is not true. I almost prefer the way it plays out if Jesus existed, lived and taught a message that held some measure of wisdom which bears no resemblance at all to modern or historical Christianity. But then, irony appeals to me.

So there we have David Mills' 10 reasons why America is approaching a Golden Age of Atheism. Let me add a couple of things I think might contribute to this development.

Scholars have pointed out that demise of the original "Golden Age" coincided with rising public fear generated by "godless communism" and the rise of the Soviet Union. Within a few decades of the Bolshevik revolution in 1917, Americans were fiercely rallying to religion, and it was soon no longer publicly acceptable to openly doubt religious tenets.

So I would add that the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union as a condition making the greater acceptance of atheism possible in America. On top of that, the new enemy we face is not characterized by godlessness, but godliness, in a particularly nasty incarnation. Do we fight them by being more religious? I think the answer Americans are coming to accept is "No".

And normally, I would not think religious scandals would have much influence; they're sort of always there in the background. But consider the long running and intense scandal that rocked the Catholic church beginning in the 90's, with story after shocking story released week after week for years. I wonder if this one might have been big enough, and gone on long enough to actually cause some to question the moral authority if not the truth of Catholicism, Christianity, or religion in general.

Finally, consider that a mere ten years ago, the most hated person in America was an atheist, Madalyn O'Hair. Many non-believers just could not stomach joining a movement led by such a profane and angry person. The "new" atheism is just as assertive, but much more reasonable, democratic, and positive. My friend Matt Dillahunty was written up in the local paper as preaching a "gospel" of atheism; he embraces the phrase, as gospel means "good news", and the truth of atheism IS good news.

bfa

Me and My iPod

I'm a jogger, a slow one as you might imagine, but a little bit compulsive about some aspects. Like this...

I like routine. I try to run the same days, same times and only a small number of routes. When in Houston for a visit, I run the loop at Memorial Park, and when I do hills, I have a favorite "Scenic Loop" variation that comes out at about 7 miles that I'm really fond of. So, what does any of this have to do with atheism, or iPods? Hold on, I'm getting there!

See, at some point after I started jogging, I began logging my runs. At first I used spiral notebooks. I'd record the date, elapsed time, distance, location, and anything else of interest, like, whether it was raining, or cold, or whatever. About 10 years ago, I started to log this info in an Excel file that I'm still using.

The point to all this is that I really like to know how far I go on a particular run.

Of course, when I run a loop at Town Lake, the distances are known. And when I do a street run, I can always drive it afterwards in the car and get the distance from the odometer.

Still, there are gaps. If I were to run for 30 minutes on the north side of the lake and turn around and come back, how far would that be? Don't know. So, several years ago, I bought a wrist mounted GPS designed for runners. Not only could this little tool tell me my distance, it could keep me up to date on my current pace, which I found might be really helpful after my second marathon, the one where I started WAY too fast and then walked most of the 2nd half.

But trees and cloudy days interfered with the GPS, so I was really excited to hear about the Nike Plus (+) system. If you haven't heard, Nike + is a system that works with an iPod Nano, and consists of a chip that goes in your shoe, a receiver that pugs into the bottom slot of the Nano, and a software upgrade. The ads say that you can get pace and distance updates through your earphones as you listen to your favorite running tunes.

After a significant drooling period, I got a Nano and the $30 Nike+ kit. It took me a couple of times to get it to work like I wanted, but I have to say, it works pretty well. I have re-measured established runs, and found the Nike+ distance very close to what I had figured before, and running to tunes seems to help my performance. I do, however, leave my iPod behind on those runs where I need to keep an ear open for the sound of approaching cars.

And, by the way, I will also offer a plug for the Podrunner podcast, where you can get free hour-plus techno tracks labeled with a BPM (beat per minute). My favorite pace is 173 BPM. More info at djsteveboy.com

After I'd had my iPod for a couple months, I become aware that ACA was making both the Non-Prophets Radio and Atheist Experience shows available as podcasts. So, I follow the easy directions on the websites, and very quickly I have the current and several back issues of each show loaded and ready for listening.

I can't begin to describe how much I have enjoyed this! I had never heard a complete Non-Prophets show, and was only rarely able to watch the Experience TV show. Now, I never miss an episode of either, and have also listened to most of the archived shows.

One lesson I quickly learned, however. I cannot jog while listening to one of the atheist shows, because every now and then, these guys crack me up!

So, if you're a runner, or an atheist, or both, get yourself an iPod. You'll be mighty glad you did!

What a special time in which to live...

Not everyone would agree, I assume. I'm sure many in the past have thought the same....

Perhaps, my father did in 1940. His youth had been hard, even desperate, as it was with so many midwestern farm families in the dust bowl and depression of the 30's. Unable to cope, his father, my grandfather, moved to California leaving his debts and family behind. My father, as the oldest child, took up the man-of-the-house role as best he could. But in 1940, the family had largely recovered as Dad had secured a job with the railroad; he had a car, his draft notice was still two years away, and he was falling in love with the woman he would be devoted to until death parted them 56 years later. Yes, I think he might have thought in 1940 that THAT was a pretty good time.

But I don't mean it in that personal kind of way.

I mean that we are poised at the brink of some big developments, some of which will not be pleasant. Some, such as climate change, have been heralded for a number of years. Will there be massive crop failures, famine, horrendous storms and rapidly rising oceans? We'll see soon enough. But not yet.

I just (today) finished reading Sam Harris' The End of Faith in which he warns of widespread strife with Islamic nations. A real danger, I think, especially after 6 years of Bush (43) fanning the flames. Yet many think we will leave Iraq and it will be over, and they could be right...we'll see.

On more positive fronts, science is pelting us with exciting new discoveries on a near daily basis. Planets are being discovered at an increasing rate, and supercollider experiments may soon unravel another layer of physical law and reveal more secrets from the first milliseconds after the big bang.

Then there is the appearance in this country of so-called "aggressive atheism" as a series of books by Dennet, Harris and Dawkins have recorded impressive sales, and now Christopher Hitchens has joined in. Just last week, a prime time debate between the "Ratonal Response Squad" and apologists Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort drew a large enough audience that cable channels are now wondering how to cash in on the new phenomena. Of course, many who read these books and most who watched the debates are hardly atheists; the interest is something new and exciting.

Most atheists of my age would talk about how isolated they have felt. For so long, I met so few who saw the world as I did. But this is now changing. Our local atheist group just celebrated its 10th birthday earlier this year. For many years here in Austin, local viewers have been exposed to "The Atheist Experience", a live, call-in cable access show where the god/no-god debate is waged weekly. Our group also produces an internet radio show call "The Non-Prophets", which just a few years ago had a tiny audience. Now both shows are popular podcasts with listeners around the world. And...I have an iPod!

So here we are. The economy is good, the war is half a world away, the gulf still stops at Galveston, and there is water in Lake Travis.

In the final scene of the original "Terminator", the heroine mother of the unborn savior of humanity gases up her car for the drive deep into Mexico to escape the conflagration only she knows is coming. The attendant observes the clouds and comments that there is a big storm coming...

Maybe so. We'll see.

bfa