Holding Your Sandwich Ransom - Matt Dillahunty

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Robert Price: Anti-Monster Dogmatic World-View

Great talk by Robert Price from Skepticon 2:

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The Clergy Project

I read Dan Dennett's study in 2010 on clergy struggling with their disbelief while stuck in their pastor roles for various reasons ("Preachers Who Are Not Believers"), but ran across this podcast today from the Thinking Atheist from this past January. It is an incredible dilemma as people who have dedicated sometimes their entire life to lead others in faith finally realize that they no longer believe and face an extraordinary exit strategy, as their career and friend and family relationships all come crashing down at once. It is probably singly unique in that just a simple change in your philosophy can cause such widespread carnage across all avenues of your life. Many of these people are stuck with theological degrees or certain financial implications that keep them from making a quick transition to some other form of employment. The other huge issue is the reception of the new world view by the congregants and friends and family. Will they be ostracized and rejected from everyone they know and love? I can't help but feel for these clergy. It is nice to know that they do have somewhere they can turn for help. The Clergy Project was set up last year to serve as a safe haven for current clergy going through this cognitive dissonance. It is run and maintained by current and ex clergy and anonymity is respected as they build a community to deal with all of the issues involved in "de-clergifying":

Wrestling with intellectual, ethical, philosophical and theological issues

Coping with cognitive dissonance

Addressing feelings of being stuck and fearing the future

Looking for new careers

Telling their families

Sharing useful resources

Living as a nonbeliever with religious spouses and family

Using humor to soften the pain

Finding a way out of the ministry

Adjusting to life after the ministry

The Clergy Project website has incredible audio and written testimonials from some of the members and their stories are heartbreaking but also encouraging.

The Thinking Atheist 1-10-12 Podcast #40:

(Image by Evelina Kremsdorf)

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Mesmerizing Pendulum Waves

Sometimes nature is just plain beautiful...

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Did Jesus Exist? - Richard Carrier

Great talk by Richard Carrier about the historicity of Jesus:

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Dear God

Heard this little diddy on the way in this morning...

Dear God,

Hope you got the letter and

I pray you can make it better down here

I don't mean a big reduction in the price of beer

But all the people that you made in your image,

See them starving on their feet

Cause they don't get enough to eat

from God

Can't believe in you...

Dear God,

Sorry to disturb you, but

I feel that I should be heard loud and clear

We all need a big reduction in amount of tears

And all the people that you made in your image,

See them fighting in the street

Cause they can't make opinions meet

about God

I can't believe in you...

Did you make disease?

And the diamond blue?

Did you make mankind after we made you?

And the devil too!

Dear God,

Don't know if you noticed, but

Your name is on a lot of quotes in this book

And us crazy humans wrote it, you should take a look

And all the people that you made in your image,

Still believing that junk is true

Well, I know it ain't and so do you

Dear God,

I can't believe in

I don't believe in

I won't believe in heaven and hell

No saints, no sinners, no devil as well

No pearly gates, no thorny crown

You're always letting us humans down

The wars you bring, the babes you drown

Those lost at sea and never found,

and it's the same the whole world 'round

The hurt I see helps to compound

That Father, Son and Holy Ghost

Is just somebody's unholy hoax

And if you're up there you'd perceive

That my heart's here upon my sleeve

If there's one thing I don't believe in...

It's you...

Dear God

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Global Atheist Convention- Hitchens Tribute

Great compilation and tribute to The Hitch from the 2012 GAC in Australia this past weekend...

Global Atheist Convention 2012

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Bob's Notes: Matthew 1-12

I found a great youtube channel today, bobsmeerfak, and it is brilliant. He parodies stories from the bible playing them off as a "series designed for theological seminary students with approaching exams who have not had time to read the bible" as well as other various people. awesome... enjoy some clips from the Gospel according to Matthew:

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Moral Behavior in Animals

Another great TED talk.... Frans de Waal delves into a very interesting topic - morality in animals - and he's a pretty funny dude too.

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White Wine in the Sun - Tim Minchin

It's not christmas, but I just came across this fantastic animation today and wanted to share. The lyrics are incredible and Tim Minchin finds the true meaning of the holiday season: family

I really like Christmas 

It's sentimental, I know, but I just really like it

I am hardly religious

I'd rather break bread with Dawkins than Desmond Tutu, to be honest

And yes, I have all of the usual objections to consumerism

To the commercialisation of an ancient religion

To the westernisation of a dead Palestinian

Press-ganged into selling Playstations and beer

But I still really like it

I'm looking forward to Christmas

Though I'm not expecting a visit from Jesus

I'll be seeing my dad

My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum

They'll be drinking white wine in the sun

I'll be seeing my dad

My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum

They'll be drinking white wine in the sun

I don't go in for ancient wisdom

I don't believe just 'cause ideas are tenacious, it means they're worthy

I get freaked out by churches

Some of the hymns that they sing have nice chords but the lyrics are spooky

And yes, I have all of the usual objections to the miseducation

Of children who in tax-exempt institutions are taught to externalise blame

And to feel ashamed and to judge things as plain right or wrong

But I quite like the songs

I'm not expecting big presents

The old combination of socks, jocks and chocolates is just fine by me

'Cause I'll be seeing my dad

My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum

They'll be drinking white wine in the sun

I'll be seeing my dad

My brother and sisters, my gran and my mum

They'll be drinking white wine in the sun

And you, my baby girl

My jet-lagged infant daughter

You'll be handed 'round the room

Like a puppy at a primary school

And you won't understand

But you will learn some day

That wherever you are and whatever you face

These are the people who'll make you feel safe in this world

My sweet blue-eyed girl

And if, my baby girl

When you're twenty-one or thirty-one

And Christmas comes around

And you find yourself nine thousand miles from home

You'll know what ever comes

Your brothers and sisters and me and your mum

Will be waiting for you in the sun

Whenever you come

Your brothers and sisters, your aunts and your uncles

Your grandparents, cousins and me and your mum

We'll be waiting for you in the sun

Drinking white wine in the sun 

Waiting for you...

Waiting...

I really like Christmas

It's sentimental, I know...

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