David Rand’s Quebec-based “Atheist Freethinkers” is positioning itself as an embarrassment to the Canadian freethought movement. Rand stands nearly alone in the debate in English Canada by supporting Quebec’s proposed Charter of Values. The Charter ostensibly proposes to officially declare Quebec a secular province but only does so by demanding
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Terahertz: Not my secularism
Critics of religion (such as myself) are sometimes not precise enough in our criticisms. We will sometimes lash out that the “moderate Muslims” don’t condemn fundamentalists enough or complain that liberal Christians only make space for creationists and anti-choicers (in both cases the truth is not difficult to find, for
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Thag grok free will!
The journey back to the Thunka Grunkas had been a long and difficult one, but Thag had finally returned from his sabbatical with the Drunka Grunkas, learning how to make beer. Along with this new technology, Thag also returned with … Continue reading →
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Ms. Corbella Argues That Atheists Are Bad People
In her column in today’s Calgary Herald, Licia Corbella gets on her high horse about atheists. The title of her column is ridiculous enough: “Will Atheism Be Held To Account Like Other Creeds?” Well, hallelujah, praise the Lord! At long last, atheism is being declared a creed and is endowed
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: What’s it all about, Alfie?
“What’s it all about, Alfie?” sings Cilla Black in the title song for the eponymous 1966 movie. But it could be the anthem for the human race, or at least those with a philosophical bent. “What’s it all about?” is certainly a question that springs to my mind daily as
Continue readingcartoon life: The Swerve
2500 years ago Lucretius gave us the modern world. We ignored him. Listen to The Swerve In 1417, a Renaissance scribe and book hunter discovered an ancient manuscript in a monastery. That book was the Roman poet Lucretius’ On the Nature of Things. Renowned scholar Stephen Greenblatt tells us how that discovery
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The DWR Sunday Disservice – Science, Religion and the Big Bang
The God of the Gaps, one of classical set pieces of religious nonsensical arguments, lurks in the shadows waiting to prey upon the unprepared rational atheist. Fear not team-godless Minute Physics delivers the facts you need to set the record straight when it comes to cosmology and the Big Bang
Continue readingTerahertz: A pox on (some of) your houses
Recently, numerous allegations have flown throughout the blogosphere (at least, the portion that I read), identifying numerous high-profile skeptics/atheists/scientists as varying degrees of creepy to rapist. Others have jumped to their defense, crying that we ought to be skeptical of anonymous accusations and that women ought to just drink less.
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: clarence darrow, attorney for the damned, by john a. farrell
I last wrote about Clarence Darrow in early 2012, after reading a piece by one of my favourite New Yorker writers, Jill Lepore. Two new biographies of Darrow had been published, and Lepore wrote a tribute to the great defender, and mused on the state of North American labour movement.
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The DWR Sunday Disservice – What Scares the Religious.
Ah yes, knowledge and the pursuit of education. Thank you for being so brave Malala. Filed under: Atheism, Religion Tagged: Religion
Continue readingTerahertz: Atheist and Republicans
I haven’t had time yet to deal with a piece of nonsense from last week on Canadian Atheist. The arguments put forward by the Monarchist League of Canada are entirely secular. You might or might not find them more persuasive than the arguments put forward by republicans, but this is
Continue readingTerahertz: BC Secularists who aren’t white men
Inspired by similar lists of diverse secular thinkers, I thought I’d put out there a compilation of some rising secularists – both thinkers and activists – who break the mould in British Columbia. My criteria: Alive Does not identify as white (i.e. Caucasian/European) and male Is either an active atheist/skeptic/humanist
Continue readingTerahertz: Things You Can Do to Help Calgary’s Secular Community Grow and Thrive!
Found this (public) note on Facebook with some exciting news about the secular community in Calgary. Keep it up! And when I say “we,” what I really mean is you. I’m looking for people to take up some of these projects so I can proceed with the things I already
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Skepticism and Atheism – The Way of the Mister
Helpful hints for our wannabe skeptical friends. Filed under: Atheism Tagged: Atheism
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The DWR Sunday Disservice: Conversations I Wish I Had.
Oh you know what happens, the doorbell on Sunday morning, the feeling of dread when you open the door and find someone who is going to attempt to show you ‘the way’ and save your soul and all of the other assorted delusional religious nonsense that gets peddled before
Continue readingTerahertz: Canadian Atheism Panel
Tomorrow morning (9am out here), I will be joining Ian Cromwell, Jesse Brydle from Halifax, Donna Harris from Winnipeg, and Veronica Abbas from Peterborough for a panel on Freethought in Canada as part of FtBConscience. You can find full details here and watch it live online. I’ll be doing my
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: two youth novels
There is so much truly excellent youth fiction out these days, and it’s not all vampires and zombies. Here are two wonderful teen novels in two totally different veins. There Is No Dog, Meg Rossoff, 2011 Like many excellent novels, Meg Rosoff’s There Is No Dog defies easy classification. It’s
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The DWR Sunday Disservice – Hideous Hymns
Hymns suck. And I don’t just mean in moral or rational sense, though they definitely suck in those areas as well. I mean musically. They are absolutely wretched. As a fledgeling choral singer, I’m aware of some wonderfully fantastic religious based pieces that are beautiful to listen to and sing,
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The DWR Sunday Disservice – Should Christian Women Wear a Bikini?
Have you ever started listening to video and almost immediately start to cringe? This, gentle readers, is precisely one of those happenings. Contained within are the soft headed feckless meanderings of some christian ministry that is ostensibly meant to “help” women by employing all (ok, many) of the viscous patriarchal
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Pork Bullets. Or, Watch the Xenophobia run WILD!
My cynical atheist soul just went a few shades darker because of this. “The advertising pitch says it all: “Put some Ham in MoHAMed.” Jihawg Ammunition, based in Dalton Gardens, Idaho, has recently begun selling bullets laced with a pork coating, promising “patriot” gun owners that the bullets “will strike
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