Category Archives: Atheism

Despite constant warnings issued by Saudi religious authorities about the dangers of atheism, which is, according to them, tantamount to not believing in God, many citizens in the kingdom are turning their backs on Islam. Among other things, perhaps what is primarily driving Saudis to abandon their religion is the countrys strict and dehumanising codex of Islamic law coupled with easy access to information and mass communication. Unfortunately, those who are open about their atheism find themselves harshly punished or forced to live double lives.

Just recently Saudi Arabia sentenced another atheist to death for uploading a video renouncing Islam. The man was identified as Ahmad Al-Shamri, in his 20s, from the town of Hafar Al-Batin, a village located in Saudi Arabias eastern province. In the video, Al-Shamri renounces Islam and makes disparaging remarks about the prophet Muhammad.

Saudi authorities first picked him up in 2014 after he uploaded a series of videos reflecting his views on social media, which led to him being charged with atheism and blasphemy.

With leaving Islam punishable by death in Saudi Arabia, the countrys Supreme Court, which ruled against Al-Shamri on 25 April 2017, has effectively already pronounced the death sentence. Although court proceedings dealing with blasphemy, atheism or homosexuality may last for months, the sentence is far more likely to be known in advance.

Riyadh introduced a series of laws in 2014 criminalising those who spread atheist thought or question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion. According to Amnesty International Global Report on death sentences and executions, Saudi Arabia has scored 154+ executions, in which the death penalty was imposed after proceedings that did not meet international fair trial standards. In January 2017, an unnamed Yemeni man living in Saudi Arabia was reportedly charged with apostasy and sentenced to 21 years in prison for insulting Islam on his Facebook page.

In November 2016, Indian migrant worker Shankar Ponnam reportedly was sentenced to four months in prison and a fine of 1,195 for sharing a picture of the Hindu god Shiva sitting atop the Kaaba on Facebook.

In November 2015, Palestinian poet and artist Ashraf Fayadh was sentenced to death for apostasy for allegedly questioning religion and spreading atheist thought in his poetry. His sentence was reduced to eight years in prison and 800 lashes to be administered on 16 occasions.

In 2014, Raif Badawi was also convicted of blasphemy for creating a website dedicated to fostering debate on religion and politics. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1000 lashes.

In 2012, the journalist Hamza Kashgari was accused of blasphemy after he posted a string of tweets. He was captured in Malaysia and brought back to the kingdom. No further information about his case has surfaced since.

Atheists are terrorists

In 2014, Saudi Arabia introduced a series of new laws in the form of royal decrees, which define atheists as terrorists. The new royal provisions define terrorism as calling for atheist thought in any form, or calling into question the fundamentals of the Islamic religion on which Saudi Arabia is based.

Conflating atheism and terrorism has become official in Saudi Arabia, by which non-believers who commit thought crimes are the same as violent terrorists.

Article 4 of the kingdoms laws on terrorism states: Anyone who aids [terrorist] organisations, groups, currents [of thought], associations, or parties, or demonstrates affiliation with them, or sympathy with them, or promotes them, or holds meetings under their umbrella, either inside or outside the kingdom; this includes participation in audio, written, or visual media; social media in its audio, written, or visual forms; internet websites; or circulating their contents in any form, or using slogans of these groups and currents [of thought], or any symbols which point to support or sympathy with them.

In a programme named UpFront on Al Jazeera America, Saudi Ambassador to the UN, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi explains why advocating atheism in Saudi Arabia is considered a terrorist offence.

Al-Mouallimi says that atheists are deemed terrorists in his country because in Saudi Arabia, we are a unique country.

We are the birthplace of Islam, he adds. We are the country that hosts the two holiest sites for Muslims in Mecca and Medina. We are the country that is based on Islamic principles and so forth. We are a country that is homogeneous in accepting Islam by the entire population. Any calls that challenge Islamic rule or Islamic ideology is considered subversive in Saudi Arabia and would be subversive and could lead to chaos.

If he [an atheist] was disbelieving in God, and keeping that to himself, and conducting himself, nobody would do anything or say anything about it. If he is going out in the public, and saying, I dont believe in God, thats subversive. He is inviting others to retaliate, Al-Mouallimi elaborates.

Countermeasures

The president of the Centre for Middle East Studies in Riyadh, Anwar Al-Ashqi, does not see the authorities adoption of these laws as a suppression of freedoms. While he believes that atheism as an independent thought is positive, it may become negative and require legal accountability if it aims to transform the traditional nature of the Saudi society, triggering communal strife and challenging the established religion. The state in this case, according to him, has the right to outlaw this type of atheism and declare it an aspect of terrorism.

Similar to other Gulf States, Saudi Arabia perceives atheism as a threat that needs to be eliminated. There have therefore been several conferences, trainings and workshops in recent years aimed at immunising society, especially the youth, against atheist ideas. Saudi Arabia has established the Yaqeen Centre at The Al-Madina University Department of the Study of Faith and Religions. Yaqeen Centre, which means certainty, specialises in combatting atheistic and non-religious tendencies. The centres vision is to achieve leadership in countering atheism and non-religiosity locally and globally. What this centre actually does remains unclear.

In October 2016, the Saudi Ministry of Education launched a government programme called Immunity in schools to inoculate children against Westernisation, atheism, liberalism and secularism.

Atheists in the Kingdom?

In 2012, a poll by WIN-Gallup International (Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism) found that almost a quarter of people interviewed in Saudi Arabia described themselves as not religious and of those 5 to 9% declared themselves to be convinced atheists. Extrapolating that figure on a national scale suggests there are about 1.4 million atheists living in Saudi Arabia. This of course excludes all work migrants from different parts of the world, who might already be non-believers.

Of all Arabic-speaking countries, even those known for their secular leanings such as Tunisia and Lebanon, the percentage of people who believe they are convinced atheists is the highest in Saudi Arabia.

However, these figures contradict the ones released by the Egyptian Fatwa observatory of Dar al-Iftaa Al-Missriyyah in 2014, in which only 174 atheists are thought to be living in Saudi Arabia. It remains a mystery how this number could be so accurate.

Scientifically speaking, there are no official figures about the number of atheists in Saudi Arabia because it is very difficult to conduct a research about such a sensitive topic. However, there are several pages for atheists sweeping the Internet such as Saudis without religion, Spreading atheism in Saudi, and Saudi secular, which indicate that there are some atheist activities despite all restrictions. It is difficult to determine whether these pages operate from within the kingdom or from outside.

On Twitter, the most widely used site in Saudi Arabia, over 20,000 Saudis reacted to topics related to the spread of atheism in Saudi Arabia. Voices advocating the rights of atheists appeared only very rarely compared to the ones affirming demanding persecution of atheists in the kingdom.

It must be noted that most accounts in Saudi Arabia hide behind fake names to avoid prosecution. A Saudi young man, 28, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, 2,000 lashes and 4.780 fine after being convicted of publishing more than 600 atheist tweets.

Many Saudis say the presence of atheists in Saudi Arabia is like any other country, but their number in the kingdom is negligible compared to millions of Saudis who are adherents of Islam as a religion and as a law applied by their state in the finest details of life.

Hakim Khatib

mpc-journal.org/Qantara.de 2017

Continued here:
God's own country - Qantara.de

3 Jul 2017, 9:55 a.m.

Census data reveals the number of people identifying as members of traditional churches has declined.

Keep the faith: Reverend Nigel Fortescue, of St Peters Anglican Church, Campbelltown. Picture: Simon Bennett

Campbelltown has seen a spike in the number of atheists in the area whilethe number of those who identify as Catholic or Anglicanhas dropped off.

Figures in the census released last Tuesday show the number of Catholics and Anglicans in Campbelltown has decreased by 2434 and 6804respectivelyfrom 2011 to 2016.

The decline occurred even though the population grew by more than 11,000.

On the other side of the coin the number of atheists grew by almost 10,000 people.

Reverend Nigel Fortescue, of St Peters Anglican Church located on the corner of Cordeaux Steet and Moore Street in Campbelltown said the statistics showed people were consideringtheir faith more rather than just ticking the box without thinking.

I think people are now giving more thought to their religious belief, he said.

Previously people were baptised Anglican so they just ticked the Anglican box. Now they are thinking what do I believe?.

Congregation: St Peters Anglican Church, Campbelltown, parishoners Reverend Nigel Fortescue (centre). Picture: Simon Bennett

While the number of official Anglicans may have decreased, Reverend Fortescue didnt believe the number of those attending local churches had followed suit.

Churches throughout Campbelltown are holding their own in terms of the numbers growing, he said.

There are churches opening up and more people are coming into the church.

In our church dozens of (new) people have become Christians this year.

The head of the Catholic Diocese of Wollongong which encapsulatesMacarthur Bishop Peter Ingham, said the figures do not come as a surprise.

There is a disenchantment with organised religion and a growing interest in unorganised spirituality, he said.

These days, many people want belief without belonging and belonging without belief.

You've gotta have faith: Bishop Peter Ingham, the head of the Catholic Diocese of Wollongong. Picture: Robert Peet

Bishop Ingham said the busy nature of peopleslives had left little or no time for God.

He also said the Catholic Churchs involvement in theRoyal Commission into institutional child abusehad not helped in terms of parishioners.

Theres no denying that since the last census the reputation and moral standing of the church has taken a huge battering, and for good reason, with the revelations of the Royal Commission, he said.

And for many, this has been the last straw, and we have to acknowledge the truth of that and acknowledge that we are currently being rightly humbled.

Bishop Ingham said the figures served as a wake-up call.

Although it is not a popularity contest for us, we need to be committed more than ever to see these figures change, not so we can win in the next census, but because we want those around us to know the joy of the Christian life, he said.

More here:
Atheism on the rise as number of Catholics and Anglicans fall - Wollondilly Advertiser

Religious people are more tolerant of different viewpoints than atheists, according to researchers at a Catholic university.

A study of 788 people in the UK, France and Spain concluded that atheists and agnostics think of themselves as more open-minded than those with faith, but are are actually less tolerant to differing opinions and ideas.

Religious believers "seem to better perceive and integrate diverging perspectives", according to psychology researchers at the private Catholic University of Louvain (UCL), Belgium's largest French-speaking university.

Filip Uzarevic, who co-wrote the paper, said his message was that "closed-mindedness is not necessarily found only among the religious".

He told Psypost: "In our study, the relationship between religion and closed-mindedness depended on the specific aspect of closed-mindedness.

Somewhat surprisingly, when it came to subtly measured inclination to integrate views that were diverging and contrary to ones own perspectives, it was the religious who showed more openness."

Dr Uzarevic's paper, called "are atheists undogmatic?", states that "irreligion has become normative" in some Western countries.

He inspected three aspects of mental rigidity in 445 atheists and agnostics, 255 Christians, and a group of 37 Bhuddists, Muslims, and Jews.

The study claims that non-believers measured lower than religious people in "self-reported dogmatism", but were higher in "subtly-measured intolerance".

Dr Uzarevic said: "The idea started through noticing that, in public discourse, despite both the conservative/religious groups and liberal/secular groups showing strong animosity towards the opposite ideological side, somehow it was mostly the former who were often labeled as closed-minded.

Moreover, such view of the secular being more tolerant and open seemed to be dominant in the psychological literature.

The findings also said that the strength of a person's belief in either atheism or religion is directly correlated to how intolerant they are.

Link:
Atheists are less open-minded than religious people, study claims - The Independent

Wichita Eagle

Atheist group stops coach-led prayer at Kansas schools Wichita Eagle The Freedom From Religion Foundation, which describes itself as a voice for atheism, agnosticism and skepticism, sent a letter in mid-June to Cheylin USD 103 and Weskan Schools USD 242 saying it is illegal for public school coaches to lead their teams ...

More:
Atheist group stops coach-led prayer at Kansas schools - Wichita Eagle

New research has found what many conservatives have argued for years: Religious believers are more tolerant of differing viewpoints than atheists.

The study found that while atheists may like to think of themselves as more open-minded, theyre actually less tolerant of dissenting opinions than their religious counterparts.

The main message of the study is that closed-mindedness is not necessarily found only among the religious, Dr. Filip Uzarevic, a researcher at Catholic University of Louvain who co-authored the research, told PsyPost.

Uzarevicconfirmed thatthe religious and nonreligious each have their own particular targets of prejudice, but atheists and agnostics were generally less open todiffering opinions than Christians.

This contradicts long-standing findings of previous psychological research which found that the religious were more biased than atheists.

In our study, the relationship between religion and closed-mindedness depended on the specific aspect of closed-mindedness, Uzarevic said. Somewhat surprisingly, when it came to subtly measured inclination to integrate views that were diverging and contrary to ones own perspectives, it was the religious who showed more openness.

The study was based on 788 European adults, 445 of whom were either atheist or agnostic. The 255 of the remaining religious believers were of various Christian denominations, but the researchers also included 17 Muslims, 3 Jews and 17 Buddhists.

The idea started through noticing that, in public discourse, despite both the conservative/religious groups and liberal/secular groups showing strong animosity towards the opposite ideological side, somehow it was mostly the former who were often labeled as closed-minded, Uzarevic said. Moreover, such view of the secular being more tolerant and open seemed to be dominant in the psychological literature.

Uzarevic speculated that since the atheists in his study came from highly secularized and nonreligious Western Europe,they likely hadnt had a many opportunities to engage with religious believers, making them more intolerant.

Being interested in this topic, we started to discuss whether this is necessarily and always the case: Are the religious indeed generally more closed-minded, or would it perhaps be worthy of investigating the different aspects of closed-mindedness and their relationship with (non)religion, Uzarevic said.

Uzarevic also determined that strength of belief in either religion or atheism was directly correlated to how close-minded people were.

Follow Andrew on Twitter

Send tips toandrew@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact[emailprotected].

Go here to read the rest:
Science Finally Realizes Atheists Are More Close-Minded Than The Religious - The Daily Caller

My father-in-law is one of the fairest, most patient, and most virtuous people that I know. Hes always available to help out, his capacity for forgiveness is immense, and when hes unavailable its usually because hes caring for or teaching people in his community. Hes intellectual honest, and hes a profoundly decent human being. Hes also an atheist.

Hes part of the reason why I have respect for people in the atheist community, and why when I write about atheism I usually have positive things to say. I dont think its true that all atheists are fundamentally driven by selfishness, pride or immorality. Sometimes people are atheists because theyve been intellectual or morally scandalized by poor catechesis or by the bad behavior of those who represent the gospel. Others may just be like those laborers standing around in the marketplace who havent yet been called into the fields. Conversion, after all, is a grace that comes to us according to Gods timetable.

Ive found, though, that when I speak well of the atheist community people often believe that I must be one of them or very shortly about to join their ranks. Of course I cant guarantee that I will never lose my faith (nobody can), but an atheist Im definitely not.

I am a skeptic, and Ive been around for long enough to know that skepticism is a deep-seated personality trait that isnt going anywhere. Ive never been capable of the kind of faith that is comfortable and stable. I constantly question everything and Im always searching for better answers not just in order to be able to better answer other peoples doubts, but also in order to be able to answer my own. I have tremendous respect for those who are capable of simple childlike trust in God and in the Church. Im just not that kind of kid. For me, being like a little child means being like that 3-year-old who always has to ask a hundred-thousand whys.

This kind of skepticism does, I think, represent a kind of sincere fidelity to truth. Its a difficult form of fidelity, however, because Christianity is not simple, easy or clean. I dont just mean that in the sense that its complex, demanding and youll get dirty so you should gird up your loins and take up your cross. I mean that the beauty of the faith is constantly obscured by power games, superstition, simony, charlatanism and various other forms of self-serving vainglory. We dont receive a pristine doctrine, because the teaching that we receive is presented to us by sinful human beings. We receive the Body of Christ the Body of Truth scarred, broken, pierced and crucified.

Because religious truth is so often abused and misused, it can be tempting to just be done with it. For me, though, thats not really a live option. Basically, whenever I get to the point where I can no longer see God through all of the mirages and smokescreens that men have erected in order to make God into an instrument of human purposes, I have a crisis of faith. Usually, I decide that Im for sure leaving the Church. Often, I conclude that atheism is the only intellectually honest option.

Now, this is the point where I do something that I wouldnt do if I actually were an atheist. I go and talk to God about it. And God listens very patiently while I explain all of the reasons why I cant believe anymore. And we talk it through. And usually there are some jokes at my expense. And by the end of the conversation, I remember that ultimately religion is about forging a relationship with a Being who is my author, my creator, my lover and my friend. A Being who is infinitely greater than even the most beautiful human representations, and who can never be reduced to any simple human agenda. A Being who is both revealed and concealed in every molecule, every galaxy, every human heart, every word that is uttered, every inmost thought, and every grand historical movement. A God who is in all, with all, through all, for all, of all, beyond all, beneath all, and above all.

When it comes right down to it, this relationship is sufficiently real, sufficiently profound, and sufficiently important to me that Im not sure that Im actually capable of atheism. No matter how skeptical I may be, the fundamental claim that there is a God with whom it is possible to have a deep and life-giving relationship is one I find it impossible to deny. I just have way more first-hand experience of grace than I can easily explain away.

For me this is the bottom line. I know God. I love God. And having encountered Him, I cannot go back to being an atheist.

See the original post here:
Atheism vs Faith - Aleteia - Aleteia EN

Atheists often adhere to their views religiously.

Is atheism a religion? This is a question that many Christians ask when confronted with the various beliefs of atheists. It is also a hot topic of debate. Here is one perspective.

Is atheism a religion?

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- Atheists are accused of having a religion, of having belief, faith, possessing dogma, and even proselytizing as Christians do.

According to many Christians, the atheist faith is as follows:

The atheist rejects belief in God; they instead adopt a faith-filled confidence in science and materialism. Materialism is the notion that the only thing which exists is the material world. The supernatural does not exist, and cannot be demonstrated to exist by science precisely because it is supernatural; what units would one use to measure a god? Atheists accept as a matter of dogma, that the universe came from nothing, and that the Big Bang Theory, and evolution are facts.

First, let's deal with whether atheism is a religion or not.

A religion has a set of beliefs, dogma, rites and rituals, and often a hierarchy responsible for shepherding believers and maintaining the faith. Atheism does not have these features.

Atheism, in its most basic form, is merely the rejection of the belief that gods exist.

Although atheism is not a religion, it is certainly a belief. Atheism is the belief that God does not exist. Ask an atheist if they believe God does not exist, and they will say yes. Off is not a television channel and bald is not a hair color, but both are still states of being. As far as saying God does not exist, according to the norms of philosophical debate, the person who makes the claim also bears the burden of proof. No atheist can prove God does not exist, and none ever has. Christians who claim God exists also have the burden of proof. It isn't difficult to prove the existence of God per se, at least using logic, and evidence that Christians accept, but atheists are often steadfast in their demand for scientific evidence. The problem is that the supernatural is impossible to quantify. As a result, atheists have insulated themselves from Christian apologists because no matter what evidence a Christian may offer, it can always be dismissed as "unscientific." An analogy might be a blind person arguing that colors do not exist because they cannot see them and you cannot describe them. How do you describe color to a person who has never seen color?

What about all those other beliefs, such as the universe from nothing, the Big Bang, and evolution? It is generally true that atheists accept these beliefs, but there is no rule requiring it. And there are rare atheists who reject them. Some atheists also claim to believe in other supernatural phenomena such as ghosts. Just because a person does not believe in God does not mean they must believe anything else. Christian apologists should avoid making such a leap in logic.

To convert an atheist is a process and it requires less debate and a lot more love. From the debate perspective, it is logical to conclude God exists because the universe has a cause. That cause is certain to be more powerful than the universe because we have never observed an inferior thing give rise to something superior; to wit, energy does not give rise to a surplus of matter or matter to a surplus of energy. The two trade equally, hence the equation, E=MC2.

Whatever the cause of the universe, it must be greater than the universe we inhabit. We can call that creative force God, the same as we can call it by any other name. By application of Occam's razor, we can assume the creative force is a singular thing. That thing, or God, has clearly arranged the universe in a manner that is conducive to life on Earth. God has given humanity a purpose and instructions, although those instructions are often misunderstood. God has sent prophets and a teacher to us to help us understand those instructions. God has also left us with the Holy Spirit and the Church to guide us. And when we open ourselves to the idea that there is evidence that does not fit into a test tube, then we can finally encounter God on His terms, as it must always be.

The logic above is debatable. There are no clincher arguments that work. If such arguments existed, we would live in a world with no Christians or with no atheists. Millions of people have already covered this debate, and despite a few high-profile conversions on each side, the world continues much as it has since creation. Some people are simply going to believe and others not.

The trick for Christians is to get atheists to open up to the possibility that there is more out there than what can be revealed by a microscope or a telescope. It's like convincing an indigenous native who only knows about drums that radio waves exist and carry music. You must be the radio.

You can accomplish this by avoiding adversarial debate. In a debate, people often strive for their own side, not the truth. Instead, both people should be seeking truth, not victory. As a Christian, you know the truth, there is more out there than mere matter and energy. But unless your rapport with the atheist is warm, it will be difficult for you to convey that message.

Kindness, even in the face of ridicule, is essential. Love and support, even for people who may not deserve it, is always the way to be. The early Christians were persecuted terribly, yet their faith conquered the Roman Empire. They did not win this victory by arguing in the forums. They won by evangelizing, showing kindness at every turn, and sharing the Gospel when the listener was ready.

In conclusion, atheism is not a religion, but it is a belief. The person who makes the claim bears the burden of proof. But the way to win against the atheist is not to debate so much as to love. The way to do this is threefold, perform good works, perform good works, and perform good works. By your actions, the atheist will judge you. People are always attracted to love and kindness. They are repulsed by conflict. You cannot draw a person close by being adversarial. Be the radio that channels God's love for all people, including the atheist, and perhaps they too will hear the sweet music of God's welcoming grace.

---

Pope Francis Prayer Intentions for JUNE 2017 National Leaders. That national leaders may firmly commit themselves to ending the arms trade, which victimizes so many innocent people.

See the original post:
Is Atheism a religion? - Catholic Online

Marie Alena Castle is the communications director for Atheists for Human Rights. Raised Roman Catholic she became an atheist later in life. She has since been an important figure within the atheistmovement through her involvement with Minnesota Atheists,The Moral Atheist,National Organization of Women, andwroteCulture Wars: The Threat to Your Family and Your Freedom(2013). She has a lifetime of knowledge and activist experience, explored and crystallised in an educational series.

Following is the second half of an interview of Ms. Castle by Scott Douglas Jacobsen. The first part of this interview can be found here Session 1

.

Jacobsen: With your four decades of experience in activism for atheism, human rights, and womens rights, you earlier described the victory for womens right to vote and pursue careers and for reproductive rights. Who has formed the main resistance to the massive pro-life lobby from Catholic and other Christian religious groups?

Alena Castle:Groups such as NARAL and NOW and Planned Parenthood have been the most publicly visible opponents of the Catholic/Protestant fundamentalist assaults on reproductive health care. However, the most effective has been the political organising within the Democratic party. I was extensively involved in getting the Democratic party platform to support abortion rights and in getting pro-choice candidates endorsed and elected. Having a major political party oppose the Republican partys misogynistic position was key to holding the line against them.

Jacobsen: In the current battleground over abortion, reproductive health and rights,modern attacks on Margaret Sangers characterhave been launched to indirectly take down abortion activists and clinics, and argueagainst such rights for women. What can best protect abortion access and Sangers legacy and work?

Alena Castle:The attacks on Sanger amount to alternative facts and seriously distorted history. Womens rights leaders of the past, including Sanger as well as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton are sometimes quoted in opposition to abortion but their concern was that so many women died from abortions that were either self-induced or done by incompetent quacks or because of the inadequate medical knowledge of the time.

Sanger has been accused of favouring eugenics (birth control to prevent the birth of genetically defective babies). These viewshave been deliberately misconstruedregarding their intent when in fact they were intended to save womens lives and help ensure a better life for the babies they gave birth to. Today the anti-abortionists arestill making upfake horror stories about foetal development and abortion and its effect on women that are outright lies. Nothing will stop this dishonest distortion of history and the absurd lies but more should be done to assert, often and vigorously, the actual medical facts about abortion and the moral rightness and integrity of Sangers and other feminists views and of the women who have abortions.

Jacobsen: What would you say has been most effective as a preventive mechanism against the encroachment on the rights of women from the hyper-religious Right, or the religious Right?

Alena Castle:Political activism! That is the only thing that will work. We need to focus on putting a majority of elected officials in office at all levels who support womens rights and the rights of the nonreligious. You cant make changes by just talking about them it takes laws and their enforcement. Only politicians make laws not NARAL or NOW or atheist organisations or people who march in the streets.

Jacobsen: As an atheist and feminist, what have been the most educational experiences in your personal or professional life as to the objectives of the anti-atheist and anti-feminist movements in North America and, indeed, across the world?

Alena Castle:I have personally experienced the effect of the religious rights political agendaon my life and on the lives of others. The first funeral I went to was when I was 10 years old. Our lovely 22-year-old neighbour had died of a botched illegal abortion. (At the time, such deaths were listed as obstruction of the bowels to save the familys embarrassment and I only learned several years later what the true cause was). And then there were the funerals of good friends who were gay and died of AIDS while the religious right did everything to hinder medical research for treatment. And almost worse was seeing the total lack of compassion by advocates for that agenda for the harm it causes. Example:

I had a discussion with a very nice, polite woman about a news report of how an 11-year-old girl, somewhat retarded, had been raped by her father, was pregnant, begged for an abortion, and was denied by a court order. Soon after she had the baby, she was back in court on a charge of being an unfit mother. I asked this nice woman if she thought that girl should have been allowed to have an abortion. She said no, that forcing her to continue the pregnancy was the right and moral thing to do. Her religious beliefs had hardened her heart and I told her so.

How do we talk to people with such a warped sense of morality? This woman also believed in personhood from the moment of conception. At that moment, her person is a microscopic fertilised egg undifferentiated at the cellular level, and no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence. The anti-abortion people put up billboards with a picture of a year-old real baby and a statement that the babys heartbeat is detected at a foetal age of a few weeks. They dont explain that it is then a two-chambered heart at the lizard level of development. (The adorable always white baby on the billboard has the fully developed four-chambered heart). Abortion never kills a baby; it just keeps one from forming. The religious right thinks preserving that development outweighs any harm it is causing the women. We have the words of the Pope and the Protestant reformers to thank for this inhumanity. Martin Luthers associate, Philip Melancthon said, If a woman weary of bearing children, it matters not. Let her only die from bearing; she is there to do it. Pope Pius XI said, However we may pity the mother whose health and even life is imperilled by the performance of her natural duty, there yet remains no sufficient reason for condoning the direct murder of the innocent.

There is no baby, biologically speaking until the beginning of the third trimester the rhetoric about innocence skips that convenient fact. After that, its a medical emergency affecting the woman, the fetus or both, that requires removal of the fetus. If these anti-abortion hard-hearts have a problem with this, they should go ahead and die from bearing if they find themselves in such a situation, but leave the rest of us alone.

Thank you for your time, Ms. Alena Castle! Your words and experiences are of even greater relevance at this time withwomens lives under attackagain.

This post was originally published at conatusnews.com and is republished here with permission from the author.

Do you want to be part of creating a kinder, more inclusive society?

Scott Douglas Jacobsen founded In: Sight Publishing and In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal. He works as an Associate Editor for Conatus News, Board Member and Chair of Social Media for the Almas Jiwani Foundation, Executive Administrator for Trusted Clothes, and Councillor at the Athabasca University Students Union. He contributes to the Basic Income Earth Network, The Beam, Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Check Your Head, Conatus News, Humanist Voices, The Voice Magazine, and Trusted Clothes. If you want to contact Scott: [emailprotected]; website: http://www.in-sightjournal.com; article publciation: http://www.conatusnews.com; Twitter: https://twitter.com/InSight_Journal.

Read this article:
Atheism, Women's Rights, and Human Rights with Marie Alena Castle Q&A Session 2 - The Good Men Project (blog)

Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Iraqi National Alliance party, speaks during a news conference with Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani in Baghdad, Iraq, Sept. 29, 2016.(photo byREUTERS/Khalid al Mousily)

Author:Ali Mamouri Posted June 22, 2017

NAJAF, Iraq Iraq's Islamicmovements and political parties have intensified their rhetoric in recent weeks against atheism,warning Iraqisabout its spread and the need to confront atheists. Suchmovements and parties worry that public sentiment is turning against Islamicparties in politics and that this could be reflected in upcoming elections, scheduled for the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018.

TranslatorSahar Ghoussoub

In alecture this month in Baghdad, Ammar al-Hakimhead of the mostly Shiite Iraqi National Alliance party, whichholds the overwhelming political majority in parliament and governmentwarned against the prevalence of atheism.

Some people resent Iraqi societys adherence to religious principles and its connection to God Almighty, hesaid. Hakimcalled for confronting these extraneous atheistic ideas with good thinking and with an iron fist against the supporters of such ideasby exposing the methods they use in disseminating their ideas.

Hakims message is contrary to the Iraqi Constitution, which guarantees freedom of belief and expression and criminalizes incitement against others and against compelling others to adopt or reject a specific faith.

During Ramadan,religious lectures in Shiite cities in Iraq's center and south the main base of the Islamic parties attackedthe spread of secular and atheistic ideas, which are viewed as threats to Iraqi society.

Former Prime Minister Nouri al-Malikihas extensive influence among the politically ambitiouspro-Iranian factions within the Popular Mobilization Unitsmilitary organization. Hewarned May 30 of a supposeddangerous conspiracy by secular and nonreligious movementsto take power from Islamic parties and gain control for themselves.

Atheism in Arab culture, as described by contemporary Egyptian philosopher Abdel Rahman Badawiin his book, The History of Atheism, covers a vast range of ideas and behaviors. To Badawi, atheism includes agnostics, emerging secular movementsthatrejectthe political role of religion, andthose who criticize various aspects of religion.Secularism and atheism are thus often intertwined in the discourse of political Islam through the use of terms such assecular atheist trends and ideas.These ideas inspire fear in manypolitically-oriented Islamic movements.

According to Sayyid Qutb, a founderof political Islamwho is widely studied by Islamists in Iraq, separating religion frompolitical rule is tantamount to infidelity to Godanddenying divine governance.

DefunctKurdish news agencyAKnews conducted a nonscientificpoll in 2011about faith. When asked if they believed in God,67% of respondentsansweredyes;21%, probably yes;4%, probably no;7%, no;and 1% had no answer.

In a country that has not seen a national census for three decades, it's not possible to provide official numbers for members of different faiths and beliefs. It isespecially difficult to know the size ofthose communities thatholdtaboo beliefsin a conservative society such as Iraq, which views these outsiders with disdain and wherethey are threatened by military groups andpoliticalleaders, some of whom demand theybe beaten "with an iron fist." Much of what information can be gleaned comes inanecdotal form. Since 2014, after the Islamic State swept through Iraqi territory, many reportsfrom various quarters have observed that more people are skeptical ofIslamic beliefs and are rejecting Islam altogether,influenced by the negative image of Islam portrayed by extremist groups.

A prominent book storein Baghdad has seen more young people buying books on atheism fromprominent nonbelievers such as Saudi writer Abdullah al-Qasemiand British philosopher Richard Dawkins.Even in a holy city like Najaf and within the Shiite religious establishments, Al-Monitor spoke to several religious students who not only have begun to question the fundamental beliefs of Islam, but the basic principles of religionin general. They would be ostracized by society in a heartbeat if they expressed their views freely.

Human rights activist, writer and satirist Faisal Saeed al-Mutartold Al-Monitor that atheists in Iraq face very difficult circumstances under a government with a majority of Islamic parties and with the dominance of Islamic militias over society.

Faisal, who followsIraqi atheists'activities on social media, said, I clearly see that the numbers of atheists is rising in different areas in Iraq. Faisal recently founded the Ideas Beyond Bordersorganization, which defendsIraqi atheists and helpsthem organize and claim their rights.

Many atheists have been forced to flee Iraq because of harassmentand threats.Jamal al-Bahadly, an atheist who is vocal about his views on social networking sites, said he received death threats from Shiite militias in Baghdad, forcing him to leave the country in 2015. He emigrated to Germany.

As an atheist, I was deprived of the most basic civil rights in Iraq. I feel that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights does not include me and my fellow atheists in Iraq,"Bahadly told Al-Monitor.Iraq voted in favor of the declaration in 1948 at the United Nations General Assembly.

Leaders of Islamic movements repeatedly say they've seen a rise in the number of atheists in Iraq. Their statements of concernfuel even more concern amongthe ruling Islamic parties, who feara decline in their political power.

Read More: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/06/iraq-atheism-political-islam-human-rights.html

More here:
Islamic parties intimidate, fear atheists in Iraq - Al-Monitor - Al-Monitor

by Michael Nugent on June 22, 2017

The Pope is scheduled to visit Ireland in August 2018. I discussed this with Jonathan Healy of Newstalk Radio.

by Michael Nugent on June 7, 2017

For the first time ever, Irish Atheists, Evangelicals and Ahmadiyya Muslims are jointly challenging human rights abuses in Pakistan at the United Nations.

Yesterday we made a written submission to the UN, which is now on the UN website, and in July we will be addressing the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva.

The UN Human Rights Committee will be questioning Pakistan about its human rights record under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Atheist Ireland, the Evangelical Alliance of Ireland, and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Ireland will be raising human rights abuses against our communities and other minorities in Pakistan.

Here is the text of our written submission.

[click to continue]

by Michael Nugent on June 6, 2017

The attack on our friends in the Ahmadi Muslim mosque in Galway yesterday evening was both immoral and senseless.

It was immoral because it was an attack on innocent people, and on the principle of freedom of religion and belief. And it was senseless because the Ahmadi Muslim community are at the forefront of promoting peace and tolerance.

[click to continue]

by Michael Nugent on May 25, 2017

Professor Brian Cox and Robin Ince gave an entertaining, educational and inspirational performance about the origins of the universe and life, at the 3 Arena in Dublin tonight. If you get a chance to see them live, dont miss it!

See the original post:
Michael Nugent Atheism, Reason, Skepticism, Happiness