Thoughts on Shame

Today I am ashamed. I woke up to some terrible news. Three Muslim students were killed in North Carolina by a gunman who by all appearances was motivated by his militant atheism. In a way, I shouldn't be surprised by what has happened, every group be they Atheists, Muslims, Christians, Jews or whoever have radicals who cannot be reasoned with. Yet we all think our group is special and that the killer must've been motivated by something else. Well I am merciless when religious extremists commit atrocities, so speaking as an anti-thestic atheist who wants to see religion defeated, I am disgusted, appalled and ashamed by what has happened.

I never thought I'd see the day when an atheist-extremist would make the news with such an attack. All Craig Stephen Hicks has succeeded in doing is tarnishing the reputation of atheists everywhere. He has made himself a poster boy for people like Pat Robertson who want to label all atheists as immoral godless thugs. I wish I could say that Hicks is not a true atheist, that he in no way represents us, but that would simply be false. I could say that this is just one isolated incident and that this sort of attack is rare, but I can't say that with certainty. Even if this is a one-off incident, one is too many times. Hicks has only set our cause back with his stupid, barbaric and shameful act.

I want to see religion defeated. I want to live in a world where we don't credit successes and failures to the will of a supreme being. I want to live in a world where bills aren't prevented from becoming laws on the grounds of flimsy ancient beliefs. I want to live in a world where the gods of the Bible, the Koran and all other holy books are treated like myths like Thor, Zeus or Ra. The way to do that is to educate people and encourage skepticism. We must question claims made by priests, rabbis and imams just like we'd question the claims of those who claim to have been abducted by aliens. Atheists tend to be atheists because we are skeptical people. We tend to be the people who believe scientific theories because they have the evidence. Hicks instead decided to kill Muslims. This in addition to being abhorrent is counter-productive because now Muslims will take solace in their faith. This attack only drives them closer to their religion.

Craig Stephen Hicks is one man, but his actions will affect all atheists. We must minimize the damage he has done by condemming his actions loudly and repeatedly. Richard Dawkins (who Hicks actually looked up to) asked "How could any decent person NOT condemn the vile murder of three young US Muslims in Chapel Hill". Richard Dawkins knows that he will come under scrutiny as Hicks was a fan. The difference between Hicks and Richard Dawkins is that Richard Dawkins is not a vile man, but a good example of how atheists should fight religion.

I am angry and ashamed right now so I know I am not being rational, but right now I must say it s a pity that there isn't a hell for Hicks to go to.

Thoughts on Hate

I have a massive amount of respect for Stephen Fry. He is absolutely hilarious for one thing, whether he's doing A Bit of Fry and Laurie, portraying Lord/General Melchett in Blackadder or hosting the BBC comedy quiz show QI. He's also very intelligent. He has a degree in English literature from Cambridge University and is an exceptional debater. One thing I really like about Stephen Fry is that he, like myself is opposed to organised religion. He recently was interviewed by an Irish broadcaster, who asked him what he would say if he came face to face with God. You can see his response here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suvkwNYSQo. Well an American pastor thinks this interview proves that there is no such thing as an atheists. Stephen Fry clearly hates God, so he clearly believes in God. Well this post is me debunking this faulty logic. Just to make things clear, I will be referring to the God of the bible as that is the one Stephen Fry was being asked about.

First of all Stephen Fry does not speak for all atheists, he speaks for Stephen Fry. Atheism is not a religion, we don't have priests, rabbis, imams, monks, gurus or anything like that. People like Stephen Fry and to a greater extent Richard Dawkins are often called "Atheist leaders" but this is actually inaccurate. Richard Dawkins doesn't give speeches on atheism, such a speech would be absurdly short. He gives speeches on evolution, secularism, humanism and he'll mention his atheism, but it's never the sole focus. An atheist sermon would go something like this: "There is no evidence to prove that a god exists. Alright, same time next week."

Stephen Fry hates God so he must believe in God. No, this is also wrong. I hate God, I think he's an immoral thug who holds humans to a standard he can't meet himself. I hate God in the same way I hate Lord Voldemort. He's the bad guy in a work of fiction who I want the hero to beat (although I've yet to figure out who the bible's hero is). I also find that Lord Voldemort has as much evidence to prove his existence as God does. I imagine that said American pastor has never read the Harry Potter books due to the witchcraft contained within so I'll use a different character. I hate God in the same way I hate Hamlet's uncle Claudius.

The stupidest thing about this pastor's statement however is the the simplest of them all. Stephen Fry is responding to a hypothetical question, so in this scenario Stephen Fry is only pretending that God exists. It's amazing how the simplest facts escape the unobservant. The only reason I am writing about this whole topic is because Keith Thompson (the pastor) is unable to distinguish a hypothetical scenario from reality.

I urge you all to watch the video of Stephen Fry. He hits the nail on the head and does so in a way that leaves little room for rebuttal.