My battle with Cafe Courier

So, dear readers, for those of you who know me, you know that I am a terrible cook. A "oops-I-set-the-kitchen-on-fire" kind of terrible cook. So it should not surprise anyone that I often look to professional food makers to feed me. Since I also don't like going out into the real world (I have Skyrim; why would I need to go outside ever?), I utilize delivery services, which are arguably the greatest thing ever to people like me.


I settled on a service called Cafe Courier. I was fine with them for the most part, until I received an email from them.

 It's your standard Christmas email, "peace and prosperity, we'll be closed, safe new year, blah blah blah." I thought it was nice of them (actually, I thought "WHY DO I GET SO MUCH EMAIL?" but if I didn't get 50 emails a day from companies trying to sell me things, I would have thought that). But wait, what's that bit at the bottom? 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6 

 Huh. Well that's...something. I got upset. If this had just been one of those "love everyone" or something kind of Bible verses, then whatever, fine. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth but I wouldn't make a big deal of it. However, this reeks of proseltyzation. 


So I did two things: I emailed them and I posted a Facebook status about it.


My email said: 

Dear Cafe Courier,

 I just wanted to let you know that you've lost my business due to the Christmas email you sent out. I had been a happy customer for a while, but your addition of a Bible verse in your "thank you" email makes me feel ostracized as a non-Christian. I realize it is your prerogative to include religious messages in your private business dealings, just as it is my prerogative to avoid doing business with a religiously-based business.

 My Facebook status said:

Boo. I've been ordering from Cafe Courier a lot since I moved to Columbus, but when they sent me a "thank you" email they included a Bible verse. Ugh. I understand they are free to do that, just as I am free to no longer give them my business.

My Facebook status blew up. Comments ranged from confusion and honest questions to understand to hyperbole that I would now start disowning Christian family members to comments about how horrible the Bible is to suggestions that I am intolerant, with many, many comments in between (it's at 98 comments as I type this). Now, despite the popular idea that I'm bullheaded, I actually do take any and all criticize of my ideas seriously. I try very hard to think things through all the way before I make a judgment or decision, but I could miss something and be wrong. So, when someone suggested that this company is "not necessarily asking you to believe what they do, they're just saying, 'here's a sentiment that I find lovely, and because I find it lovely I wanted to share it with you'." I kept it as a possibility. Maybe that is what they were doing, even though my initial reaction was to think otherwise.Hey, sometimes I overreact and think emotionally rather than logically. I could be wrong.  So I offered up the chance that if their response email (if I got one) was something to that effect, I would keep using this company. 


So imagine my (lack of) surprise when I got this email back from them.

(It reads: "Sorry we offended you. We, however, feel it would be offensive to ignore the meaning of the major holiday that 95% of Americans celebrate. Happy Holidays to you!")

Huh. Well, now that's some condescending, factually incorrect, proselytizing bullshit. 

All my madness has been spent for the day (trust me, it takes a lot of energy being mad at everything all the time), so I was debating whether I should respond to the email or not. And if so, how? Do I correct them that Christmas is not, in fact, because of Jesus? Or how shitty of a business practice it is? Luckily, my friends were on it. 

I posted that response to the status, and one of my friends (who had actually suggested the "maybe they're just sharing because they think it's nice" thing) basically said 

She drafted this up and sent it:

To Whom it May Concern,
In a recent email to a non-Christian client of yours, you gave the least sincere apology ever for offending her with your inclusion of a Bible verse in your holiday greeting. You informed her that ignoring the “meaning” of the holiday was offensive to you because 95% of Americans celebrate it.
While you are correct that 95% of Americans celebrate Christmas, 67% of those people say that their enjoyment of this holiday has nothing at all to do with the birth of Jesus Christ. So that “meaning” you speak of is something that less than 30% Americans celebrate. That in itself is an interesting number given that 60 – 76% of Americans call themselves Christians, yet less than 30% of Americans celebrate the birth of Christ at Christmas time. I guess that means that 30 – 46% of Americans are bad Christians, huh?
At any rate, your attempt to foist your religious views on your clientele is unprofessional and offensive not just to the majority of Americans who are not Christians but also to those of us in the 30% minority who do celebrate Christ’s birth. You owe that young lady an apology. A real one this time.
Now, please provide me with the name and contact information of the owner and/or president of your company, so that this issue may be addressed by more than an anonymous mouthpiece.
Sincerely, [Sarah's bad ass friend] 

I feel like she handled it very well. (She's an old friend of mine...in the sense that I've known her for a long time, not that she's old...but I am a bit younger than her so I think the "young lady" part is kind of funny.)  I will post updates if anything further happens. I probably will respond to them, however I think I should calm down first (and do laundry, because I am still in pajamas).


What do you think? Did I overreact? Are they being shitty? If you send them an email, post what you said in the comments.

Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens passed away. He was a great mind, and will be missed. Rather than extolling his excellent writing and speaking skills (because it's already been done), I'm going to share a personal anecdote. However, this obituary from the Onion is hilariously fitting. And if you've never heard him speak, this is my favorite debate of his.

Anyway, I attended the Texas Freethought Convention in Houston this past October, and Hitchens was there to receive an award (a video of it is here). They announced that he would be there to sign books and the line started 3 hours before it was due to start. The line wound literally around the entire hotel (and this was no small hotel, mind you). I was supposed to give a speech an hour before the signing was set to begin, and we cancelled it because the simple anticipation of seeing Hitchens was a far greater draw than seeing this hack talk about something (I don't blame them). 

He signed books, and one person told me the people in front of him were a couple and the woman was visibly pregnant. Apparently the couple told Hitch that they were going to name their son "Hitch" after him. Hitch stood up and hugged them.

Between the book signing and his speech, he stepped outside to have a cigarette with his wife. I was sitting in the bar, talking with a few people, and someone walked in and told us Hitch was right outside. I didn't want to bother him, but I knew I would never have this opportunity again. I walk outside to join a small crowd (probably 6-10 people) already surrounding him. I said, "I'm sorry for disturbing you, and I don't want to make you speak if it will hurt your voice, but I just wanted to say you've been a great inspiration to me and it's an honor to meet you." He clasped my hand in both of his and said (something to the effect of), "No, no, you're not a bother at all, it's things like this that keep me going, so thank you." He then added, "And just remember, if you can't be good, be careful." He then had to go inside, and I stood there, simply awestruck, knowing that I just had an incredible opportunity. I relish that moment, and am so grateful that I had the opportunity to meet him.

He spoke for quite a while, and allowed questions. I had been working with Camp Quest Texas kids all day, and one of the girls stood up to ask a question. She told him she was 8 years old and wanted to know what books he would recommend to her. He asked if her mother was around, and her mom stood up. He said "Good, because I didn't want to ask you to come see me if your parents weren't around." The crowd laughed. He then said, "Come see me after the speech and I'll make you a list of books." After the speech, he spent 15-20 minutes talking to her. 

What a touching, genuine guy. I'll never forget him.

I'm raising  a glass of Johnny Walker Black for him tonight.

(Oh, and people like Rick Warren can kiss my fucking ass.)

Can I Hate Catholism Any More? You Bet.

I made a post recently about my defection from the Catholic Church, and apparently Catholics are on a rampage to make me hate them even more.


There exists a group called the "Catholic League." The Catholic League exists to "to safeguard both the religious freedom rights and the free speech rights of Catholics whenever and wherever they are threatened." As we all know, it must be difficult being a member of the largest denomination of the largest religion in the world. What next, an organization defending white men? (Oh wait, we already have that.) 


The Catholic League also "defends the right of Catholics – lay and clergy alike – to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination." 


Are Catholics really discriminated against? According to the CL's website....

Harvard professor Arthur Schlesinger, Sr. once observed that prejudice against the Catholic Church was “the deepest bias in the history of the American people.” Mount Holyoke College professor Peter Viereck commented that “Catholic baiting is the anti-Semitism of the liberals.”
And today’s brand of anti-Catholicism is more virulent and more pervasive than ever before in American history. While it is true that Catholics as individuals have made progress in securing their rights, the degree of hostility exhibited against the Catholic Church is appalling. Quite simply, Catholic bashing has become a staple of American society.

 So....what you're saying is, you want to be able to profess your beliefs in public without discrimination? Huh. Which makes this next part really interesting.


The CL is launching a campaign called "Adopt an Atheist."

Here’s what our campaign entails. We are asking everyone to contact the American Atheist affiliate in his area, letting them know of your interest in “adopting” one of them. All it takes is an e-mail. ...
If we hurry, these closeted Christians can celebrate Christmas like the rest of us. As an added bonus, they will no longer be looked upon as people who “believe in nothing, stand for nothing and are good for nothing.” [emphasis mine]

So a group that supposedly stands to stop discrimination is...openly discriminating? Cool! Where do I sign up? Oh, they're even kind enough to link to the American Atheists page-- oh wait, no, they didn't, they just copied all the state directors and hosted it on their own page. Well, here's a link to the AA page of directors, whom you can contact and talk to so you can let them know they're doing a bang-up job. You can also go here to donate to AA for Christmas!


Anyway, this campaign is obviously silly and patronizing. I have no specific empirical evidence to support this assertion (but if you do, I'd love to have it), that there are more Catholics becoming atheists than there are atheists becoming Catholics currently. 


The CL directs these evangelical Catholics to  "Let them know of your sincere interest in working with them to uncover their inner self. They may be resistant at first, but eventually they may come to understand that they were Christian all along." Right, except for the fact that WE KNOW MORE THAN YOU. Atheists know more about religion than do religious people. In fact, Catholics scored pretty low.

Catholics don't even know about their own religion. According to the Pew study, "More than four-in-ten Catholics in the United States (45%) do not know that their church teaches that the bread and wine used in Communion do not merely symbolize but actually become the body and blood of Christ." That is because if they knew that, they would probably leave their ridiculous religion. That's why the Catholic church deters people from reading the Bible and making their own conclusions about it; because if they did, they would realize how messed up the Bible and church teachings are and leave. You expect me to believe that this stale cracker is literally the body of some dude who died over 2,000 years ago? 

But of the whole campaign (which has already been destroyed by JT), I think the thing I find most patronizing is this picture:

Seriously? If any Catholics go through with this (and dear FSM, I hope they do), it will not be like taking a young child to a park and holding them up in front of a sunset. It will be a fight, and we will win. There are no atheists out there thinking, "You know, I wonder if there's someone who loves me so much that he cast original sin upon me, then exempted one woman from that, who he then magically impregnated to raise a kid who would then die in a torturous and horrible way, only to come back to life and have people write four confusing and contradicting gospels about. Yeah, that makes sense." Here's how I envision a conversation between me and a Catholic going about the Immaculate Conception:

Catholic: "Mary was born free of any sin!"

Me: "Well of course she was, all babies are, how can babies commit sin?"

Catholic: "Well, babies don't commit sin really, but we're all born into sin...it's called original sin, and it's from Adam and Eve's first sin of disobeying God."

Me: "So wait, we're all born with original sin, even though we didn't do anything wrong?"

Catholic: "Well, yes. But Mary was born free from that! God exempted her!"

Me: "So why doesn't God just exempt all of us?"

Catholic: "Well, we don't deserve it. [Insert more blather about god and forgiveness and blah blah blah.]"

Me: "God sounds like kind of an asshole."

The long story short is that Catholicism is ridiculous dogma, and the Catholic Church is an evil organization that hates women, children, and anyone not-straight. I hope Dave Silverman over at American Atheists really capitalizes on this and invites the shitty Catholic League to, ahem, bring it. Because guess what? We can take it.

The Reason Rally!

Holy freakin' balls you guys. I am on tv. Well, not really. I'm on YouTube. Which is BETTER than TV!


It's just me talking about the Reason Rally, but still. It's pretty cool. I also look wide as a whale because it was uploaded at a weird ratio, but OH WELL. I'm still famous (not really). 


Anyway, the video is here.


You gonna be at the Reason Rally??

Reflections on Thanksgiving

I took this image from Postsecret, which is a fantastic website that I love to check every week. I thought about doing this post on Thanksgiving, then decided not to, then I saw this PostSecret today and changed my mind again. So we'll see how this goes.

Now, as you read this, I want you to keep in mind that I love my family, dearly. They are all good people, so this isn't a dig at them. They just don't understand sometimes.

I'm the middle of three children. I have an older brother and a younger sister. My brother and sister are both tall, blonde, and popular. They're both rockstar athletes (my sister made varsity track her freshman year, my brother was a basketball superstar) and were the cool kids in their grades. And I'm...this weird little brunette who likes school. So I kind of stand out already.

I got weirder. I liked books and didn't dress in cool clothes and I had nerdy friends...and then, the real blow. I did something against the Catholic church. I joined the Gay-Straight Alliance at my high school. That created some waves, and then even worse...I decided to do my first real act of activism. A gay couple at my high school told the GSA that they weren't allowed to buy prom tickets together, so the GSA was looking for volunteers to try to buy tickets to the next dance with a same-sex partner. So of course I volunteered with my friend Danielle.

My parents were not happy about that. We had a few really big fights about it, and they told me that didn't want me making waves, that I would get made fun of for doing it (except I was already being made fun of for everything else, so this wasn't a huge concern of mine), and they wanted to know why I had to be so different from everyone. Why couldn't I just be normal? (By the way, we were allowed to buy tickets together, and here's a PG rated picture of us at the dance together. I was 15 at this time, so don't be creepy.)

This became a recurring theme in my life. Why was I so different? Why couldn't I be more like my brother and sister? My parents weren't excited that I had straight A's, or that I volunteered on a regular basis all throughout high school, or that I was getting ready to be the first person in my family to go to college (well, it didn't seem that way at least). We just argued about how "out there" I was.

Now that I'm an adult with a college degree, and pay my own bills, am gainfully employed, they...still think I'm out there. It really sucks that I can't really talk about my work to my family, because they think I'm radical. I really don't think I'm that radical, but even if I were, the only things I talk about are helping students (because, you know, that's what I do)...and yet my family still thinks I'm radical.

It's weird, because my dad has admitted to me that he thinks the Bible is bunk, and he doesn't really believe in a Judeo-Christian god...but he calls himself a Christian because it's "easier." He thinks I should stop being "out there" and just "go with the flow." I think he's mostly a deist (even though he claims not to be). I felt really left out at Thanksgiving dinner when we prayed. I felt almost...targeted, because we haven't said a prayer before Thanksgiving dinner in years, and now that I'm a professional atheist, we have a prayer to our "Heavenly Father?"

It stinks, because you always hear about how standing up and being different is good...unless you're an atheist. Simply not believing in a deity and thinking we should have a separation of church and state is radical enough that my family doesn't want to hear about my work. That kind of sucks. :/

Anyway, that's why I think secular groups are important. Even if my family isn't excited about my job, my friends can be. I have my biological family, and I have the family I've built here in Columbus and online. My coworkers are all fantastic (like JT, he's so fantastic that I put his stuff in jello) and the people I've met at conferences are so kind and supportive.

I know there's no invisible sky daddy watching me who's proud of my accomplishments, but I can at least rest easy in the fact that I'm making a difference in the world and actually helping people...and there are people out there who are proud of me. 

And shit, I'm proud of me. That's pretty important.

My defection from the Catholic Church

That letter is my formal defection from the Catholic Church. Like many people, I was baptized as a baby, and since water was dropped on my head before I could talk, that means the church owns me forever!

Not anymore. I got my copy of a defection letter from here (PDF) and found the address of the church diocese that I was baptized at here (for US only). I filled out my info, and since the church doesn't want to lose me as a member, I wrote on the back "I request confirmation of my defection from the church sent to [address]. Thank you for your prompt attention." I then wrote my name and email underneath it. (Many thanks to my coworker JT for being my witness.)

It may seem stupid or unimportant to some of you. That's fine. For me, it's a big deal. I was a Shi'ite Catholic (to quote Jim Gaffigan), so to officially renounce it...feels good, man. Also, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee has  over 600,000 members-- which is outrageous when you realize the metro population of Milwaukee is approximately 1.5 million. The Catholic Church is also the largest denomination of Christianity in the world, exceeding 1 billion members.

I don't want to be counted in that number. I don't want them to pray for me. I don't want them to keep sending requests for money to my parents' house for me. I don't think I need to go through the details of why the Catholic Church is a horrible institution. If for some reason you don't know why the church is so awful, I highly suggest you watch the Intelligence Squared debate with Christopher Hitchens and Stephen Fry. If you ever needed more reason to dislike the Catholic church, this will do it (or if you don't hate the Catholic church-- this will make you).

And considering it only takes a few minutes to do (I mean, the letter is already written for you and everything) and the cost of a stamp...it's worth it to me. I feel good about it. If you do it, leave a comment and let me know! Stop supporting this homophobic, misogynistic, and pedophilic organization. I'll post an update when I get a response from them.

(By the way, if you're in the mood for a laugh, definitely watch the Jim Gaffigan clip about Jesus and religious people. It's hilarious.)

I don't feel well

So here's a picture of my kitty.

Penelope kept me company while I was sick all day. Good kitty. 

Should the Skeptic Community Concern itself with Mental Illness?

If you're not interested in reading today, the short answer is yes. You can also watch JT's speech, "Mental Illness and Why the Skeptic Community Should Give a Shit." It is a very powerful and moving speech, and I do suggest you watch it.


A blog was just put up in response to it. Most responses I've seen are positive, but this was criticized JT's speech. Which is fair, nothing should be immune to criticism. However, sometimes criticisms are just....bad. 


I graduated last year with a degree in Psychology. So big woop, I have a BA in Psychology. In real terms, that means close to nothing. However, as a skeptic myself, and as someone who cares deeply about the cause of mental illness, I feel the need to critique this blog. So, let's start, shall we? The author, Gina, says...

The overall theme I gathered from Eberhard’s speech was that the atheist/skeptic community needs to move on from disproving religious claims and instead needs to help teach to the world that mental illness is not something to dismiss or take lightly.

 "Move on" from religion? At what point did JT say that? Approximately 4 minutes into his speech, JT starts talking about his speech from last year about how he debated Christians. He follows that with, 

"But our movement is evolving. The way we approach things is changing, and to come in here and do a talk on how to defeat a bunch of religious arguments....isn't really something we need anymore. You guys know how to beat the 'first cause' argument, you know how to beat the 'fine tuning' argument. And if you don't, there are people who do it a lot better than me."

So at what point does he say we no longer need to work on disproving religious claims? To me, it seems like he's saying we could work on more than one thing at a time? Woah, dude. Crazy concept.

However, I disagree with JT’s statements that seem to say that SSRI’s are all that are needed for treatment. He said nothing about the importance of therapy.

 When did he say that? He does talk about the importance of SSRI's. They are very important. He also talk about his therapy and going to a therapist. He talks about the need for a social support network. Almost every disease has more than one thing you need to do to treat it (many times a change of diet and exercise, plus medication). 


The reason why JT highlights the need for SSRI's (or any other kind of medication) is because mental illness is a physical disorder. Not in the sense that, "oh, my leg is broken, I can't walk," but in the sense of "There is a chemical imbalance happening in my brain that I cannot control with my thoughts." By downplaying the importance of medication in treating mental illnesses, you are making it seem like a mental illness is the fault of the person who is sick. Just the same that it's the fault of someone who has breast cancer. A person with a mental illness cannot just think it away-- that was the entire point of JT's speech, and you seem to have missed that entirely. Yes, therapy also helps. Yes, a social support network is critical. But you cannot just think away a mental disorder.

One issue I have with this whole thing is the fact that he specifically chose the issue of mental illness. I believe that he chose this because he himself suffers from a mood disorder; it’s what’s on his mind. Maybe he has been shunned in the past by people who didn’t understand that a mood disorder can’t be fixed by simply willing it to be so. I don’t think it’s okay just to pick a topic simply because you believe it should be focused on. What about other issues? What about focusing on uncovering social issues in undeveloped countries? What about focusing on other medical illnesses? I don’t think it’s okay to take on the issue of mental illness simply because someone fairly well-known in the skeptic community believes that the issue should be taken on.

So....what? Well, shame on him for speaking from experience! In that case, PZ shouldn't have talked about science education...I mean, he works with students, he's obviously too close to the issue to see it clearly. And why does he get to decide what topic to give?! I mean, it's just his speech!


 JT gave one speech. Do you expect him to cover EVERY issue in the world? We should also yell at Jen for not talking about poverty in her genetics speech, and Darrell Ray for not talking about global warming in his.

"I don’t think it’s okay for people who are not trained in the treatment of mood disorders to take on this issue just because 25% of the US population (according to JT) suffers from a mood disorder."

According to NIMH, the actual rate (of lifetime prevalence of mental disorders) is 26.2%.  Well, most people in the Skeptic movement also aren't professional biologists; should we stop caring about Intelligent Design in classrooms? Championing people to care about a cause, and educate themselves on it, is not a bad thing, regardless of their "qualifications." JT, at no point, said that we should stop going to mental health professionals and just pretend to be them. He stressed the importance of going to them, in fact. Caring about someone with a mental disorder and knowing the basics about mental health treatment is not getting rid of doctors. 


Also, as a former Psych student, I am greatly upset that you would misquote JT (especially when his entire speech is available online) and say confuse "mood disorders" with "mental illness." According to the DSM, there are many kinds of mental illness, including (but not limited to) mood disorders, anxiety disorders, behavioral disorders, etc. 

I strongly disagree with JT telling the audience that they MUST be there for their family and friends who are suffering from mental illness. You can’t make anyone take on anything. What if they don’t want to take on this issue?

If someone doesn't care enough about other people (1/5 of Americans) to educate themselves on mental illness and treat those people with dignity, then they are an asshole. It doesn't need to be the main focus of their attention, but if they can't take the time to realize, "huh, people with mental disorders are really sick, and they can't just cure themselves in a day," then not only are they a bad skeptic, they are also a jerk.


Gina then continues with some non sequitur about JT's blogging habits, which is really irrelevant to his speech and comes across as a personal attack, so I won't touch that.

Another issue I have is the fact that JT readily believes that it’s okay for people to suffer from mental illness, while it is not okay for people to believe in and follow a religion.

Wow. This comes across horribly. I really hope the author didn't mean it in the way it sounded, because it sounds pretty bad. Yes, JT (and myself) believe it is okay to suffer from a mental disorder. If you don't think it's okay, then you are an asshole. It's not a choice to have a mental disorder. It is a choice to believe in religious dogma. The fact that you even compared those two things is appalling to me.

Well, what about the fact that mental disorders are founded on un-provable beliefs and thoughts? Why not apply the same type of logic to this claim? Just present enough evidence to someone that their thoughts do not accurately represent actual reality, and they should immediately accept the fact that they are a good person and should be happy. Mental illness does bad things to the people suffering from them. Seems fair to expect people suffering mental illness to just disprove its validity, right?

She follows this paragraph with "NO," which is interesting, because she doesn't seem to understand what she's saying. So...you just disproved your own bad argument? 


Mental disorders are not founded on un-provable beliefs and thoughts. They're founded on biological, environmental, and psychological factors.  As someone who is a psychology student, the author of this blog should have known better than to make such a poor argument. Me having an illogical thought (e.g. "There's probably a murderer behind my shower curtain even though all my doors are locked and no one else is inside my house") is completely different from having a mental disorder.


So, in closing, yes, the Skeptic community should concern itself with mental illness.

My thoughts on Gelatogate

Gelatogate, the biggest scandal to rock the atheist world since the last -gate scandal happened. As much as I want everyone to just give it up already, I have my two cents to throw in. (In case you're unfamiliar with it: here's Hemant's take, JT's thoughts, Jen's reaction, Adam's post, and PZ's rant.) Basically, responses range from, "Wow, how good for him to admit he was wrong! Let's reach out in friendship!" to "No, fuck him to the ground."

One person got to sit down with him and interview him. Basically, Andy (the Gelato store owner) said that we need to reach out to others and respect each others' beliefs, not mock them. Some of the firebrands in the movement (namely JT and PZ) feel that this is a ridiculous position to hold and we should still attack him and his business.

The problem with still being angry with this guy is that most people in America think this way. Andy is not special for thinking we shouldn't mock other people's beliefs. He just happens to have done a stupid thing in front of someone with a camera, and then the internet hate machine swarmed upon him. He's kind of like Kim Kardashian, except his sex tape was a sign.

We shouldn't worry about his opinions more than we do everyone else's. Okay?

(By the way, I took some Nyquil a while ago because I'm dealing with Cold #2 already this season, and I had planned to write a lot more and a lot more eloquently, but you know, Nyquil, so if there are horrible grammatical errors or anything like that, I'm sorry. Time for bed.)

(Wow, that seriously took me over an hour to write. I hardly wrote anything. I really need to go to bed now.)

In Which Sarah Responds to Joy's Comment

So, being a winner on a Saturday night, I'm responding to blog comments. Aww yeah, you jelly? 


Anyway, Joy is a friend of mine from college. She is a very devout Christian, and she also has some serious health issues (we did commiserate over food allergies quite frequently), so I can attest that she is telling the truth as far as her health issues go. 


On my post about Forrest Gump, Joy had this to say:

 I'm going to push back a little because I feel that polite feedback and disagreement is a healthy thing. If you feel i'm being impolite or too pushy say so and I'll back down. 

I firmly believe that G-d does answer prayer. I think he uses police, doctors, ect to answer prayer. Sometimes it might seem easier for him just to swoop down and make things right, but he doesn't. I don't have all the answers, and I'm learning to be okay with that. I guess that's where faith comes in, believing in what we cannot understand. Just over 3 years ago, the doctors told me I was going to die. Blood vessels in my brain were getting ready to explode. They had no answers. There was no surgery they could do, no medicine they could give me. My faith community rallied around me and we prayed. I'm alive today. The doctors have no answer for it. Not every prayer is answered that way, but sometimes they are. Other times, G-d uses people.

Anyway, you are definitely not too pushy, Joy. :) I do appreciate you commenting and opening this discussion.  However, I am going to have to disagree with you. 


To be honest, I think it's kind of sucky for God to not just swoop down and fix things. I mean, what's the point in making this huge creation, and then just totally screwing over large portions of it (e.g. third world countries, people born with diseases, etc.)? That does not seem very loving to me. 

I'm not claiming that I have all the answers. In fact, for everything we find out, it just creates more questions. Does that mean we will never know everything? Not quite. I mean, sure, humanity may die out before we solve everything about the universe (in fact, that's more than likely), but this idea that god has some secret plan for all of us and so we should stop asking questions because it will never be revealed to us...well, I just can't accept that. Why doesn't god want us to know his secret plan? What would be the harm in that? If god just revealed himself to everyone and used his big booming voice to reach everyone (like Voldemort in Harry Potter 7) and said, "Hey yo, I'm real, stop acting like assholes and killing each other, I want you to love each other, okay?" Like...wouldn't that stop all wars? Why doesn't god do that? Oh, because we have free will? But we don't have the knowledge that he does. That seems....not wise. (I am pretending, for the moment, that god is all-loving and doesn't support war and genocide, despite the entire OT.)


I will say, Joy, that I am happy you are alive and that your brain did not explode. But just because doctors didn't know what to do doesn't mean that god is real. For every story like yours, there are literally hundreds (or thousands) of stories where people prayed for god to fix them, and yet they died. Oftentimes in terrible, painful, drawn out ways. 


You also say that god uses people. I know there's that joke/story about the guy standing on the roof of his house when his city is flooded, and like three people in canoes float by and offer him a ride, and he says, "No, god will save me." And then he dies and asks god why he didn't try to save him, and god says, "I did try! I sent three boats by!" That...actually makes me really mad. I do try my best to help people every day. I do it because I think it's the right thing to do, and because I think we should all help people, because society is better for it. The idea that the credit for the good that I (or firefighters, or doctors, or police officers, etc.) do belongs to god is bogus. First, it wrongly implies that people who do good things are exclusively Christian and are guided by god. It also suggests that god is guiding all of our decisions. But wait, I thought we had free will? Christians do not have the monopoly on beneficial actions.


I am glad that you have a community that supports you. But what about the people who pray really hard and don't survive? Did they not pray hard enough? Did not enough people pray? Why did god's plan for them involve pain and suffering and then death? God seems kind of like a jerk, if that's his plan. 


Of course, the response is that he "works in mysterious ways." That's just not a response I can accept.

What are atheists thankful for?

In the spirit of Thanksgiving and giving thanks, the lovely Fellowship of Freethought in Dallas took a video at the recent Skepticon about what atheists are thankful for. If you're curious about what my chipmunk voice sounds like, skip ahead to 1:28. :)

What are you thankful for?

Responding to comments

If there's a way to respond to comments on blogger, I am yet unaware of it. So! I'm going to address my two (!!) comments in another post. (Don't worry, I won't post this much every night....just Saturday nights. When I'm sitting at home. Watching movies on TV. Like a winner.)

Paul Rinzler said...
Allow me to be the first to comment on your blog.
Hey, you've got a blog!
(I was sent her from Daylight Atheism)

Yay! Thanks for being the first commenter...you will always hold a special place in my heart. I do have a blog! Also, many thanks to Adam Lee over at Daylight Atheism for giving my blog its first boost. :) (Plus, Adam is a great guy/writer, so you should really be reading his stuff.) 

Frank Bellamy said...
I'll be the second to comment on your blog.
I love your sarcasm.
Where does the name of your blog come from?

Yay, Frank! I feel so famous, with two whole comments. Anyway, thank you for commenting (and reading, which I feel is implied by commenting). I also love my sarcasm, and I will try to keep it up. You know why? Because I care about your brain, Frank. And recent studies show that sarcasm "appears to stimulate complex thinking and to attenuate the otherwise negative effects of anger." So, really, I'm doing it for you, Frank. I just can't help but be a selfless person.


Anyway, the name of my blog comes from my real name (Sarah), my tendency to rant, and my desire to be a dinosaur. (Or it comes from the suggestion of my friend Jared. Probably because I'm part dinosaur though.)


(Seriously you guys, thanks for reading and commenting. I am downright stoked that people care about what I have to say. :)

Forrest Gump on God

One of my absolute favorite movies is Forrest Gump. I'm watching it with my family right now, because it's an awesome film.


Obviously the film covers lots of themes, like life, death, and god. I think the part that makes me the saddest that lots of people miss is the part where Forrest and Jenny run away from Jenny's abusive father.

Young Jenny: Pray with me, Forrest. Pray with me. Dear God, make me a bird, so I can fly far, far far away from here. Dear God, make me a bird...

Forrest: Mama always said that God is mysterious. He didn't turn Jenny into a bird that day. Instead, he had the police say that Jenny didn't have to stay in that house no more. She went to live with her grandma, just over on Greekmore Ave. Which made me happy 'cause she was so close. Some nights, Jenny's sneaked out and come on over to my house, just 'cause she said she was scared. Of what? I don't know, but I think it was her grandma's dog. He was a mean dog. Anyway, Jenny and me was best friends all the way up through high school.  [Emphasis mine.]

This makes me so mad, because it's so true. How many abused children pray for a god they're told loves them to give them a safe place to live? Or gay children who try to 'pray away the gay?' Or people with terminal diseases who pray to be healed or take away the pain? And how often does he answer? (hint: never)


And yet, when god fails and a police officer or medical doctor steps in, people thank god.



Here's a link to the clip, if you've never seen it before.

"Why do you atheists feel the need to meet up?"

"What are you going to do, sit around and talk about how much you hate god?"

"I think hanging out with an organization that is defined as non-religious sounds as much fun as hanging out with an organization that defines itself as religious."



"I've hung out with atheists before. I'd rather iron my dick."

Oh, the questions I hear about atheist groups. Even atheists themselves seem to question why other atheists would want to meet up as a group or go to a conference (by the way-- those are actual quotes that people have said to me).



To explain my thoughts on it, I'll give some history. I was raised Catholic and in a really conservative area. As a kid, I loved going to church. The feeling of community and the fact that there's a large group of people care about you and what happens to you, who support you...that was such a good feeling! Then when I started to question my faith and stopped going to church...I lost that community. And it sucked. Especially since my family didn't support me.

So then I went to college (in a really Christian area), and anytime something bad happened to me, or I was struggling with something, I tried to turn to people, but all the responses I got were "Pray, because Jesus will help you," or "God has a plan." That sucked as well. It actually made me feel worse. 

I didn't really have anyone to turn to. So I started an atheist group on my campus, because I didn't know any other atheists on campus, and I figured I had to try.

The response was overwhelming. People came out of the woodwork and said they felt the same way I did, and they just wanted a place where they could feel like everyone didn't hate them for simply believing something different.

I've now been a part of a lot of atheist groups, and I actually see a lot of dissent in ideas and actions people want to do. It's great, because we have fantastic conversations and we're all exposed to new ideas that we may not have considered before. The only time I've seen someone ostracized was when they act like jerks (I've only seen it once, and the guy claimed that because he was a white, heterosexual male, he didn't care about equal rights for any group other than himself, and no amount of talk could convince him otherwise...and he chose to leave, we didn't kick him out).

Why does anyone go to any group ever? Because humans are social creatures and we like being around other people, especially people who agree with us. What bothers me is that people get on the case of atheists (or skeptics, or agnostics, or whatever you title is) for wanting to meet up and/or go to conferences...but no one asks a religious person why they go to church. Like, okay, you believe in Jesus, now what? You sit around and talk about how much you hate atheists?

So, why should you go? Some people really need a safe space to be able to say, "Hey, I don't believe in a god." And if you don't need that, perhaps you can provide support for someone who does. Or perhaps you don't challenge yourself very much...trust me, someone will be there to challenge your ideas and make you work to defend them (or change them, which is also good). Most importantly, it will enable you to get active in the movement. Whether you're a firebrand who thinks we need to destroy religion or a diplomat who wants to coexist, we need to be out and active. 

If you've never been to a secular-type meetup before, I do suggest that you try it. It is a great way to be introduced to new ideas, or to get recommendations of things to watch/read, or just to have a safe place where no one is going to tell you that something is wrong with you because you didn't pray hard enough. :)

So, who is this chick?

Alright, so you've happened on my blog. Probably because I bothered you on Twitter about it. Good job, you've made the right choice so far. Read carefully, there will be a quiz at the end.


Anyway, you may be wondering who I am, so I feel an introduction is due. So, my story, in abbreviated version (some parts will be expanded upon in future blog entries). 


I grew up just outside Milwaukee, WI and attended Catholic school for about 10 years. I was, for lack of a better term, a Super Catholic (TM). If they gave awards for being Catholic, I would have won. Yadda yadda yadda, in college I became an atheist (like I said, certain parts deserve their own entry, and so I will not go into much detail now). 


Of course, since I was mostly Christian when I was picking out colleges, I chose to attend an ultra-mega-extremist Christian college. Hey, they were friendly on my campus visit. I was generally fine with the outrageous Christian hegemony at the college (aside from a few annoying run-ins), until my senior year when I decided to start an atheist student group (this will be another entry of its own).


Basically, I started a Secular Student Alliance at my college and was then harassed for a year straight. It was awesome (for those of you who don't know me very well: that was sarcasm. I do that a lot. Don't worry, you'll catch on quickly.). 


It was pretty awful, if I'm being completely honest. Fortunately I had some good friends and support, and even more fortunately, I graduated! So in May of 2011, I was released out in the Real World, which was simultaneously awesome and horrible. After about two months of job searching, I applied for (and got!) a job working for the Secular Student Alliance (I'm going to talk about the SSA a lot, because it's an awesome organization, and you should support it. Go do that. I'll wait. *Twiddles thumbs* Done? Okay, cool.) 


So, I bought a car, packed up my life (and new kitten), and shipped off to Ohio. After just a few weeks, I was sent off to tour with Richard Dawkins with his new book, The Magic of Reality.

So, after a few weeks of travelling with my bff Richard, I came back to Columbus, and now here I am. Well, okay, technically I'm in Milwaukee visiting my family. Why don't you just pick apart everything I say?


And that's my life. If you have questions, leave me a comment! Or if you just liked (or hated) my blog, or me, or my face, leave me a comment as well. I'm new to this whole blogging thing so I hope I'm doing an okay job. If not, I'm sure you'll leave me a nasty comment telling me to die or get fucked or something, and those will be lovely to read as well.


Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving!

What is this I don't even

So you know how the internet is filled with assholes who think their thoughts and opinions are just so good that they need to tell everyone?

Well, I've now joined those ranks of people. I'd like to think my opinions matter because I'm a professional atheist, but we'll see.

More to come, probably once I get out of the airport.