1. An Interview with Prof. Richard Dawkins

Comment #199331 by TSkidC on June 25, 2008 at 2:30 pm

To underscore the following portion of Richard's answer to the first question:
"It is also I think disputable whether it is that comforting, given that people are brought up to fear hell for example."

My mom passed away from cancer a couple of years ago. She was a fervant, devout fundamentalist Christian and her faith actually caused her great anguish. She agonized and fretted over the fact that I was no longer a believer. She contemplated an eternity of separation from me and an eternity of me enduring the torture of hell.

So, the "certainty" of the afterlife can very much be a double edged sword.

2. Happy Birthday, Richard Dawkins!

Comment #150069 by TSkidC on March 26, 2008 at 12:29 pm

A very happy birthday to you, Richard. It was a pleasure indeed to finally hear you in person in Minneapolis.

Best wishes for a fantastic year.

Scott Campbell

3. New atheists or new anti-dogmatists?

Comment #117350 by TSkidC on January 28, 2008 at 3:48 pm

I think it is actually important in discussion these matters with individuals to emphasize that I am both an anti-dogmatist and an atheist. While theism often leads to dogmatism, it does not always do so. And clearly, dogmatism can be entirely non-religious (e.g. communism). So, while I am opposed to religious dogmatism, I am also opposed to non-religious dogmatism. And I am also opposed to theism on its own grounds, even if it is the non-dogmatic form (although it does much less direct damage).

So I think we need to keep both concepts clear and distinct. Hence I am anti-dogmatistic and atheistic.

4. God rest you merry atheist

Comment #100341 by TSkidC on December 18, 2007 at 2:04 pm

It's interesting how some of my friends who are ministers/leaders in the moderate or liberal wing of Christianity have altered many hymns (including Christmas carols) to remove the "offensive" language -- e.g., references to God as King or as masculine, references to the blood of Christ as a propitiation for sins. Of course, they are trying to rewrite them so they can sing them and still mean what they sing -- something that atheists obviously aren't concerned with. But it does highlight that there are some ideas and language in these songs that are offensive if you pause to think of what they are actually saying. So the fact that they are part of a long standing tradition may not be the most important criteria for deciding whether or not to sing along. After all who of us would sing songs that make fun of another person's race just because they are a part of a cultural tradition.

5. God rest you merry atheist

Comment #99879 by TSkidC on December 17, 2007 at 6:16 pm

I must admit I had an initial negative reaction to both the comments by the four horsemen around Christmas as well as to Richard's comments on being a cultural Christian. As I have thought of why I am having this reaction when others are not, I realized that it may be because I used to be a firm believer in the fundamentalist Christian world. When I rejected that belief system, I wanted to distance myself from it entirely. So, to even think of singing Christmas carols is repugnant. But it may be a matter of one's starting point. To those who have always considered the story of Jesus as something less than the literal truth, and who have not grown up in the world of fundamentalism, this may simply be a matter of participating in a cultural event. For those of us who have been in that world and have rejected it, there will possibly always be a negative emotional reaction to the thought of participating in it again -- even just as a cultural phenomenon.

6. Is Infant Male Circumcision An Abuse Of The Rights Of The Child?

Comment #96144 by TSkidC on December 10, 2007 at 4:04 am

I find it amusing that discussion of the penis has created such a huge response compared to some of the other topics on this site. I don't mean to minimize the importance of protecting children from physical abuse, which IS what I consider circumcision to be. But it does put a smile on my male face to realize that we still have such a strong interest in topics related to that famous member of our body.