tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2688635230872052832024-02-18T20:35:38.978-08:00Doubting EricExploring Freedom of the MindEric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-88880327637042453822013-01-21T14:22:00.003-08:002013-01-21T14:22:51.929-08:00Evid3nc3If you haven't, please watch YouTube user Evid3nc3's brilliant series on his deconversion from Christianity. It is so thoughtful and honest, if you also used to be a Christian, you will really appreciate it.<br />
<br />
Watch the series <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSy1-Q_BEtQ&list=PLA0C3C1D163BE880A">here</a>.Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-12630994454860510792012-12-05T13:33:00.000-08:002012-12-05T13:34:11.467-08:00A Quick Guide of Creationist's (Incorrect) Claims<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.gawkerassets.com/post/8/2012/12/neanderthal2-278x225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="http://img.gawkerassets.com/post/8/2012/12/neanderthal2-278x225.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">http://img.gawkerassets.com/post/8/2012/12/neanderthal2-278x225.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I thought I would pass this article along. It's a quick read, and targets many of the wrong beliefs that creationists (especially the young-earth variety) have.<br />
<br />
Read it <a href="http://io9.com/5965884/draft-10-claims-made-by-creationists-to-counter-scientific-theories">here</a>.Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-47220660309352205562012-10-07T12:00:00.000-07:002012-10-15T16:04:54.914-07:00A Conversation With My Pastor, Part 4<br />
<div id="yui_3_2_0_1_1349564003976247">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-rEgIq03PY51u-hBd3CAW1k89O3wa8Llj-clKync3RiHhsCMebW2xBn-8Fou1-C2jqqxX7l8AXF3r1HWUj1AeyhFoPGfoENhQ0Mc73vFYKoRRrOVkGdX1_Fhpy_wYyEIamXDDzFR-Ayl/s1600/science-vs-religion.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-rEgIq03PY51u-hBd3CAW1k89O3wa8Llj-clKync3RiHhsCMebW2xBn-8Fou1-C2jqqxX7l8AXF3r1HWUj1AeyhFoPGfoENhQ0Mc73vFYKoRRrOVkGdX1_Fhpy_wYyEIamXDDzFR-Ayl/s400/science-vs-religion.jpeg" width="450" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here is the fourth installment in the <a href="http://doubtingeric.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-conversation-with-my-pastor-part-1.html" target="_blank">ongoing email conversation</a> between my former pastor and myself. </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lance -</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am very glad you took the time to reply. I know how busy you must be, and writing something like you did is not done on a whim. It required deep thinking, and care, and both are evident in what you wrote. Please know that nothing you have said has offended me, or even approached what might be considered an insult.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1">I feel that </span>I must apologize for the length of this. There are just so many ideas and things to say about them that I have a hard time being succinct. I am finding our conversation very interesting and enlightening, and hope it continues. I hope you feel the same.</span></i><br />
<a name='more'></a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="font-family: inherit;">The things you said about losing purpose and ultimate meaning are things that I have often thought about, as it is something that I used to believe when I was a Christian. I must admit that I never really struggled with it in my transition from belief to non-belief, because life actually felt better after I realized I didn't believe and was truly free to explore what that meant. But because it has been fine </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">so far</span><i style="font-family: inherit;"> doesn't mean that it won't all of the sudden hit me like a ton of bricks. So it is important to think about. Allow me to explain what I have made of all this.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">About this topic you said:</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">“</span>I’m sad because of what you lose in this process. From my limited perspective: Although you feel tremendous freedom, you have lost purpose. Although you have gained openness and knowledge, you have lost value. Although you have gained a form of peace, you have lost a future.”</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">And then later:</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">“</span>No matter what value you can dream up for a life without a God (or outside force from this system), it cannot have any ultimate value in my mind. It can have limited value, i.e. Makes something more or less pleasant. But if there is no greater scheme/theme/reality, then all is meaningless. I appreciate that there are other worldviews that give value to this world without God, I just don’t buy it. Advancement of a species isn’t compelling. Life isn’t compelling. Existence isn’t compelling, it just.....is.”</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>One of the difficulties in discussing this topic is that of definitions. The very idea of ultimate, transcendent purpose and meaning to our life and the universe at large is intrinsically </i>theistic<i>. That is, it is a kind of meaning and purpose that is </i>by definition<i> different than subjective meaning and purpose. The ultimate type of meaning has its source in something outside ourselves, something “above” humans. What else could that be, but God? The subjective kind of meaning has its source in us, and as a result, cannot </i>ever<i> be the first kind. So if someone faults an godless worldview for not offering any sort of ultimate, transcendent purpose to anything, it's an awful lot like faulting a circle for not having four sides – by definition, it could not.</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Of course, for many believers, this is the very thing they wish to prove (that worldviews with ultimate purpose and value are more true than worldviews without), and for them it highlights a major problem for people who don't believe in a god. I've noticed the thinking usually goes something like this:</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">“</span>Since the only sort of meaning and purpose an unbeliever can have in life is subjective, it cannot be as fulfilling or happy as objective meaning and purpose, and it ultimately leads to depression and nihilism.”</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">I think this is completely false, and I think only people who have lived on both sides can honestly and believably talk about this. Only if you have been told that this type of ultimate meaning is necessary to human happiness and well-being will you be afraid of losing it.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>But why should we even expect to have a transcendent purpose in the first place? Why is it assumed that we humans are guaranteed some sort of ultimate purpose to our lives anyway? It seems to be a common presupposition among believers (especially apologists, in my experience) that having a transcendent purpose and meaning is something foundational that the universe, or God, has promised us. That makes sense to a believer because they believe in God, of course. But to me, I find that presupposition suspicious. It does have a desirable quality to it, the belief that we are destined for something, or that God has a plan for our lives. That appeals to many people and gives them meaning in their life. But if the question of God's existence is </i>truly<i> up for debate, then that presupposition should no longer be a presupposition, but should be something the believer aims to prove.</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Let me go on a tangent real quick about how while there might be some depressing consequences of us not having an objective meaning to life, those consequences have no bearing on whether God exists or not. Even if it was true that everyone who didn't believe in God could find no meaning at all to life, or felt depressed all the time, or just plain didn't want to live anymore, it may still be the truth that there is no god. Even if thinking God wasn't real was the worst possible thing for the world, it may still be true. The consequences to holding a belief do not affect whether or not the belief is true. On the flip side, the fact that people find happiness in religion does not show that a religion is true. This life </i>could<i> in fact not be compelling or interesting, or have no ultimate point to it, and it could even be the most depressing existence one could possibly imagine, but would that unpleasantness change whether that was really the case or not?</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>You say that I have lost purpose, value, and a future. You think that I lost these things, but I disagree. I don't think the sort of purpose, value, and the future you are talking about exist in the first place. So the idea of “losing” those (what I think are) imaginary things doesn't trouble me. When I realized the implications of my lack of belief in God on ultimate meaning and value to life, I didn't feel like meaning had somehow escaped my clutch and retreated to remain just out of my reach. Instead I felt like I noticed for the first time that the </i>ideas<i> of ultimate meaning and purpose were never actually real in the first place.</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The good news for me is that I don't think the consequences of not believing in God are bad at all! I don't think life is meaningless and bleak. I don't feel like I lost any meaning - I feel like my life has </i>gained<i> meaning.</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">But I think I understand what you mean when you say I lost those things. I think you mean in fact that in going from thinking there is an ultimate purpose to my life, and intrinsic value rooted in God, to thinking that there is no purpose to anything and everything is meaningless, that I might possibly develop a bleak outlook and live an unfulfilled life. If one takes away the idea of the ultimate Standard, Lawgiver, or Purpose-maker, then someone who once believed in this transcendent source of all purpose and meaning for the universe and its contents may feel like life just went from supremely meaningful to dark and meaningless without it. Their life may seem to not have a direction they are “supposed” to go (especially someone who works in church and who's whole life is intertwined with their faith), so they feel lost, empty, and meaningless. I can understand that.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">If this is the sort of thing you mean when you say you are sad because I lost purpose, value and a future, then it seems the main concern you have is for my emotional and mental well-being. To that I say thank you, and I appreciate the concern, but I am really not suffering at all, and I feel more intellectually honest and fulfilled than I ever have in my life. The knowledge that I have only one life, and that it is short, is enough to give my life the most ultimate meaning I can possibly imagine. Please understand that in my worldview, these subjective values and purposes we strive for and care about in our lives are the most we can expect, so to realize there is nothing above that does not surprise me. If anything, it causes me to focus on those things even more and devote more time to them.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Regarding open-mindedness:</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">I would like to respond to something you said, and by doing so, hopefully clarify my position on the matter. You said:</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">“</span>In my world there is supernatural. I have walked in it. I have seen it. I have engaged with it. I have lived in it. Although my world can contain all that you believe now (natural), your world cannot contain mine (supernatural).”</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">I would like to point out that I am not at all closed to the possibility of there being a supernatural realm. Nothing about my worldview eliminates possibilities like that. But I am free to change my mind when presented with new information, and would do so without shame. Me not believing in the supernatural right now doesn't mean that I could never do so. My worldview is actually built upon the ideal of self-correction. I try to make the most important decisions based on the evidence. New evidence can come in and completely change what I thought about a particular topic, and I would welcome it. All this without the fear of new evidence that I used to feel when I was restricted by my faith allows me to actively pursue the evidence to wherever it leads, without fear that my world will come crashing down around me. That is the intellectual freedom I can enjoy without feeling any sort of fear of being proven wrong (other than my hurt pride).</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I do find myself still connected to the world of faith, and with Christian apologetics. I find it interesting to think and talk about these sorts of things, and I doubt I'll stop anytime soon. I have a lot of objections to the idea of the Christian God, and I do continually look for convincing answers for them. Through books and the internet, I have access to a long history of Christian thought, and at my fingertips are the best arguments and answers theologians and apologists have </i>ever<i> come up with. I have read them, tried my best to understand them, and formerly used many of them, but I fail to find them convincing. I have heard no good reasons to believe, despite my honest trying. I mentioned before that I used to have to do “mental gymnastics” in order for me to maintain my faith in God, given the conflicting evidence I was aware of. I can, without any reservations, tell you that I don't have any of that same feeling now. I know I am being honest with myself, and with others, and I know I would change my mind if convinced.</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Related to this is the idea that I am somehow restricted </i>by<i> and bound </i>to<i> atheism, or what Richard Dawkins says, or something like that. I would like to take this opportunity to dissuade you from making that error. I think for myself, and as a result, in certain things, disagree with those who I look up to and admire greatly. Again, there is no fear for me in this, as there is no rulebook or doctrine for me to follow. Nothing restricts me, or even could </i>in theory<i> restrict me from following my curiosity.</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is often said that many non-believers have “faith” in science, or Carl Sagan, or just in themselves. It is usually implied that this “faith” and religious faith are really the same sort, and the non-believer just won't admit it. I disagree. I do look up to many people, and I like what those people say (most of the time), and I listen to what they say, but I only believe what they are saying because of evidence (more so on the most important things). I don't believe them because I'm supposed to, or because I always have, or for some other reason like that. I do it because what they are telling us is backed up with evidence, and I find that evidence convincing. Now if I am wrong, and this “faith” I just described is the sort of faith a believer has, then I would be very happy and I would have no problem with that. That would be a good kind of faith, because it is based on evidence, and therefore rational. But people don't usually call that faith, they call it reason.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">I apologize if I am talking past you, and perhaps you don't really think this way. This misconception is very common, so I thought it was important to take time and attempt to clear it up. If this does not describe your thinking accurately, then please excuse the interlude.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let me take a breath here and reassure you that I am not irritated or insulted by what you wrote. I don't think you are being rude at all. I understand your intentions and I see it is coming from a place of love. I hope that you feel the same way about what I am writing to you. I never want to insult you, but simply discuss our difference of opinion on these things. My main goal is to hopefully clear up some possible misunderstandings that may be getting in the way.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally, you said:</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s3">“</span>Perhaps some of it comes down to a question of which side of the fence do I want to dwell in. If both are equally impossible to affirm, and both demand a need for faith, where do I choose to live? You are currently on one side. I am currently on the other. Maybe that’s what makes me sad, because that has dramatic ramifications (either I’m a fool, or you are lost).”</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I would agree with this and would likely still be a believer if I genuinely thought that </i>“both sides are equally impossible to affirm, and both demand a need for faith....”<i> While I agree with you that neither position on the question of God's existence can be proven beyond all doubt, I do not think that makes both positions equally likely. Therefore, simply “choosing” to live on one side or another doesn't make sense to me. I live on this side because that's the side I think is most likely correct. If I was provided with evidence that God actually did exist, then I would consider that evidence, and be either convinced by it or not. Whether I find it convincing or not is not really up to me.</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't think I have a choice in any of my beliefs. The thing you believe is simply the thing that you find most convincing. When you are being convinced of something, there is no choice being made, whether to be convinced by this evidence or not to be convinced. Sure, one can choose to not listen in the first place, but that's not what we are talking about. Once the evidence is heard and processed, it is found to be convincing or not.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Many different people find many different things convincing. And many different people will vary on whether or not they find the same piece of evidence convincing. This has to do with our biases and presuppositions, which heavily inform what we believe and what we find convincing. Mine are set up in a specific configuration, and it influences how I process new information and evidence. I know these exist, and I try to allow for them, adjusting my perspective to be very generous in my interpretation of the counter-arguments, giving them the benefit of the doubt, and questioning my already held position.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Ultimately, I don't think that I have any meaningful say on whether I, Eric Burton, believe in God or not. I have no choice in what I believe about that. All I can do is make sure I am exposed to arguments and evidence on all sides. What more could anyone do? Perhaps one could look at my lack of belief in God as an unfortunate consequence of being open to other views, but I think that openness to other viewpoints is a good thing, and should be encouraged. Some may say it's actually bad, and the fault to be had (for not believing in God) is mine because I chose to believe that being open-minded is a prime directive, but I can't even control whether I think openness is a good thing or not! I have reasons to think that it's good, and evidence that ultimately did the convincing, but that's the point – it was the evidence that </i>truly<i> convinced me, not an act of my will.</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>To me, that brings up an interesting question about the justice in God's punishment of unbelievers. If I am not </i>truly<i> in control of what I find convincing or not, but I make sure to be as intellectually honest and open as I can be to the evidence for God, why would I be held responsible for what I believe?</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Again, this turned out way longer than expected! Part of the reason for that is my respect for your intellect and honesty. I want to be as clear as possible, and sometimes it feels like certain ideas need a bit more fleshing out to more fully reveal the point I am trying to make. I truly hope that you do not feel like I have attacked you personally or insulted you. Sometimes, when responding to direct quotations by disagreeing and telling someone why you think their view is wrong, it can come off as offensive or rude. I only do so for clarity's sake, so you can know precisely what I am responding to.</span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Finally, I would like to reiterate that I am open to all sorts of possibilities. God may exist, it may even be the Christian God. I really doubt it, based on what I know, but it could be true. It may also be true that if God doesn't exist, life would be devoid of meaning and value, and the most depressing thing ever imagined. Now even if those were the only two options, I would still be interested in what was </i>actually<i> true. And of course I think it's a good thing to seek the truth.</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I cannot pretend to believe God is real. I don't actually </i>know<i> that he's not real, and I could be convinced that he is. But in order for me to return to faith, and to believe again, I need to actually think it's true. I would never be a happy Christian if I didn't actually think it was true. I would be holding conflicting views in my head at once, trying to figure out how they can both be true. That is what largely fueled my journey away from faith. I could no longer ignore or dismiss the doubts that grew in my mind – doing so caused a lot of stress and unhappiness. I need to be intellectually honest with myself and others. I need to be convinced that it is </i>at least<i> probably true for me to actually believe it and thus be a happy, fulfilled believer. But that takes evidence.</i></span></blockquote>
</div>
Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-32830273826772816772012-10-02T15:27:00.000-07:002012-10-15T16:04:08.171-07:00A Conversation With My Pastor, Part 3I have been posting a series of emails between my former pastor any myself, discussing my unbelief. Last week, I posted <a href="http://doubtingeric.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-conversation-with-my-pastor-part-2.html" target="_blank">part 2</a>. Here is the 3rd installment:<br />
<br />
If you are new to this conversation, I recommend you start with <a href="http://doubtingeric.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-conversation-with-my-pastor-part-1.html" target="_blank">part 1</a>.<br />
<br />
Lance's reply:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="p1">
<i>Eric - </i></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="p1">
<i>Hey buddy. Clearly my plate has been full if it took me a billion years to get back to you. I’m very sorry about that, but I knew you understood. I wanted to set this email aside until I had a quiet moment. Well, give months later I got one, unfortunately it’s short. But here I am in a Starbucks, reading what you wrote and pondering.</i><br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="p2">
<i>I want to continually affirm my love for you through our discussions. Whether you believe what I believe or not, it’s crucial that you realize that I care about you because we share a past and share friends and experiences and that’s kinda what ends up making family and friends. So, you are one of those friends in my life that kinda has ‘family’ status, because you are fused into my world early on. I don’t talk to my brother or sister very often, but we are family nonetheless.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>Please allow me to ‘push back’ on some things (I think that is healthy, but please let me know if you don’t want that type of dialogue).</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>In reading your thoughts a few things immediately came to mind:</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<br />
<i>1.) Your clarity of writing. I really, really appreciate you making this honest and clear when you communicate. I think that’s awesome. I’d call it a gift but that would only reveal my bias. :-)</i></div>
<br />
<div class="p1">
<i>2.) My heart is sad.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>Perhaps my frustration is that you were led away with all the best intentions in the world, and a beautiful heart. </i><i>You are a not a bad guy, in fact you are a great guy. </i><i>You are very, very smart in so many ways. </i><i>You have examined both sides and in your heart you found one of them wanting. You slipped on one side of the fence, while I live on the other. That’s entirely allowed in our world.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>I’m sad because of what you lose in this process. From my limited perspective: Although you feel tremendous freedom, you have lost purpose. Although you have gained openness and knowledge, you have lost value. Although you have gained a form of peace, you have lost a future.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>But behind all of this I must share a core belief of mine: I am not a Christian because it works for me. I’m a Christian because it makes sense of my world.</i> </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="p1">
<i>In the end we are all going through this life and analyzing from inside the bubble. We are examining and turning over in our hands, life as we see it. My experiences and ‘facts’ (if there are any), have revealed the world to be quiet different from what you have come to in your conclusion.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>In my world there is supernatural. I have walked in it. I have seen it. I have engaged with it. I have lived in it. </i><i>Although my world can contain all that you believe now (natural), your world cannot contain mine (supernatural).</i> </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="p1">
<i>My worldview allows for possibilities of billions of years. (although I view it differently). </i><i>My worldview allows for evolution. (although I view it differently). </i><i>My worldview allows for extreme/majority natural happens and seeming chaos that is patterned. (i.e. ‘miracles’ are natural occurrences that seem random, but in fact are not). </i><i>My worldview allows for most of what I ignorantly believe that you believe (I don’t fully know what you believe, so I’m assuming which of course you know what ‘assume’ does...). </i><i>However, your current worldview makes Christ to be a liar. No one will convince me that Christ didn’t purport to be God, so either He’s right or wrong.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>Please forgive me for being so blunt and rude sounding. I truly mean these things in a soft voice and with gentleness. I am not offended in the least by your thoughts or your process. I merely want to be transparent with you, because it matters to me. You matter to me.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>With all of life we have to make determinations on who and what to trust. The majority of our world cannot be scientifically proven (i.e. Love, connection, faith, God vs. no God, etc.), so we have to make some ‘faith’ moves. </i><i>I have placed my faith in Jesus Christ that He is right and good and that what He says is truth regardless of the opinions of others.</i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>You have placed your faith in men like Russell, Dawkins & Sagan, or in your own ability to reason life. They could be right. Indeed all that you believe could be right, and I could be a fool. Your view would have to allow expansion into defining the supernatural that I have engaged with, and others have engaged with in a cohesive explanation, but ultimately we may both be wrong and the answer is somewhere in the middle. I am not foolish enough to think that I’m not a fool. I am highly limited. My knowledge is capped by my experience. I am woefully unqualified to make many of the determinations. So, therefore I must put my trust in someone or something.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>The fabric of my reality is woven into people. Woven into God concepts. And yes, admittedly to remove those values, I am undone. Would that be freeing for me? Absolutely not. I see no freedom in knowing a truth of nothingness. If I ultimately have an ‘a-ha’ as I realize that I’m heading into a pit of dark nothingness, I am not free, I’m just sad. Knowledge and being right is not so important to me as to risk losing a sense of purpose. Does that mean that I will deny facts in the fact of clinging to something I desperately need? Perhaps. I don’t think so, but hey, I’ve been wrong before.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>No matter what value you can dream up for a life without a God (or outside force from this system), it cannot have any ultimate value in my mind. It can have limited value, i.e. Makes something more or less pleasant. But if there is no greater scheme/theme/reality, then all is meaningless. I appreciate that there are other worldviews that give value to this world without God, I just don’t buy it. Advancement of a species isn’t compelling. Life isn’t compelling. Existence isn’t compelling, it just.....is.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>I appreciate that you have gone on a journey where things have unraveled for you in Christianity. I have not walked your walk in Christianity. I don’t know what you believed for didn’t believe deep in your heart. I don’t know your experiences. I do know your walk had an awful lot of head knowledge in it and craving for ‘answers’. That will walk you down a road where you will be ‘out-gunned’ with more brilliant minds. I guess I would rather be the poor village idiot whom God is pleased with, than the man who has his name on the plaque and the world adores as brilliant and lives in a reality of achievable fact. But not everyone has my view.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>Along my journey, I have had huge questions about pieces of Christianity. I have had huge questions about the activity of God. I have had huge questions about what I do, why I do it and what’s really right. But deep within my spirit I cannot walk the road of meaninglessness. </i><i>I can see myself some day walking apart from God in anger, rebellion, disinterest, bitterness, apathy, wickedness, etc. But I will always know that I’m walking apart from God, not just alone. I appreciate challenges to faith. I appreciate strains to my reasoning. I appreciate that people are smarter than me. I appreciate that there may be enormous gaps to my faith and understanding of my reality (i.e. Does prayer really work like I think it does? Is the Bible accurate to the degree that I hold onto? Is God as personal as I believe Him to be? Do miracles really exist?).</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>Perhaps some of it comes down to a question of which side of the fence do I want to dwell in. If both are equally impossible to affirm, and both demand a need for faith, where do I choose to live? You are currently on one side. I am currently on the other. Maybe that’s what makes me sad, because that has dramatic ramifications (either I’m a fool, or you are lost).</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>Perhaps all of what I have said is putting words into your mouth, and beliefs in your heart that you do not in fact affirm. I’m so sorry if I did that. I really did assume a lot. Please feel free to correct my thinking and set me straight.</i></div>
<div class="p2">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>Regardless, I love you brother.</i></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="p1">
<i>Lance</i></div>
</blockquote>
Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-42049813240161532302012-09-30T11:37:00.000-07:002012-09-30T11:37:28.185-07:00Happy International Blasphemy Rights Day!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggduNA5ULvu0HAUz3WyeBCNVml0gA__BO_XpJ1uV7OryoYDQOY2YcnNRKcKppKL33nNa4QPPCKoTV9GCueyFqhXUn701A9eVqWf5qmZeLNyq76HoZNJP5NgE9pPMGcKDCnUV6lyVnTunhC/s1600/Anti-Blasphemy+Law+1697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggduNA5ULvu0HAUz3WyeBCNVml0gA__BO_XpJ1uV7OryoYDQOY2YcnNRKcKppKL33nNa4QPPCKoTV9GCueyFqhXUn701A9eVqWf5qmZeLNyq76HoZNJP5NgE9pPMGcKDCnUV6lyVnTunhC/s400/Anti-Blasphemy+Law+1697.jpg" width="372" /></a></div>
<br />
Today is International Blasphemy Rights Day. In the United States, our speech is protected, and this allows us to say whatever we wish about religious figures, doctrines, holy books and the like. Here is a list of some of the countries that not only disregard this freedom to blaspheme, but often punish blasphemers, sometimes by execution.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
via Wikipedia:<br />
<br />
Afganistan<br />
Algeria<br />
Austria<br />
Bangladesh<br />
Brazil<br />
Egypt<br />
Finland<br />
Germany<br />
Greece<br />
India<br />
Indonesia<br />
Iran<br />
Ireland<br />
Israel<br />
Jordan<br />
Kuwait<br />
Malaysia<br />
Malta<br />
Netherlands<br />
Nigeria<br />
Pakistan<br />
Poland<br />
Russia (lawmakers are considering anti-blasphemy legislation)<br />
Saudi Arabia<br />
Spain<br />
Sudan<br />
Switzerland<br />
United Arab Emirates<br />
Yemen<br />
<br />
The severity of punishments for blasphemy vary from country to country, and there are several countries that I did not list that still have anti-blasphemy laws on the books, but realistically don't prosecute offenders (Canada, Australia, and some local jurisdictions in the USA). There are also several countries that just recently repealed these sorts of laws.<br />
<br />
Today's "holiday" is not an excuse to offend people, but a day to promote freedom while raising awareness about oppressive legislation. Be glad of your freedom, and don't take it for granted.<br />
Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-32317957483231541462012-09-23T14:02:00.000-07:002012-09-23T14:05:52.730-07:00A Conversation With My Pastor, Part 2<a href="http://doubtingeric.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-conversation-with-my-pastor-part-1.html" target="_blank">Last week</a>, I posted the first in a series of emails between myself and my former pastor. Here is my response to his email:<br />
<blockquote>
<i>Hey Lance, thanks for responding in the manner that you did. "Coming out" to you was difficult, and while I didn't really think you would ostracize me, I am relieved nonetheless.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>I do not mind you asking questions about my change of mind, but I should be clear right off the bat: I am not "assured" there is no god. No one, who really thinks about it, can actually claim to be assured that there isn't. It's not possible to prove. With that said, let me spell out what I actually do think a little more clearly.</i>
<br />
<a name='more'></a></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>I do not think there are any gods, supernatural beings, or anything of the sort. I consider such entities to be in the same existential boat as unicorns, fairies, and free lunches. I could be wrong about the gods, just as I could be wrong about the unicorns or fairies, or even the gratis lunches! But I have no reason to think that I am. I don't think there are any good reasons to believe in any god, much a particular one.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>In regards to how I got here, I often think on that myself. It was a process that began many years ago. I am still surprised by it, when I think on where I was, and where I am now. I never dreamed I would be an atheist, as that thought was always very frightening. But here I am, and it's not scary at all!</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>I was always somewhat skeptical by nature, even when young. I was raised a Christian, saved when I was seven, recommitted my life at twelve, but only got serious about my faith around seventeen or so. I met challenges to my faith from non-believers, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc., and wanted to challenge back, so I found apologetics. I got really into it, and enjoyed the discovery that there were in fact reasons to believe the things I already believed.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>
I read and read and defended and attacked and wanted to win people for Jesus, intellectually. Of course I knew that ultimately it was a spiritual thing that had to happen there, but I wanted to clear the road of all the rocks one might trip over on the way to salvation.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>One of the problems with my approach, however, was I was not really reading what the opposition was saying. I would read about what this guy thinks or this author wrote, but only in Christian sources. Those authors would often be demonized (people like Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, Bertrand Russell, and nearly any intellectual that disagreed with what Christianity taught), and that colored my view of those people. I really missed out on a lot of wonderful things because of that, but luckily, it is preserved on the internet for future generations to discover. Anyway, the point of this is that I had preconcieved notions about the opposition. "Stay away!," the warning went, "We read that nonsense so you don't have to!"</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>I took a few philosophy classes and even considered majoring in it. I remember being cautioned by some believers about how anti-god that field was, and that I should reconsider because of that. But I affirmed that if we had the truth, then we had nothing to fear, since philosophy is just the study of thinking well. Through these classes, I was introduced to divergent thought, but on different terms than before. There were some ideas I had never considered, and I was challenged, but I was able to find why they were "wrong" easily enough.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>Needless to say, I was not really looking for the truth. I realize now that what I was doing, and what I suspect most believers who want to defend what they believe do, by definition - </i>I was looking for justification for my already held beliefs<i>. I wanted someone smart to tell me that what I already believed was in fact correct, and give me the reasons why. But this is the point: there is a difference between questioning everything and simply looking around for an excuse to still hold the belief you want to hold in the first place. I was doing only the latter, and I only realized that within the last few years.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>Over the years, through the things I read, conversations I had with people, and mental struggles with faith, I sought to have a more "reasonable" faith. A faith that was not so black and white, where I felt like I had to know all the answers - because really, that sort of faith is just impossible to defend! It seemed ludicrous to me when I would hear someone say that this verse means this or that when I knew that there are at least three other views on that very passage! I felt like the correct position was one of mild agnosticism about certain non-essential beliefs. I would often remark that the older I got, the less I knew. Not that I was forgetting things, but that the certainty I had was based on ignorance. The person who claims to know everything, knows nothing.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>At a certain point, my "theistic agnosticism" began to took hold. I would say that I believed in god, and Jesus, but the rest was uncertain, or at least not worth fighting about. It didn't make sense to me to say definitively that this belief was true, and this was false when things just aren't that clear-cut. Who am I to say that a Mormon wouldn't be saved? What makes it so they can't be saved? Was it their incorrect beliefs about god, his nature, his son, their additional books? Well even in the Christianity I believed in there are people with incorrect beliefs about god (all of us). So it can't be knowledge based, or else no one would be saved. It had to be the persons' heart. That was the key. So why even argue about the details? It didn't make sense to do so anymore.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>Once I started really thinking critically about these things, the non-essentials of my faith, or at least things I thought were non-essential, were unceremoniously chipped away and left behind. This continued to nearly all that was left was belief in the Resurrection, and that god exists, of course. I had the unique opportunity to have many email conversations with Dr. Gary Habermas, considered an expert in the evidence for the Resurrection, back when I was preparing my apologetics class on the subject at Roseville Hope. This allowed me to know what the evidence was, but even that belief didn't make sense to me anymore. I gave it up, but I didn't yet realize it.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>Only at this point, or somewhere near it, was I able to look at Christianity in a non-emotional, critical way. Only when I began to feel more comfortable with the idea of it possibly not being true. When I no longer had my entire life built within it, and it mattered less to me, was I able to truly look at it and judge whether it was true. Once I took the emotion and fear out of it, I saw that it's evidential foundation was rotted and weak.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>I remember perhaps one turning point for me in this journey. I was at Border's books and I saw Richard Dawkins' "The God Delusion" on sale. I would have never actually read anything he wrote with any real intellectual honesty before, but at this point, I remember thinking, "I'm not afraid of him anymore - let's see what he has to say." I bought the book, and read it twice. It was eye-opening to read what the former opposition was saying WITHOUT having a dog in that fight anymore, and not caring as much about the outcome. Needless to say, that really made me stop the spiritual fence-sitting that I was doing as to avoid being proven wrong, and just go where the evidence led me.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>Only then was I able to guiltlessly enjoy the genius of Charles Darwin, Carl Sagan, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Bertrand Russell, Richard Feynman, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Steven Hawking, Lawrence Krauss, and many others. People who have so much to say, and I no longer have to fear it. But the greatest part is this: I don't have to believe it if it doesn't make sense. I am truly free to think as I will, and if Christianity, or Islam, or whatever is true, I will gladly believe it. All of the above named people, myself, and skeptics everywhere have only one true creed: "Think for yourself." I did think for myself. I feel extremely fortunate to have even been able to do so, because I really think many people don't even have the same opportunity.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>Well that turned out a lot longer than I thought it would! Sorry! I know I answered more the part about my journey than gave you specific evidences, so about that, let me just say this. The case against theism, in my reckoning, is less about proving that there is no god, and more about that life, the universe, and everything make more sense to me if god </i>doesn't<i> exist.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>Science, [with] which my mind use to have a constant struggle, is the best tool we have for figuring out the world around us. Evolution, which I could never quite explain away, is accepted now by me as a fact. I knew it was hard to get around when I believed, but I never even allowed myself to even dream how much evidence there was for it. Embracing that felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. But it was truly easy once I understood what it really said. Man, the apologists and literature about it that I used to read was so far off that it is possibly disingenuous.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>[It's a] fact that the universe is nearly 14 billion years old, the earth 4.5 billion years old, and neither of these seem to care about us or our safety at all. I see nothing but blind indifference from the universe in regards to us, and would expect to see nothing less if god doesn't exist. You can lump in the problem of evil in there as well, as this is an example of cold indifference.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>None of these things really prove anything at all, of course, but are more just assertions that there is no evidence for god. In fact, a universe without a god seems more likely to me than a universe with one. All I am saying, and all that I will likely ever be able to say is that I no longer see any good reason to believe that god exists. I realized that the evidence that I used to hold so dear was not strong at all when actually analyzed with a mind in which religion no longer held sway.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>
When I was a Christian, I had to do some complicated mental gymnastics to get my faith to seem reasonable and discredit the opposing arguments. No longer. Now my mind is truly free, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Some (meaningful to me) words from the late Christopher Hitchens:</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The discussion about what is good, what is beautiful, what is noble, what is pure, and what is true could always go on. Why is that important, why would I like to do that? Because that's the only conversation worth having. And whether it goes on or not after I die, I don't know. But I do know that it's the conversation I want to have while I'm still alive. Which means that to me, the offer of certainty, the offer of complete security, the offer of an impermeable faith that can't give way, is an offer of something not worth having."
"I want to live my life taking the risk all the time that I don't know anything like enough yet. That I haven't understood enough, that I can't know enough, that I'm always hungrily operating on the margins of a potentially great harvest of future knowledge and wisdom - I wouldn't have it any other way. And I'd urge you to look at those of you who tell you - those people who tell you, at your age, that you're dead till you believe as they do - what a terrible thing to be telling to children. And that you can only live by accepting an absolute authority. Don't think of that as a gift - think of it of a poisoned chalice, push it aside however tempting it is, take the risk of thinking for yourself. Much more happiness, truth, beauty and wisdom will come to you that way. Thank you." </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>
The last part about much more happiness, truth, beauty and wisdom coming from thinking for yourself, is in my case at least, absolutely true. The universe is so much more beautiful and wonderful than I ever imagined while I was restricted by my faith. The truth set me free.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>
-Eric</i></blockquote>
<br />
I will post his response soon.Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-58388936514428765462012-09-19T16:55:00.000-07:002012-09-19T16:55:08.289-07:00Faith and Epistemological Quicksand by Sean CarrollOn his <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/" target="_blank">blog</a>, Physicist Sean Carroll talks about something that I think is really important for those of us who have discussions with theists. If you have been doing it for any time at all, you will recognize the things that Sean points out. He just words it better than I can.<br />
<br />
Read "Faith and Epistemological Quicksand" <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2012/09/17/faith-and-epistemological-quicksand/" target="_blank">here</a>.Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-5462865858323967972012-09-17T15:24:00.001-07:002012-10-15T16:03:29.852-07:00A Conversation With My Pastor, Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFhU9Kxegxj-JOFyVqbYWf_bZONuwscRe5Qk-XhnSrS-OAkbtNLsKvzrFciQ_11CFEH8NYe99kS9z7X7akx2tXO103mIizKk4cDn9v94aI-vRF_AAeUm5JXo-lwlX8inrvP_8qk5aBOEL4/s1600/imagination.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFhU9Kxegxj-JOFyVqbYWf_bZONuwscRe5Qk-XhnSrS-OAkbtNLsKvzrFciQ_11CFEH8NYe99kS9z7X7akx2tXO103mIizKk4cDn9v94aI-vRF_AAeUm5JXo-lwlX8inrvP_8qk5aBOEL4/s400/imagination.png" width="510" /></a></div>
<br />
Update: <a href="http://doubtingeric.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-conversation-with-my-pastor-part-2.html" target="_blank">Part 2</a>, <a href="http://doubtingeric.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-conversation-with-my-pastor-part-3.html" target="_blank">Part 3</a> and <a href="http://doubtingeric.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-conversation-with-my-pastor-part-4.html" target="_blank">Part 4</a> have been added.<br />
<br />
Back in December 2011, I was thinking about the church atmosphere that I grew up in. I realized that the open, honest and loving group of believers I grew up with was something I always took for granted. I could have just as easily been brought up in a backwards fundamentalist community, where skepticism and free thinking are actively discouraged, so I am grateful of my roots.<br />
<br />
A central figure in my developing spiritual life was my pastor, Lance. He was charismatic, genuine, honest, and accepting. He's the kind of person that makes you feel like you could tell him anything, and he wouldn't judge you. He's a teacher, but also a listener. He never reacted to questions or challenges, he simply answered them. He is, in a word, a Christian.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
I was moved to write him a quick email as I was thinking about this to thank him for being an example of a true Christian and to inform him that I was no longer a believer. I'm not entirely sure why I felt that I needed to "come out" to him, as he was not someone who was likely to be made happier by knowing that, and he was no longer a central figure in my life. Perhaps I was curious what he would think about it, or maybe I felt like I couldn't <i>not</i> mention it when writing to him.
Regardless of my reasons, he wrote back, and it started an email conversation that continues to this day.<br />
<br />
I thought some of my readers might be interested in the content of our correspondence, as it highlights how two people with mutual respect can have a civil discussion about a very delicate topic.
I have posted my original email and his first reply, and I will do that episodically as our conversation continues.<br />
<br />
My email:
<br />
<blockquote>
<i>
Hey Lance, it's Eric Burton. I was thinking about you recently and the effect you have had on my life, and I wanted to say thank you. While I am no longer a believer, I still cherish much of my time as one (nearly 20 years!). With so many christian people who do not act at all like christians should, you stand out as a wonderful example of what a christian person should be like. You were never judgmental, always helpful, and seemed sincere when we talked about things that were important to me. My Mom, Dad and brother have all commented on this, and I think they all feel the same gratefulness.
<br />
<br />
I always looked up to you (I think I was 14 or so when the bible study moved to our house!), and while I no longer believe the same as you, I of course still look on you with esteem. I would be remiss to not mention Russ, Mark and both Jays in the same way, they were always supportive and friends in the faith. I feel very fortunate that the church atmosphere I happened to grow up in was not the scary, close-minded, hateful kind that seem to plague the christian church. And that is because of you, the aforementioned clergy, and the people who gravitated towards our group.
<br />
<br />
I am not sure how a mixed group of my former christian family would react to knowing that I no longer believe in god, but I feel comfortable in telling you, because of the kind of person you are. I do not completely regret my time as a believer, as I really did believe it, and it has shaped who I am today. In fact, I think it has given me a unique perspective as an atheist.
<br />
<br />
I hope things are well for [your wife] and your family, and I hope for the future as well. Please give the others I mentioned the same thanks I gave to you, on my behalf. Thanks again, and while I can't in good conscience wish you well in spreading the gospel, I do wish you well in life!
<br />
<br />
-Eric
</i></blockquote>
<br />
Lance's reply:
<br />
<blockquote>
<i>
Hey Eric -
<br />
<br />
How great to “hear” from you!!!
<br />
<br />
I miss ya. We have so much history together and the fact that I just saw your brother and your dad this last year was a blast! I haven’t seen you in ages!!!
<br />
<br />
I have to admit that your email bummed me out, but I really appreciate you touching base with me at all.
<br />
<br />
Perhaps the greatest question in my mind is this...
<br />
<br />
What has your journey been like that allowed you to come to this conclusion (assured there is no God)? Clearly that decision wasn’t made lightly and some evidence has come along your way that changed your opinion. Would you mind sharing that with me? I don’t want to pry, but you had to know that my emailing me, you were going to provoke some questions. :-)
<br />
<br />
And I would really like to thank you for your kind words about me and the ministry you were able to observe. I really believe this stuff with all my heart and my passion is legitimate. To know that it translated to my friends and family, is wonderful to hear.
<br />
<br />
You and your family are like family to me no matter how much time has passed, nor what you believe.
<br />
<br />
Your brother,
<br />
<br />
Lance
</i></blockquote>
<br />
I will post another back and forth next week or so. Feel free to leave comments, questions or suggestions below.
Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-83272216602678716052012-08-27T17:57:00.000-07:002012-08-27T17:57:13.136-07:00Is this a good answer? What do you think?A <a href="http://www.twitlonger.com/show/i99n5f">twitter conversation</a> I recently had with a christian apologist, <a href="https://twitter.com/BrettKunkleSTR">Brett Kunkle</a>, has been featured on his ministry's <a href="http://strplace.wordpress.com/">website</a> for their weekly apologetics challenge. We were talking about morality, and whether it was objective or not. Brett was claiming that objectivity of moral values (It's wrong to torture babies for fun, no matter if anyone agrees with it or not) is self-evident. I was objecting to the use of moral intuitions or gut feelings as evidence that there actually are objective moral values in reality. I claim that this connection between what we intuit and what is actually real is not clear cut, at least when it comes to our moral sense.<br />
<br />
Part of their challenge format is a video answer given by Brett a few days after the readers have chewed on it a bit. Today Brett released his answer to my objection. What do you think? Did he adequately answer the question that I posed:<br />
<br />
<i>"Why would the fact that I intuit something to be true be considered evidence that it really is true?"</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Please read my original objection <a href="http://www.twitlonger.com/show/i99n5f">here</a>. The discussion of my challenge (with clarifications) at STRPlace is <a href="http://strplace.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/challenge-intuition-cant-prove-objective-moral-values/">here</a>. Reading those will make my objection seem clearer, and save me time walking newcomers through the finer points. Thank you for reading, and please feel free to leave your thoughts about this in the comments!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lK3mmIRC0JA" width="525"></iframe>Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-3601678125066560072012-08-25T13:47:00.000-07:002012-08-25T13:47:05.723-07:00Neil Armstrong: 1930 - 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRCTIdaoaGbDVeRYe1GurtIt939ZqDXqULQtyPBpz6wz3_39TrW5n7qpTRpqOaTSeVaKA-kFz7FUxarYPQgFtRN_6aVypT3y05r9bSD1YcqND24WOZ7F4ut7AGAjs6_1SOK2o0srF8mKP/s1600/Neil+Armstrong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRCTIdaoaGbDVeRYe1GurtIt939ZqDXqULQtyPBpz6wz3_39TrW5n7qpTRpqOaTSeVaKA-kFz7FUxarYPQgFtRN_6aVypT3y05r9bSD1YcqND24WOZ7F4ut7AGAjs6_1SOK2o0srF8mKP/s400/Neil+Armstrong.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
A truly inspiring human died today.Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-74245495162696104472012-07-23T14:56:00.000-07:002012-07-23T15:00:37.071-07:00Fight For Space Documentary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xSYEdougccY" width="500"></iframe>
</div>
<br />
I hope this gets <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/420606009/fight-for-space-space-program-and-nasa-documentary">made</a>.Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-43430306673503929392012-07-20T04:10:00.002-07:002012-07-20T04:10:49.385-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJpjAfOA18EFqaUquPX6dZirvcJV9j6tyQwnlsstgGaVB8cky2g0H1sHBkvwjxFILteLNl_HZGRABZ4xzEmkexavLVylAfBJkRCMugN3cnG21MojMC2pUwmo53hiRUs2FWrwOzMkjCshC/s1600/Apollo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJpjAfOA18EFqaUquPX6dZirvcJV9j6tyQwnlsstgGaVB8cky2g0H1sHBkvwjxFILteLNl_HZGRABZ4xzEmkexavLVylAfBJkRCMugN3cnG21MojMC2pUwmo53hiRUs2FWrwOzMkjCshC/s400/Apollo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-10737985480271819552012-06-25T15:22:00.001-07:002012-06-25T15:33:11.344-07:00I'm Sorry For Being Homophobic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpHVfl6bnDiTNEvGvaraot5QFoGdlsqa_zZin1E-ivbau_uZOgQQ0QqUB2Ulfa7G3cgEgu-IRjaLefwPqeN2Papoo8yvwOxDl6PwF9QLT7BjatkfRs-CxZ55UGOPV4UOOnt9mLxnoHt08/s1600/amour-gay-intolerance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpHVfl6bnDiTNEvGvaraot5QFoGdlsqa_zZin1E-ivbau_uZOgQQ0QqUB2Ulfa7G3cgEgu-IRjaLefwPqeN2Papoo8yvwOxDl6PwF9QLT7BjatkfRs-CxZ55UGOPV4UOOnt9mLxnoHt08/s400/amour-gay-intolerance.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I used to be a christian. I also used to think being gay was an abomination. There is no coincidence there, it is because of the first thing that the second thing happened. I really took what the bible said about homosexuality to heart, and more or less despised gay people. Moreover, I saw them as enemies, not as human beings that were related to me in the most profound sense.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
This sort of religious thinking is now seen by me as obviously detrimental to myself and the rest of society, and I am glad to say that I have been able to move on past that archaic and superstitious way of thinking. But artifacts of my religious thinking still remain hidden away in the dusty corners of my mind. I thought I had checked everywhere, eliminated the prejudices and unreasonable discomfort that homosexuality brought to the surface, but in 2008, I voted against marriage equality in California.<br />
<br />
That made me realize that I still had some fear of god, some traditional, conservative values and hatreds that had not been completely eradicated. I had not actually ousted the fear of people who act and think differently than I, and I was very far from accepting them. I had not completely kicked my christian views out of my mind. I deeply regret voting the way I did, and I am sorry for it. It was wrong, and I am still ashamed of it.
<br />
<br />
I am happy to say that I have made good progress. While I don't think that the effects that religion has had on my mind will ever be totally gone, but I find instances of that backward thinking are much easier to spot and squash now. I try to think more deeply about moral questions now, instead of searching for reasons why it's ok for me to hold on to prejudices. I seek to rid myself of all traces of the bigot that was once me.<br />
<br />
When I really stopped believing in god (soon after that Prop 8 vote), I quickly started shedding the obviously useless and silly things I used to believe. I still remember having a conversation with my girlfriend at the time about just how absolutely wrong it is to withhold rights from other human beings because of something so ridiculous.<br />
<br />
I saw very clearly then that if I didn't believe in this christian god, I then had the capacity to be a much more moral person. Without him and his holy book, there was absolutely no reason for me to think that they should be treated as something less than a human being. Only by giving god up could this have been possible. I am now able to follow the dictates of my own conscience and make moral decisions without having to consult an ancient book written by superstitious, bigoted, ignorant and illiterate tribesmen.Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-21775375660358030192012-06-23T16:14:00.000-07:002012-06-23T16:14:07.100-07:00Christians, can you help me answer this?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaAf0ZOx3C3aFnw3V3pTeYY2TUmlriMOVnkjrOIpf-NkQ9KceljaXVlEwtm5M7ELgkDa_YzpEqZrY2tBDZM7DsD4LgVzxoocnPuVOGrrZ7wE-zti17-JW7FiqTaJTuHjtbaZRkKJKvZ7Y/s1600/Tree+red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPaAf0ZOx3C3aFnw3V3pTeYY2TUmlriMOVnkjrOIpf-NkQ9KceljaXVlEwtm5M7ELgkDa_YzpEqZrY2tBDZM7DsD4LgVzxoocnPuVOGrrZ7wE-zti17-JW7FiqTaJTuHjtbaZRkKJKvZ7Y/s400/Tree+red.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
This is not a <em>new</em> question, but I have been unable to find a good answer for it. I wonder if you can help me find it. You don't have to answer in your own words if you don't want to, but perhaps you can point me in the right direction.</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
<strong>If Adam and Even did not know good and evil <em>before</em> eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, how could God hold them morally responsible for their evil? </strong></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
<strong><br /></strong></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
Imagine Adam and Eve having no concept of right and wrong. Imagine them not even comprehending the idea that disobeying God was "wrong" but obeying him was "right." Do we hold or pets <em>morally</em> responsible for the "wrongs" they commit, even though they don't have a clue that what they do is considered wrong?</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
God said to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because they would die if they did so. (Gen 2:17)</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
The serpent later questions them about what God said would happen if they ate of it, and said that they <em>"will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." </em>(Gen 3:1-5)</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
They later eat the fruit and their <em>"eyes were opened." </em>(Gen 3:7) They realized they were naked and they felt shame and hid from God.</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
After all this, God is recorded as saying, <em>"The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever." </em>(Gen 3:22)</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
From the biblical account, it seems clear to me that before they ate, only God knew good and evil. So Adam and Eve did <em>not</em> know good and evil<em> until </em>they disobeyed God and ate. That means they did not know that to disobey God was morally wrong. How could God justify this permanent, world-changing, eternal punishment for a crime that the perpetrators didn't even know they were committing?</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
This is not a post that is meant to be sarcastic or mocking in any way. This is a genuine challenge I am seriously curious about. Thank you.</div>Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-7982513709989635222012-06-09T13:34:00.001-07:002012-06-09T13:34:30.786-07:00Kids, Curiosity is a Good Thing.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/OFzXaFbxDcM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
John Boswell, the man behind <a href="http://www.symphonyofscience.com/">Symphony of Science</a>, has made a remixed auto-tuned song highlighting some of the advice Mr. Rogers has for children. It's an important message for adults as well.Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-20495730793575398782012-05-10T15:21:00.000-07:002012-05-10T15:21:39.796-07:00Scary Christian School "Science" Textbook<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Y6Rl9hMKdPKSqaJbdXwOh39MKCXf5VcU5u82qrNeNdMqjtvrmqYQoLrDJ56lYF6klBlqn9GMjYC7DvsjZcjn598-3uI_7Ku6CzNX27mCCcGXs0aCk2Ib18GfvXHd5Ln15uZcguWnZ7In/s1600/creationist-method.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Y6Rl9hMKdPKSqaJbdXwOh39MKCXf5VcU5u82qrNeNdMqjtvrmqYQoLrDJ56lYF6klBlqn9GMjYC7DvsjZcjn598-3uI_7Ku6CzNX27mCCcGXs0aCk2Ib18GfvXHd5Ln15uZcguWnZ7In/s400/creationist-method.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
A friend of mine shared this link, and it is scary! Read what <a href="http://www.11points.com/Books/11_Eye-Opening_Highlights_From_a_Creationist_Science_Textbook">this christian textbook</a> says about how we can know things, and how science works. These poor children are being taught this garbage.Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-27623940223849730832012-05-09T14:27:00.000-07:002012-05-09T14:27:20.676-07:00New Symphony of Science: We are Star Dust"<object height="282" width="500"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8g4d-rnhuSg?version=3&hl=en_US">
</param>
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">
</param>
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always">
</param>
<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8g4d-rnhuSg?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="500" height="282" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>
<br />
<br />
No Carl in this one, but wonderful nonetheless. Listen to the lyrics, and think about what these scientists are really saying. It's one of the most surprising and yet startlingly obvious realizations I have had in my life. Check out John Boswell's other science songs at <a href="http://www.symphonyofscience.com/">Symphony of Science</a>.Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-55735445977314239842012-04-29T14:58:00.000-07:002012-04-29T14:58:02.241-07:00A Wonderful Collection of Hubble's Best Pictures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwnAOk_zP_yLRigJlVY03-AFX6HZgnGEHKq03h7R3zU8RqUni2Yn1AAnLZQ5oZqxQiWRJkHy7GCuIl7ABoXkx05BrFjkMhqwEBQrN0qnR2eDtVhUl3qC1UEK4iFtv2fGvDYh4HctY2sIH/s1600/hs-2005-01-a-web_print.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwnAOk_zP_yLRigJlVY03-AFX6HZgnGEHKq03h7R3zU8RqUni2Yn1AAnLZQ5oZqxQiWRJkHy7GCuIl7ABoXkx05BrFjkMhqwEBQrN0qnR2eDtVhUl3qC1UEK4iFtv2fGvDYh4HctY2sIH/s400/hs-2005-01-a-web_print.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
The Hubble Space Telescope is turning 22, and what better way to celebrate than to look at a gallery of some of its most breathtaking pictures? Follow this <a href="http://blog.seattlepi.com/thebigblog/2012/04/27/amazing-photos-from-the-hubble-space-telescope/">link</a> for the eye candy.Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-758250801605126622012-04-25T17:14:00.000-07:002012-04-25T17:15:11.085-07:00Only Faith in God can Fulfill Man's Deepest Needs.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJY_PX7Zg2itnjnlT7oXWbwqRJeMJ3LilExbAZ6Ak71FjvIV1oXiqngMRtNHfS7aiIO5x6M4aBmGNKs_GSHwcAj7ItrkXQl_NArXhA3yuXvXbJYw2_14CP_zjmgTUkcSUOuZnpW6lhsDK/s1600/poster_purpose_07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdJY_PX7Zg2itnjnlT7oXWbwqRJeMJ3LilExbAZ6Ak71FjvIV1oXiqngMRtNHfS7aiIO5x6M4aBmGNKs_GSHwcAj7ItrkXQl_NArXhA3yuXvXbJYw2_14CP_zjmgTUkcSUOuZnpW6lhsDK/s400/poster_purpose_07.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Many times I have heard people refer to the fact that their faith met their human needs more than an atheistic worldview ever could. But is that reason to believe it?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The idea that atheism "can't answer man's deepest needs" as evidence against it is just silly to me. First of all, I think that man's deepest needs are not impossible to meet if you don't believe in a god. But even if it was, why would that be evidence for or against either side?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Only if you presume that the property of being able to "meet man's deepest needs" is a necessary condition for the truth of a worldview does this make sense to you. But why think that? There could be in fact many emotional, "spiritual," and physical needs that we just cannot ever fully meet. But where is it written that we humans are guaranteed such fulfillment in the first place?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Why do so many people seem to think that the existence of some sort of human desire or yearning means there must be something out there that satisfies that desire?</div>Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-71945269890148501542012-04-23T20:16:00.001-07:002012-04-23T20:17:52.107-07:00Animal Morality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQchjZHkL0q-mL2LW-udI_d_vjhZJn7fIn0OHoh9pIc8mmIuZpoLOVKdG2gTQHdFbVUgRFSKsXXjnBBOZBgXdsql_7lHOB1jYU5EJILEKmaglVg4DHdgwR4V-KujLIDMEjXA-TgC4surU/s1600/reconciliation.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQchjZHkL0q-mL2LW-udI_d_vjhZJn7fIn0OHoh9pIc8mmIuZpoLOVKdG2gTQHdFbVUgRFSKsXXjnBBOZBgXdsql_7lHOB1jYU5EJILEKmaglVg4DHdgwR4V-KujLIDMEjXA-TgC4surU/s1600/reconciliation.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Found an interesting TED talk on moral behavior in non-human animals. We are not so different. Watch it <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/frans_de_waal_do_animals_have_morals.html">here.</a>Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-55781126833303288542012-04-17T16:18:00.000-07:002012-04-17T16:18:28.249-07:00Believers in God: What is the most personally convincing evidence/argument/reason you have for belief that God exists? No judging here, just collecting information. Please reply in the comments. Be nice!Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-79307089651124218222012-04-13T00:01:00.005-07:002012-04-13T00:01:01.599-07:00Happy Christopher Hitchens Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0qAns1vOz-r0_E7xH67uPipc_J1AW6k-nkHS3SQdlDragsU0qFc9ghvmL_DQK20busBzcAqqDScrhbIogd1aN5KnUH-q-BMnCoy0HUSZSFVRD6ga0DTHLJkDIgEY1blVDjdZ863i9f9kS/s1600/hitch_2004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0qAns1vOz-r0_E7xH67uPipc_J1AW6k-nkHS3SQdlDragsU0qFc9ghvmL_DQK20busBzcAqqDScrhbIogd1aN5KnUH-q-BMnCoy0HUSZSFVRD6ga0DTHLJkDIgEY1blVDjdZ863i9f9kS/s320/hitch_2004.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Today is Christopher Hitchens' birthday. He would have been 63. Fans of his are calling today "Christopher Hitchens Day" as a way to remember him.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
I came to appreciate Christopher late in the game, but his effect on me is profound, and ongoing. I would like to encourage everyone to do something special to remember him today. Whether it's having a glass of Johnnie Walker Black, watching videos of him on YouTube, reading his writing, or raising awareness about the issues he courageously tackled - or maybe all of those! Take some time to think about Christopher, to contemplate his effect on your life, his effect on the world, and perhaps how you can effect the people in your life like he has.<br />
<br />
I have embedded a wonderfully moving tribute video someone put on YouTube that highlights some of his best moments, and shows him as I like to remember him - as someone who is passionate, articulate, confident, compassionate, loving, and with a sense of humor.<br />
<br />
I know I will raise a glass to him tonight. Wish you were still here, Hitch.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/OiYNJ46DlVk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
For a compilation of several obituaries for Christopher, click <a href="http://richarddawkins.net/articles/644246-christopher-hitchens-obituaries">here</a>.<br />
<br />
For a memorial picture slide show, click <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2011/12/christopher-hitchens-slideshow-201112#slide=1">here</a>.<br />
<br />
For a list of his published books on amazon, click <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_20?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=christopher+hitchens&sprefix=christopher+hitchens%2Caps%2C301#/ref=sr_nr_p_lbr_one_browse-bin_0?rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Achristopher+hitchens%2Cp_lbr_one_browse-bin%3AChristopher+Hitchens&bbn=283155&keywords=christopher+hitchens&ie=UTF8&qid=1334271897&rnid=2272759011">here</a>.Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-82777109267019667722012-04-07T15:45:00.000-07:002012-04-07T15:45:39.733-07:00Interested in Evolution?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgum5Je8PdfbNCpKHDfFYIVdTaTwVMncdEgkDGOEmQDOz5zCq1mupO-qS4xRkl2Oprjdn54s_52jkHjnhhRYZyDNhCAFqVuDFb6emo74Js8GvBonHhTLU9yo6aIVO9PaDtJg6kucHHCwpmx/s1600/Gegenbaur_1870_hand_homology.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgum5Je8PdfbNCpKHDfFYIVdTaTwVMncdEgkDGOEmQDOz5zCq1mupO-qS4xRkl2Oprjdn54s_52jkHjnhhRYZyDNhCAFqVuDFb6emo74Js8GvBonHhTLU9yo6aIVO9PaDtJg6kucHHCwpmx/s320/Gegenbaur_1870_hand_homology.png" title="Hand Homology" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Animal hand homology</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I came across a wonderful youtube channel that has compiled over a hundred shows on evolution from PBS, NOVA, the BBC, and other channels. If you want to learn about what evolution is and what the evidence for it is, this is a great resource:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/EvolutionDocumentary">http://www.youtube.com/user/EvolutionDocumentary</a>Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-9172617437656452482012-04-05T16:27:00.000-07:002012-04-05T16:27:44.199-07:00Belief in God is not Stupid<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">When talking about religion with someone who believes differently than you, it is very easy to get frustrated because they don't see things the same way. You try and make your point as clearly as you can, as reasonably as you can, but still they just don't “get it.” You may, after a while, begin to formulate reasons in your mind as to why this other person just doesn't understand you. You figure that they must not be listening to what you are really saying, or they are just plain stupid, because everyone who is reasonable and familiar with the evidence (like you are) will obviously come to the same conclusion as you, right?</div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Let's say you have these sorts of discussions with the other side fairly regularly, because you are a masochist. After a while of this, you might begin to think that nearly everyone with an opinion so opposed to yours must be willfully not understanding, or just dumb. This is a dangerous and ignorant way of thinking. There are clearly many people who are smarter than you who hold very different opinions on the same issues. But we all have a tendency to fall into this kind of thinking. I notice this sort of thing happen in me all the time, and I have to quickly remind myself that I used to believe as that other person did, having opinions nearly opposite to many that I have now. I also remember that even when I did believe, I had similar thoughts about people who didn't believe! Was I dumb then, or just misinformed?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I think what is happening, at least for me, is that I have a need to understand why someone can hear all of the arguments that I think are very convincing, and yet not be convinced like I am. I then have to make excuses for them. It's very much like when I was a believer – I was troubled by the presence of confident atheists. People who knew everything that I knew about the subject and more, and yet still didn't believe. How could this be so? Now it's flipped. I see from both sides now.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Now there certainly are people of all creeds who may be stupid, or unwilling to even listen to any opposing viewpoint. Those people definitely exist. But don't make the mistake of assuming everyone who holds their beliefs is also stupid. Just don't have discussions with those people who show themselves to be willingly stupid.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It may be helpful to ask yourself what your goal is in talking to people who disagree with you? If it is to convert them to your way of thinking, be careful to not get upset when they don't immediately drop everything and agree with you. Likely these issues you are discussing with them are near and dear to them, and it would take many different factors to change their mind, over a long period of time. You can't control what people think. Are you talking about these things to start a fight? Well you will likely get what you want. Are you doing it in hopes to challenge your own position and keep yourself honest? In that case, make sure you are being honest and promoting honest, civil discussion.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I often ask myself why I maintain this blog. Is it to convert the world to atheism? No. Is it to make christians look stupid? No. It is simply to express the joy and excitement that freedom from religion can bring. I wish I could share precisely how amazing this view of life really is, how much more fulfilled in every aspect of life I am now that I don't believe with everyone in the world, but it's very difficult. Still I try.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I know that true believers who read this, and other things I have written, will not be convinced and give up their belief in god. But this is not for them. This is for those fence-sitters, those who are not really sure what to make of all of it. Someone who is doubting may be curious what the “other side” is like. Hopefully I can help.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">When you are having a discussion with someone who is on the other side of the issue, remember that assuming they are dumb because of what they believe is merely confirming your own prejudices, closing your mind to what they have to say. And this is precisely what you don't what them to do to you! </div>Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268863523087205283.post-73279620363242060912012-03-26T18:40:00.000-07:002012-03-26T18:40:41.063-07:00Who Was the First Human?Richard Dawkins, talking about his new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1439192812/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=11524416084&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=177638517461309041&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_6l6j53gu1v_b">The Magic of Reality</a>, explains an important fact about evolution. Namely that a chimpanzee didn't one day give birth to a human, nor a dinosaur give birth to a bird. At any point along the ancestral trail, there was never a point where the parent of one species gave birth to a different species. The creature born is always the same species as the parent. I previously wrote about this concept <a href="http://doubtingeric.blogspot.com/2010/10/difficulties-in-understanding-evolution.html">here</a>. Watch the video for a great explanation.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/j4ClZROoyNM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Eric Burtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02573690515499960584noreply@blogger.com0