The Brilliant Mr. Einstein

Albert Einstein gave this address to a group of students at Princeton University in 1939. The man's brilliance never ceases to amaze me. To write something like this is one thing, when you have time to edit and proofread and make your ideas sound good. But it is another thing altogether to be able to SPEAK like this, even if it was a prepared speech. I love this:

It would not be difficult to come to an agreement as to what we understand by science. Science is the century-old endeavor to bring together by means of systematic thought the perceptible phenomena of this world into as thoroughgoing an association as possible. To put it boldly, it is the attempt at the posterior reconstruction of existence by the process of conceptualization. But when asking myself what religion is, I cannot think of the answer so easily. And even after finding an answer which may satisfy me at this particular moment, I still remain convinced that I can never under any circumstances bring together, even to a slight extent, all those who have given this question serious consideration.

At first, then, instead of asking what religion is I should prefer to ask what characterizes the aspirations of a person who has given me the impression of being religious. A person who is religiously enlightened appears to me to be one who has, to the best of his ability, liberated himself from the fetters of his selfish desires and is preoccupied with thoughts, feelings, and aspirations to which he clings because of their superpersonal value. It seems to me that what is important is the force of this superpersonal content and the depth of the conviction concerning its overpowering meaningfulness—regardless of whether any attempt is made to unite this content with a divine being, for otherwise it would not be possible to count Buddha and Spinoza as religious personalities. Accordingly, a religious person is devout in the sense that he has no doubt of the significance and loftiness of those superpersonal objects and goals which neither require nor are capable of rational foundation. They exist with the same necessity and matter-of-factness as he himself. In this sense religion is the age-old endeavor of mankind to become clearly and completely conscious of these values and goals and constantly to strengthen and extend their effect. If one conceives of religion and science according to these definitions, then a conflict between them appears impossible. For science can only ascertain what is, but not what should be, and outside of its domain value judgments of all kinds remain necessary. Religion, on the other hand, deals only with evaluations of human thought and action—it cannot justifiably speak of facts and relationships between facts. According to this interpretation, the well-known conflicts between religion and science in the past must all be ascribed to a misapprehension of the situation which has been described.

For example, a conflict arises when a religious community insists on the absolute truthfulness of all statements recorded in the Bible. This means an intervention on the part of religion into the sphere of science; this is where the struggle of the Church against the doctrines of Galileo and Darwin belongs. On the other hand, representatives of science have often made an attempt to arrive at fundamental judgments with respect to values and ends on the basis of scientific method, and in this way have set themselves in opposition to religion. These conflicts have all sprung from fatal errors.

Now, even though the realms of religion and science in themselves are clearly marked off from each other, nevertheless there exist between the two strong, reciprocal relationships and dependencies. Though religion may be that which determines the goal, it has nevertheless learned from science—in the broadest sense—what means will contribute to the attainment of the goals it has set up. But science can only be created by those who are thoroughly imbued with the aspiration toward truth and understanding. This source of feeling, however, springs from the sphere of religion. To this there also belongs the faith in the possibility that the regulations valid for the world of existence are rational, that is, comprehensible to reason. I cannot conceive of a genuine scientist without that profound faith. The situation may be expressed by an image: science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.

Though I have asserted above that in truth a legitimate conflict between religion and science cannot exist, I must nevertheless qualify this assertion once again on an essential point, with reference to the actual content of historical religions. This qualification has to do with the concept of God. During the youthful period of mankind’s spiritual evolution, human fantasy created gods in man’s own image, who, by the operations of their will were supposed to determine or, at any rate, to influence the phenomenal world. Man sought to alter the disposition of these gods in his own favor by means of magic and prayer. The idea of God in the religions taught at present is a sublimation of that old conception of the gods. Its anthropomorphic character is shown, for instance, by the fact that men appeal to the Divine Being in prayers and plead for the fulfilment of their wishes.

Nobody, certainly, will deny that the idea of the existence of an omnipotent, just, and omnibeneficent personal God is able to accord man solace, help, and guidance—also, by virtue of its simplicity it is accessible to the most undeveloped mind. But, on the other hand, there are decisive weaknesses attached to this idea in itself which have been painfully felt since the beginning of history. That is, if this being is omnipotent then every occurrence, including every human action, every human thought, and every human feeling and aspiration is also His work—how is it possible to think of holding men responsible for their deeds and thoughts before such an almighty Being? In giving out punishment and rewards He would to a certain extent be passing judgment on Himself. How can this be combined with the goodness and righteousness ascribed to Him?

The main source of the present-day conflicts between the spheres of religion and science lies in this concept of a personal God. To be sure, the doctrine of a personal God interfering with natural events could never be refuted, in the real sense, by science, for this doctrine can always take refuge in those domains in which scientific knowledge has not yet been able to set foot.

But I am persuaded that such behavior on the part of the representatives of religion would not only be unworthy but also fatal. For a doctrine which is able to maintain itself not in clear light but only in the dark will of necessity lose its effect on mankind, with incalculable harm to human progress. In their struggle for the ethical good, teachers of religion must have the stature to give up the doctrine of a personal God, that is, give that source of fear and hope which in the past placed such vast power in the hands of priests. In their labors they will have to avail themselves of those forces which are capable of cultivating the good, the true, and the beautiful in humanity itself. This is, to be sure, a more difficult but incomparably more worthy task. After religious teachers accomplish the refining process indicated, they will surely recognize with joy that true religion has been ennobled and made more profound by scientific knowledge.

If it is one of the goals of religion to liberate mankind as far as possible from the bondage of egocentric cravings, desires, and fears, scientific reasoning can aid religion in yet another sense. Although it is true that it is the goal of science to discover rules which permit the association and foretelling of facts, this is not its only aim. It also seeks to reduce the connections discovered to the smallest possible number of mutually independent conceptual elements. It is in this striving after the rational unification of the manifold that it encounters its greatest successes, even though it is precisely this attempt which causes it to run the greatest risk of falling prey to illusions. But whoever has undergone the intense experience of successful advances made in this domain is moved by profound reverence for the rationality made manifest in existence. By way of the understanding, he achieves a far-reaching emancipation from the shackles of personal hopes and desires—and thereby attains that humble attitude of mind toward the grandeur of reason incarnate in existence, and which, in its profoundest depths, is inaccessible to man. This attitude, however, appears to me to be religious in the highest sense of the word. And so it seems to me that science not only purifies the religious impulse of the dross of its anthropomorphism but also contributes to a religious spiritualization of our understanding of life.

Wow. Brilliant, indeed.

Please Pray For Me!....

Prayer is one subject that I really struggle with. Day after day I am surrounded by people who believe in it's power. But do they really understand how it works? When we ask people to pray for us...does this imply that God is swayed one way or the other depending on how many people call in? Doesn't this undermine the notion that God will answer each individual prayer, and that the outcome is predetermined? If so, then why do I need a multitude of other people to pray the same prayer? To me, this seems to imply a lack of faith on the behalf of the person asking for God's consideration. In fact, if our lives are predetermined, with the exception of free will (which is another enigma that I won't even touch on right now)...why pray at all? God doesn't change his mind, right? So if I get cancer, and God's plan is for me to die from cancer...who am I to ask God to heal me? Some will argue that we are not to pray for healing, but rather to pray that God's will be done in our lives. Does God need to be reminded of this? Isn't that kind of the idea? Why pray to God to do something that he's already going to do anyway? This is mind boggling...

If there are any Christians out there reading this...can you explain how or why prayer works? I feel like my brain is going to overheat and explode.

Litany

This has nothing to do with atheism or religion. It's just far too awesome not to share. It's refreshing to see a child memorizing something other than Dora and Barney. Not to mention, this is one of my favorite poems of all time. Enjoy!

Welcome To This World

Lately, I feel as though I'm being bombarded by "powerful" messages posted to facebook profiles by my Christian friends. I don't use the word bombarded because I'm particularly offended by what they post, but rather, I'm frustrated by the double standards. If I post something of an atheist nature, or something that is even remotely perceived to be so, I am attacked by a wave of offended people, telling me that I shouldn't be posting this to my profile, because it offends them. I've NEVER told ANYONE that they should not share something because I disagree with them. Ever. So why am I not given the same respect?

Anyway, I decided to post this one to my facebook for a change. We'll see what kind of response I get. I would definitely have to challenge any Christian who claims to be offended by this, because as a former Christian myself, this is pretty much exactly what we were expected to believe. How can you be offended by the truth?

This is a "powerful" video, that I believe gives an interesting perspective on what Christianity is. It speaks volumes about the fact that we are merely born into the traditions of our parents, and their parents before them, and their parents before that. When does a tradition become nothing more than a bad habit?

Come All You Weary...

Is it just me, or does Christianity seem to prey almost solely on the poor, the destitute, the underprivileged, and those who have hit rock bottom? I recently saw this video posted to a Christian's facebook:



After watching this, I couldn't help but play out a scenario in my head wherein a similar offer is made to someone who doesn't need it. If the man who is comfortable in his cell doesn't want it, what makes you think that anyone else living a decent life would want it? If I'm happy with my life, with who I am, with the contributions that I make, and if I'm clean, sober, financially stable, and healthy...then what do I need God for? In case I get sick later on, and need his help? It's already been proven time and again that Christians don't get better faster or more often simply because they are Christians. Will God stop someone from becoming an alcoholic? Or is He merely there to help pick up the pieces after you've exercised your "free will"? And how exactly would He help an alcoholic? By allowing them to fall off the wagon and learn the hard way? I can do that on my own, without God. Will God make me richer? Of course not, He'll just be there to oversee all the extra hard work I do, and then take credit for it.

Why did God allow the prisoner in this video to commit the crime that put them in jail in the first place? Free will? Free will seems to be God's practical joke, or some sick way of perpetuating situations that allow Him to come out looking like the hero. Where is the heroism in allowing a man to get drunk, drive, and kill a family in another vehicle, or allowing someone to murder innocent people, or allowing wars to break out and destroy entire countries? They were given the gift of using free will? At what cost? And for what purpose? So that the families of the deceased could walk a closer walk with Christ? If any human being did these things, or stood by and watched them happen without trying to help, how do you think society would treat such a person? Pretty sure that jail time would be involved. But don't worry, God will be there to bail you out in the middle of the night. Huzzah!

And just for the record...jail doesn't work that way. You don't spend 20 years in prison for a crime, only to be rescued in the middle of the night by some guy who paid to get you out. Although it's about as believable as the underlying religious message in this video.

In A Nutshell...

The purpose of this post is to sum up, as discussed in my previous post, my main reasons for being an atheist.

First: God.

There is no proof. The end.

No, seriously, there is no credible evidence to suggest that he exists. FEELING him inside you is not proof of his existence. Some people feel bugs crawling all over their bodies that are not actually there...but we don't believe in invisible bugs...we tell them to see a doctor (or psychiatrist). The Bible is not a credible source either. If I wrote a book making claims about the greatness of my own existence, would you worship me? Which brings me to:

Second: The Bible.

Man wrote it. The end.

Again, I'm not joking...it's that simple. Why would an all-powerful God let his fallible creations write His book and mess it up? And why would he include details that would become irrelevant over time, in a book that is supposed to be perfect and timeless? Also, the fact that there are no other sources, beyond the Bible, that speak of the historical existence of Jesus kinda makes me go "hmmmmm"....

Third: Prayer

It doesn't work. It's never worked. It's been proven not to work (with the exception of the positive psychological effect of KNOWING that you are being prayed for, which is not proof of prayer working in and of itself).

Test #1: 2 groups of sick people, one group gets prayed for, the other doesn't, neither group knows of the prayers. No significant difference between the 2 groups in the end.

Test #2: 2 groups of sick people, both being prayed for, but only one group knows of the prayers. The knowing group shows slightly more improvement over the unknowing group.

Test #3: 2 groups of sick people, one prayed for, one not prayed for, both groups BELIEVE they are being prayed for. No significant difference between the groups.

Test #4: 2 groups of sick people, neither being prayed for, one group BELIEVES they are being prayed for. The group believing they are being prayed for show some improvement over the "unprayed for" group.

(I can look up the source and details of this study for anyone interested beyond my paraphrasing).

What does it mean? Prayer wastes valuable time that could be spent actually DOING something to help the situation that you are praying for.


And those are my 3 basic reasons for being an atheist....simplified.

UUuuuuuuhhhmmmmmm......

So, I've noticed lately that since I've started letting my atheism show, people are suddenly asking questions. The most obvious question being, "Why are you, or why did you become an atheist? And why don't you believe in God?". My standard answer has continued to be something to the effect of "The questions that I have been asking in church since I was a child have never been adequately answered for me, and the Bible is full of absurdities, inconsistencies, and atrocities" followed by a very simple "and there is no proof of God". This is usually a satisfactory answer for most. However, to those of you who decide to put me on the spot and probe deeper...you probably received the "uuuhhhh" response. What I've realized is that I'm quite well-spoken and well-informed when I am putting things in writing, but rarely have a cohesive, intelligent answer prepared for those on-the-fly conversations. There are so many hundreds of individual reasons that add up to my atheism, but to sit down and list these to someone would be near impossible (which is mainly why I started this blog...to start sharing those hundreds of ideas/reasons with you). So, I am making it my mission to narrow down my atheism to a few key points that I am ready to share with those who are interested. I will follow up with another post, telling you what I've come up with, if anything. Fellow atheists, feel free to share your "atheist statement" below, and Christians, feel free to leave me questions that you would ask an atheist in such a conversation.

In Your Own Words

I regularly watch videos from TheThinkingAtheist on YouTube. These 2 videos really spoke to me. I can relate to 99.9% of what these people are saying. It's nice to know that there are groups of people out there who think and rationalize the same way that I do. I'm strongly considering doing something like this, using the words of some of my dearest friends. I think it's really important for our voices to be heard on this matter. I'm not proposing that we be obnoxious god-haters, but I've only recently come out of the atheist closet, and already I've been told that it would be in my best interest to keep my opinions to myself. While I'm surrounded by people who have no issues with telling me that they are praying for this and that, and that God has blessed them in this area of their lives, and facebook statuses proclaiming the glory of God, and the miracles of faith....I've been told not to use my voice of reason. That's just wrong.

The Pale Blue Dot

These are some of the most humbling words ever spoken by Man. I can't even bring myself to try and supplement the wisdom of Sagan's speech. Please have a listen and leave your comments.

Where do we go when we die?

Why, pretty much wherever you want these days! Ok, so this isn't really atheist related, but in a roundabout way it has to do with the afterlife...I suppose. We'll just pretend that this is relevant, since I think it's really cool, and want to share it with you. My personal favorite is the hour glass, followed in close second by the painting. I think the only one I'm really not sure about is the teddy bear. Kinda creepy. I guess it would be kind of cute for an untimely child death....maybe. Morbid.

So, to anyone who knows me...my dying wish is to be placed in an ornate hour glass (please, no Monopoly leftovers), and displayed prominently...perhaps with some of my own artwork...or a painting made with my ashes. Just putting that out there....

13 Things to Do with Your Cremated Remains.

Symphony of Science...

When I came across these music videos, I knew I would have to share them with as many people as possible. I have never heard science sound so beautiful. This is such a great collection of wise words...and I hope there are more in the making. This is one project that I am strongly considering donating towards. Do yourself a favor and listen to them all. Trust me.











http://symphonyofscience.com

First Annual Draw Muhammad Day - - -May 20, 2010

We are asking anyone who is participating in the First Annual Draw Muhammad Day to simply share their work with us. If you post any images online, please share the link with us. Should we really bow down to someone's religious freedom to kill you if you draw a picture of their prophet? This is an exercise in free speech. We want to show religious extremists that their threats are falling on deaf ears. Please help the global community in sending the message that enough is enough. Have fun and be creative.

Christian Vs Atheist (Mac Vs PC spoof)

I came across this clip and found it quite amusing. I know that not all xtians subscribe to this point of view and have read the Harry Potter series. It does raise a valid point about the actual content of the Bible and not the interpretation of that content. If it's Yahweh's word, then xtians must adhere to it; both the good and the bad. I prefer using my own moral compass rather using ancient scripture to guide my actions. If that were the case I could use the book to justify many immoral actions.

Hell's Best Kept Secret?

I'd ask if these guys are for real, but unfortunately I already know that they are. Scare tactics and guilt trips at their finest. I laughed out of shock throughout most of this video. What a team these 2 morons make. Frightening to think that people actually listen to them.









Wow. Just wow.

The power of suggestion

I recently attended a christian funerary service for close relative of mine. At this point in my life, I attend church for one of three reasons; weddings, funerals and services that have to do with my God-son (I've explained to the parents that I would not help raise him to be a good christian, but to be a good person).

Near the beginning of the service, I told my wife that I would go on auto-pilot and see how much of church ceremony I could remember/perform since I stopped attending regular services some 20 years ago. I was shocked to realize how well I had been conditioned; Hymn after hymn, song after song, prayer after prayer, even the obscure little utterances during the ceremony had been burned into my memory over the course of my childhood and adolescence.

I came to appreciate the power of suggestion associated with the church. If you take a child and repeat a ceremony week after week, it will be absorbed. This is how religion works. Hook 'em while they're young and the rest is done. It becomes habit and tradition. Critical thought will lead many to free themselves of the shackles of tradition but many do not question the status quo and keep passing their beliefs on to their children without even thinking about it.

Quotable Quotes

Whenever I stumble across quotes that I like, I add them to my ongoing compilation. Every now and then I will bust one out when the appropriate conversation presents itself. The rest of the time, these gems just sit in word documents collecting dust, so to speak. So I thought I would share some of the shorter, more "quotable" ones. Enjoy!


Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true. ~Demosthenes


Knowledge is an unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty. ~Jacob Bronowski

Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it. ~Andre Gide

"Creationism is not a scientific alternative to natural selection any more than the stork theory is an alternative to sexual reproduction." — Hayes, 1996.

"Religion is a magic device for turning unanswerable questions into unquestionable answers." — Art Gecko.

"The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike." — Delos B. McKown

"It is wrong, always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence." — William Kingdon Clifford, The Ethics of Belief (1877).

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours." — Stephen F Roberts.

"Every prayer reduces itself to this: 'Great God, grant that twice two be not four'." — Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883).

"To think that the ruler of the universe will run to my assistance and bend the laws of nature for me is the height of arrogance." — Dan Barker, Losing Faith in Faith.

"When I was young I used to pray for a bike. Then I realized that God doesn't work that way, so I stole a bike and prayed for forgiveness." — Emo Philips.

"You can cite a hundred references to show that the biblical God is a bloodthirsty tyrant, but if they can dig up two or three verses that say 'God is love', they will claim that *you* are taking things out of context !" — Dan Barker, "Losing Faith in Faith".

"The Bible has noble poetry in it... and some good morals and a wealth of obscenity, and upwards of a thousand lies." — Mark Twain

"The very concept of sin comes from the bible. Christianity offers to solve a problem of its own making! Would you be thankful to a person who cut you with a knife in order to sell you a bandage ?" — Dan Barker, "Losing Faith in Faith".

"Citing the Bible as evidence for anything is like saying that the sun is in fact a chariot of fire that races across the sky because we read about it in Greek mythology." — Stephen Ban.

My Atheist Afterlife...

What happens when you die? As a Christian, I always believed that a person goes one of 2 places when they die. I was convinced that all my sins were forgiven, and I would spend eternity in heaven, with all of my Christian friends and family, and I would watch over the loved ones I left behind. I wasn't concerned with being a GREAT person. I figured I just had to do my best to live a life that was pleasing to God, and ask him to forgive me when I made a boo-boo. It was kind of like grade 11 all over again. I didn't care about getting good grades...I just had to pass. In my mind, grade 11 didn't count, because it was my grade 12 and OAC marks that would make the difference in my University choices. I could worry about that later...right now I just needed 50%. I could ditch class, miss assignments, have a good time, and then make up for it later. I thought I had all the time in the world to worry about being great. I wonder how much different it would have been if I had thought that every moment counted? How much learning and experience did I miss out on while I was out frolicking around the mall and smoking cigarettes with friends (yeah, I was cool like that).

Life is kind of like that. As a Christian, I could have fun now, repent later, and it was heaven that really counted...I had plenty of time before I had to worry about that. Who cares if I died young? I was going to live forever in the afterlife. I went to sleep at night, "knowing" that even if my life were to be full of seemingly unbearable hardships, and terrible mistakes...it would all be worth it when I reached those pearly gates.

Am I the only one who thinks that this paints such a sad picture of life? Have we become desensitized to "carpe diem" and "live life to it's fullest"? How can you really live a full life, all-the-while believing that this is really just the shitty forward to a great novel? Personally, I don't read the forwards...I'd much rather just read the book. But I often find myself wondering if I'm missing something by skipping over words that the author clearly thought should be included with his story. Christians often seem like they'd rather fast forward through life, to get to the "good stuff". How much learning and experience are THEY missing out on?!

When I became an atheist, I thought I had to let go of all notions of immortality. There is no heaven, and no hell. Nothing happens when you die. But I believe in immortality. I believe that memories can last forever, if they are worth remembering. Life is my process of creating my own legacy. What I do NOW is what counts. This is my time to be something great. My legacy is my afterlife.

NABlog wants YOU!

Currently, at Naked Atheists, we have 2 writers. Myself, and my husband, Rob. We try to update the blog and share our thoughts as often as we can. The downside to having 2 writers who live in the same house, is that when one is busy, it usually means the other is also busy, which results in quite a lull in posts. I'm currently looking for new team members. Not only would I like more frequency in posts, but also some new opinions, and a more diverse group of freethinkers. More thoughts means more thinking...and I heart thinking! If you think you have some thoughts worth sharing, PLEASE feel free to send me an email at sarahbertrand@live.com. If you don't have the time to dedicate to being a regular blogger...THAT'S OK TOO! We'd love to hear your deconversion story, or just a one-time article that you might want to share. I look forward to hearing from you!

We're on the list!

Naked Atheists has been added to The Atheist Blogroll. You can see the blogroll in my sidebar. The Atheist blogroll is a community building service provided free of charge to Atheist bloggers from around the world. If you would like to join, visit Mojoey at Deep Thoughts for more information.

Imagine.

I thought this was beautifully done...Love it!