No God' Now What

1
No God. Now What?

• An Introduction to Secular Humanism
• Session I

2
The arguments for Gods existence all fail. So,
how are we to make sense of our world? Secular
Humanists believe that a fulfilling life can be
found outside religion.
3
You Will Learn

• Why God is unnecessary to morality, liberal
  democracy happiness
• Why faith and religious values should be rejected
  in favor of critical thinking and secular values
  
• Why reason, experience and science (as opposed to
  faith, revelation and other superstitions) should
  be credited for the progress of humanity.

4
What Progress Has Resulted From Secular Humanist
Principles (Particularly the priority of reason
over faith)?

• There was a time when religion ruled the world.
  It was called the Dark Ages. Because of
  rationalism, we have vastly improved
• Health care disease control Life
  Expectancy Neanderthal gt Greek-Romans-30 yrs
  Medieval Europe-40 yrs. World Average
  Today-66 yrs. Death from childbirth 1935-1150.
  1955 12000. 2006 110,000)
• Conquest of diseases, such as polio,
  cholera, and bubonic plague.
• Medical dental treatment / pharmacology
  Open heart surgery laser vision correction
  dental implants colesterol-reducing drugs, hip
  replacement, etc.

5
More Progress Resulting from Secular Humanist
Principles

• Agriculture animal husbandry People no
  longer have to live on the brink of starvation.
• Communications (cost speed) Took 3 weeks
  for Geo. Washington to find out he had been
  elected President.
• Today, we can communicate with just
  about anyone on the planet in seconds.
• Transportation (safety, cost, speed) Before
  1850 - Three MPH World vs. 600 MPH Today. Took
  Ben Franklin 13 weeks to cross Atlantic. Today
  we routinely cross the pond in a few hours. Our
  food comes from farms thousands of miles away to
  our table in a single day.

6
More Progress Resulting from Secular Humanist
Principles

• Comfort SafetyHeating Refrigeration. Gov.
  regulations against child labor for worker
  safety food drug quality product safety -
  cars, etc.
• Widespread economic prosperity But only in
  societies where secular education secular
  government prevail. (or are primary customers
  ex petroleum producers)

7
More Progress Resulting From Secular Humanist
Principles

• The invention of such revolutionary and
  beneficial concepts as
• Liberal Democracy (majority rule/minority
  rights)
• Universal Human Rights (U.N. Declaration)
• All of this beneficial physical, material,
  ethical, and political progress has been the
  result of critical thinking (18th century
  Enlightenment) overcoming religious thinking
  (Dark Ages).

8
More Progress Resulting From Secular Humanist
Principles

• Faith is appealing to people who need an
  emotional crutch to deal with reality, but
• If we want political freedom, economic security,
  continuing improvement in our standard of
  living, we have to embrace the principles of
  Secular Humanism (i.e., priority of reason
  compassion over superstition, willful ignorance
  magical thinking).

9
General Stuff

• Course Six 2 hour sessions.
• One hour presentation
• Ten minute break
• Twenty minute presentation
• One half hour discussion

10
More General Stuff

• Course Outline
• Week 1
• Introduction to Secular Humanism.
  Religious andsecular worldviews. Definition of
  key terms. Top 10 reasons not to believe. Top 10
  myths about SH.
• Week 2
• The Problem of Scripture and the Problem
  of Evil. Scriptural inconsistencies,
  contradictions, inaccuracies, and absurdities
  plus why good people suffer and die.

11
Course Outline (cont)

• Week 3
• The Dangers of Faith. How faith leads to
  preventable suffering and death by the billions.
• Week 4
• Why So Many Still Believe. The top 10 reasons
  people believe despite the lack of evidence or
  logic. The psychology sociology of belief
  explained.

12
Course Outline (cont)

• Week 5
• Atheist Ethics. Can non-believers be moral? A
  simple godless ethic explained.
• Week 6
• The dangers of faith. The benefits of Secular
  Humanism. What would a society without religion
  be like? Free discussion. Course evaluations.

13
More General Stuff

• If you need clarification regarding something we
  just said, please let us know right away and we
  will clarify.
• If you have questions of a philosophical nature,
  please write them on the provided 3X5 cards
  hand them in at the first break. (Hint be
  succinct)
• We will try to answer as many as we can in the
  last 30 minutes of each session.

14
More General Stuff

• Given the controversial nature of this topic, an
  understanding of other points of view requires
  civility on the part of all participants.
• After each session, a copy of the presentation
  will be made available at
• http//www.centerforinquiry.net
  /saz
• While we, the presenters, are members of CFI, not
  every member of CFI endorses every aspect of this
  presentation.

15
Who Are We?

• Dr. Gil Shapiro, D.P.M., P.C. Dr. Shapiro is a
  Tucson Podiatrist Foot Surgeon who has been
  saving soles for more than a quarter century. His
  guest opinion columns are frequently published in
  the AZ Daily Star Tucson Citizen Newspapers.
• Dr. Stephen Uhl, S.T.L., PH.D.Dr. Uhl is a
  former Roman Catholic priest a Doctor of
  Psychology (retired) and author of the book,
  Imagine No Superstition the Power to Enjoy Life
  with No Guilt, No Shame, No Blame.
• Jim Gressinger, N.P.S. (No Particular
  Specialty)Jim is a retired newspaper publisher,
  a real estate investor, with a B.S. Degree in
  Anthropology, Philosophy, and History a Masters
  in Public Administration. His first job out of
  college was as a social worker in Watts.

16
Statement of Belief

• Education has been defined as The process
  of replacing ignorance with knowledge.
• But what kind of knowledge?
• Secular Humanists believe that everyone will
  be best served by replacing superstition, willful
  ignorance, and wishful, magical thinking with
  empirical evidence, scientific proof, independent
  historical accounts and sound logic.
• In other words education should be the
  process of replacing faith with reason.

17
Understanding Starts w/ Definitions

• Secular worldly. Relating to the worldly or
  temporal as opposed to the sacred and eternal.
  Non-religious, but not necessarily anti-religion.
  
• Humanism a broad category of ethical
  philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of
  all people, based on the ability to determine
  right and wrong through universal human qualities
  particularly reason compassion. A worldview
  that disregards personal ethics political
  philosophies that are based on irrational beliefs
  or unprovable claims.
• Secular Humanist one who views people as
  creatures of the natural world (without eternal
  souls or other supernatural attributes) capable
  of achieving technological progress, social
  justice, and general happiness through reason,
  scientific methodology, moral courage, and
  compassion.
• (Note there are people who call themselves
  religious humanists. We arent of that
  persuasion.)

18
Definitions

• Stated somewhat differently
• Secular Humanist one who, after careful
  consideration, finds no compelling evidence for
  the supernatural (angels, demons, gods, karma,
  ancestor spirits, etc.) but rather adheres to an
  ethic based on our common humanity (Premise we
  are all moral equals.), and our capacity for
  reason, courage, and empathy. One who seeks the
  best for all concerned without recourse to
  divinity (Gods Laws or Commandments).

19
Definitions

• God an eternal, transcendent, all-powerful,
  all-knowing, and benevolent being who created the
  universe and occasionally intervenes in some
  peoples lives.
• Ethics a system of beliefs and related
  principles that guide behavior, especially toward
  others. As used in this course, ethics and
  morality are interchangeable terms.
• Ethics can also refer to certain agreed upon
  values that hold society together, such as proper
  roles for men women thrift self-reliance,
  priority of community over individual or vice
  versa etc.

20
Definitions

• Fundamentalist a person of faith who adheres to
  the literal interpretation of scripture.
  Fundamentalists want laws and public policies to
  be based on their strict interpretation of their
  scriptures. All Protestant fundamentalists are
  evangelicals.
• Evangelical a person of faith who believes that
  redemption (the ticket to eternal paradise)
  depends on a personal relationship with God and
  requires no priestly intermediary. IOW, if God
  likes you, you will go to heaven. All
  evangelicals are proselytizers, but not all are
  fundamentalists.
• Note this god really appreciates slavish
  devotion.

21
Examples

• Presidents Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush
  are both evangelical Christians. But
• Carter is not a fundamentalist. He believes that
  eternal salvation depends on an intimate,
  personal relationship between God and man but
  the Bible is not literally true in all respects.
• George W. Bush is a fundamentalist. Like Carter,
  he believes salvation depends on having a
  personal relationship with the Almighty AND the
  Bible is literally true in all respects.
• Thus, Carter strongly supports the teaching of
  evolution and opposes creationism while Bush
  believes only creationism should be taught
  because evolution contradicts the Bible.

22
Definitions (cont)

• Religious Moderate one who typically considers
  portions of scripture to be allegory (symbolic of
  a deeper truth) or myth (a fanciful story with a
  moral lesson) as opposed to literal truth in
  every respect.
• Main difference from fundamentalists religious
  moderates generally try to accommodate their
  beliefs to secular education (e.g., evolution)
  and secular government (e.g., separation of
  church state abortion, stem cell research).

23
Definitions

• Worldview ones perception of the world.
• Our worldview is how we think the world really is
  and how it really works.
• Most often, worldviews are expressed as claims of
  truth particularly religious truths.

24
Examples

• Worldview 1. There really is a God.
• God created and controls the universe.
• God is all-powerful all-knowing and
• benevolent.
• God responds to our prayers
• to protect the innocent and vulnerable.
  
• God has revealed his will in holy scripture,
• so we know how He wants us to think and
  act.
• Therefore, we only need to have faith and all
  will be well.

25
Examples

• Worldview 2. There really is no God.
• Or at least there is no Deity that responds to
• prayers and protects the innocent and vulnerable.
  
• Scripture is mere speculation about the
  supernatural
• by primitive, ignorant, and usually bigoted old
  men.
• Therefore, we have only ourselves to rely on for
• our well-being. The well-being of our children
• grandchildren depends on our willingness to
  reason,
• extend our compassion, and be fair.
• ( Biased against (1) people of other tribes
  faiths (2) women (3) secular government
• (4) homosexuals and reason. Reason. The Devils
  harlot. Martin Luther)

26
Worldviews Have Consequences

• Misunderstanding how the world really works
  usually leads to disappointment and sometimes
  tragedy.
• Jumping off a high bridge believing that you can
  soar like a bird can lead to disappointment.
• Refusing to take your seriously ill child to a
  modern medical facility because you believe God
  will answer your prayers for recovery can lead to
  tragedy.

27
Blair couple's faith healing appeal denied

• Tuesday, May 01, 2001 By Tom Gibb, Post-Gazette
  Staff Writer HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa.
• The U.S. Supreme Court said yesterday that it
  won't hear the appeal of a Blair County couple
  who spurned medicine, put their trust in faith
  healing and lost two of their 13 children to
  treatable illnesses.Barring a last-resort appeal,
  Dennis and Lorie Nixon will go off sometime in
  the next 30 days to spend 21/2 to five years in
  state prisons, leaving behind their
  Hollidaysburg-area house and 10 children still
  living at home.
• The case the Supreme Court rejected yesterday
  involved the death of daughter Shannon Nixon, 16,
  in 1996 of diabetes acidosis, a treatable
  condition that sent her blood sugar levels
  soaring more than 12 times above normal levels.
  Her family fasted, prayed over her and anointed
  her. The teen-ager told her parents "I feel I
  had my victory." But she lapsed into a coma and
  died, never seen by a doctor.

28
Worldviews Are Important

• Worldviews determine our understanding of
• Reality what is real?
• Goodness what is good?
• Righteousness What is right?

29
Reality what is real (or true) vs. what is
fantasy (or false)?

• Examples
• Is there really a god who will punish us if we
  disobey him and reward us if we make him happy?
  (as claimed by all three monotheistic religions)
• Is there really a rain god and will he save our
  crops if we do a really good rain dance? (as
  claimed by every Southwestern Native American
  culture)
• Is there really a heavenly afterlife and will we
  have a better chance of going there if we forego
  sex outside of marriage? (as claimed by most
  religions)

30
Reality (cont)

• 4. Is an embryo really a person and is aborting
  it really murder? (as claimed by religious
  fundamentalists who identify themselves as
  Pro-Life)
• 5. Is there really a god who will destroy the
  world if we do not offer human sacrifices,
  especially virgins? (as claimed by the Aztec,
  Mayan, and Inca priests)
• 6. Was 9/11 really the manifestation of Gods
  wrath for Americas tolerance of pagans, and the
  abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and
  lesbians? (as claimed by Rev. Falwell Rev.
  Robertson)

31
Reality (cont)

• 7. Was the holocaust only Zionist propaganda?
  (as claimed by Irans President Ahmadinejad)
• 8. Is it true that morality requires religion?
  (as claimed by Republican presidential candidate
  Mitt Romney)
• 9. Is it true that God made our world in 6 days
  about 6,000 years ago (as claimed by
  creationists) or is it true that life evolved
  over billions of years? (as claimed by Darwinian
  evolutionists)

32
Goodness what is good and what is evil?

• Examples
• Is it good to pursue ones own happiness, even
  at the expense of others? (as most people are
  inclined to do)
• 2. Is it good for the government to eliminate
  undesirables, such as religious and ethnic
  minorities and the mentally handicapped, in order
  to purify society as a whole? (as claimed by the
  Nazis)

33
Goodness (cont)

• 3. Is government good if it protects its citizens
  by curtailing civil liberties, such as the right
  to privacy and due process? (as claimed by the
  Bush administration)
• 4. Is it good to destroy the infidels or should
  we let them live and subjugate them? (the only
  acceptable options claimed by the Taliban)

34
Righteousness what is right (moral) vs. what is
wrong (immoral)?

• Is it morally acceptable for a very poor man (say
  a Mexican or Guatemalan) to violate U.S. law by
  illegally immigrating to America in order to work
  if that is the only way he can feed his starving
  family? (U.S. laws claims that it is wrong.)
• Is it morally acceptable to ignore the desperate
  needs of others, even when we could reasonably
  help them without causing something even worse to
  happen? (most people claim that it is morally
  acceptable, even required, to punish someone who
  acts to harm the innocent and vulnerable, but not
  acceptable to punish someone for not acting to
  protect them when they reasonably could.

35
Righteousness (cont)

• 3. Is it morally acceptable to steal, so long as
  it is not from someone in our own tribe? (as
  claimed by some verses of the Hebrew scriptures
  then contradicts itself in other verses)
• 4. Should gays be stoned to death (as claimed by
  the Bible and Quran) or should they be treated
  like everyone else? (as claimed by Secular
  Humanists)
• 5. Is it right to lie to a really bad person in
  order to protect the innocent? (Bible says thou
  shalt not bear false witness (lie or commit
  perjury) then contradicts itself elsewhere.)

36
Worldview gt Ethics gt Social Political Choices

• Your answers to these kinds of questions are
  determined by your worldview.
• Your worldview determines your personal ethics or
  moral principles.
• Your personal ethics determine your stance on the
  social and political issues of the day.
• If your worldview changes, chances are your
  ethical principles as well as your social and
  political choices will change too.

37
Law Public Policy Always Reflect Someones (or
Some Groups) Worldview Ethical Values

• Who do you want making law public policy?
• Justices Scalia Thomas or Ginsberg Stevens
• Newt Gingrich or Nancy Pelosi
• Osama bin Laden or Bishop Gene Robinson
• Vladimir Putin or Nicolas Sarkozy
• Robert Mugabe or Nelson Mandela
• Hamas Hezbollah or Any Political Party that
  embraces the goals methods of the ACLU, Amnesty
  International, and Doctors w/o Borders.

38
Deciding How To Decide

• Which worldview is probably realistic (true)
  and which is probably fantasy (false)?
• First, we have to decide which is the best
  method for determining if a worldview (or claim
  of truth) is real or fantasy.

39
Basically, Only Two Approaches To Knowledge

• Faith
• Reason
• Our choice of one over the other will have
  the biggest single influence over our worldview,
  ethics, and political stance.
• And yes, these 2 approaches to discovering
  what is true and what is false are incompatible.

40
Those who rely on faith to determine reality want
those of us who rely on reason to believe there
is a spirit world in addition to the natural
world.

• The inner circle represents the natural
  (physical) world of animals (including humans),
  plants, wind, water, fire. Knowledge based on
  reason (empirical evidence, logic).
• Everything outside the circle represents the
  supernatural world. Knowledge based on faith
  (revelation, tradition).

41
Belief In The Supernatural

• The faithful claim that the supernatural
  world of gods, angels, and evil spirits is as
  real as the physical world despite the lack of
  empirical evidence, scientific proof, independent
  historical accounts, and sound logic.

42
Rules Of Logic

• Skeptics in general and Secular Humanists in
  particular make no claim denying the existence of
  a supernatural world. (We dont know neither
  does anyone else.) We simply ask for credible
  proof that can stand rigorous objective
  scrutiny by independent peer review.
• Logically, claimants have the burden of
  proof. In the past 10,000 years, the faithful
  have never offered objective, credible proof for
  their subjective, incredible claims about the
  supernatural including virgin births, bodily
  resurrections, and miraculous interventions
  (faith healings, etc.).

43
Thinking About Ideology

• An ideology, including any theology, is simply a
  collection of ideas usually pertaining to a
  specific worldview and its ethical principles as
  they relate to personal, social, and political
  issues.
• Most ideologies claim to have the best solutions
  for personal, social, and political problems. (SH
  is no different.)
• An ideologue is one who advocates an ideology.

44
Definitions (cont)

• Today, ideology usually refers to fixed,
  intransigent beliefs of extremists - both on the
  right and left of the socio-political spectrum.
• More accurate term is dogma a fixed,
  inflexible ideology or doctrine impervious to
  evidentiary challenge (new facts and better
  reasoning).
• A demagogue is someone who advocates a dogma by
  appealing to primitive (fear) emotions and
  prejudices usually to gain power over others.
  Example Hitler.

45
Definitions (cont)

• Secular Humanism, like all other religions
  and philosophies, is ideological (a system of
  ideas). However, SH is not dogmatic
  (intransigent).
• We welcome challenges to our beliefs and will
  change our minds if contrary evidence holds up to
  objective standards. People who are dogmatic
  refuse to do this.
• Unlike the demagogues of religious
  fundamentalism, Secular Humanists do not appeal
  to primitive emotion, such as fear of the
  unknown, or prejudice, such as bigotry toward
  those of different ethnicity and faith.

46
Secular Humanism As Ideology

• True, we believe passionately in the priority of
  reason over faith because the evidence strongly
  suggests that people are far better off when they
  make critical decisions based on empirical
  evidence, scientific proof, independent
  historical accounts, and sound logic, rather than
  superstition, willful ignorance, and wishful,
  magical thinking.
• However, most Secular Humanists would change
  their minds if better facts and reasoning became
  available.
• By contrast, fundamentalists can never change
  their minds because Gods Word is eternal and
  unchanging.
• To change their minds would make fundamentalists
  feel like they were forsaking their god and
  committing a mortal sin.

47
The 3 Central Ideas of Secular Humanism

• We should use our best reasoning to discover
  reality for the benefit of all. (Assumes (1)
  knowing the difference between reality fantasy
  is good and (2) no one is inherently more
  important than anyone else. This means that no
  ones needs automatically come before anyone
  elses based on accidents of birth heredity,
  race, etc.)
• Knowledge of reality is best discovered through
  independent, free inquiry. (Assumes no subject
  should be taboo. Subjects are taboo only to
  protect the powerful.)
• Separation of church state is an essential
  condition for free inquiry. (Assumes, based on
  the evidence, that free inquiry leads to the best
  for all.)

48
Our Primary Goal

• We want to create a world that is safe, just, and
  prosperous for all.
• Consequently, we are rather intolerant of
  worldviews, ethics, and political stances that
  harm the innocent and vulnerable and make this
  world more dangerous for everyone.
• As means to ends, we really do want to relegate
  religion and other superstitions forms of
  willful ignorance to the margins of society were
  they can do a lot less harm. Our primary means of
  accomplishing our goal is through education in
  critical thinking, science, and if necessary,
  ridicule.

49
More Definitions

• Faith (from the perspective of faith) Faith is
  belief in the supernatural (gods, demons,
  ancestor spirits, etc.) based on
• Religious authorities (assumed to have special
  knowledge of the divine)
• Scripture (assumed to be divinely authored)
• Mystical experiences (assumed to be
  manifestations of the divine)

50
More Definitions (cont)

• Faith (from the perspective of reason)
• Faith is mere speculation about the supernatural.
• Faith is belief in the supernatural unsupported
  by empirical (objective) evidence, scientific
  proof, independent historical accounts, or sound
  logic.
• Faith is superstition, willful ignorance, and
  wishful, magical thinking.
• Faith is childish emotionalism, the antithesis of
  critical thinking.
• (People believe because it makes them feel
  good faith offers comfort inspiration
  meaning.)

51
Faith Is Superstition

• because faith is belief in the supernatural
  (ghosts, demons, ancestor spirits, gods, etc.)
  based on imagination emotions (usually fear),
  not empirical evidence, scientific proof,
  independent historical accounts, or sound logic.
• Superstition appears to be natural to humans - a
  highly imaginative response to fear of the
  unknown. Archeological evidence, anthropological
  research, and independent historical accounts
  strongly suggest that superstition was pervasive
  in all cultures throughout recorded history.
• Superstition is still pervasive today, even in
  some of the most technologically advanced
  societies. Superstition, usually in the form of
  religion, still accounts for most of the
  preventable suffering and death in the world.

52
Faith Is Willful Ignorance

• because the faithful choose to ignore the
  overwhelming evidence that scripture is simply
  the writings of primitive, ignorant, and often
  bigoted old men speculating about the
  supernatural in an unscientific, illogical effort
  to explain and control their world.

53
Faith Is Wishful, Magical Thinking

• because the faithful use the same kind of
  fanciful thinking about gods and miracles that
  little children use when they sincerely believe
  in fairies, dragons, hobgoblins, leprechauns,
  demons, ghosts, Santa Claus, and the Easter
  Bunny.
• Both involve suspending disbelief and allowing
  our imagination and emotions to control our
  rational mind.

54
Faith Is Always Based On Fear

• Priests, soothsayers, astrologers, rabbis,
  ministers of the gospels, etc., would have no
  following, except for this
• We cannot bear the thought of our own destruction
  and the complete annihilation of our loved ones -
  forever.
• It is simply too painful to accept that when our
  loved ones die, we will never see or talk to them
  again - ever.
• It takes a lot of courage to accept that death is
  final and permanent. Most people are not that
  courageous. It is much easier to believe that we
  will someday be re-united with our friends
  family in paradise.

55
Top Ten Reasons SH Reject Faith As The Basis Of
Knowledge About Reality

• 10. All arguments for the existence of God are
  fatally flawed.
• 9. Faith is illogical and therefore irrational.
  
• 8. The Problem of Evil if god is good, why do
  the innocent suffer and die? No verifiable
  answer.
• The Problem of Scripture if God wrote the
  scriptures, why are there so many contradictions,
  inconsistencies, inaccuracies, and absurdities?
  Moreover, why didnt God provide us with the
  original texts?
• (All of the above will be discussed in
  Session II.)

56
Top Ten Reasons (cont)

• 6. Faith is dangerous yes, even the most liberal
  ones. (Session III)
• 5. Faith is anti-democracy anti science
  advocates theocracy and rejects scientific
  methodology. (Session II)
• 4. The ethical values of faith are generally
  bizarre and often cruel. (Session II)
• 3. Faith is childish emotionalism. (Session IV)
• 2. There is a much better alternative we would
  all be better off in a rational world. (Session
  VI)

57
Top Ten Reasons (cont)

• And most importantly
• Faith leads to poor judgment that results in the
  preventable suffering and death of billions.
• Example faith pressures billions of
  women to have children they dont want and cannot
  properly care for resulting in grinding poverty,
  horrific suffering, and untimely death.
• Details to come in Session III The
  Dangers of Faith.

58
Superstition, willful ignorance, and wishful,
magical thinking are alive and well in America

• Fast Facts
• Nine out of 10 U.S. adults believe in some kind
  of god or gods.
• More than 3 out of 10 believe the Bible should be
  interpreted literally.
• Two in 10 believe the sun revolves around the
  earth.
• Seven out of 10 dont know that DNA is the key to
  heredity.
• Twenty-five out of 100 high school biology
  teachers believe humans and dinosaurs co-existed.
  
• More than half of Americans believe suffering
  and death are Gods punishment for sin.
• Almost half believe God made people in their
  present form less than 10,000 years ago.

59
Fast Facts (cont)

• About 30 of Americans are fundamentalist
  evangelicals or conservative Roman Catholics.
• A strong majority of U.S. evangelicals and
  Catholics believe that the Bible, not the will of
  the people or the U.S. Constitution, should be
  the basis of law public policy.
• Three times as many Americans believe in the
  virgin birth as in evolution.
• The U.S. has a larger proportion of highly
  emotional Pentecostals Charismatic
  Christians than backward, poverty-stricken, and
  strife-ridden Nigeria.
• One third of Americans describe themselves as
  spiritual but not religious meaning vaguely
  superstitious but non-committal to any sect or
  set of beliefs.

60
Fast Facts (cont)

• Six out of 10 believe the bloody predictions of
  the Book of Revelations - all who do not believe
  Jesus is the Messiah will die a horrible death
  and be tortured in hell for eternity.
• Half of all Americans believe in ghosts.
• Three in 10 believe in astrology.
• Eight in 10 believe in miracles.
• Almost seven in 10 believe creationism should be
  taught in high school science classes - believing
  that Darwinian evolution is just another
  theory meaning just as plausible as the Genesis
  creation story.
• Mostly from Age of American Unreason.

61
In Other Words

• Most skeptics in general, and Secular
  Humanists in particular, worry about Americas
  collective mental health and for very good
  reasons as we shall see in upcoming sessions.

62
Top 10 Myths About Secular Humanists

• Myth 10. There are no atheists in foxholes. Oh
  please!
• Reality There is compelling testimony from
  thousands of soldiers who have faced combat
  bravely and never wavered from their non-theistic
  worldview. Just visit http//www.atheistfoxholes.o
  rg a website for our atheists in combat in
  Afghanistan and Iraq.
• Fear of death does not compel everyone to
  believe in nonsense. Atheists in general and SH
  in particular are well aware that they will die.
  To us, death means nothingness rather than
  eternal torment.
• To many atheists, heaven hell are the
  same. Hell is where God pours gasoline over you
  and lights you on fire so you writhe in anguish
  forever - no time off for good behavior no potty
  breaks. Heaven is where you have to put up with
  an capricious, jealous, petty, and unimaginably
  cruel deity forever. So whats the difference?

63
Top 10 Myths (cont)

• Myth 9. Secular Humanists are godless
  communists. Say what?
• Reality Godless, yes! Communists, no!
• Communism is a failed political and
  economic system that violated all of the basic
  premises of Secular Humanism, including respect
  for universal human rights.
• SH recognize (and history proves) that
  capitalism is the best system for creating
  wealth. Without wealth, we would all be destitute
  and miserable, as was the case in Russia and
  China before they embraced capitalism.
• But we also know that capitalism is not
  very good a distributing wealth equitably. So
  some compromises in economic policy are necessary
  if we are to achieve social justice, meaning
  equal opportunity/equal rights.
• Most SH favor a blend of capitalism
  socialism such as the case in the United States,
  UK, and Germany with government programs such as
  Social Security and Medicare.

64
Top 10 Myths (cont)

• Myth 8. Secular Humanists worship humanity.
  Hardly!
• Reality we recognize that people are capable of
  great self-sacrifice and generosity. They are
  also capable of horrific cruelty and indifference
  to the suffering of others.
• We do believe that proper education from a
  young age will generally result in responsible,
  compassionate adults who value critical thinking.
  In fact, we think this kind of education is the
  only way to save our children grandchildren
  from themselves and each other. Ultimately, it is
  our only hope.

65
Top 10 Myths (cont)

• Myth 7. Secular Humanism is a religion. Not so!
• Reality To be a religion, a worldview must
  embrace the supernatural.
• A worldview that lacks supernaturalism is,
  at best, a philosophy. SH is a philosophy or
  ideology, rather than a theology, and Secular
  Humanists, by definition, do not believe in the
  supernatural. We dont care what you believe
  unless it harms others. Unfortunately, all
  religions harm the innocent and vulnerable as we
  shall see in Session III.

66
Top 10 Myths (cont)

• Myth 6. Atheists, such as Secular Humanists, are
  arrogant. OK, but compared to whom?
• Reality Arrogance is defined as offensively
  exaggerating ones own importance. No one is
  more arrogant than those who consider themselves
  Gods Chosen People and all others are heathens,
  heretics, and barbarians.
• No one is more arrogant than the dogmatic
  faithful who believe that their worldview does
  not have to be supported by empirical evidence
  and sound logic and that anyone who does not
  believe as they do deserves to suffer in this
  life and will be condemned to a horrible
  existence in the afterlife.
• No one is more arrogant than the
  willfully ignorant faithful who refuse to
  seriously consider new evidence and reasoning
  that challenge their long-held and intransigent
  theology.
• We Secular Humanists can be assertive in
  our beliefs. We take a certain pride in our
  beliefs because they are actually intellectually
  defensible. We are enthusiastic about our
  worldview and our ability to defend it rationally
  because we believe it will lead to less
  suffering, fewer preventable deaths, and
  widespread social justice.

67
Top 10 Myths (cont)

• Myth 5. Atheists have no reason to live.
  Definitely not true!
• Reality Secular Humanists know that when the
  faithful make this unsubstantiated claim, they
  mean that without God, life is meaningless.
  This is absurd!
• Most SH live very meaningful lives,
  deriving ample meaning joy from family,
  friends, work.

68
Top 10 Myths (cont)

• Myth 4. Secular Humanists want to outlaw
  religion. Oh, dont tempt us.
• Reality Secular Humanists believe that religions
  all religions are not just silly, but
  dangerous. However, we know that religion cannot
  be stamped out by criminalizing it.
• That would be like trying to outlaw human
  nature. The Soviet Union and Communist China
  tried using the harshest methods imaginable. But
  we are willing to work hard to keep religion out
  of domestic foreign policy so it can do less
  harm.

69
Top 10 Myths (cont)

• Myth 3. Secular Humanism is the religion of
  public education. If only this were true!
• Reality Unfortunately, religious fundamentalists
  are trying to inject religion into our
  pluralistic public education (prayer in school,
  creationism is science class, etc.) SH want
  public education to be based on reason and
  compassion, not superstition and dogma.

70
Top 10 Myths (cont)

• Myth 2. Secular Humanist ethics are really based
  on Christian values. Dont bet on it.
• Reality About the only thing Christian and
  Secular Humanist ethics have in common is the
  Golden Rule, which is more or less rational and
  predates Jesus by several thousand years.

71
Top 10 Myths - Numero Uno!

• Myth 1. Secular Humanists, like all atheists,
  are immoral. Not so! We have some morals.
• Reality Secular Humanists are morally opposed to
  cheating, lying, and stealing. We even oppose
  murder. We do believe that exploiting others is
  wrong. But widespread belief in this myth keeps
  us from being elected to public office and
  exerting more influence.
• In superstitious America, it is nearly
  impossible for an avowed atheist to be elected to
  public office. We are less popular than Muslims,
  but slightly more popular than pedophiles. Yet,
  more than 90 of the U.S. prison population is
  religious and mostly Christian. The 10 of
  Americans who are atheists comprise less than one
  tenth of one percent of U.S. inmates.
• The region of the U.S. that is most
  religious (Christian), the states of the Old
  South, have by far the highest rates of teen
  pregnancy, child abuse, rape, theft, and murder.
  The most secular regions of the U.S. have the
  lowest rates of social dysfunction and
  criminality.

72
Suggested Reading

• 1. http//www.godandscience.org
• A site written by Christians to rebut
  criticisms of faith in general and Christianity
  in particular.
• 2. http//www.infidels.org
• A site written by atheists to rebut
  claims of faith in general and Christianity in
  particular.
• 3. http//skepticsannotatedbible.com
• A site written by skeptics detailing
  Biblical non-sense.
• 4. The Atheists Bible an illustrious collection
  of irreverent thoughts. Ed. Joan Konner
• End Session I