Just Atheists

by Daren Jaques

The odds that life would spring from the primordial ooze is unfathomably low; the odds that humans would evolve from that simple life was even less likely; the odds that my individualized consciousness would form sinks the odds ever more deep into the realm of implausibility that words cannot give it the gravity needed. To some, this extreme implausibility denotes a creator. To me, it makes me the winner of a cosmic lottery.

My years as a sentient being are precious to me, and I plan to do my best with them. As I’ve said before, there are no do-overs, no way to wipe the slate clean. I must be as moral and good as I can to make the world a better place (even if in small ways). When I am gone, my energy and matter will still be a part of this bizarre and fantastic place in space, and the universe is just mysterious enough for me to look upon what little we know of it and say, “I know not what dreams may come when I have shuffled off this mortal coil, but this life itself and the wondrous mysteries of the cosmos make every second worth living to the fullest.”

One has no need of a magic kingdom in the sky to find meaning in life.

by Jaime Sabel

I recently posted about free will on my personal blog which is more of a place for me to post my random thoughts and cool things I come across throughout the day. But, I also thought it was an appropriate topic for a conversation here.

I believe that free will does not exist. That’s not to say that we don’t make decisions. But based on the appearance, at least, that we live in a cause and effect universe, I believe it follows that our actions are an effect of a particular cause. The lack of free will is not the same thing as predestiny, however. I’m not saying that all of our actions are planned out from the beginning, just that the actions we take are based on the information our brains have at that time. A recent article from ScienceNOW Daily News talks about a study done that shows from brain imaging that brain patterns showed a decision before the subject is conscious of the decision. You can read the article here.

by Brian J. Sabel

Generally I try not to be a complainer but this one really got to me:

Atheist activist Rob Sherman was testifying before the Illinois legislature regarding the issue of state funding for church building rehabilitation when Rep. Monique Davis (D - Chicago) tore into him for his atheism. Among other shocking comments, she said, “[I]t’s dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists!” And later ordered, “Get out of that seat! You have no right to be here!” Fortunately, Mr. Sherman refused to yield. Listen for yourself here.

Sometimes I feel like I’m being dramatic when I mention the generally negative attitude the public has about atheists. But when a relatively high-profile politician can say these kinds of things without a firestorm of criticism and hardly a peep from the press I have to wonder if it’s even worse than I thought.

Special thanks to the Council for Secular Humanism for the lead.

by Daren Jaques

Theists frequently ask me, “why be a moral person if there is no punishment in the afterlife?” Well, there are lots of reasons. 1) I will not be as successful in life if others cannot trust me, and if all I ever do is look after myself, then people will not trust me. This applies to lying, stealing, and harming others generally. 2) I do not believe that I can be “absolved” of my wrongdoing through either a shaman’s magic (confession) nor through the ritual drinking of human/god blood (communion). That means I need to try and be as good and kind as possible every time I act because there are no do-overs.

I am troubled by the implication from some theists; they imply that if they stopped believing in a god, then they would become some kind of immoral and egocentric criminal. It is not the threat of eternal punishment that motivates me to do good deeds, it is for the mutual benefit of us all.

I find the latter to be a more positive outlook, for sure.