My other blogs are linked below: steampunkbanana (funny stuff) and steampunkrainbow (my interests).
So excited to be one of the founders of the feminist club at my school!
13th September 2012
Reblogged From that-liberal-cunt
Notes: 139
Many of the founders of secularism were religious. Indeed, back in the days when unbelief almost certainly existed but was not mentioned in polite company, it was often religious minorities afraid of being overrun by the majority who fought for a secular system of government that would give them religious freedom and protect them religious discrimination. When I was growing up, it was the Jews in my town who fought the yearly attempt by Christians to erect a nativity scene in the town square at Christmas time.
We need to remember this and to understand that we cannot win and will not win until we stop saying or insinuating that atheists, humanists or are the only ones who came up with the secular concept. Or that atheists, humanists or rationalist are the only ones able or willing to defend it. Atheism is a personal belief system. Humanism is a philosophy. Rationalism is an epistemology or theory. Secularism is a form of governance designed to ensure that Australians of every and of no faith are free to live their lives and to raise their children in accordance with their beliefs, and to not miss out on life’s opportunities because of their personal faith. Who can, does and should support a secular state? Fair-minded Australians of all faiths and of none, that’s who."
According to the latest global poll released by RedC Opinion Poll, part of WIN-Gallup International, a world-wide network of leading opinion pollsters, the number of self-declared atheists in the world has risen by 9% since the measure was last taken in 2005.
The massive poll, conducted in 57 countries (not, apparently, including Britain) among 51,000 people asked a single question “Irrespective of whether you attend a place of worship or not, would you say you are a religious person, not a religious person or a convinced atheist?”
It shows that on average 59% of the world said that they think of themselves as religious, whereas 23% think of themselves as not religious and 13% think of themselves as convinced atheists. Naturally there are enormous variations from country to country.
The countries with most self-described atheists are China (47%); Japan (31%), Czech Republic (30%), France (29%), South Korea (15%), Germany (15%), Netherlands (14%), Austria (10%), Iceland (10%), Australia (10%) and Ireland (10%).
The most religious countries are: Ghana (where 96% of people define themselves as religious), Nigeria (93%), Armenia (92%), Fiji (92%), Macedonia (90%), Romania (89%), Iraq (88%), Kenya (88%), Peru (86%) and Brazil (85%).
One of the most dramatic reductions in the proportion of the population considering themselves religious occurred in Ireland: from 69% in 2005 to 47% in 2012, placing Ireland on the index of religious belief at position 43 out of 57 countries.
The poll also showed that the poorer people were, the more likely they were to be religious.
One anomaly that the pollsters have themselves questioned is in Turkey, where those who say they are religious is only 23% while those defining themselves as non-religious is 73% (self-defined atheists 2%).
(Source: secularism.org.uk)
1. You have been brought up to believe that Atheists are immoral and incorrect.
2. You are afraid of the possibility of being wrong and not having all the answers to life written down for you.
3. You are afraid of dying. Everyone is afraid of dying. Believing in Heaven offers a small comfort, and you can’t bring yourself to face the possibility that you could actually not exist one day. In this way, Atheism is a threat to your sense of security in life.
4. When you meet someone who doesn’t believe in God, you feel personally attacked. This is because God is your ego, your hope, your dreams, and believes in everything you believe in. In this way, God represents you. You feel personally rejected when someone says they don’t believe in God because it is as though they don’t believe in you.
5. Since you believe that god is the ultimate authority, Atheists are going against authority simply by not believing in Him. It is human nature to naturally trust authority. You would feel uncomfortable and possibly become defensive if that authority is questioned, whether it be your parents, the constitution, etc. If you believed that God were the ultimate authority, you would also act defensive and feel uncomfortable when an Atheist questions God.
I hope this helps you in recognizing your fear of Atheism. Hopefully the next time you meet an atheist you will not feel afraid. After all, there’s nothing to be afraid of! We’re just like everyone else.
(Source: thehallmarkchannel)
People who understand words like “cissexism”, “Pascal’s Wager”, “racial profiling”, “ableism”, “rape culture”, “check your privilege”, “strawman argument”.
People who know who Rick Santorum,Trayvon Martin, Bell Hooks, Carl Sagan, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali are.
People who I can ask questions like, “What do you think about male circumcision?” and “Isn’t Kirk Cameron hilarious?” to.
Is that too much to ask? :(
- Atheists and secularists are less nationalistic, less prejudiced, less anti-Semitic, less racist, less dogmatic, less ethocentric, less close-minded, and less authoritarian.
- Atheists and secularists are more supportive of gender equality than religious people, and are less likely to endorse traditional views concerning women’s roles.
- There is a positive correlation between higher education and atheism, agnosticism, and secularity.
- A 2006 study showed that Americans find atheists to be the most problematic minority group.
- South Carolina and Arkansas ban the non-religious from holding public office.
- Of the 17 countries in the world that have outlawed hitting of children, nearly all are among the most secular nations in the world.
- Secular people score markedly higher on tests of verbal ability and verbal sophistication than religious people.
- Secular people score markedly higher on indicators of scientific proficiency than religious people.
From: http://www.pitzer.edu/academics/faculty/zuckerman/Zuckerman_on_Atheism.pdf
Compiled in list form: A list of facts about atheists
No surprises here either. I just like reminding people about this kind of stuff. ~ Steve
Click on the picture to see the whole thing.
