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I am curious why there are so many atheist programs that cover religions and god and stuff, but nothing going after things that now are far more popular and more dangerous. Things like Pseudoscience, law of attraction, "Abraham" Hicks. Pam Grout, spirit guides, and all of this other endless new age occult stuff that everyone even non-religious people are buying into and in some cases even claiming as proven by science!
Don't know what you mean by "atheist programs". I certainly don't know of any.
There are a couple of well-established magazines that go after the weird **** - Skeptical Inquirer and The Skeptic.
Perhaps what you mean by "atheist programs" are legal responses to issues that arise when religionists try to introduce religion into formal government. But the weirdnesses you mention, and many more besides, don't raise legal issues. Individuals are free to believe whatever cockamamie things they wish to believe. Atheists in general are pretty darn fond of freedom of speech and of belief. Legal issues only arise when, for instance, someone demands that a school includes astral travel in an educational curriculum.
It falls to individual atheists to rise our hands and say "Um, excuse me..." when someone earnestly commits occultism in front of us.
Don't know what you mean by "atheist programs". I certainly don't know of any.
There are a couple of well-established magazines that go after the weird **** - Skeptical Inquirer and The Skeptic.
Perhaps what you mean by "atheist programs" are legal responses to issues that arise when religionists try to introduce religion into formal government. But the weirdnesses you mention, and many more besides, don't raise legal issues. Individuals are free to believe whatever cockamamie things they wish to believe. Atheists in general are pretty darn fond of freedom of speech and of belief. Legal issues only arise when, for instance, someone demands that a school includes astral travel in an educational curriculum.
It falls to individual atheists to rise our hands and say "Um, excuse me..." when someone earnestly commits occultism in front of us.
I meant programs like The Atheist Experience, Talk Heathen, Thinking Atheist, etc
Atheism covers the question of a deity. The other things you have listed are assaults against rationalism. This is the atheist forum. I consider the things you listed to be nonsense, and I believe so do the majority of atheists, but such opposition is not a requirement of atheism.
Correct. Rationalism (James Randi, for example) goes after these things, but isn't a spokesperson on atheism as such. Because, as you say, atheism is rationalism purely addressing this one claim; the god -claim.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert9
I meant programs like The Atheist Experience, Talk Heathen, Thinking Atheist, etc
Yes, those. They address this one question of the god-claim. Atheism having a rationalist rationale (not that all atheists are rationalists), one would expect the people who do these 'programs' to also apply rationalism to other matters. Indeed I have heard Matt Dillahunty mention UFOs in passing and showing a rationalist view if it. But the UFO claim is not particularly related to atheism. Nor Ghosts, Dowsing or Homeopathy.
So there are no shows or anything that address the type of stuff I mentioned? Because as I said those things are more popular and dangerous than religion these days. And I am surprised I have not seen any shows doing those topics. And I and others have looked.
So there are no shows or anything that address the type of stuff I mentioned? Because as I said those things are more popular and dangerous than religion these days. And I am surprised I have not seen any shows doing those topics. And I and others have looked.
There are a few. Check out Oh No!, Ross and Carrie. They explore religous and pseudoscientific claims in a light hearted manner.
So there are no shows or anything that address the type of stuff I mentioned? Because as I said those things are more popular and dangerous than religion these days. And I am surprised I have not seen any shows doing those topics. And I and others have looked.
I agree. But those do not fall within the purview of atheism. Of course atheists (as rationalists) may deal with those matters as well. It's a question if demarcation. An archaeologist may find some dinosaur bones while digging. He would probably turn over that part of the dig to a palaeontolgist, because it's not his area of expertise.
Probably giving away far too much of my identity here but:
my husband works in Biotech. His team have been working around the clock and made two announcements since yesterday:
The team he is leading started trials in New York yesterday on this:
Pfffft! Day 4 of lock-down and 'cabin fever' just starting. Only 11 days to go before....another 15 days!
We live at the epicenter of the New York outbreak. I actually haven't left the house for 16 days.
I'm an introvert though, so to be honest, I'm absolutely fine with it.
I knew being introverted would come in handy one day.
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