Nerd is my Gender
What's yours?
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Are you a Humanist? Take the Test!
Click on link for scoring!
Which of the following statements is closest to your point of view? (You can choose more than one answer to each question if you need to.)
1 Does God exist?
A) I am sure there is a God ruling over the universe.
B) It depends what you mean by God, but I think so.
C) I don’t know.
D) There is no evidence that any god exists, so I’ll assume that there isn’t one.2 When I die…
A) my soul will go to another place where I will be rewarded if I was good and punished if I was bad.
B) I will survive in some kind of afterlife.
C) that will be the end of me.
D) I will live on in people’s memories or because of the work I have done or through my children.3 How did the Universe begin?
A) God created it.
B) It was set up as an experiment by extremely intelligent aliens from another universe, who drop in every now and then to see how we’ re doing.
C) I don’t know.
D) The scientific explanations are the best ones available - no gods were involved.4 The theory that life on Earth evolved gradually over billions of years is…
A) just a theory. My religion tells the true story.
B) likely to be true, but I think God had a part in it too.
C) probably true, because my Science teacher said it was true.
D) true - there is plenty of evidence from fossils, DNA and many other sources showing that this is how it happened.5 When I look at a beautiful view I think that …
A) it must have been designed by God.
B) it would be a nice place for a motorway.
C) this is what life is all about - I feel good.
D) we ought to do everything possible to protect this for future generations.6 I can tell right from wrong by…
A) reading a holy book or listening to a religious leader.
B) I don’ t really think about it much - people should just do as they like.
C) accepting what my parents and teachers say.
D) thinking hard about the probable consequences of actions and their effects on other people.7 It’s best to be honest because…
A) my religion tells me so.
B) it’s usually against the law or the rules to be dishonest.
C) people respect you more if you’ re trustworthy.
D) I’m happier and feel better about myself if I’m honest.8 Other people matter and should be treated with respect because…
A) God created us all in his image.
B) they are useful to me.
C) they are people with feelings like mine.
D) we will all be happier if we treat each other well.9 Animals should be treated …
A) with respect because they are part of God’ s creation.
B) however we see fit - they don’ t have souls and were created for us to use.
C) kindly because they are sweet and fluffy and nicer than people.
D) with respect because they can suffer too.10 The most important thing in life is…
A) to have a good relationship with God.
B) to make lots of money.
C) to preserve the planet for future generations.
D) to increase the general happiness and welfare of humanity. -
The Atheist "Challenge"
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Q:
At what point did you know you were an atheist? Why did you become one, what were the factors leading up to the decision, if you weren’t always one?
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A:
I wasn't always an atheist. I studied the Bible a lot. The more I did, the more I realized it was giving its God a bad reputation. After looking around, I realized that either God's a real jerk, isn't involved in human affairs, or doesn't exist. Either way, my participation is not required.
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Q:
What religion did you grow up with? Did you have positive or negative experiences with religion?
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A:
I've had mostly positive experiences with religion personally. Apart from the bits where Christians use the Bible to claim that they're not being hateful, they're just the messengers. I'm sure they really believe that, too, sad to say. But other than that, yeah, my childhood was full of Christians who had a personal code of conduct based in love and caring.
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Q:
Are you a more outspoken or more apathetic atheist? Why?
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A:
I'm outspoken about atheism because I'm outspoken about everything about myself.
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Q:
Do you think religion is obsolete and should be wiped completely off the face of the Earth, or does some good come out of it?
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A:
I object to the wording of this question. Are we really going to have a cleansing? The world has enough warfare as it is. But honestly, I see a future where religion simply fades into the background as we need it less and less.
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Q:
Did you lose any friends because you decided to be an atheist? Did your family flip out?
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A:
Probably, and yes. They believe there is a hell. An oppressive belief if there ever was one.
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Q:
How do you feel about so-called “militant atheists” such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris?
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A:
I laugh. And then ignore them. Wankers.
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Q:
Except for God, do you believe in anything supernatural or pseudoscientific? (Ghosts, alien abductions, spirits, souls, demons, psychics, magic, Harry Potter, etc.)
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A:
Hey, Harry Potter is REAL! But, um, if things are real, I don't even need to believe in them, so it doesn't matter either way.
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Q:
What’s your political alignment? Does your atheism influence how you vote and how you feel on issues?
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A:
I vote anti-evil. Read into that what you will.
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Q:
Even though you’re an atheist, have you ever experienced a moment that could be called “religious?” Like an epiphany about the world or complete peace?
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A:
No.
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Q:
Are you spiritual, or are your feet always on the ground?
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A:
Are those the only options? Seriously?
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Q:
Do you have/plan on having a career in the sciences? Alternatively: which branch of science intrigues you most?
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A:
I'd love to do science, but I like having a personal life more. I really enjoy physics and psychology, and the rest is rather cool too.
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Q:
What happens when we die? Do you fear death?
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A:
Nothing happens. Woohoo! I'm not afraid of death, though I don't like experiencing pain in any form, and I imagine dying probably hurts. Also, it would be really rude to everyone who's still alive that I owe money (though it's not like they could chase me down with torches and pitchforks into the nonexistent afterlife).
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Q:
Would you ever date/marry somebody who follows a religion? Be honest.
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A:
Probably. As long as they don't believe that hell exists.
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Q:
On a scale of 1-10, how happy are you with life at this moment, and why?
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A:
RIGHT now, I'm a little hungry, but I just finished my schoolwork for the week, and I get to go hang out with Bencakes' family, so that's cool. This also sums up my feelings about the rest of my life, coincidently.
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Q:
Recommend a book. :) (Doesn’t have to be relevant to atheism, just any good book.)
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A:
The Gods Themselves, by Isaac Asimov. This actually has nothing to do with religion or atheism (contrary to what the book title sounds like). The second of three sections in the book is deeply touching to my life. It's all about an alternate universe where there is a race of beings which have three sexes (all three required for reproduction). The main character is physically in the form of the "emotional" sex, but she feels like she should actually be of the "rational" gender. Her struggle of coming to terms with her transgender identity really resonates with my personal struggle.
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Q:
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What is feminism according to you?
If Feminism is for equal rights, then why call yourself feminist? Be a humanist. Don't just care for your group's rights, care for everyone's rights.Asked by anticapitalist
DEAR GOD WON’T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE HUMANISTS!
…oh wait, I am a humanist. And though I’m a feminist, I’m not a woman, so it’s not “my group”.
Educate your damn self.
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Gender Policing in Atheism
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Joe:
Is their some weird thing going on in atheist circles with the word ‘female’? I’ve been reading a couple of blogs and apparently someone on a panel used the word ‘female’ to describe…um…females and ONE WOMAN stands up and protests the use of ‘female’ as dehumanization. And when a man on the panel calls this absurd claim well, absurd, he got accused of being dismissive of ALLLLLLLL Women and a symbol of sexism in the atheist community. I’m sorry; getting bogged down in the use of word ‘female’ should be dismissed. There are unquestionably sexist atheists but I don’t see how that is reflected in the use of a word that the vast majority of people use with no cruel intent.
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Andy (me):
It really depends on the usage. Like, it also bothers me when people use "girls" and "men" together. This is most common in pop music (like "you be my girl and i'll be your man"), but sometimes people do it in real life too. If people are saying "females" for women but "men" for men, then we have a problem. If people are saying "females" and "males" like they do in the military, then it's all even.
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Joe:
Then it's the context, not the word. The complaints appear to be about the word itself and the reaction to the woman who claimed offense.
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Andy:
I haven't heard it. Maybe I'm too out of the loop here.
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Joe:
I wouldn't have brought it up but it has been mentioned on a couple of atheist sites. And let me be clear. That woman has every right to take offense but I also have every right to weigh what she's saying and call it stupid.
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Keith:
As I got older I began to understand what was behind 'womyn' and the dislike for the word 'female'. But also came to view it as going a little far in trying to right perceived social wrongs as opposed to actual social wrongs. Do keep in mind though, that no one has made any effort at explaining to me why using 'woman' or 'female' is wrong. Seems every time I have asked a woman who has issues with either term, all I got in response was "You're a sexist/fascist if you don't know!" I also hate it when someone uses 'girl' to describe and adult woman or 'girls' for a group of women.
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Joe:
It is a little troubling that this post appears to only have dudes responding.
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Asia:
Apparently, you're unaware that Andy isn't a dude....
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Paul:
There are more male head's of state then female heads of state. There are more male CEO's then there are female CEO's. Until that becomes equal then men have no right to claim sexism.
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Amber:
I *heart* Paul.
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Laura:
The conversation must have set off some kind of trigger for her. Sometimes even rational people go rabid when certain buttons are pushed. It really depends on the context, like Andy said. Girl/boy, man/woman, female/male....all equivalent when paired like that but maybe a little offensive when mixed. I have seen so called feminists call grown men boys. Using patronizing speech is really off-putting no matter which gender it's aimed towards.
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Andy:
I'll call my boyfriend "boy" when I'm trying to sound insulting, but only for jokes and stuff, because it really is degrading to call a grown adult by children's terminology.
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Jude:
I'm not offended by the word "female" as long as it's used as a correlate of "male" but I do think part of the problem with "female" might be old connotations from cultural folklore, like "the female of the species (is deadlier than the male)" and other usages that seem more oriented to taxonomy than to human beings.
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Bridget:
I'm still trying to understand why she became upset over the word female.
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Kenneth:
I like females. That's right I said it. I said I like females. Sometimes I want to have sex with them. Sometimes I like very feminine females.If a female don't like that then we don't have to have sex at all. If she wants to get an attitude about it I don't even have to like her at all. I might not even qualify her as being a female.We can fight about it if she wants. but we will have to fight in the nude.
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Andy:
Weird, I could have sworn I just heard someone say something completely irrelevant. Must have been the wind.
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Joe:
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Response to the “Religious Antagonist”
In his latest episode, Mike approaches a homeless man and offers him $20 to scratch the word “God” off the sign he is holding. The man refuses. Mike questions the man’s rationality. Why is he refusing real money for a ‘fairy tale’? The man’s wife gets involved and also refuses. Mike engages them both. Supposed hilarity ensues as Mike tries to get the couple to give up their faith in a higher power for the temptation of $20.
I’m sorry, Mike, I don’t think this was the reaction you were expecting when you sent this to us but I think this is a cruel, cold and pointless tactic and I am struggling hard to understand why you think this is a) meaningful or b) something we’d appreciate.
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Humanists strive to affirm the dignity of every individual. People without homes are not our props. They are not our cute little visual aids. They are people. Why is that so difficult to grasp?
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Apparently we should simply accept racist imagery without comment; as long as we’re scoring ideological philosophical points, that’s what counts, right?
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At some point in human history, people thought it would be a good idea to let men who hear voices from invisible friends tell us when we can fuck and with whom and that we should pay them for this so that they don’t have to get real jobs. Worse still, this is still considered to be a good idea.(via sexgenderbody)
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The possibility that the church has been wrong on the ethics of committed homosexual behavior — that’s a momentous question,” Gushee said. “It’s obviously one that people in the broader culture have determined a long time ago that the church was wrong about. But I would say that, from the perspective of any kind of understanding of Christian doctrine and Christian ethics, it is not an easy thing to throw (overboard) the majority position of more than 2,000 years.
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Greatest church mural ever?!?
Oh my Flying Spaghetti Monster this is for real!
Years ago I wrote a post in which I bemoaned the fact that no church would paint a mural of the scene in the Bible where Elisha orders bears to kill a bunch of teenagers. Well, a really talented comic book artist named Wes Molebash illustrated it based on my description. Here is what I wrote:
“That story is insane and here’s how I envision the mural. Elisha is standing in the middle of all these angry, bald hating teenagers. He looks really enraged and the caption out of his mouth says, “Do you know where you are? You’re in the jungle baby! You’re gonna die!” And then in the corner of the mural are two huge bears with hockey sticks. I’m not sure why they have hockey sticks but it seems a little tougher to me.”
Well, I found out last week, a church actually painted it full size! A guy named Scott Welsh sent me this photo, which is awesome:
I can’t even…
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Benny Hinn is really the Dark Lord… it all makes sense now!
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Homophobia Among Atheists
File this under “atheism does not equal skepticism”:
Homophobia is good for humans because it contributed to our existence and survival
If it weren’t for disgust, many straight men would hump anything….Being the fact that homophobia is rooted in disgust and disgust is an evolutionary survival instinct, the natural selection process caused homophobia to flourish…The men who weren’t disgusted by gay men had a better chance of sexually submitting to gay men in which increased their chances of contracting deadly std’s in which wiped them out…So homophobia contributed to the existence of the human species
Religious people don’t understand evolution so they turn to their religion and or use their religion to explain and justify disgust of gays.LOL WUT
(Source: atheistnexus.org)
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“Do not send money to Christian charities for Japan earthquake. We need blankets and food, not bibles and Fundamentalist propaganda.” ~Japan Photos on Twitter
Don’t worry, Japan Photos, I donated to your Red Cross.
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No Lords, No Masters
To all you nonreligious people out there, here’s a forum for discussing human rights and social justice issues from a secular perspective.
Kyriarchy are the structures of domination working together as a network - not just one group dominating another. Its branches include but are not limited to racism, sexism, cissexism, heterosexism, ageism, and ableism.
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Atheists of Color
Greta Christina says: “If you want to copy this list and re-publish it on your own blog or forum or website or whatever — and you want to add to/ subtract from/ make changes to it as you see fit — please do so. I’m not only okay with this: I actively encourage it.”
So here you go! Spread this around as far and wide as you can, and follow a few of these blogs while you’re at it.
INDIVIDUALSMina Ahadi, founder of the Central Council of Ex-Muslims (Zentralrat der Ex-Muslime) and the International Committee against Stoning
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, author of Infidel and Nomad, activist, politician, founder of the AHA Foundation
Norm Allen, author of African American Humanism and Black Secular Humanist Thought, editor-in-chief of Human Prospect: A Neo-Humanist Perspective, secretary of Paul Kurtz’s Institute for Science and Human Values, former head of African Americans for Humanism
Apanage21, blogger
Maggie Ardiente, director of development, American Humanist Association
Homa Arjomand, coordinator of the International Campaign Against Shari’a Court in Canada
Hector Avalos, Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Iowa State University, speaker/ debater, author of The End of Biblical Studies, Strangers in Our Own Land: Religion in U.S. Latina/o Literature, Se puede saber si Dios existe? [Can One Know if God Exists?], and more
Donald Barbera, author of Black But Not Baptist: Nonbelief and Freethought in the Black Community
Dan Barker, co-president of Freedom From Religion Foundation, author of several books, including Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America’s Leading Atheists and The Good Atheist: Living a Purpose-Filled Life Without God
Jamila Bey, atheist comedian and journalist
Naima Cabelle, atheist activist and member of Washington Area Secular Humanists
Caribatheist, blogger, No Religion Know Reason
Ian Cromwell, musician and blogger, The Crommunist Manifesto
Ralph Dumain, creator of Black Freethought group on Atheist Nexus
Sanal Edamaruku, author and paranormal investigator, founder-president of Rationalist International, president of the Indian Rationalist Association, creator of The Great Tantra Challenge
Afshin Ellian, columnist for Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad and Elsevier; blogger; poet; law professor at University of Leiden
Reginald Finley, founder of Infidel Guy radio show
MercedesDiane Griffin, blogger/ activist
Debbie Goddard, campus outreach coordinator at the Center for Inquiry, speaker, head of African Americans for Humanism
Jacques L. Hamel, Scientific Affairs Officer with United Nations, international science and technology policy expert
Zee Harrison, blogger, Black Woman Thinks
Mark Hatcher, founder of Secular Students at Howard University
Sabri Husibi, speaker, Tulsa Atheist Group
Sikivu Hutchinson, writer and editor, author of Moral Combat: Black Atheists, Gender Politics and Secular America, editor of BlackFemLens.org, Senior Fellow for theInstitute for Humanist Studies
Leo Igwe, International Humanist and Ethical Union, Nigeria
JeansTake, video blogger
McKinley Jones, president, Black American Free Thought Association (BAF/TA)
Alix Jules, chair of diversity committee on the Dallas-Fort Worth Coalition for Reason
Kenan Malik, writer, lecturer, blogger, and BBC Radio broadcaster, author of Fatwa to Jihad: The Rushdie Affair and its Legacy, Strange Fruit: Why Both Sides are Wrong in the Race Debate, and more
Derrick Alaiyo McMahon, gay/ feminist/atheist blogger, The Anti-Intellect Blog
Hemant Mehta, blogger at Friendly Atheist, author of I Sold My Soul on eBay
Ian Andreas Miller, blogger, Diaphanitas
Jeffrey “Atheist Walking” Mitchell, atheist street philosopher and member of Black Skeptics
Micheal Mpagi, blogger, Quitstorm
Maryam Namaziem, rights activist, commentator and broadcaster on Iran, rights, cultural relativism, secularism, religion, political Islam and other related topics; spokesperson for the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain
Taslima Nasreen, author and activist
Ramendra Nath, professor and author; head of Department of Philosophy, Patna College, Patna University; author of Why I Am Not a Hindu, Is God Dead?, The Myth of Unity of All Religions, and more
First Nation, blogger, Native Skeptic
Kwadwo Obeng, author, We Are All Africans
Adebowale Ojuro, author of Crisis of Religion
Charone Paget, producer/host of LAMBDA Radio Report, WRFG, Atlanta; on leadership team of Black Nonbelievers of Atlanta; founder of Queer and Atheist of Atlanta
Ernest Parker, leader of African Americans for Humanism DC
Anthony Pinn, author of numerous books on humanism, head of Institute for Humanist Studies, Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religious Studies at Rice University
Bwambale Robert, founder, Kasese Humanist Primary School
Sid Rodrigues, scientist, researcher, organizer of Skeptics in the Pub
Arundhati Roy, author of The God of Small Things and more, activist
Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses, Midnight’s Children, Luka and the Fire of Life, Grimus, and more
Amartya Sen, Nobel-prize winning economist
Alom Shaha, science teacher, film-maker, and writer
Labi Siffre, poet and songwriter
Simon Singh, author, journalist, TV producer, libel reform activist
Greydon Square, atheist rapper and spoken word artist
Wafa Sultan, author and critic of Islam and Islamic theocracy
David Suzuki, scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster; co-founder of the environmentalist David Suzuki Foundation
Red Tani, Filipino Freethinkers
Mandisa Lateefah Thomas, co-founder, Black Nonbelievers of Atlanta
Maria Walters, a.k.a. Masala Skeptic, blogger, Skepchick
Ayanna Watson, founder of Black Atheists of America
Wrath James White, author, blogger at Godless and Black
Clarence Williams, author of Truth
Donald Wright, author of The Only Prayer I’ll Ever Pray: Let My People Go
Zhiyah, writer/blogger, The Affirmative AtheistGROUPS/ ORGANIZATIONS/ GROUP BLOGS
African Americans for Humanism
African Americans for Humanism DC
Atheist Association of Uganda
Black American Free Thought Association (BAF/TA)
Black Atheists of America
Black Freethinkers Yahoo Group
Black FreeThinkers social network
Black Freethought discussion group, Atheist Nexus
Black Nonbelievers of Atlanta
Black Skeptics
Buddhiwadi Foundation
Filipino Freethinkers
Central Council of Ex-Muslims (Zentralrat der Ex-Muslime)
Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain
The Grenada Free-thought Community
Harlem Community Center for Inquiry
Hispanic Atheists of all Ethnic Groups
Indian Rationalist Association
Secular Students at Howard University
South African Skeptics
Uganda Humanist Association -
God Loves a Fat-Ass
Hate - you’re doing it.
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Seriously, if I have to explain why this is hateful, I may just scream.
Genderqueer with a touch of happy humanism.
