Sam Harris

  A discussion between Bill Maher and Adam Carolla on the “Overtime” segment of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” last week, left me with some questions about whether atheists should organize politically and about whether some atheists are as close-minded as some religious people that I explore in this video.

  The press release about the the February 26, 2010, meeting between officials in the Obama Administration and members of the Secular Coalition for America that I show in this video is available online at http://www.secular.org/node/209

  And, the clips I use from the “Overtime” segment of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” come from Episode 174, the rest of which was originally broadcast on February 26, 2010, which is available on the HBO website at http://www.hbo.com/real-time-with-bill-maher/

Should Atheists Organize Politically?—video

It wouldn’t be much of a political force.  Cruise through atheists / skeptics - whatever forums, you get a low count of participants and a handful of folks chiming away trying to build bandwidth.  This forum is a good example.  Not much hope of building a national platform were reason is the foundation.

mk10108 - 05 March 2010 10:15 PM

It wouldn’t be much of a political force.  Cruise through atheists / skeptics - whatever forums, you get a low count of participants and a handful of folks chiming away trying to build bandwidth.  This forum is a good example.  Not much hope of building a national platform were reason is the foundation.

If we dont’ act to do something, we may be forced to in the end. There are right wing Christians in the House of Representatives and in the military. Extremist tea baggers types are running for posts in local state governments and supreme courts. And did you hear about the Texas Board of Education? These wackos are writing our kids text books even as I write this. This is why I am a member of the FFRF. My contribution helps keep church/state separate.

Thanks for the links. Interesting. I’m not sure which side of the debate I fall on. But we do at least need to encourage more of the organize-or-not dialogue.

Ron

I wish we could come upon a new era in America where political leaders could and would right up front say that they are atheist-secular-humanists,and they would explain openly the humanist manifesto, and they would challenge the religionists in our political and societal arenas to why their philosophy of government and culture is better.

There are open atheist leaders of other nations in the world. They have grown up. We now need to. Even if our ASH leaders first lose elections, it could and should be a building process. It may take decades to get the point home but in the end it should win out, because everybody respects ‘reason’ once they see it properly defined.

I think we already have many nonbelievers in our government, but they will never admit it openly. This is ridiculous, and medievel thinking. Secular humanism is the most intellectually honest lifestance that we have. And that is what should be promoted, even if it initally fails to be accepted by the majority.

rab - 06 March 2010 02:12 AM

mk10108 - 05 March 2010 10:15 PM

It wouldn’t be much of a political force.  Cruise through atheists / skeptics - whatever forums, you get a low count of participants and a handful of folks chiming away trying to build bandwidth.  This forum is a good example.  Not much hope of building a national platform were reason is the foundation.

If we dont’ act to do something, we may be forced to in the end. There are right wing Christians in the House of Representatives and in the military. Extremist tea baggers types are running for posts in local state governments and supreme courts. And did you hear about the Texas Board of Education? These wackos are writing our kids text books even as I write this. This is why I am a member of the FFRF. My contribution helps keep church/state separate.

Define “act”, if you mean talking one must be content with slow progress. Ending slavery was talked about for a hundred years.  Civil war and 140 years later our people still partition their minds into believing one race is weaker than another.  Fortunately, over the years white supremacist, like Elvis fan clubs, get smaller.

Reasonist have successfully maneuvered around the partitions in their minds and actions such as CoR billboard campaign is a good start, but targeting boomers gets agreement not converts. If you want bodies & minds while reducing the polarization of platforms, sharpen the message.  Instead of “Are you without God” pen Harris’ line, “A teenager can write a better book on Morality than the Bible”, then invite them to do it.  This will do more for the “Gospel of Reason” than Mr.Harris’ paper on 30 participants in a neurology experiment.

mk10108 - 06 March 2010 04:13 PM

This will do more for the “Gospel of Reason” than Mr.Harris’ paper on 30 participants in a neurology experiment.

Pat Condell’s video clips on youtube are worth more than all the books Sam Harris wrote so far. What (and how) Pat Condell is saying should be the obvious line of all secularists but I am not sure if it is even for all participating here.

I found a little bizarre what Sam Harris is saying (and why he is saying it) about torture instead clearly explaining some simple truths like this one “For Islamist radicals I have the same amount of respect and tolerance as they show others - zero” (Pat Condell).

My favored clip I listen to when I need good laugh and good entertainment is a clip where Pat Condell is “denying the Holy Spirit”.

Thomas Orr - 06 March 2010 04:54 PM

mk10108 - 06 March 2010 04:13 PM

This will do more for the “Gospel of Reason” than Mr.Harris’ paper on 30 participants in a neurology experiment.

Pat Condell’s video clips on youtube are worth more than all the books Sam Harris wrote so far. What (and how) Pat Condell is saying should be the obvious line of all secularists but I am not sure if it is even for all participating here.

I found a little bizarre what Sam Harris is saying (and why he is saying it) about torture instead clearly explaining some simple truths like this one “For Islamist radicals I have the same amount of respect and tolerance as they show others - zero” (Pat Condell).

My favored clip I listen to when I need good laugh and good entertainment is a clip where Pat Condell is “denying the Holy Spirit”.

Pat Condell’s tab will always remain on my browser bar.  His clarity concerning Islamist is equal to a sniper holding high ground and powders his weapon with truth…which is politicians will court any thought, belief, or erode freedoms for a vote.

Sam is interesting in that he demonstrates one can stand up religionist, presents a well thought out reason for ending faith, but suffers what I call the big brain approach.  He’s an academic and his core message rolls along the fringes of pop culture without penetrating the mob.  And without having a history in religious activities, Harris hurls the logic grenade over the emotions of the faithful.

mk10108 - 06 March 2010 06:42 PM

Sam is interesting in that he demonstrates one can stand up religionist, presents a well thought out reason for ending faith, but suffers what I call the big brain approach.  He’s an academic and his core message rolls along the fringes of pop culture without penetrating the mob.  And without having a history in religious activities, Harris hurls the logic grenade over the emotions of the faithful.

Good point. Hitting the faithful with emotion is more effective in that it causes different defensive reactions. In one case, a co-worker, when confronted by me how vengeful, bullying, misogynistic, and blood thirsty his god was, he shook his head and started saying “No, no, no…” but couldn’t defend his god from my criticisms. I wasn’t as in-your-face as Pat Condell in his vids, but the words were the same. I don’t know what he was thinking after that, but I imagine he delved into some kind of religious text or inspiration video to put himself back into the faith mold. I was once there, so I know. Maintaining faith is hard work. It got to the point where I couldn’t defend it anymore.