I've become convinced that the unmentioned backbone of climate science denial is Faith-based Thinking with it's accompanying absolutism that creates a profound disconnect from Earth's "environmental" realities and the needs of future generations.
It matters because this faith-based refusal to look outside their bubble get's translated into the way they avoid and "evaluate" (or should I say evade) real world Earth observations and other scientific information.
This video is not about climate science, it's about recognizing who you are dealing with and considering how to better represent and defend your own rational approach in the face of Faith-based attacks and evasions.
Dan Barker - On Needing A Personal God
2:15 - ... maybe there was this self-proclaimed messiah named Yeshua, ...
2:30 - But the things that he said were put into his mouth many many many many years later. One thing he said, if he said it, that I think is actually worthwhile.
He (Jesus) said: They who are a whole, those who are healthy don't go to a doctor.
It's only they who are sick.
Christians have a pessimistic view of human nature,
you (Kyle Butt) think human beings are sick and need a doctor to be fixed up,
you (Kyle Butt) think there's something wrong with us and we need to be "saved"
you (Kyle Butt) think that if we would submit to the doctor that he would heal us
But we atheist and agnostics don't view ourselves as sick, we don't view ourselves as sinners, we don't feel a conviction of wrong. We make mistakes, we don't buy into this supernatural mythological lie that you people are promoting that there's actually something spiritually wrong with humanity.
3:25 - Suppose you were convicted of a horrible crime, you were in prison, and then you learned that you were being released, 'wow, you'd feel free. Wow, I'm being saved, you'd feel wonderful and I would feel better too.
But what would make you feel better, knowing that you'd been released because of the good graces of the Governor who decided to bestow mercy upon you and pardon you and let you free, which would be pretty neat if that happened. Or knowing that the reason you were being released was because you were found to be innocent of the crime in the first place. What would give you more dignity, what would make you feel better for the world to know,
'Hey I didn't even do that crime' ?
'Hey I didn't even do that crime' ?
4:00 - That's how we atheists and agnostics are, (holding up the Bible)
we don't buy into this ancient primitive book of contradictory and unhistorical, unscientific words. These are just words on a page.
This book was written by human-beings, human-beings make mistakes.
What were they exempt? Were they super-humans or something?
Did they never misinterpret? Did they never goof?
Why are you conferring some supernatural authority to these human beings -
their in all religions as well.
4:30 - If you look at the Bible, with not a bias of faith and loyalty, you can see very easily that this is not a reliable book to base our life on.
But most of your arguments are based on quoting the scripture as if it were some kind of magic talisman - oh quote the Bible that will make everything important.
Well it doesn't!
And if you don't buy into that myth in the first place, if you don't see yourself as sick, if you don't see yourself as needing a savior, if you rise above that toddler mentality of putting yourself down, of denigrating your rationality, denigrating you... whatever urges you have to sin, and we all have them.
5:00 - But view yourself neutrally as a natural creature in a natural environment doing the best we can to truly figure out how to be moral human-beings with reason and compassion, then you could be a better person. I'm not saying your a bad person, but get rid of the baggage, get rid of the monkey off your back. And take some advice of Jesus, don't be one of the sick people that has to go to the doctor.
Clap your hands and say I did not commit the crime.
Most Christian are afraid that people are going to start thinking for themselves, the Bible says very clearly, Paul says "Bring into captivity every thought onto the obedience of Jesus Christ." Captivity is not freedom, and in Proverbs, "Lean not on your own understanding.
Most Christians are afraid that people will think for themselves, most atheists are afraid that they won't.
Dan Barker
Freedom From Religion Foundation
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Here's a full version of what Dan has to share
Dan Barker - Losing Faith in Faith Lecture
Uploaded on Nov 9, 2011
Dan Barker, co-president of the Freedom from Religion Foundation,
presents his "Losing Faith in Faith"
lecture at Chico State University in the Fall of 2011.
presents his "Losing Faith in Faith"
lecture at Chico State University in the Fall of 2011.
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