Much like "Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race" this is a book that's a little tricky for me - a white apathist man - to review. I'll cheerfully admit that I don't get religion - any religion. And I doubly don't get why people tie themselves to a religion which seems to persecute them. As I read on, I was surprised to discover just how much I agreed with some of these thoughtful essays. I think women should be able to wear whatever they want. Telling women they must strip if …
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There's an old, old joke: A man jumps into a taxi and starts chatting to the driver about philosophy. The taxi driver turns to him and says, “Are you a Catholic or a Protestant?” The man says, “Well, I'm an atheist.” The taxi driver thinks for a moment and says “OK, but is it the Catholic God or the Protestant God that you don't believe in?” I've written before about the UK's rapid loss of faith, but it is always interesting to have statistics confirmed by lived experience. A few…
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The Church of England publishes statistics about the numbers of its faithful. These are particularly interesting in light of the recent news that the UK no-longer has a Christian majority. The CofE's statistics are for 2019 - before COVID messed up everything - and I think offer a fascinating glimpse into its future. The two figures which struck me were: 89,000 baptisms during 2019 114,000 funerals during 2019 Back in 2014, the numbers were: 130,000 baptisms 146,000 funerals The good…
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The Telegraph's headline screams "Christians have no right to wear cross at work, says Government"! Personally, I think it's good that the Government is standing up for secular values. I also like the cognitive dissonance which this case must be causing the right-wing as it seems to be about the religious right using the much derided "Human Rights!" Act. Whoever wins, they lose. What struck me was this statement from Andrea Williams, the director of the bullies at the Christian Legal…
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Census time is coming around - which brings with it the tricky question of religion. Regular readers will know that I self identify as an apathist - a peculiar sub-branch of atheism. Those with longer memories will have seen me self identify as a Jedi (Dark Side). So, when the 2011 census rolls around, how should I identify myself to the state? (more…) …
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I'm an Apathist. It's a funny sort of mix between the various flavours of Atheism and Agnostism. At its very root is the fact that I just don't care. Arguments about religions and their various gods are tedious; by their very nature there is no way of resolving them. So, lets take some points. See if you agree or disagree with my reasoning. There is no evidence of gods. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Pascal's wager shows (when corrected for high numbers of go…
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