By George A. Ricker There is an argument that gets made with maddening regularity by religious believers. What they do not seem to understand is that in making the argument, they remove themselves from any possibility of rational discourse and the benefits associated with such discourse. The argument goes something like this. “Since my religious …
* A talk delivered at the Friendship Fellowship at Pineda, a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Brevard County, FL, on January 27, 2008. Introduction: Good morning. I want to begin my talk with a brief disclaimer. Though I’m sure it was done innocently and may simply have been a newspaper typo, I have to make it …
mere atheismno gods…no problem! Atheism doesn’t require anger, bitterness or constant rants about gods and religions. George Ricker’s new book, mere atheism, tells you why…and more. Buy the book: My new book, mere atheism: no gods…no problems!, is now available for purchase online at: Amazon.com and iUniverse. (Note: if you scroll to the bottom of the page at …
Common retorts to atheism debunkedWhy it’s right to criticize religion, gods and all the restBy George A. Ricker In the most recent issue of Free Inquiry, author Sam Harris talks about his experiences at a recent conference he attended at the Salk Institute. His op-ed piece, titled “Beyond the Believers,” described some of the statements and …
Perception determines your view of reality Are you sitting still? I raise the question because I want to talk about perceptions, yours and mine, and how they color our view of the world. Those perceptions lead us to make assumptions about the way things work that really don’t hold up under scrutiny. Nonetheless, the assumptions …
The truth about the “war” on Christianity In October 2003 I had an essay called “Whining for Jesus?” printed in Freethought Today, the monthly newspaper published by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (yes, I am a member and have been for years). The essay discussed the constant carping and complaining being heard from some segments of …
* One criticism that gets leveled at atheists is that we are too obsessed with the negative aspects of gods and religions and, thus, are defined by negatives. It probably would surprise those critics to learn how little merit there is in the complaint. As I noted in another essay (“Rebutting Rabbi Gellman: an angry …
Why science and religion come into conflict By George A. Ricker Lately there seem to be a number of people asserting the essential harmony between science and religion and insisting the two are not in conflict but are, in fact, complementary views about the nature of reality. Advocates of this view assert that, while science …
In the kingdom of the blind, an ancient wisdom tells us, the one-eyed man is king. If we were cloaking the aphorism in modern garb, no doubt we would dress it in the language of political correctness, thus sparing feelings and disguising meaning. In any society, those who have an advantage and seek power will …
Almost anyone who has lived in Florida for any length of time has a story or two to tell about a close encounter with a hurricane. Mine is six decades old. It’s from a time before the tropical cyclones were given women’s names. The memorable ones were usually recalled by the year in which they …