I’ve often suspected that the only valid* reasons for opposing homosexual behavior were religious ones, so I was very interested to read Gagnon’s self-described “secular case.” I view it as a “good thing” that religious opponents even feel the need to offer a “secular case” because there was a time when a list of Bible verses probably would have been sufficient to settle the matter. So what are his secular objections to homosexual behavior? 1) The nature argument. Marriage … [Read more...]
Some Thoughts on Robert Gagnon’s “Secular Case against Cultural Endorsement of Homosexual Behavior”
April 6, 2013 By 8 Comments
Robert M. Price on Westboro Atheists
April 4, 2013 By 11 Comments
For the April issue of Zarathustra Speaks, Robert M. Price has published a well-written essay describing what he calls "Westboro Atheists." I agree with pretty much everything he writes, especially this: This is why I cringe every time I hear about the latest attempts of the Freedom from Religion Foundation to scour every expression of faith from the public square. He then goes on to write this: Just today I dropped by Town Hall to pay my utility bill, under the wire, I might add, and I was … [Read more...]
LINK: Science Says Atheists Should Come Out of the Closet for their Own Good
February 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment
LINK … [Read more...]
Petition about Boy Scouts Atheism Ban
January 30, 2013 By Leave a Comment
The Boy Scouts of America is in the news again because it is apparently reconsidering its ban on homosexuals. Since their discrimination against nontheists doesn't seem to get nearly as much attention, I wanted to use this opportunity to remind Secular Outpost readers of the Change.org petition to the BSA to stop their ban on atheists from being members. If you haven't already signed the petition, please do so! … [Read more...]
Freedom of the Press Foundation
December 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Nonbelievers have a strong interest in free speech and a free press, particularly where freedom to publicly criticize religion in concerned.This is particularly clear in Islamic contexts, where religion is socially very powerful. Since censorship is usually deployed by the powerful in protection of their interests, it's understandable that Muslim countries are often in the lead in attempts to suppress mockery and criticism of religion.In the United States, religion is not quite so powerful … [Read more...]
What Is a Hate Group?
August 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
After hearing (or being reminded, I'm not sure which) that the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) classified the Family Research Council (FRC) as a hate group in 2010, that got me wondering. What is the definition of a "hate group," anyway?It's unclear how, precisely, the SPLC defines "hate group." While searching their website, I found the following statement on their "Hate Map" page.All hate groups have beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for … [Read more...]
Changing the Boy Scouts of America’s Policy on Gays from Within
June 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Interesting news on the BSA:A high-profile member of the Boy Scouts of America's governing board says he doesn't support the Scouts' policy of excluding gays and will work from within to seek a change. Ernst & Young CEO James Turley, whose accounting firm has welcomed gays and lesbians in its own work force, becomes the first member of the Scouts' Executive Board known to publicly disapprove of the policy. "I support the meaningful work of the Boy Scouts in preparing young people … [Read more...]
Gervais: Finding the Faithless: Perceived Atheist Prevalence Reduces Anti-Atheist Prejudice
June 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Abstract:Although prejudice is typically positively related to relative outgroup size, four studies found converging evidence that perceived atheist prevalence reduces anti-atheist prejudice. Study 1 demonstrated that anti-atheist prejudice among religious believers is reduced in countries in which atheists are especially prevalent. Study 2 demonstrated that perceived atheist prevalence is negatively associated with anti-atheist prejudice. Study 3 demonstrated a causal relationship: Reminders of … [Read more...]
Gervais and Norenzayan: Reminders of Secular Authority Reduce Believers’ Distrust of Atheists
June 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Abstract:Atheists have long been distrusted, in part because they do not believe that a watchful, judging god monitors their behavior. However, in many parts of the world, secular institutions such as police, judges, and courts are also potent sources of social monitoring that encourage prosocial behavior. Reminders of such secular authority could therefore reduce believers’ distrust of atheists. In our experiments, participants who watched a video about police effectiveness (Experiment 1) or … [Read more...]
Distrust & Anti-Atheist Prejudice
December 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Interesting new paper from Gervais, Shariff and Norenzayan:http://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~will/Gervais%20et%20al-%20Atheist%20Distrust.pdfThe experiments performed by Gervais et al. provide pretty convincing support for the thesis that anti-atheist prejudice manifests as distrust (rather than dislike, or disgust), and that it surfaces most strongly when the need for trust -- as opposed to say, likeability, or pleasantness -- is particularly salient. So, for example, prejudiced religious believers are … [Read more...]
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