Atheist Funerals: You Want a Physicist to Speak at Your Funeral

I’ve been struggling lately contemplating whether or not I ever care to attend a Christian funeral again.  I mean, it seems to me that time would be better spent acknowledging the reality of death, as far as we know.  As an atheist, I have a strong suspicion, and have no need to believe otherwise, that death is the end of our consciousness – of our experience with life.  We cease to exist in the physical world.  We live on in the memories of those whose lives we touched in some way.  I don’t feel the need to think of my loved one living on in some happy other-world where there is no pain or suffering.  To be honest, it sounds like a miserable way to spend an eternity.

I’m not afraid to die.  I’m not particularly looking forward to it, but it doesn’t scare me.  It seems to me that there are a large number of Christians going through the motions in an attempt to hedge their bets on the off chance that their is a deity who set into course the particular fairy tale tradition their family has long adhered to.  It makes me sad that humankind still has this need to believe that there is some grand watcher-over looking out for us and levying justice for us.

Part of my recovery from faith has been coming to terms with this new understanding of the true nature of reality.  But it has led me to a place where I realize that my life is mine to make of it what I will, and that I get to prioritize my life the way I want it to be.  In the grand scheme of evolution, each individual life is so tremendously  inconsequential.  But in the time we are here, we get the unique opportunity to participate in life, something tremendously, spectacularly, mind-bogglingly rare in the universe.  That, to me, is far more glorious and spectacular and awe-inspiring than the story of Genesis.

I suspect that I will, in fact, attend Christian funerals from time to time.  If for no other reason, it would decrease the amount of drama that would be generated by my non-attendance.  But, rest assured, when the congregation bows their heads to pray, my head will be up, looking around the church, seeing if anyone else has their heads up.  I hope that person is you.

I love this:

You Want a Physicist to Speak at Your Funeral | Thank God For Evolution.

My Response to “Cautiously Pessimistic: Greta Christina’s Interview with Edwina Rogers”

I share your concerns around the appointment of Ms. Rogers.  I think we need to separate, however, the Republican brand from politicians within the party who must pander to religious right on issues such as reproductive rights and marriage equality.  It is my belief that there is a non-insignificant percentage of Republican politicians who believe in evolution, are pro-choice, support marriage equality, and are, dare I say, atheists.  I believe this because I have Republican friends who match that description.  They remain fiscal conservatives, and we vehemently disagree on those policy discussions.

For me, as a left-of-Democrat liberal, I am choosing to give Ms. Rogers the benefit of the doubt.  Another liberal atheist is going to do nothing to forge inroads into the GOP or restore some sanity on that side of the aisle.  The Republican party has been hijacked by the religious right.  It is going to take a shared effort from Republicans to pull them back into the land of Reason.

Cautiously Pessimistic: Greta Christina’s Interview with Edwina Rogers.

Rockwood Stakeholders for Real Solutions

This group, attempting to infect the school district which my daughters attend, appears to be a front for religious right wing conservatives who would like to force their agenda on the students of one of the better public school districts in the state.

I have two children in Rockwood Schools. One at Marquette HS, the other at Crestview Middle. Both of them are open about their atheism. There was a 7th grade assignment inviting kids to talk about what their religion believes. Let’s just say that my daughter even bringing up her atheism made the teacher very uncomfortable, and she was not included in the discussion.

I find it intriguing that RS4RS seems to be advocating for no inclusion of religion in any instruction unless Christianity is held up as the ‘one true religion’. As public schools go, Rockwood is pretty darn good. I think they are taking the right approach from a pedagogical standpoint. Obviously, there will be teachers who are not trained well enough to keep personal opinion out of it, regardless of their personal (non)beliefs. That’s something ALL teachers struggle with.

This whole idea that somehow Christianity is under attack because rational people are refusing to allow them to force their ideologies down our collective throat is pathetic and sad.

http://rsdstakeholders.org/2012/04/29/rockwood-school-district-for-your-information/#comments