Thursday, October 22, 2009

Spreading the Atheist Gospel?

Evangelizing for atheism? You've seen the ads on the Muni buses: "Imagine no religion" and other quotes from famous non-believers promoting the Freedom From Religion Foundation. It's part of a small wave of pro-atheist media that's risen over the past few years. Is the campaign a sign of a broadening public discourse about faith and the lack of it? Or does it insult religious people and widen the divide between people of faith and their non-believing neighbors?

Join us live at 11 or email us at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What do you think of the rise of Athiesm? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

Reverend Scotty McLennan, dean of Religious Life at Stanford.

Click to Listen: Spreading the Atheist Gospel?

2 comments:

  1. I was so happy to see the FFRF billboards that I ran out and joined the organization. They have encouraged me to speak out about being an atheist although I was previously shy about my nonbelief in the supernatural. I hope that those atheists who called in but are still slightly ashamed or afraid to speak up about their rationality can be liberated by this dialogue.

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  2. Excerpt (slightly edited) from feedback email to Rose Aguilar re today's show:

    Some particularly interesting shows recently (as is often the case).

    Hey Rose, one day *I'd* like to be permitted a chance for some *very* (I'd even settle, just ever occasionally, for just *somewhat*) extended comments, and even a, "[name / caller], are you still on the line?", 2nd bite at the apple(/guest) solicitation from you, and (even just rarely) a *back-and-forth* exchange (let alone argument) with the guest, like that caller Drew got today (and like some other callers, sometimes regularly, get).

    This, like that *Drew* caller today who was so busy attacking your guest as being angry or stressful or vitriolic or whatever he was rather *aggressively* -- and kept at it(!), like a bulldog with a shoe -- emotionally accusing/attacking your guest Annie-Laurie of being (he could have just said it *once*, if he could intellectually/logically support his inherently subjective charge, and then moved on); this, as *he* was being rather angry or stressful or vitriolic *himself* (isn't that called *"projection"*!?), instead of just making whatever intellectual point of which he might (or might not) have been capable. Only, I wouldn't spend *my* comment-question time emotionally attacking -- in a word (not) *browbeating* -- the guest! My last comment-question on Your Call, on October 9, was only just over 60 (68) seconds (and for the past numerous months my calls have been no more than once a month -- and I *never* get a 2nd bite at the apple with a [sometimes politically and factually lying] guest on those occasions).

    I guess that people like Drew think that anyone who's (other people who are) defending their arguments (any arguments that Drew disagrees with) is being angry or vitriolic; or that anyone who's being emotionally attacked is not entitled to be stressed about it -- rather than, perhaps, if so and legitimate, their being intellectually critiqued, criticized or challenged, which a caller is legitimate allowed to do.



    By people, like Drew, who make such highly aggressive personal or ad hominem attacks/slurs against others...: "angry", or "vitriolic" or, other accusations, like "ranting", etc., is always what those they (like Drew) *disagree* with are (what the *other* person is) being or doing. It was actually *painful* to listen to (I really felt sorry for your guest Annie-Laurie) -- and then you let him come back in a 2nd time, extending the pain for not only Annie-Laurie, but I bet for many of your listeners, like me. I wish you had intervened and ask Drew to just make his point without emotionally/personally accusing/attacking your guest of being whatever. Gee, I didn't even treat that closet Zionist, morally squiggly, and lying Chomsky that way.

    Joseph from Berkeley

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