tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43120707395248750162024-02-08T11:39:21.835-08:00The Rise of the New Atheism?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712247425702483699noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4312070739524875016.post-46761096941827804902013-06-26T01:45:00.001-07:002013-06-26T01:45:04.891-07:00Response to: Atheism a 'delusion' - John LennoxThe Captcha at this site is broken so I couldn't post my comment, since I've written it, here it is in response to this article:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: arial, georgia; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Atheism a 'delusion' - John Lennox</span><br />
<a href="http://www.baptisttimes.co.uk/index.php/national-news/986-atheism-a-delusion-john-lennox-">http://www.baptisttimes.co.uk/index.php/national-news/986-atheism-a-delusion-john-lennox-</a><br />
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Which view of God would the good professor like the media to discuss? We know the answer to this but it begs the question. What makes Professor Lennox think that his God deserves greater media coverage? Would he be happy if it was the Hindu pantheon or godless Buddhist doctrine or perhaps Scientology that was given preference? All of these are recognised religions in at least some countries. Surely if the media is to promote religion they should promote all recognised religions in a particular country. In Western countries this would mean time for a large number of religions. My preference is the current secular neutrality, but it is up to Christians to decide. You don't get to enter the public sphere alone any more, if you go in you hold hands with your co-religionists, no matter how you feel about them.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712247425702483699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4312070739524875016.post-52427623295443877182013-05-15T17:56:00.001-07:002013-05-16T01:19:58.264-07:00<br />
<h2 class="article-title" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: white; font-family: Bitter, serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 30px; margin: 0px 0px 25px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
A reply to: The search for Islamic solutions<br /><span class="small" style="display: inline-block !important; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px; padding: 8px 0px 0px;">by <a href="http://dhakatribune.com/author/shafiul-huq" style="-webkit-transition: 0.2s; background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: black; display: inline-block; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 3px 3px 0px; outline-style: none !important; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none !important; transition: 0.2s;">Shafiul Huq</a></span></h2>
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<a href="http://dhakatribune.com/op-ed/2013/may/14/search-islamic-solutions">http://dhakatribune.com/op-ed/2013/may/14/search-islamic-solutions</a><br />
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*The comments section for this article is still empty, even after I posted my reply...So I will post it here in its original form.<br />
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*Edit: The comments have since been approved. I will leave this here to acknowledge that I was wrong about the comments.<br />
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<span style="color: #3f4549; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;">I would never allow women and men to be
separated in Australia, I would fight it with everything I had. I would also
support the right of any person in any country to do so. Everyone should have
the right to criticise anything that they feel it is fair to criticise, even if
I don't like what they are saying. Blasphemy? What is blashpemy exactly? Who
gets to decide? What is blasphemy to one person may not be to another and it's
particularly difficult to decide in the very interpretable field that is religion.
Does the Shia blaspheme against the Sunni because of the their differing
interpretations of the succession to Mohammed. Does the Protestant Blaspheme
against the Roman Catholic because they do not follow the rituals of the church
or believe the Pope is the head of the worldwide church? These are questions
that have come up many times in history and caused many deaths. This is Muslims
forcing their beliefs on other Muslims, Christians forcing their beliefs on
other Christians. That is what secularism is really about. Stopping any one
group from forcing their ideas on another. As a consequence some people
will also be free to stop believing, in whatever tradition they started
in. You live in Australia at the moment, surely you've noticed that you
are as free to follow your religion as a women is to uncover her head. What if
Australia was a strict Christian or even Atheist country, and we told you that
you had to mix with women, drink alcohol and eat bacon to prove your loyalty to
the Australian Christian or Atheist way of life, by law, not just some yobbo
yelling at you, but law. I'm guessing you would think that wasn't ok. Whether
Islamic Bangladeshi's like it or not, there are people in their country who do
not believe that Islam is the correct way of life, and they have a right to
be accommodated. That is why secularism is necessary. That is what
Secularism is about.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712247425702483699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4312070739524875016.post-38239725517451561142012-04-20T00:35:00.001-07:002012-04-20T00:48:18.286-07:00Contemporary Atheism As Hyper-Real Irreligion: The Enchantment Of Science and Atheism In This CosmosChapter in the <a href="http://www.brill.nl/handbook-hyper-real-religions">Brill Handbook of Hyper-real Religions</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">"A religion old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the universe as revealed by modern science, might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths. Sooner or later, such a religion will emerge" (Sagan 1994: 52). </div><br />
Beginning in 2004 a spate of books appeared containing polemical discussion of the pathological acts of "Religion" and an admiration for an Atheistic/scientific worldview. These books achieved large sales and indicate a receptive public concerned about the public resurgence of religion and the erosion of scientific authority. In this chapter Possamai's (2007) hyper-real religions concept will be employed to gain an understanding of contemporary Atheism and its emergence in late modernity. Viewed through the lens of hyper-reality, Atheist materials and culture will be argued to support the individual ontological security of contemporary Atheists via an enchanted public image of scientific understanding and progress. These enchanted versions of science will be viewed as hyper-real in nature and as providing inspiration for the creation of meanings and identity supported by a naturalistic scientific cosmology.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712247425702483699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4312070739524875016.post-61682670486355677412011-10-15T01:15:00.000-07:002011-10-15T01:57:55.665-07:00Wordle of AFA (@Atheistoz) Follower Descriptions<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 21px;">I used nodeXL (</span><a href="http://nodexl.codeplex.com/">http://nodexl.codeplex.com/</a><span class="Apple-style-span">)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 21px;"> to gather the twitter account descriptions (the part underneath the username on a profile) of the followers of the AFA (Atheist Foundation of Australia; @atheistaus). I plugged 2491 follower descriptions into Wordle (</span><a href="http://www.wordle.net/">http://www.wordle.net</a><span class="Apple-style-span">)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 21px;">, here is the result. I hope people find this as interesting as I do... I will edit later with some possible issues with this data and some possible interpretations. Until then I'd be happy to hear some comments.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"></span></span><br />
<pre id="embed" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"> </span></pre><pre id="embed" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/4244693/%40atheistaus_%28Atheist_Foundation_of_Australia%29_Follower%27s_%282491%29_descriptions" style="background-color: white;" title="Wordle: @atheistaus (Atheist Foundation of Australia) Follower's (2491) descriptions"><img alt="Wordle: @atheistaus (Atheist Foundation of Australia) Follower's (2491) descriptions" src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/4244693/%40atheistaus_%28Atheist_Foundation_of_Australia%29_Follower%27s_%282491%29_descriptions" style="border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 4px;" /></a></span></pre><pre id="embed" style="font-size: 13px;"></pre><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; line-height: 21px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-size: 17px; line-height: 21px;">and for comparison followers of @ACLobby (Australian Christian Lobby; 715 followers) </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"></span></span><br />
<pre id="embed" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; white-space: normal;"><pre id="embed" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/4244863/%40ACLobby_Follower%27s_Descriptions_%28715%29" style="background-color: white;" title="Wordle: @ACLobby Follower's Descriptions (715)"><img alt="Wordle: @ACLobby Follower's Descriptions (715)" src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/4244863/%40ACLobby_Follower%27s_Descriptions_%28715%29" style="border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 4px;" /></a></pre></span></pre>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712247425702483699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4312070739524875016.post-31671012374630528152011-08-21T19:12:00.000-07:002011-08-23T23:18:04.385-07:00<h1 align="center" style="text-align: center;">Information Sheet</h1><h4 align="center" style="margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt;">The Rise of the New Atheism?<o:p></o:p></span></h4><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 8pt;">Alan Nixon<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 8pt;">a.nixon@uws.edu.au<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 8pt;">PhD Candidate<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 8pt;">University of Western Sydney <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 8pt;">Ethics Approval Number: H9065<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><h4 style="margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 8pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></h4><h4 style="margin-top: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">What is this study about?<o:p></o:p></span></h4><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt;">This study seeks to examine the importance of modern Atheism to people who are self-proclaimed 'Atheists'. It aims to explore how people gain meaning from their Atheism. It is especially concerned with how people integrate their Atheism into their sense of who they are or their self-identity, how this affects the feeling of being part of a group and how this affects their lives. The study hopes to give people who have been affected by Atheism or the new atheism a chance to describe their experiences. It also hopes to shed light on the relationship between the current society and Atheism from the perspective of participants.<o:p></o:p></span></div><h4><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">Who would I like to contribute to it? <o:p></o:p></span></h4><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt;">I would like to talk to men and women aged 18+ years who are self-proclaimed Atheists or New Atheists.<o:p></o:p></span></div><h4><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">What’s involved if I agree to participate?<o:p></o:p></span></h4><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt;">If you agree to participate, you will be asked to be interviewed on one occasion for about 2 hours. The interview will involve discussing (in text, voice or face to face) your experiences as an Atheist and how they have affected your life. With your agreement face to face interviews will be audio-taped and transcribed. The interview can take place anywhere that you feel comfortable to talk, such as in your home or other favourite location or online (e.g. Skype or e-mail). <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt;">Please let me know what your preferred interview method will be.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt;">Please note:</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt;"> Details of any illegal activities that you or others may be involved in should not be discussed with the researcher <o:p></o:p></span></div><h4><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">Will the interview be confidential?<o:p></o:p></span></h4><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt;">Any personally identifying information you provide is treated confidentially. We will use an alternative name (Pseudonym) to record your contribution and will also change any details that could be used to identify you. Your contact details will be kept in a locked filing cabinet separate from the interview material. Although by default we will keep your information confidential, you can request to have your details (real name) printed in the final document.<o:p></o:p></span></div><h4><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">Am I able to refuse or withdraw at any time?<o:p></o:p></span></h4><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt;">Participation in this research is voluntary and you can choose to stop the interview at any time without giving a reason. You can also refuse to answer specific questions. There are no consequences for withdrawing from the interview.<o:p></o:p></span></div><h4><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">People to contact for information or complaints<o:p></o:p></span></h4><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt;">If you have any questions about the study, you can contact the researcher, Alan Nixon on a.nixon@uws.edu.au or +61406652329.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt;">If you have any concerns or complaints about the study, please contact the University of Western Sydney Human Research Ethics committee on <a href="mailto:humanethics@uws.edu.au"><span style="text-decoration: none;">humanethics@uws.edu.au</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712247425702483699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4312070739524875016.post-79780506834046579072011-04-15T00:52:00.001-07:002011-04-15T01:01:50.838-07:00Check out music from Tombstone Da Deadman<img border="0" height="0" src="http://c.gigcount.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTMwMjg1Mzg5Mjc*MiZwdD*xMzAyODUzOTc1NTIyJnA9MjcwODEmZD1wcm9fcGxheWVyX2ZpcnN*X2dlbiZuPWJsb2dnZXIm/Zz*xJm89NThkNGM4ZmM2M2Q5NDk5MjhkODhhMjI*YjViYjA3MmImb2Y9MA==.gif" style="height: 0px; visibility: hidden; width: 0px;" width="0" /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="300" width="180"><param name="movie" value="http://cache.reverbnation.com/widgets/swf/40/pro_widget.swf?id=artist_832449&posted_by=&skin_id=PWAS1008&font_color=333333&auto_play=false&shuffle=false&song_ids=4331837"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"></param><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="quality" value="best"></param><embed src="http://cache.reverbnation.com/widgets/swf/40/pro_widget.swf?id=artist_832449&posted_by=&skin_id=PWAS1008&font_color=333333&auto_play=false&shuffle=false&song_ids=4331837" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowNetworking="all" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" quality="best" width="180" height="300"></embed></object><script type="text/javascript">
wordpress_embed = '[reverbnation]http://cache.reverbnation.com/widgets/swf/40/pro_widget.swf?id=artist_832449&posted_by=&skin_id=PWAS1008&font_color=333333&auto_play=false&shuffle=false&song_ids=4331837&width=180&height=300[/reverbnation]';
</script><br />
<br />
Though there are many bands who are Atheists. There are few non-comedy songs about atheism or the experieces of Atheists. I also haven't heard much music that discusses being an Atheist in the 21st Century (Though I'd love to be pointed towards some if people know, I love discovering new music). This is what 'Tombstone Da Deadman' does and in a genuinely musical way. This is not parody or cheap production but well produced solid hip-hop that expresses the Atheist Experience (lol). I'm downloading now....<br />
<img border="0" height="0" src="http://www.reverbnation.com/widgets/trk/40/artist_832449//t.gif" style="height: 0px; visibility: hidden; width: 0px;" width="0" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712247425702483699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4312070739524875016.post-79922941486590853582011-02-04T22:54:00.001-08:002011-02-06T23:08:38.843-08:00What would the Atheist community want to know about itself?<span xmlns=""></span><br />
<span xmlns="">Much of the social science literature on Atheism/Irreligion/Non-religion is written with very little reference to empirical data<sup>1</sup>, particularly data coming from Atheists or the non-religious themselves. The research I am currently doing will include the voices of Atheists in a number of forms such as documents, twitter feeds, movies (youtube or standard), blogs and interviews with participants (more on this in a later post).</span><br />
<br />
<span xmlns="">In the social sciences many practitioners use qualitative methods to extract the voices of actors in particular social settings, in order to add them to our understanding of that social group or social structure (well known e.g. Denzin and Lincoln 1998). This data adds another dimension to the research via accessing the participant view of the system. It helps to ensure that the thoughts of those inside the social group are not (even accidently) misrepresented or skewed by an outsider view. </span><br />
<br />
<span xmlns="">In contemplating all this, another level of participant voice and thus a question occurred to me...</span><br />
<span xmlns=""><br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns="">"What does the Atheist community want to know about itself?"</span><br />
<span xmlns=""><br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns="">I'd appreciate any answers or comments on this question... </span><br />
<span xmlns=""><br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns="">I hope you are all as curious as I am :-) </span><br />
<span xmlns=""><br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns="">Al.<br />
</span><br />
<br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>Notes<br />
</strong></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span xmlns="">1 There are some exceptions. see for example </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Demerath 1969; </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mauss 1969</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">; </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Caporale & Gumelli 1971; </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Campbell 1972; </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">Caplovitz & Sherrow 1977; Dudley 1978; Hale 1980; Hunsberger 1980; Hunsberger 1983; Bromley 1988; Hadaway & Roof 1988; Feigalman, Gorman & Varacalli 1992; Altemeyer & Hunsberger 1997; Hout & Fischer 2002; </span><span class="Apple-style-span">some chapters Martin 2007; </span><span xmlns="">Zuckermann </span><span class="Apple-style-span">2007, </span><span xmlns="">2010 (vol 1 & 2); </span><span xmlns="">Bullivant </span><span class="Apple-style-span">2008, </span><span xmlns="">2010</span><span class="Apple-style-span">;</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span">Nall 2010. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><strong>References<br />
</strong></span></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Denzin, N. And Lincoln, Y. (1998). <em>Strategies of Qualitative Enquiry.</em> U.S. Sage Publications.</span><br />
</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712247425702483699noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4312070739524875016.post-86008788267637964782011-02-04T18:58:00.001-08:002011-10-15T18:11:16.775-07:00Atheists call on like-minded to declare lack of religion in census<span xmlns=""></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/atheists-call-on-likeminded-to-declare-lack-of-religion-in-census-20110204-1agw2.html">http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/atheists-call-on-likeminded-to-declare-lack-of-religion-in-census-20110204-1agw2.html</a><br />
</span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 1pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-size: 12px;"><strong>Leesha McKenny</strong></span></div><div style="margin-left: 1pt;"><span xmlns=""><span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 9pt;">February 5, 2011<br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-left: 1pt; text-align: center;"><span xmlns=""><span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 9pt;"><img 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/></span></span></div><div style="margin-left: 1pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black; color: #333333; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-left: 1pt;"><span xmlns=""><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;">The godless will soon be asked to stand up and be counted in Sydney's Bible Belt, part of a campaign to counter the influence of religion on politics. The Atheist Foundation of Australia has begun a campaign calling on those whose faith has lapsed to mark ''no religion'' on their census forms this year - with West Pennant Hills slated to host a billboard before August 9. The 8.3 metre by 2.2 metre sign on Pennant Hills Road and another in Armidale will make a month-long appearance from June 20. Despite the location, the foundation's president, David Nicholls, said the campaign did not intend to attack religion, but to counter the extent to which Australia was unduly claimed as a Christian country in decision-making and funding. <br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-left: 1pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-left: 1pt;"><span xmlns=""><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;">"Unfortunately, because of the wording, many people will select the religion of their baptism or initiation at youth, despite not being a religious person at all," he said.<br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-left: 1pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-left: 1pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;">Every census since 1911 has included a question on religion, with the 1971 census the first to introduce ''no religion'' as an option. Mr Nicholls said the group had long lobbied the Australian Bureau of Statistics to change what it considered a leading question, to no effect. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">The head of the ABS Census Program, Paul Lowe, said people who were uncomfortable with the question were free to leave it blank. "Even though the question is optional, approximately 90 per cent of people chose to provide a response in the 2006 census, with 18.7 per cent indicating they had no religion,'' he said. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">But the atheists have found an unlikely supporter. Ruth Powell, the director of the National Church Life Survey, said religious participation and religious identity were two important social measures - ideally considered separately with a second census question. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">''It would be really useful to actually identify those who are committed and active and involved [church] attenders, but not at the cost of the current question,'' Dr Powell said. The 20-year-old church survey, conducted in every census year, found more people attended Pentecostal churches than identified themselves as such in the census. It was the reverse with Anglicans. Malcolm Williams, the director of Outreach Media, a Sydney-based Christian media organisation, did not think Christians would be too bothered by the atheists' campaign. But some were occasionally bothered by the posters his organisation distributed to 100 churches around the country, such as one reading: ''Don't let Christians put you off Jesus.'' ''Some Christians were quite indignant, while lots of people who aren't churchgoers were knocking on church doors saying 'thank you','' Mr Williams said.</span></span></div><div style="margin-left: 1pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span xmlns=""> </span> </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712247425702483699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4312070739524875016.post-18372709039511410722010-11-12T18:08:00.000-08:002011-03-10T02:04:39.624-08:00What am I doing with this Atheism/Irreligion stuff?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-223" height="300" src="http://thesignalinthenoise.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/bizarro_atheists.jpg?w=251&h=300" title="bizarro_atheists" width="251" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">…whatever the strengths or weaknesses of the arguments put forward by the New Atheism, it is a truly remarkable phenomenon and therefore needs to be understood from a range of perspectives</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">(Harries 2010: xii)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">The New Atheism started with a collection of popular academic and journalistic texts which were published from 2004 to 2007. It is a remarkable fact that these books, promoting atheism and arguing against religion, typically in the name of science and reason, have made best-sellers’ lists. Love it or loath it, this uprising of public atheism has led to a newly visible player in the marketplace of popular worldviews. This should be of interest to those of us concerned with the history and social dynamics of religion and science. The new visibility of Atheism could indicate the growing presence of a population that may be more interested in the non-religious community structures being created by the New Atheists. Thus the New Atheism could be viewed as a potentially important support structure for a rising demographic. But what will be the effects of a group like this? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">The relatively recent emergence of this social group means that little study has been undertaken on the New Atheism. In fact, Zuckerman et al. (2010) argue that until recently (mostly 2010) there has been little social scientific study on the entire phenomenon of atheism/irreligion (approx. 2 studies per year from 1967-2002). So at this point the Social Sciences are largely unaware of who these New Atheists are, what they believe, and what affect these beliefs are having on their lives and society. This research intends to investigate the structures and ideologies of the New Atheist movement, in order to begin to grasp the potential outcomes of such a movement on the lives of participants and the wider society.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><strong>References</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Harries, R. 2010. Foreword. Pp. xi-xii in <em>Religion and </em></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman Italic';"><em>The New Atheism: A critical Appraisal</em></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">. Amersfoort, The Netherlands: Brill.</span></div><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman Italic';">Zuckerman et al. 2010. <em>Atheism and Secularity: Volume 1: Issues, Concepts, and Definitions</em></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">. California: Praeger.</span></span></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10712247425702483699noreply@blogger.com0