Atheist Age

Bad Science Christmas Gifts

‘Tis the time of year when our minds turn to gift giving – for any manner of reason – often drawing discussion… or diatribe. After all, it is a serious and potentially expensive exercise.

I like to check in with Bad Science at these crucial times to see what advice Ben may have on offer. His book, Bad Science is always worth considering as a gift – especially when compared to the T-Shirts – and it’s available in paperback for Christmas stocking entry/exit ease.

Bad Science itself offers ‘recommended reading’. This includes Irrationality by Stuart Sutherland. Here’s the blurb;

Why do doctors, generals, civil servants and others consistently make wrong decisions that cause enormous harm to others? And why do you sit through a boring play just because the tickets were expensive?

Irrational beliefs and behaviours are virtually universal. Not only gamblers and parapsychologists but selection committees and experts often fall into simple statistical traps to do with sample sizes or assuming causal links. In this iconoclastic book Stuart Sutherland analyses the many causes of irrationality and shows that it is universal. Drawing on a mass of intriguing research, he examines why we are irrational, the different kinds of irrationality, the damage it does us and the possible cures. He argues that we could reduce irrationality – but only if we first recognize how irrational we normally are. The questions raised in this book are of importance to everyone.

In fact BS has an interesting list of possibilities for the page prone purchaser that are potentially perfect for people of any particular persuasion. Apart from spending up big and pushing down extra hard on our carbon footprint there’s always more going on.

‘Tis also the season to be Mythled, as it were. The usual apologetics resurrect in some way. Science creeps ever closer to “proving” a myth. Noting the story applies to a veritable cornucopia of gods perhaps Horus, Mithras, Buddha, Krishna, Dionysus, etc will be wondering what they did wrong, to fall so far from favour.

I hear in the media of late that the Christian message of Christmas is on the rise. As one, ironically, does tend to hear from minority apologists at this time of year; the clash of Ho-Hum vs Ho-Ho, as it were. This is not an accurate claim. A cursory glance at figures, commentary and dynamics prove the religious message of Christmas is one chosen or imposed, and to be waxing lyrical about Christianity is misleading; a history of cute memories or nay, this is 2008.

Indeed multiculturalism has made “celebrating” what most Aussies either have no interest in, and many find outright offensive, more than a little awkward. It’s hard to conjure an analogy as easily as false promises and spectacular illusions are conjured and forced upon us by Christendom. In fact, it’s impossible without relying upon demonstrably false claims imbibed with the evidence and reason free inventions such as religiosity allows.

We scarcely notice we actually do feel awkward, embarrassed or perhaps somewhat ashamed when Believer X advances the argument that our actions, speech or thoughts have damaged them in some way because they refuse to critically demand answers, not from us, but themselves. Think about that… please. The journey from entertaining fantasy to control of what you think, hence feel thus act, is indeed a very brief one.

Perhaps, in this sport mad nation, we could imagine the sheer horror of every Australian being made to sing the Collingwood football club theme song, wear Collingwood uniforms, hold little Collingwood Grand Final wins over Essendon, Melbourne, Geelong, Richmond… you get the idea. Worship at the alter of Eddy Everywhere. All others are false, and until you join the One True Team – with a prayerfully considered non-negotiable membership fee – you face eternal torment. Rules are changed to suit only Collingwood; if they win, it’s as it was foretold. If they lose, it is of course the Devil and such evil is sent to try us. It sounds quite silly really. My point exactly.

On Dec. 14, The Age report;

THE religious significance of Christmas has fallen away dramatically, according to an opinion poll of Sunday Age readers.

The poll of more than 1000 people found that 41 per cent now believed that Christmas’ religious importance had declined, and almost half said it was now “almost entirely lost, amidst the secular celebration”. Just 6 per cent said its religious significance was increasing.

Christmas is predominantly a family occasion, with almost nine in 10 readers planning to spend December 25 with family members. A further 7 per cent say they will spend the day “mostly with friends”. Three per cent said they would spend Christmas mostly alone.

At Diamond Creek Primary school, the antics get out of hand. According to The Age in the same edition;

At Westgarth Primary School, by contrast, the assembled students, clad in Santa hats, belt out The Reindeer Boogie, I’ve Been Nothing But Bad and an Aussie version of Deck the Halls that includes the immortal lines: “Plant some kisses on the missus, Fa la la la la la la la la/ Have a ripper Aussie Christmas, fa la la la la la la la la.”

Westgarth’s musical director, John Carr — pointing to the angels among the Christmas trees — denies he made any deliberate attempt to exclude God from his end-of-year concert. He was simply after songs that were upbeat.

Over at The Australian Christian Lobby, it’s been noticed. Another article, with great secular news: Religion in schools to go God free [The Age] was passed in favour of the misleading Daily Telegraph headline: Students to be taught there’s no god. This refers to the Humanist Society of Victoria Curriculum, accredited by the state government with the intention of approval.

From The Age Dec. 14, 2008;

VICTORIAN state primary school students will soon have an alternative — religious education lessons taught by people who do not believe in God and say there is “no evidence of any supernatural power”.

The Humanist Society of Victoria has developed a curriculum, which the State Government accreditation body says it intends to approve, to deliver 30-minute lessons each week of “humanist applied ethics” to primary pupils.

Accredited volunteers will be able to teach their philosophy in the class time designated for religious instruction. As with lessons delivered by faith groups, parents will be able to request that their children do not participate.

Andrew Bolt seems to have decided he’s an agnostic and – those most craven of theological debaters who win either way – and has a ‘blog’ to prove it. He had his customary rant, dashing from the blocks putting words in the mouths of only he knows who. “I agree atheism is a faith, but this is absurd”, he waffles. Not only does the topic have zero to do with “atheism” – a phrase used by theists to stereotype those who think, rather than believe – but he uses the slow steady march of progressive policy over his archaic “us and them” divisive non-logic, to “agree”. Agree with what? Nothing. Nothing at all. There is no “faith” associated with non theism. It is the lack of faith – or rather, the presence of reason and evidence – that at least admirably challenges, and at most completely demolishes, theistic claims.

He carries on quite a bit, unleashing his latent right wing zealotry. This is the Victorian Humanists nestled in the south-east of Australia he begins his piece with. Nonetheless he “updates” as he goes until bemoaning that, “Bit by bit, the West cannibalises it’s foundation myths”, very quietly quoting a British story on teachers avoiding discussing “Father Christmas” in the classroom “for fear of offending some pupils from some religions”. Having raised our consciousness beyond insouciant misogynism, we say “Santa” down ‘ere mate. I guess musing on the social psychology behind such a change in national psyche is beyond Mr. Bolt.

TEACHERS are not discussing Father Christmas in the classroom for fear of offending pupils from some religions, a British report says.

The religious diversity of some schools has prompted staff to question the appropriateness of the story. Some preschool and infant teachers said they were reluctant to discuss Santa Claus because they taught the children of Jehovah’s Witnesses. [The Age; Dec. 14]

No, he forgot to mention the “unavoidable” Sharia Law courts in Britain, any factors behind the teacher position or indeed and the hard reality that schools must be very, very careful in the UK. But for real seasonal joy, he never let’s us down. Somehow he’s done it; linked the global warming conspiracy to this topic of teaching ethics without superstition:

Why don’t atheists also demand schools teach there is no proof that man-made global warming exists? There’s far more adherents of that faith, after all, and they are far more in our face.

I don’t know Andrew, sorry. I do know Humanists maximise humanity far more than minimise God. Perhaps you could have mentioned that.

Hmmm…..do they have that many copies of “The God Delusion”?

Tags: Christianity, Critical Thought, Humour, Skepticism