What started out as story about a soccer team invoking religious privilege, that was posted on an atheist blog, took a left turn as the author and many commenters didn’t seem to be concerned with an Islamic school soccer team forcing two Catholic girls to sit out half a match because the Muslim player’s religion wouldn’t allow them to mix with strange females. Could the fear of Islamophobia lead some atheists to overlook obvious religious bigotry? Looks like it can.
Hemant Mehta, over at Friendly Atheist, posted a story about two girls who played on a boy’s soccer team in Ontario Canada:
Thinking That Religion Is Only A Bunch Of Pretty Words Is Naive
Being a Humanist and an atheist, I get exposed to a range of views on religion. On the strict atheist side I hear about how religion should be left in the dustbin of history while on the Humanist side I tend to hear that religion is just pretty words that make people feel good. I’ve always found the idea that religion is just pretty words to be at best naive and ignores the reality in the world.
Last Wednesday, Reza Aslan, writer and scholar of religious studies, was on the Daily Show for an interview.
Writer Believes It Is Better To Be A Drug Addicted Christian Than An Atheist
Chris Arnade is an atheist or so he says in an article in the Guardian that was published on Tuesday. He claims that his atheism was tested after working with and photographing homeless addicts in the South Bronx. He is shocked that the people he met weren’t atheists and then he somehow makes the false connection that having faith and hope is better than not being a homeless addict. He does a poor job selling religion.