Day 7: At least the son of a president can be an atheist.

Free Thought Matters : Ron Reagan Interview on FFRF (Freedom from Religion Foundation) 

I was listening to Ron Reagan yesterday share his story and he mentioned that the New York Times asked him if he wanted to run for office.  He said no, but after they persisted, he said something like this and it shut them up.  

"I'm an atheist, I'd never get voted in." 

It was the same idea that Bill Maher discussed with President Barack Obama, and Obama didn't deny it.  The common saying is that "There are no atheists in fox holes."  But maybe in reality, that is where they are... but where they aren't is in the Oval Office.  

I'm not American, so I can't really testify how damaging this is for me, but I can agree it's damaging for my neighbours, especially this year with the up and coming election.  

I like Ron's story.  I envy him in a way.  He didn't wait decades to deconstruct a religion passed down from his parents, he figured out while he was still a young boy that it wasn't real for him.  He was spared so much, and I think he understands that.  Maybe that is why he just is who he is.  He's not trying to repair his past.  So many Post-Christians that have spend years in church and now have to come to terms with how they spent their time and money. It's not that easy to forgive yourself for that. 

Ron didn't have to do that. He understands the plight of those who have and has supported Atheist organizations with the intent to further the separation of church and state.  His country is having a different kind of war within it's own boundaries and he is on the front lines to help move reason ahead of theology in the matters of state.  

Today's Day 7 readings from AFL are both tugging at my heart today.  Jean Meslier was one of the greatest voices of my 2022 AFL journey.  He let his words speak after he died.  He never did come out of his closet until his body was in a grave.  He words lived on after he did, to encourage many more than just me.  

Bertrand Russell was a favourite of mine from 2023, but my heart was struggling a little more.  In 2022, I was just discovering my place in the atheistic ideal, by 2023, I knew I was well rooted.  I struggled more understanding that this place I dwelled was not welcome in my world, tolerated maybe, but not welcome.  

Now it is 2024 and I am back in Authentic Lent wondering how I can be authentic in more than just a blog.  It's why I want to share all the people, their stories and their voices this season.  I admire them and in my dreams wish I could help them more.  I can't do much in my physical world, but I can write and hope, like Jean Meslier, that one day my words will reach people but I may never know.  

 Day 7: 2022 -"Finding Life after Death in Jean Meslier

Day 7: 2023 -"I already have lost too much."  

Day 6: I wish I had Kate Cohen's courage to out myself as an Atheist

 

“It’s that simple. Ask yourself: Do I think there’s a supernatural being in charge of the universe? If you answer “no,” you’re an atheist. That’s it⁠—you’re done. No suing, signing, marching, debating, or tweeting required. You don’t have to do anything with that information. But if you do choose to share it, you may find you know far more atheists than you thought.” Kate Cohen

If I had to put one female on the top of the list of the most influential atheists for me, it would be Kate Cohen.  Her book "We of Little Faith" was in one word... HOPE!  Hope that outing myself one day, to more than my blog, my online communities and the occasional drop in a frustrated conversation, just might be achievable for me.  

I think I am scared of people.  What other explanation do I have that keeps me from being honest?  I must be scared of them.  The other option is low self-esteem.  Maybe I still don't feel like my perspective matters as a whole.  Maybe in my own world it does, but when I step out of my space into someone else's space, I am a lot more cautious.  It's not because I think peoples opinions are more valid than mine.  I can see through a lot of bullshit now, but that doesn't mean I am good at calling it out.   Kate thinks if I can... I "should".  Now I just have to figure out if I can... then doing it might actually be possible.  

I think I am extra scared of old people.  My general response to old people (80+) is that if they have spent their whole life embracing one religious viewpoint, what right do I have to rock the boat now when they are so close to death?  Maybe they need their fantasies to breathe.  I can't offer my mom a community outside of her faith, so my only option is to support her in her faith.  And right now that means, not muddying up the water with my thoughts.  

I think if my lifelong Mennonite Great Uncle Don.  He was 99 when he died.  I almost outed myself to him on a few occasions, because he actually asked my opinion and wanted to know what I thought. Most don't ask me.  I didn't want to burst his bubble either, so I learned how to do a lot of redirecting.  But in the end, the one thing I passed on to him was that love was more important than anything else.  That was the foundation.  I couldn't honestly agree with him that I thought that was "God"... but I emphasized the word love and he was good with that.  

Kate asked a question in her book that still troubles me.  "Can you be a real friend of someone with whom you won't be honest?" That doesn't seem like a "yes" or "no" question for me... at least it doesn't right now.  

I will leave you with two Kate Cohen interviews I found very inspiring.  One with Seth Andrews on "The Thinking Atheist" and one with Alan Alda on "Clear and Vivid".  As hard as her advice is to take, her voice is one that needs to be heard.  

Kate Cohen on "The Thinking Atheist" Podcast 

Kate Cohen on "Clear and Vivid" Podcast 

Day 6: 2022 -  "The Wounded Dove"

Day 6, :2023 - "Philosophy and Puzzles"

Day 5: Hanging with my Ancestors: The Real Stars

It's Sunday morning and I overnighted at my Mom's farm.  I'm a town dweller, and my only real opportunity to catch the magnificence of the night sky is at the farm.  I told my Mom that when I'm at my home, I can see the stars, but when I am at her home, I can see the galaxy.  

This Lent Season has me on a journey through all the influences and voices that have inspired and educated me in the last few years of my deconversion.  Those voices have brought some sense to the strange experiences I had no words for.  I will continue to share those influences and even discover new voices as I journey through Lent.  Today, I want to share the strongest voice, the greatest influence in my journey away from the mythology of my past.  It's the stars (and the occasional planet that I can't identify in the vast cosmic ocean of the galaxy). 

I don't know all their names, I am somewhat familiar with a few of the groupings of stars that show themselves in my Northern Hemisphere home.  Today, I want to learn some names.  

One of the more common groupings, is the Big Dipper.  I have seen these stars off and on for the last fifty five years of my life.  I never knew their names until this morning. 

Alkaid, Mizar, Alioth, Megrez, Phecda, Dubhe and Merak all make up the asterism "The Big Dipper".  My ignorance of cosmology had me thinking that the Big Dipper was a constellation, but it is actually called an asterism.  The constellation is Ursa Major which includes the Big Dipper.  Don't get me started on how confusing that was for me.  But I will leave it up to a cosmologist to explain that one.  

The seven names of the stars of the Big Dipper are of Arabic origin.  I find that fascinating.  The cosmos has no political boundaries.  I like that.  

Another factoid that amazes me is just how far away the stars are from my vantage point on earth.  The data suggests that they are about 80 light years away.  That means the light shining off those stars takes 80 years to get to me.  I am seeing light that existed and started it's journey towards me decades before I was born.   Wow!

Let's do some math and see how that looks in actual distance.  So one light year is about 6 trillion miles.  So those stars are 480,000,000,000,000 (480 quadrillion) miles from me.  Now that is for my American neighbours.  Let's make that number a bit bigger by translating it into kilometres - 768 quadrillion km.   Compare that to the circumference of the earth which is 40,075 km.  That is equivalent 19,164,067,373 trips around the equator of the earth to reach the stars of the Big Dipper.  

I just shared that bit of information with my mother and told her that it's very humbling to understand how insignificant humans are when we look at the massiveness of the cosmos.  We are not the centre of the universe.  She had a smile on her face.  She understands that we live in a very big universe.  I am grateful for that.  Religion has narrowed a lot of people's view down to the ground they walk on.  I am thankful that my mom can see past her world to the magnificence of the cosmos beyond.  

I tried to capture with my Iphone 14 some of the magnificence I saw this morning around 6:00 am Alberta time.  They were okay images,  but didn't do the real thing justice.  I would recommend anyone to find a dark place away from city lights and experience the beauty that the night sky has to offer.  It just might humble you, too.  

Day 5: 2022 - "Finding Courage in Jean Meslier" 

Day 5: 2023 - "No one ever asked me... other than Darwin."  

Day 4: "Openly Secular" with John De Lancie

 

John De Lancie:  Openly Secular 

"Mostly what I was struck with, the whole notion of being religious, was that I felt manipulated.  And I don't know why I picked that up at eight years old.   But I did."  JDL

This video clip of John De Lancie has been a big inspiration for me for a few years now.  I admired him because of his confidence in himself which was something I lacked and still lack for the most part.  Being authentic matters to him.  Being authentic matters to me, I just struggle with expressing it like JDL.  

The first time I was aware of John De Lancie was when he played a character by the name of Eugene on Days of our Lives.  When he resurfaced on my radar during his time on Star Trek: The Next Generation, I was even more amazed at his confident acting ability.  I figure it takes a secular actor to pull off an omnipotent character like Q with a comedic ironic twist.  

One of my favourite scenes from the show, is a scene where he takes Picard back into Earth's past, three and half billion years.  I figure only someone "openly secular" can pull off this scene.  

Earth 3.5 Billion Years ago (Star Trek TNG final Season 7)

Most creationists would have a hard time imagining humanity emerging from a "goo" pit, (dirt maybe, but not "goo") but it's humbling to imagine it.  I think it is strangely honourable to imagine that some molecules in me can be traced back to the Big Bang.  That goes back farther than the "goo" pit.  That little tidbit is what connects me to the cosmos and how I can confidently say that I don't feel alone in the Universe without a "God" expression in my life.  I am part of a bigger whole.  How can I feel alone?  

John De Lancie ends this clip with a goal and a hope.  It sums up what I hope to do in my world, and hope to see done in return.  

"As somebody who is secular, I will fight for the person who's religious to be religious.  But I would like the people who are religious to fight for me to be secular." JDL

Day 4: 2022 - "May God die in all of us one day."

Day 4: 2023 - "In the valley is where you will find the Poet." 

Day 3; Abraham Piper: Inspiration doesn't need a lot of time.

 What I replace Christianity with:  Abraham Piper 

"I don't have to be anything" AP

I think these words from Abraham Piper are the sweetest breath of fresh air for me.  I have indicated before that I struggle with a label to define who I am, so I currently am okay with what I'm not... until I figure out who I am.  AP is okay with not having to be labeled anything.  I like that.  

Is god necessary for morality? : Abraham Piper

What I appreciate about AP's videos is they are short and too the point.  He doesn't waste words.  Sometimes all one needs is a swift kick in the pants.  AP provides that.  He takes common misunderstandings and in one minute deflates them.  I would hope they don't reach deaf ears.  

You can leave Christianity without taking it seriously : Abraham Piper

My biggest struggle with my departure from Christianity has been my people and their responses or my imagined responses.  I want to believe that it's not my responsibility to convince anyone that I am okay the way I am processing life.  Maybe I have bought into the lie that I am on trial now.  Maybe I'm not.  Thank you AP.  

Almost nobody believes in a literal hell. : Abraham Piper

"Their core humanity won't allow them"  AP

I am thankful for that.  I am thankful that my people are human at their core.  It's why I haven't got the hell speech from the people that know I've left Christianity.  What AP says makes sense.  There are a lot of things that doctrine and dogma say, but the humans have something doctrine and dogma don't have... compassion and a heart.  

I would invite you, if you need something quick and thought provoking to check out Abraham Piper's Youtube Channel.  It doesn't take a lot of words to activate one's thinking muscle.  He's real good at getting a brain to think.  

A creator God and A.I. : Abraham Piper

Day 3: 2022 - The Gift from Prometheus

Day 3: 2023 - The Honoured Rocks

Day 2: Neil DeGrasse Tyson teaches me about the Cosmos

Neil Degrasse Tyson: Atheism is taking over

 If this Lent Season had me sharing about forty-five self proclaimed atheists influencers, I wonder how narrow my perspective would be.  So I will open up this season of Authentic Lent by highlighting an amazing scientist who doesn't willingly claim "Atheist" as his identity.    Listen to the following Youtube video of an interview with Neil Degrasse Tyson where he talks about "Why he doesn't believe in God."  

Neil Degrasse Tyson on Why he doesn't believe in God: Which God? There's 18,000. (Part 4) 

I am enamoured by what I have listened to so far by Neil Degrasse Tyson.  He is a new discovery for me, but he's been around for a long time.  He is an Astro-Physicist  He is a lover of the cosmos.  He knows things I wish I had access to.  He understands the stars, where as I can only gaze up at them with my eyes and wonder.  He has glanced at galaxies close up, where as I have never looked through a telescope in my life.  

With such an extensive understanding of the Universe, I can understand why "God" isn't something he sees through his telescope.  He doesn't need to reduce the amazing vastness of the cosmos to an ancient mythology.  It's so much more magnificent for him. 

What drives me to learn more is that I've learned that the stars are my ancestors.  I want to learn more about them and my place in the cosmos.   

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of star stuff” Carl Sagan

I've said before that believing in science requires as much a stretch for me as believing in a creator.  I personally don't have access to the evidence that would convince me to enough certainty.  It makes sense that the universe is a whole lot older than the Bible says it is.  I am okay to understand most of the Bible as mythology and all of it man written.  I would vote for the scientist before I'd vote for the theologian, but I still would be voting on faith, and not knowledge.  I'm not saying the knowledge is not accessible to humanity, I just haven't ventured far enough away from my ant hill to discover it first hand.  

This is why Neil Degrasse Tyson is a great voice to listen to.  The evidence mattered to him, so he went after it.  He did the digging required to discover what really is out in the Cosmos.  He climbed out of his ant hill and went in search of ... dare I say it... truth.  

* * * 

This early morning I had a dream.  My mother and I were at a funeral in a big Lutheran church.  We were cuddling up in a pew in a quilt to keep warm.  (must have been cold).  There was a little girl who sang a song I have become very fond of, but I would never expect to hear it in a Lutheran funeral service.  The song was written by Tim Minchin.   I felt for a moment in that church service a little less like an outsider because of Tim's song.  I even found myself singing along with it.  I will end this post with the song and Day 2 blog posts which I found timely and encouraging this morning. 

The Aeroplane: Tim Minchin and Asmara Feik

 (Stay tuned to hear about more about Tim Minchin later during 2024's Authentic Lent journey)

Day 2: 2022 - "Just longing for a place to fly

Day 2: 2023 - "Not everyone calls this "God" 

Day 1: Authentic Lent 2024 - From VaLENTine's Day to my Birthday

Today... Is it Valentines Day, the day of Love or Ash Wednesday,  the beginning of a season of grief known as Lent?  Love or Lent? It's both.  VaLENTines Day!  

This will be my third year of my Authentic Lent blog.  For the first two years I joined Pete Rollins and the "Atheism for Lent" course and spent the forty-five days of Lent hearing the voices the past  (for the most part).  Voices that are long gone, but that offered the people of their time a different take on life than had been offered through the conventional religious channels of the day.  Voices like Frederich Nietsche, Jean Meslier, Marguerite Porete and Robert Ingersoll.  Scattered through out my thoughts of the "Atheism for Lent" reading assignments are my own journey notes, not always about the AFL homework subjects.  I spent the forty five days of Lent just purging my soul of its contents.  

This year, Lent ends on Good Friday again, and on my 56th  birthday.  I decided to forgo Peter Rollins "Atheism for Lent" course and do somewhat of my own "Atheism for Lent".  This time, I want to bring to my blog,  the voices of today.  The great thinkers that still share the Earth's atmosphere with me:  Philosophers, Scientists, Authors, Podcasters and Youtubers that have been guides for me along the journey.  

Most of the voices that I will share here in the next month and a half are well known to the deconversion community.  Our little band of apostates have been encouraged by so many of these pilgrims that have gone before us.  We all feel less alone because of them.  So during Lent this year, I want to share the wisdom and insight I have gathered from each of them with the hope to pass along some of that gold to others who have found themselves outside of their Christian communities.  We don't have to be alone.  We are not alone.  

I am not as organized as Pete Rollins is, so I have no schedule.  But each day, I'll see what inspires me and who crosses my path.  I also want to go back to the archives and read each corresponding day from the last two years.  I will add links to those entries at the end of each post.  

I invite you to journey along with me during this season of Lent.  Like I said... we don't have to be alone... we are not alone.  

Day 1: 2022 -The Dance of the Dark and the Light

Day 1: 2023 - "Exist or Dwell"