The decline of religion

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Michael

There is a post making the blogging rounds about the decline of religion and rise of non-belief amongst the younger generations. It has some interesting facts:

  • The number of secular student groups is growing rapidly.
  •   The more that people stand up and are vocal about their unbelief, the more it encourages others to do the same. As [Adam] Lee notes, “psychological experiments [find] that it’s much easier to resist peer pressure if you have even one other person standing with you.) Student activists like the ones I’ve mentioned are no longer just scattered voices in the crowd; they’re the leading edge of a wave.”
  • Atheism increases with each new generation in America.

There are links embedded within that writing. Go to the original link to see them.

The fact is, more and more people are declaring their lack of religion or even outright atheism as the years march on and younger generations come of age. This has been a distinct trend since the end of WW2: each generation of young people has more nonbelievers than the previous generation of young people. Currently we have 25-30% of people in their 20’s declaring they have no religion, a number that is four times higher than for any other period.

The originator of this blogging meme, Adam Lee, has a good idea why we’re seeing this decline in religious affiliation:

I’d love to say that we atheists did it all ourselves; I’d love to be able to say that our dazzling wit and slashing rhetorical attacks are persuading people to abandon organized religion in droves. But the truth is that the churches’ wounds are largely self-inflicted. By obstinately clinging to prejudices that the rest of society is moving beyond, they’re in the process of making themselves irrelevant. In fact, there are indications that it’s a vicious circle: as churches become less tolerant and more conservative, their younger and more progressive members depart, which makes their average membership still more conservative, which accelerates the progressive exodus still further, and so on.

I am more willing to give some of the credit to the Gnu Atheists. It isn’t that we’ve turned so many people to atheism – these numbers primarily reflect a lack of religious affiliation, not atheism – but modern atheists have helped to create an environment where it is okay to criticize religion more openly. Part of that has been due to the writings of people like Richard Dawkins and PZ Myers, but an even bigger part has to do with the rise of the Internet. Atheists don’t tend to get together very easily. We have no unifying philosophy or normative claims, so it makes things difficult. But with the Internet, it’s a matter of a simple click to a website. This has given us more of a voice, and it has made people realize there are more of us than they thought. That not only gets people thinking – I remember as a kid at a Catholic school being astonished to hear atheists even existed – but it brings more people out of the atheist closet. After all, nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd of people.

Filed under: Atheism/Humanism, Politics and Social, Religions | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Thought of the day

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Michael

If you find it too difficult to put like-weights back with like-weights after finishing your workout, fuck you. Go to another gym.

Filed under: Misc | Tagged: , | 5 Comments »

The first cause argument

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Michael

I hate a lot of arguments for God. There isn’t a single good one. Not one. But the one I hate the most is the first cause argument. It runs smack into the face of science. Here’s why.

For something to be caused, a force must be exerted. Force is measured as mass x acceleration, F=ma. Acceleration is measured as the change in velocity of an object over time. Got it? Good. Now let’s look at this terrible argument from believers.

They say God is eternal. He exists outside time. Okay, let’s go with that. That means they believe he caused the Universe to exist from somewhere outside it. But do you see the problem? They already said he is outside time. As we just learned, something which is caused has a force placed on it. Something which has a force placed on it has mass and acceleration. Something which has acceleration has gone through time. Without any time, God cannot cause anything.

Science tells us, quite clearly, what is involved in causation – most importantly of which for my point is time. Yet in the premise of the believer’s argument is the explicit exclusion of time. They’ve defeated themselves. Any honest believer should immediately abandon this line of argument.

Filed under: Astronomy/Cosmology/Physics, Religions | Tagged: | 3 Comments »

A distorted image of the police?

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Michael

Apparently the Swiss and German have organized Christian police associations. They recently sent off a complaint to video game makers, signaling out one specific developer, The Darkness II:

The groups expressed concern that minors and young people were playing violent games and forming an unreasonable hatred of the police through a distorted image of who they were and what they did. They objected to financial gain through what they called “idealized violence” and called for publishers and politicians to pull out of the business in an attempt to prevent real world violence, particularly towards police officers.

“What a man soweth, that shall he also reap!” read the letter, quoting Galatians 6:7 from the Bible and adding an exclamation point for emphasis.

There are a number of ways game makers, specifically the makers of The Darkness II (2K), could counter this claim. They could point out that there is no evidence that video games make young people hate the police or turn to violence. They could also point out that shows like Cops do a heck of a job of painting police as perfect angels who virtually always catch the criminal (because we know there certainly are no fat cops out there who can easily be out run). They could even point out that while no one should hate the police, officers are human and they do make mistakes; we should always have an eye on them. But none of these tactics constitute real slap-downs. And, after all, with such a silly, paternalistic organization whining about such a silly non-issue, shouldn’t there be a discussion-ending rebuke? Something that ought to really embarrass the whiners? I think so, and that’s why I am so satisfied with their response:

“There are no police officers in the game,” replied 2K.

Filed under: Humor, Politics and Social | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Science and religion conflict

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Michael

It’s popular amongst theists to claim that science and religion do not conflict. They recognize the basic validity of science, so for religion to be in conflict with it would undermine their most cherished beliefs. This is why we get these inane rationalizations from places like the Catholic Church which say that evolution is true yet it somehow can work with theology. It obviously can do no such thing, but that isn’t about to stop the Pope from pretending like the Bible supports the theory. That’s really the way they all do it: get the facts from science and then change the theology to match it. I understand the hands of believers are being forced, but their ruse is just too transparent.

But with things like evolution, it isn’t that hard to twist the theology to fit the facts. There is no method whatsoever within theology that can show any holy writ to be accurate or not, so changing it around on a whim is not that difficult. But what about more fundamental issues? If there is some fact which contradicts something that believers absolutely cannot do without, then we really could stop with these silly claims that science and religion do not conflict. Fortunately for you, dear reader, I have just the example:

Science says the laws of Nature cannot be broken. Ever. Never ever. Go on, ask any physicist or cosmologist or astronomer. Or just look at the evidence yourself. The physical laws are the physical laws and they change for no one. But what do religions say? They say God intervenes. Whether he does it by answering prayers or by directing evolution, he takes the known laws of physics and causes them to go on a path, according to all religions, in a way they otherwise would not have gone. That is not possible according to science. And, yes, every religion with a god has some fundamental dogma within it which says that its god has interacted with the Universe in a way that alters its physical laws on some level.

Filed under: Religions, Science | Tagged: , | 10 Comments »

This is startling?

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Michael

I figured anyone remotely knowledgeable about the Bible knew this:

A dull-looking chart projected on the wall of a university office in Jerusalem displayed a revelation that would startle many readers of the Old Testament: the sacred text that people revered in the past was not the same one we study today.

Scholars at Hebrew University have been working on tracing the history of the the Old Testament, attempting to reconstruct the most original version of it possible.

The project’s scholars have been at work on their critical edition of the Hebrew Bible, a version intended mainly for the use of other scholars, since 1958.

“What we’re doing here must be of interest for anyone interested in the Bible,” said Michael Segal, the scholar who heads the project.

The sheer volume of information makes the Bible Project’s version “the most comprehensive critical edition of the Hebrew Bible in existence at the present time,” said David Marcus, a Bible scholar at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, who is not involved with the project.

Unfortunately for Christians and Jews, some important alterations have been found:

A Microsoft Excel chart projected on one wall on a recent Sunday showed variations in a single phrase from the Book of Malachi, a prophet.

The verse in question, from the text we know today, makes reference to “those who swear falsely.” The scholars have found that in quotes from rabbinic writings around the 5th century A.D., the phrase was longer: “those who swear falsely in my name.”

In another example, this one from the Book of Deuteronomy, a passage referring to commandments given by God “to you” once read “to us,” a significant change in meaning.

These are not mere grammatical changes. The Christian and Hebrew bibles provide no methods whatsoever for determining what is true and what is not. All they have is simple faith, something which informs them of nothing, and every day it becomes more and more academically well known that such faith is premised on inaccurate grounds. Without 100% accuracy, they are left with virtually nothing more than mere guesses. I don’t know about everyone else, but guessing and faith have never inspired much confidence from me.

Of course any thinking person already realizes that these writings were never divine, and that the grounds in which they are based were never valid in the first place, but even if we bend over backwards to grant the believer as much ground as possible, the validity of his beliefs is nonexistent. Just look at this special pleading, or rather, special declaring:

“A believing Jew claims that the source of the Bible is prophecy,” said the project’s bearded academic secretary, Rafael Zer. “But as soon as the words are given to human beings — with God’s agreement, and at his initiative — the holiness of the biblical text remains, even if mistakes are made when the text is passed on.”

In other words, “We know these words are wrong. And we know the intentions of the original (human) authors are wildly different from what we’ve always thought, but c’mon! It’s still holy. After all, these bibles say so. Now excuse me while I go check out the original manuscripts in which that tautology is made…”

Filed under: Religions | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Wonders of the Universe with Brian Cox

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Michael

I’ve never felt terribly comfortable with the display of passion from believers. It isn’t that it bothers me that people believe false things (though it does) or that someone is claiming to be so emotionally moved by their belief. It’s that it lacks something. It’s one of those intangible things that’s difficult to really identify. It’s like the body from Weekend at Bernie’s. Yeah, it was moving and it fooled a lot of people, but it was ultimately lifeless.

That isn’t to say I think believers are being insincere or that they aren’t really wrapped up in their belief. Of course they are. But when they try and convey that, they lose me. And it isn’t merely that I find what they believe to be silly. Hitler believed a lot of moronic things (including creationism), but when he conveyed them, he didn’t lose anyone in the room. He had a real passion, awful as it was.

And the same goes for a lot of figures, including one’s much more revered in history. Sticking with the WW2 theme, Churchill and FDR conveyed some real passion in their words. Moving further up in history, JFK and MLK both passed on their passion. You could feel it. You knew they meant what they were saying.

I think the same goes for a number of scientific figures, but probably for different reasons. With the political and social people I just mentioned, I’m not so sure what it is that really drove them. For Hitler, it was probably simple hate. For the others, they probably had convictions fundamental to who they were as humans, I would hazard to guess. But I’m not sure there was one underlying thing that made their passion so real. For people like Richard Dawkins, Carl Sagan, and Neil deGrasse Tyson, though, I think what makes their passion so special is that it is underlined by a deep understanding. When they speak their beliefs, they know they are as close to truth as anyone can get. Religious believers may think they’ve found truth, but since they have zero methods for determining as much, they can’t know it.

And that brings me to Brian Cox. He currently has a fantastic show on The Science Channel right now called Wonders of the Universe. Throughout every moment of the show, it’s obvious he has a passion. You can feel it. And along with the Dawkins’ and Sagan’s and Tyson’s of the scientific world, he conveys it in a way that is uniquely powerful, unavailable to mere believers.

I won’t be so bold as to call him the next Carl Sagan, but he has that same passion, that same fire. It’s really exciting stuff, under all of which lies an intensely deep understanding.

Filed under: Astronomy/Cosmology/Physics | Tagged: , , , , , | 9 Comments »

The Congo River

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Michael

I’ve been watching a lot of shows involving crazy things to do with water lately, and the most recent is about the Congo River. The second largest river in the world by volume, it produces a huge variety of unique fish life, much of which evolves so widely due to geographic separation created by the rapids throughout its 3000 miles. It’s pretty incredible stuff.

But maybe nearly as incredible is the size of this kid’s balls:

Filed under: Misc | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

How the future of cancer research is shaping up

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Michael

There are two foundational concepts a person must understand before he can say he understands biology. First, all life has evolved from a common ancestor via natural selection. Miss this concept and one has no reference frame for anything within the entire field. It would be like trying to grasp physics without understanding gravity. Second, it’s all about shape. This can apply to many other fields, but it is an essential concept within biology. The molecules within living organisms are like pieces of a puzzle, or like keys and key holes. However one wishes to think about, biology really is about shape. Now with that in mind, I turn to some really awesome cancer research.

[Bruce] Levine and his colleagues designed a new gene that can be inserted into T cells to trick them into attacking cancerous B cells, the cause of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The new gene encodes a receptor that, on one end, can bind to a molecule that’s unique to cancerous B cells. The other end of the receptor sets off a chain reaction when such a B cell is bound, eventually leading the T cell to destroy the cancerous cell. “Essentially, we’re converting T cells that would normally recognize other types of cells to be tumor specific,” Levine says.

In many ways, this is very much a basic immune response. The difference here is that gene transfer techniques have been used to modify the shape of the T cells to recognize particular cancerous cells, something which does not normally happen. As the article states, one patient went from having 170 out of 200 cells containing a cancer-causing mutation to having all signs of his leukemia vanish. The paper itself goes further and says tests showed 198 out of 200 cells to be negative for that mutation, which is within the normal range for such tests.

The insertion of these modified cells was not without complications. The cells themselves are without toxicity, but within two weeks the patient was experiencing a low-grade fever and chills, both of which intensified and required a short hospitalization. He also had tumor lysis syndrome, which could be expected – and is ultimately a good thing. It’s a common condition after certain types of cancer treatment (though it had not previously been reported in cellular immunotherapy). Basically, cell lysis is when a cell is destroyed and its contents spill out. Often, this constitutes a significant release of chemicals which cause a reaction. It can be quite dangerous, but then, so is cancer.

While this research is cause for a lot of excitement, I think, there also must be much reservation. The test subjects number a whopping three patients. Furthermore, they’ve only been tracked for approximately a year since treatment. It is fortunate that they still contain within them cells with the inserted gene – it’s self-propagating since it gets passed on with somatic division just like any other gene – but more time needs to pass before too much more can be said (not to mention the dramatic need for a much larger sample). There is also concern that there could be long-term deficiency of B cells in patients since the genetically modified cells do attack normal B cells as well as the cancerous ones. These are all things that can be clarified with continued research – and I’m confident “with continued research” is a phrase that is more than traditional lip service, in this case.

Filed under: Biology | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Thought of the day

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Michael

I saw this on Facebook today:

Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

What a convenient, seemingly never-ending gift-giver God is.

Filed under: Misc | Tagged: , | 21 Comments »

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