Crap. Thanks a lot, Eric.

UCF member and platonic boyfriend Eric posted earlier today about the brouhaha in North Carolina surrounding Senator Elizabeth Dole's "Godless" advertisement against her opponent, Kay Hagan. Senator Dole's ad implied that Ms. Hagan was (gasp!) an atheist, so clearly, she must be stoned/drowned/burned/not elected.

Eric, an atheist himself, feels understandably irked by this turn of events in his home state, and expressed his ire most eloquently.

Which got me to thinking - always a dangerous turn of events.

I self-identify as an agnostic. Agnostic in the true sense of the word, the word used by Professor Huxley - meaning that one should not profess to a belief in something that cannot be proven. Please note that this definition also means that I don't disbelieve. In the absence of proof, I simply don't know - which I consider to be the most honest answer available to questions of faith. My moral and ethical code, while based on the Judeo-Christian ethos of my community and culture, is not dependant on religion.

Nothing gets me wrapped around the axle faster than a Fundie who assumes I'm morally bankrupt because I don't follow religious dogma.

But the True Believers typically consider my belief system to be "atheism by any other name," and hold me in the same contempt as they would Richard Dawkins. Which is unfortunate, because while I think Professor Dawkins has some interesting ideas, I think his treatment of persons of faith makes him kind of a dick. I don't necessarily agree with people of faith, but I don't disrespect them strictly on the basis of their faith.

One thing I find interesting is that the marginalization of agnostics and atheists in our society goes completely unnoticed within the mainstream. Want to be a politician? Better not profess agnosticism or atheism. They're the least trusted groups in America, and you have about as much chance of being elected as that proverbial snowball in a mythical hell. During the primaries, it took significant political pressure to convince a Republican vying for the Presidential nomination that the 1st Amendment's establishment clause also guaranteed an individuals right not to believe.

Earlier this year, an executive at my company resigned for reasons of health. While his condition was never made public, those of us who worked for our company assumed he had been diagnosed with some form of cancer. While I have no emotional investment in the man or his family, I wished him well and the best of luck in fighting his condition.

Well. The e:mails from the faithful started, fast and furious, contending the only thing we could do for him now is to "pray." Really? That's the only thing you can think of? How about donating money to cancer research in his name? How about pushing for health care for those who need cancer treatment and cannot afford it (unlike this executive)? How about volunteering in a hospice, or offering to do chores for a friend, relation or acquaintance who is also ill? And these people of faith think we agnostics and atheists lack compassion and moral fiber, and we're the ones coming up with concrete actions?

Being a white woman of Irish ancestry, people usually assume I'm Christian until proven otherwise. I don't consider such a stereotype to be necessarily negative, nor do I think it's intentional in most cases.

Several years ago, a dear friend of ours wanted to know if we would be interested in coming for their Easter celebration. She's a delightful person whom I would consider more "spiritual" than "religious," but she considers herself Christian. We politely declined, but it never even occurred to her that we, as non-Christians, would be singularly uninterested in the celebration of a religious holiday.* About a year later, she and I were discussing how people make "assumptions" about the world-view of those around us. She claimed she didn't do that, until I pointed out her Easter invitation. To her credit, she immediately saw the situation for what it was, and has not made religious assumptions about us since.

Perhaps my sensitivity on this issue is especially raw right now because religious belief has become such a huge issue in politics in my adult lifetime - in my view, inappropriately so.

On the other hand, I am the recipient of a great deal of unearned privilege in my life. If I am marginalized in this area, but receive benefits in many others, is it a wash? Do I have the right to complain about the stereotypes and assumptions people make about me, when an accident of my birth allows me so much?

Yes, I think I do. While my complaint may seem minor compared to the issues of the working poor, it's still an issue of equality. A right guaranteed in our Constitution, whether we're "God-fearing" or not.

_________________

*Our usual Easter tradition consists of eating frozen pizza and watching Dogma. I love that movie...

Who Cares? Magazine, Volume 2, Issue 41

Will Brad and Angelina (fill in whatever inane uninteresting thing the tabloids are blathering about this week)? Who Cares!

Boogie Blogging Friday

The Incomparable Boogie™, enjoying some outside time while the basement gets vacuumed. The softball formerly belonged to a neighbor kid who lost it over our fence and never came to the door to retrieve it, so it's second life became that of "chew toy."

Boogie isn't exactly The Beast, but he can sure do a number on a softball.

Hubble Lives!

Congratulations, NASA and the HST imagaing team, on your "Perfect 10."

Swirl of the Galaxy to my Celebrity Boyfriend, the Bad Astronomer.

Sad News

I have sad news from my Hot Sister, Cindi in CO.

My feline nephew, Scorchie, had to be put to sleep on Monday due to liver disease.

Fair winds and following seas, Scorchie.

And my deepest sympathies to my Hot Sister and Smart Brother-in-Law.

Stay strong.

She's Baaa-aaack!

You all remember how...irked...I was when my college class last semester was rife with whiny, entitled, lazy students.

Well, guess what? One of the worst offenders is back. I noticed she was in the class at the beginning, but up until now, she had remained dormant, like the Ebola virus hiding in the jungle.

But then our professor opened a discussion thread on our bulletin board asking for input on how the class can be better. Please note this is my favorite professor in the program - demanding, articulate, helpful. Her response was the usual whining about how she wasn't sure she was meeting the expectations of the class, etc., etc., and how the discussion boards were not as "in depth" as she expected.

I guess it hadn't occurred to her that her grades are a pretty good indicator of her progress, and she has the power to drive the discussions in the direction she's interested in.

Naturally, the professor asked her for suggestions on how he could address her concerns. Her response? " Apparently, it is just me....I'll try to do better."

Now, if I had seen this response with no past experience with her, I might of thought she was taking some personal responsibility for her own learning. In light of my experience, however, I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I really, really hope I'm wrong.

Wicked Wednesday

I'll actually be leaving the house this afternoon (gasp!), as I have a class to teach. It's a simple class on using an application, but I've found those are sometimes the hardest to teach, since I know so much about the application, and the students know so little. I enjoy teaching in general, though, so it should be fun.

Besides, in today's economy, any action I can take that increases my value to my organization without compromising my self-respect or quality of life is a good one.