Archive for the ‘OUT campaign’ Category
A Journey into Apostasy – a brave new world
The journey picks up where we left off, on my becoming an apostate. The first part of the journey – studying with the Jehovah’s Witnesses and leaving can be read here.
Above: My companions while taught at home
Even now twenty years on I can trace the route of my father’s tears of joy as I told him the news we had left the study of Jehovah’s Witnesses, on one of his weekly visits to see me. For years he had not let on his true feelings: regarding my being taught at home or being so close to baptism, and demanding a blood transfusion if needed. He feared not being allowed to see me or my brother had his displeasure been realised. His amateur dramatics in local Gilbert and Sullivan productions had paid off in his once a week performance as Dad. Shows like Princess Ida which no one could stop me seeing now. It was roughly a year or so after the divorce that mum had accepted the bible study. Timing is, as they say, everything as to what happens in your life. It felt like six years of mine had been wasted.
The biggest loss was a religious community, even though it had enforced every facet of belief on my child self. Our lodger was tolerated by the elders of the congregation because he did not “practise” his homosexuality at our home and used the back door to enter his part of the house. Word play is something he taught me, together with an appreciation for Douglas Adams, which I shall always be grateful for. There was no one else, besides him and my father outside the faith because “bad associations spoil useful habits.” Satan and his minions were considered able to use people outside the faith to get you to leave. Apostates are willing agents of the evil one by this reckoning.
There was no one to talk too about losing my religion. My mother had been concerned I would be the one still committed. However we reacted very differently on leaving. She still believed Jehovah existed, but the Society had failed to represent him. My own view was initially a deist but I had my work cut out learning about other faiths and whether science had answers that scripture did not know, before I could be sure of anything. Our views drifted further in time and my future atheism would distress her. She still read the Society publications, whilst I did not even want them on the book shelf. I had realised how easy it was to believe passionately in something that was not worthy of such devotion.
Playing as a war god to be worshipped on a new planet – definite NO
The congregation did shun, literally not talking or meeting with us, save for contact three months later by a ministerial servant (one down from an elder) seeing how we all were. With glee I happened to be playing the strategy god war game Mega-lo-mania on my newly acquired Mega Drive and thought – here is one game you are not burning. Note that playing card games or chess were not allowed because of the tarot origins of cards and the military aspect of chess. Naturally I bought books to learn card games and taught myself to play chess to fill in the spare time I now had by not attending or preparing for eight hours worth of meetings each week.
Being taught at home meant I had no other children to talk too accept at the Kingdom Hall and study meetings. What was now available to openly explore in the world had exponentially increased while the known population had dramatically declined. This was made harsher because I had no childhood friends to call on having existed mainly in a world of suited men and well dressed women old enough to adopt me. Those people from my childhood no longer existed.
Like the elder who led our local weekly study group who I called Uncle (his idea not mine) who grilled me on my bible knowledge; a challenge I revelled in showing off on. The other elder old enough to be my grandfather who used to take me weekly for swimming and diving – his dives from the top board were legendary in the swimming baths. My mother as a single parent with a younger disabled son could not provide such social outlets. To avoid being lonely I read books – but I was now alone.
My private study on evolution reading Richard Dawkins, and desire to go back to school to obtain qualifications, destroyed the relationship with my mother. With the TV aerial back on the roof (absent for two years because of “evil TV”) she shouted at David Attenborough whenever he said “evolution” on his wildlife documentaries. I was no longer turning to her for advice or counsel, nor able to help with the care of my brother when at secondary school as I had when taught at home. I was hitting the library as somewhere to do homework without the distractions of family life. Plus I finally discovered why Ford Prefect liked parties as I socialised. There was resentment too on my part that she had been so gullible to believe what the Jehovah’s Witnesses said. I mourned a childhood of no celebration and no friends to speak of. My adolescent self was being reborn in a brave new world.
Even chess was off limits with the military undertones – yet I could read Old Testament
Going back to secondary school seven months after leaving the faith helped in so many ways beyond obtaining qualifications. There was bullying to start with as the new kid (though I had been there for two terms four years previous). Being in the school play changed everything – there was a camaraderie and sense of belonging with my own peer group. Plus it helped me to understand why my father had the acting bug. I also became the chess captain when chess had a brief resurgence as Britain’s Nigel Short took on the Russian Thinking Machine that is Gary Kasparov.
Without that lifeline provided by teachers who really did look out for my education and gaining life experiences – I honestly do not know what story I would be writing now. My mind was made up that I would achieve something that nobody in my family had done before – attend university. Something which is a low priority when you think the end of the world is soon to be upon you.
It took me five years to get over instincts that constant mind training at meetings had installed on an impressionable young mind. In adult life I have twice on the off chance met people like myself who grew up in the faith only to leave. They had not met someone else like themselves, and the ability to talk about these things with someone who knew first hand was one I wish my adolescent self had access to.
Social media via the Internet makes talking to such people possible now. I hope people take advantage of it. That is why the apostasy project is so important. However, when you are brought up to consider apostates as capable of being a shining light while working for the dark evil one, none of us should take for granted how difficult it is for someone with doubts to reach out.
Article written by John Sargeant on Homo economicus’ Weblog
Follow @JPSargeant78
Video of Sharif Ahmed and Humanist Solidarity
Tomorrow around the world humanists, atheists and supporters of free speech will be showing solidarity with the Bangladesh atheist bloggers that have been arrested for blasphemy, and those killed and threatened by both state and baying mobs.
More including leaflets to download can be found at the IHEU link here.
To see why April 25th matters read this previous blog, and watch below the video of Sharif Ahmed an atheist blogger who escaped Bangladesh due to the threats to his life which include nearly being lynched.
The British Humanist Association will be handing out flyers outside the High Commission in London on April 25th. Contact your national humanist and atheist groups to see if there are any demonstrations or events you may be able to participate in.
[UPDATE: In view of the tragic loss of life in a factory in Bangladesh with a mounting death toll expected of 100 plus, and a day of national mourning tomorrow the leafleting has been cancelled - check to see if other planned events have been delayed for a later time]
Write to the Bangladeshi ambassador and your foreign office/state department.
Also fly the scarlet B on social media/ blogs to raise awareness of what is happening in Bangladesh.
Tomorrow show Humanist Solidarity – that belief or no belief is a human right and a freedom to stand together for.
My thanks to “O” and Kevin Spong for sharing the video via twitter.
Article written by John Sargeant on Homo economicus’ Weblog
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Time for us all to stand together
The latest in Bangladesh is the government is not prepared to change the blasphemy law to include the death penalty, despite threats from Islamist groups to blockade the capital if this and other demands (including declaring a sect heretical and Islamic education in primary and secondary school) are not met. The deadline Hefajat-e-Islam have set for Sheikh Hasina’s government to cave in is the end of this month.
With violence, the forced closure of businesses and schools by strikes, not to mention the number of intimidating protestors calling for the death of the atheist bloggers it may be too much to hope the secular government may look to leniency. With a maximum sentence of ten years if found guilty of blasphemy through their blogs, it seems those that believe in freedom of religion, free speech and the humanist community have till the end of this month to show their support for universal human rights.
PZ Myers has blogged about what is happening and agreed with my suggestion we follow Hemant’s idea of having the Scarlet B flying on our atheist blogs. Gentlemen, may I humbly suggest that you include the Zapfino B permanently in your side bar? A small gesture in the face of a government determined to try, and an Islamist group to kill, the four bloggers thus far arrested.
In the face of that, what Myers says is what all of us are no doubt feeling:
I feel helpless in the face of this oppression, unable to do anything for people in a distant country who are being abused by their own government.
I mentioned earlier that Andrew Copson (Chief Executive British Humanist Association) was going to raise with International Humanist European Union (IHEU) about coordinating a mass solidarity event. IHEU have responded to me today on twitter when I was asking if @MrOzAtheist may know how to get a solidarity/protest event happening in Australia:
I appreciate efforts are happening behind the scenes and lobbying of governments. What I think would mean something also for the bloggers, family, friends and supporters in Bangladesh is a visible show of support from the international community. If world wide on the same day, liberty, religious (yes they too can suffer from blasphemy laws) and humanist groups could show solidarity outside the Bangladesh Embassy.
That would I am sure mean something. I am also thinking of direct letters of support to those incarcerated as well. In addition to letters to Bangladesh Ambassador protesting the arrests and asking for leniency. We can also ask the groups in Bangladesh what the international community can do to help. Maybe even writing to the Islamic groups themselves.
Will it change anything? Bottom line is we show our fellow freethinkers in Bangladesh that we did not throw our hands in the air but did our best to show solidarity with them and recognise what has happened. If successful, the balance of pros and cons the judiciary and government weigh up may take more account of international reaction to events.
How do you benefit? When people that thought, say and write the things you would were imprisoned you acted with empathy and spoke out. No one can be assured of their rights when no one protests or raises their voice to speak up for those denied. Solidarity is more than a thought, it is an action.
Otherwise you may as well get on your knees and pray, prepare to roll over, and be walked over, for all the good thoughts will do you in the face of oppression.
UPDATE: within minutes of posting blog IHEU tweeted me that members will receive email of campaign tomorrow.
UPDATE 9/4/2013 IHEU web page
Article written by John Sargeant on Homo economicus’ Weblog
Follow @JPSargeant78
Solidarity For Bloggers in Bangladesh
Today I have been using twitter to encourage the humanist community and all who support free speech and freedom of religion to show solidarity for bloggers and their supporters in Bangladesh (see previous blog).
Please feel free to use this meme in social media, placards and blogs to show your support.
On twitter spoke to Andrew Copson, chief executive of the British Humanist Association asking if an organised solidarity/protest event would happen outside Bangladesh Embassies.
He has said he will contact IHEU (International Humanist European Union) to help coordinate such an action. UPDATE 9/4/13: IHEU campaign page
In the meantime please encourage your own national humanist, atheist and free thinker groups to speak out. Write to the Bangladesh Ambassador – a bulging mailbag gets reported back.
Write to your Foreign Secretary demanding he conveys in the strongest possible terms disapproval for the imprisonment of these bloggers.
FOLLOW UP BLOG: Time for us all to stand together
UPDATE: Letter to High Commission and Foreign Office
Article written by John Sargeant on Homo economicus’ Weblog
Follow @JPSargeant78
Bangladesh – Atheist Bloggers Targetted
The freedom to write about atheism and to be critical about religion is one I try not to take for granted. News from Bangladesh is a wake up call not just to the privileges I have but the universal rights all should enjoy:
DHAKA — Bangladesh police have arrested three atheist bloggers for allegedly defaming Islam and the Prophet Mohammed, police said Tuesday, amid calls from religious fundamentalists for an Internet crackdown.
The arrest of the three, who were paraded in handcuffs at a news conference, followed pressure from Islamists who have organised a march from all over the country to the capital to demand the death penalty for atheist bloggers.
“They have hurt the religious feelings of the people by writing against different religions and their prophets and founders including the Prophet Mohammed,” said deputy commissioner of Dhaka police, Molla Nazrul Islam.
The three could face 10 years in jail if convicted under the country’s cyber laws which outlaw “defaming” a religion, Islam said. Source
Bloggers have been demonstrating and showing solidarity with those targeted in what is a running tit for tat regarding war crimes committed during independence. A result has been Islamists targeting atheists and secularists for blasphemy. The authorities are claiming that blogging about atheism is propaganda that requires repentance while violence has flared by those wanting the death penalty imposed.
The death penalty for printing words about atheism, paragraphs in cyberspace rejecting religion as knowing who God is let alone anyone knowing what this being wants from us? We cannot allow these bloggers to be victimised to reduce the anger Islamists feel about the trial of their leaders, that has by accounts fallen short of international standards. (The Economist)
If ever there was a reason for the OUT Campaign to encourage atheists to stand up and show solidarity now is the time. To that end I encourage fellow bloggers to share this story and fly the updated Scarlet A below in support of the bloggers and secularism is Bangladesh (as recommended here).
Follow Up Blog: solidarity protest
Latest Blog: Time to stand together
UPDATE: Letter to High Commission and Foreign Office
Article written by John Sargeant on Homo economicus’ Weblog
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Take a seat: UCL Islamic V Atheist debate
You may have already heard about this, especially if following on Twitter (which 1/5 of you dear readers do). The debate 9 March at University College London (UCL), which Professor Lawrence Krauss took part in on the atheist side, was organised by the Islamic and Education Research Academy (iERA) which provided for segregated seating by gender and mixed seating. Krauss, who had been warned this might happen by Dawkins, was assured by organisers this would not occur, so announced at the debate that people could sit where they wished.
Three men chose to relocate to the women section. Where upon organisers tried to move them; they called upon Krauss to say they were being moved despite his assurance. Upon which the professor packed up. The men were then allowed to sit where they wished, and Krauss took part in the debate.
So twitter has been aglow, and my new BFF to passionatley disagree with Monsar Ansar had this to say:
Contrast this with the UCL statement explaining that following the incident iERA are banned from using their premises:
UCL was founded in 1826 as a secular institution. That does not mean it is institutionally atheist but that it is an open institution, tolerant of difference, strong on of freedom of speech, but intolerant of discrimination on grounds of gender, race, religion or other irrelevant grounds. There is no shortage of other premises available in London to organisations wishing to operate to different rules. [Source]
Gender allocated seating is not acceptable, not because people may choose to sit where they may, but because the idea behind it suggests that women and men have their own divisions to be maintained in public. The political significance of feminism cannot be overstated in raising awareness – to single out areas for people arbitrarily on the basis of gender is not tolerable.
This would be my reaction if this gender separation happened in a mixed sex school debate or assembly. I am opposed in principle to same sex schools for again we are arbitrarily separating people on the basis of gender from one another.
So to suggest that religious freedom allows this separation may be justified if this was an Islamic meeting or designated islamic place where such rules operate. This was not the case at UCL; just the opposite. Also, an undertaking had been made that this would not happen to a key figure in the debate.
I disagree with Richard Dawkins that Krauss should have walked out in protest to gain more public attention to the issue. That has been secured. It is possible that people at the debate had not heard the atheist side before – and when uploaded on youtube (will include when link available) others not used to such debates may hear what the atheist side has to say for itself. The OUT Campaign was best served by the debate happening and exposing what took place.
Addressing what Monsar says – well we do allow in the UK religious institutions to discriminate on the basis of gender whether the Bishops in the House of Lords being still only male or gender segregation at a Mosque. That is on the basis that people voluntarily chose to be a part of such faiths and comply with such rules. Companies or public institutions cannot function in the same way.
Thankfully I am free to disagree with this while accepting that in some ways this is none of my business. Accept on the point of a faith being voluntary – it is a human rights issue that people may leave a faith without fear, or intimidation. Equally, that a woman and man may chose to sit in a public secular place with whoever she wants when allocated seating allows, while being treated as a person not a personification of a sexual gender.
Human rights trump religious ideas in enforcement. I am not a man, or a human mammal with urges and cravings, when considering such rights. In the eyes of the law we transcend gender, and in the body politic we metamorphose into something that makes us equal and entitled:
Citizens of a secular liberal democracy.
UPDATE Blog: Lawrence Krauss on Incest
UPDATE 8/4/2013: Video of Debate
Article written by John Sargeant on Homo economicus’ Weblog
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Good For Good's Sake - Red Nose Day - *UPDATED 04/03/2013
*Please skip to the bottom for progress updates
Red Nose Day (also known as Comic Relief) is a biennial UK charity event which aims to raise funds for a range of worthy causes in the Uk and Africa. See here for details on the incredible work they do. Their efforts usually culminate in a live TV event on March 15th which informs the viewers of the total amount raised and how that money will be spent.
I support Richard Dawkins Foundation, but …
I wrote about my concerns for the Out Campaign (site here ) in a blog a month ago after Dawkins had assured me via twitter the Out Campaign was fine. Having e mailed the Out Campaign my concerns and had no reply felt I needed to readdress this in the light of his foundation asking for donations. I write this as someone who has volunteered both on the website and at conferences in the past. I enjoyed those experiences, and have no axe to grind having stopped being a moderator due to other commitments before the forum was wound up.
The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science are asking for donations. Among the things that funds are to help with:
We have made strenuous efforts to increase our worldwide presence by completely redesigning our already successful website. Our expert web team has created a website that can grow to meet the needs of what we hope will be a rising tide of atheism and secularism in the future. Our team is taking advantage of new developments in technology, as well as popular social media such as Facebook and Twitter.
Great except see how they are using twitter for the Out Campaign:
No tweets in about three years.
We will continue growing the OUT Campaign, supporting child care for national conferences, assisting student and local organizations to raise money, and working with national groups on conferences and joint objectives such as the Reason Rally.
It mentions grass roots, but the blog roll has not been updated for 11 months:
Featured sites for two years:
And the story feed is nearly three years out of date:
The links to the relevant part of the Out Campaign site can be found in the previous blog here.
We are developing parallel websites for specific populations, such as ex-Muslims, secular families, African Americans, Latinos, Women, LGBT and others. Our Spanish site will be the first of our foreign language sites to be launched. It will not only translate articles from the RDFRS website, but will host articles and discussions about issues specific to the Spanish speaking world.
In 2008 the idea was to have volunteers with linguistic abilities to help out RDFRS. On the old website here
So nearly five years later the RDFRS is going to actually deliver on the idea of having the website and RDFRS material in foreign languages.
What I am getting at is not the lack of funds, but leadership in ensuring that the Out Campaign site is up to date. When Dawkins is personally involved these things may work better; but he did not seem to know the free speech (with respect to fellow posters) that reigned on the forum part of the site that bared his name for sometime. Looking at the site I am concerned that these things are not running smoothly because no one is watching, or caring to run them properly.
The idea that RDFRS can be an umbrella like organisation for secular activity when they cannot organise the Out Campaign website for years suggests more than money is the issue. You do need the right people ensuring things happen, and run things. If the aim is to help get key speakers involved for other societies campaigns, and help with the cost of training/activism of grassroots even better.
Like those loyal volunteers on the forum website who were suddenly told their services were no longer needed having given hours day in day out for months for free making an online community a reality for the Dawkins website.
I hope to get answers to these questions, because silence is never that reassuring. Above all I want to see the Out Campaign really doing things on a regular basis with a website that shows that off, updated on a regular basis. If funding will be made available for that with new donations great.
Thing is that should already have been happening. Which makes me think for grass root activism look to local and national secular and humanist organisations with an active track record to financially support. Support RDFRS for the headline grabbing attention they can do and speakers they can put into the field by all means, and what is the main website to go to for freethinkers.
After five years RDFRS should have already been leading on supporting grassroots activism. That time has been a missed opportunity. Increasingly I have looked to organisations like the British Humanist Association and the Council of Ex Muslims as having talented and above all active people at the top getting involved with the day to day as well as the big picture, so things happen.
Article written by John Sargeant on Homo economicus’ Weblog
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Nativity, Space and Time
Ah Santa Monica, the beach city espousing California culture from the surf to the diversity of the people searching for their American dream. I wish I was there now in an evening temperature of 18 degrees celsius with sunshine above and sand beneath, rather than the 6 degrees here having just shaken the rain off having put the rubbish out for collection. As Arnie said “man I need a vacation” and it sounds like the place to be.
Although, for a secular tourist, the main time to have been walking the beachfront there was last year. In the Palisades Park there has been for about 60 years a nativity display in numerous booths at this festive time. Things started to change in 2009 when Damion Vix took one of the booths during the nativity display. He had a sign stating the words of Thomas Jefferson:
Religions are all alike — founded on fables and mythologies.
Then fast winding to 2011 with numerous requests to use the booths a lottery was held for them. Vix with others that had organised for a mass of non religious themed applications acquired 18 of the 21 spaces from the city council this way. This left just two for the nativity display, and one for a Hanukkah themed one. In the past the nativity displays had been automatically allocated fourteen.
So we went from mainly this:
To this:
Accept there was vandalism and arguments over the non religious exhibitions, and half of the booths were left empty by the atheists. Council officials had had enough of the discord, the administrative costs and visual impact on the area – and has set aside plenty of other spaces for nativity displays. The booths would be closed to everyone for this year. This then became a matter for the courts as the nativity committee demanded the opportunity they had always had before. The judge rejected their claim as religious expression was widely available in Santa Monica, and the reasons given by the council were not biased and there was other available space. There was a timely argument from the nativity group:
“The birth of Jesus Christ is the linchpin of Western civilization, our calendar derives from it, but now somehow it’s just not right to have a classic depiction of this event in a Nativity scene in a city park,” said Hunter Jameson, head of the Nativity committee.
It actually derives from the Julian calendar, by that epic pagan Caesar in 45 B.C.E, and then the new Gregorian calendar. The problem with the new calendar was that it had the whiff of popery. After all it was Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 C.E that had the much delayed reform implemented, so the calendar would be more in line with scientific astronomical observations. These indicated there was a ten day discrepancy. Protestant critics called this reform the work of the “Roman Antichrist”. This schism of faith delayed the whole of Europe adopting the new calendar to correct the error. As a result some people from this period can appear to have two different dates of death or birth depending by which calendar you use.
So hail Caesar for bringing us the calendar that we use to mark western civilisation, with tweaking by the “Antichrist” to match scientific observations.
If we do go by Christianity as a means of measuring the calendar it was Easter, Christ’s death, which was the key event to be worked out and commemorated by the faithful and devout. Sometimes the new year would start and the old one end with Easter depending when and where you were. The Byzantine Empire started year zero supposedly from creation, much the way a young earth creationist would work it out, at 5509 B.C.E. The year beginning in September.
The point is the birth of Jesus has not been the linchpin for the passage of time in western civilisation. Rather a pagan, who wore togas, quite possibly liked his salads and so wanted to be king of kings, has that honour.
This is where I have a bone with the non religious displays in Santa Monica because this was a chance to inform and inspire. Fair enough that they went out of their way to challenge religion and the automatic place and deference it can be given using the lottery process. What they could have done also was joined in to celebrate life, the universe and everything.
Such as:
Or a tree of knowledge celebrating human writing and thought:
Sam Harris makes the observation that we cannot just challenge how religion marks the passage of time and rituals for events. There has to be a secular alternative. If we do that with a sense of fun, joy and good humour we really will be doing that cause all the more good.
Article written by John Sargeant on Homo economicus’ Weblog
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Out Campaign Doing “Fine” says Dawkins
I asked Richard the question because I had already visited the website a few moments before. The reasons I asked him my question are:
No blogs have been added to the blog roll for at least ten months (source)
The story feed for OUT campaigns finishes in 2010 (source)
Whatever the NBGA blog roll is it returns an error on clicking [Non believers giving aid]
The twitter account @OutCampaign has not tweeted for over 900 days
The OutCampaign is about encouraging atheists to be open about being godless, and to show positive humanism in action. To that end the site above promises:
We have many exciting activities and plans for the OUT Campaign, so be sure to watch for the latest developments.
OUT Campaign ‘Scarlet Letter’ T-shirts, lapel pins, buttons and stickers now available.
Perhaps some brilliant stuff has happened, but there have been no updates for ages. That news gathering is meant to be happening on the site.
When I first volunteered for The Richard Dawkins Foundation (RDF), I organised as part of an OutCampaign a walk from the Jefferson Memorial to The White House. Wearing “A” shirts, it was great fun walking with about 30 delegates on the last day of the American Atheist Alliance conference. It was a part public conscious raising and enthusiasm sparking event for further activism for those that attended.
RDF have recently asked for volunteers, and this was the first part of the site I went to. This leads me to think that while you can get the badges and car stickers from the store, it really is up to you to get Out there and come up with your own conscious raising activism.
This part of the website really does need updating, and perhaps an active bulletin board for OutCampaigns.
In short it depends on the grass roots getting things done.
On a related note did ask Dawkins if he could retweet the blog on the Koran and child abuse – I think he had gone to bed by then. However, PZ Meyers very kindly RT for a second time. So once again my thanks to him, and his “followers”. Think as evening in USA may catch more people this time.
That is another example of Out Campaigning – using blogs, and social media to spread the word, network and raise consciousness.
Follow up blog: screen shots of outdated site and not fulfilling original goal
Article written by John Sargeant on Homo economicus’ Weblog
