Jesus Camp Now Showing in Lakeland

I apologize for not posting more lately. Gary pointed out to me that "Jesus Camp" will now be having a showing in Lakeland, at Polk Theatre, on Dec. 2. Who wants to go watch it, take a road trip? It's about 120 mi, 2.5 hrs, according to Google Maps.

Also, I read a recent post that I wanted to pass along, as I thought it worthy of your time.

From Ebon Musings:

Clearly, the term "atheist" has acquired a substantial weight of negative connotation. How can real atheists fight back against this?

As the name of my weblog suggests, we atheists can only fight prejudice by stepping into the light. It is easy to demonize the unknown and the invisible. Only by keeping nonbelievers in the closet for so long have members of the believing majority been able to perpetuate such slurs; when we are not there to counter them, they can say whatever they like without fear of contradiction, and with no counterevidence in sight there is no reason for ordinary people to disbelieve them.

However, when actual atheists are visible to contradict these smears, they do not stick. We do not need to display superlative moral virtue to disprove the ugly stereotypes that equate atheism with wickedness (although it wouldn't hurt). We just need to show that we are ordinary, decent people, just like everyone else, who differ from other people in that we believe in one less god than they do. If more atheists came forward to express such sentiments as these, the use of the word "atheist" as a term of insult would dwindle and die on the vine.

In this respect, I disagree with efforts (like those of the Brights) to coin a new term. We already have a perfectly good one: atheist. We should say what we are plainly and not allow our enemies to usurp or pollute the word. If we avoid using it to describe ourselves because we fear the repercussions, we play into their game. We harm and hinder our own movement when we abandon these words to our enemies as a way to tar us, and what is to stop them from similarly smearing any new word we come up with?

I agree. The connotations of the word can only be transformed by the presence, integrity, and respect that atheists bring to themselves, it will only be transposed onto another pejorative label if we just want a name change.

It reminds me of the video I posted a while back, it looks at the question, "Atheists: Fools?" We have to highlight the best and brightest unbelievers, and show the world that atheism isn't equivalent to Hitler or Pol Pot [these men were deluded by faith (the former, faith in the imaginary superlative Aryan race, the latter, faith in an imaginary, isolated and totally self-sufficient Maoist agrarian state)], but to some of the greatest humanitarians, philosophers and scientists of all time.

It is only in pointing to this fact, over and over, that the stigma and negative perception of atheism will abade.
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