Exhibitions at AAI Convention 2008

Here are is a short list of cool and interesting things from exhibition tables:


If you are an atheist and have kids, this is a fascinating new concept. Charlie's Playhouse, http://www.charliesplayhouse.com/, brings the history of evolution to life. All the games and toys are inspired by liberation. They also had a baby outfit with a clever saying, "I was made from Natural Selection". Also, they have a very clever name for the company, see if you can figure out the connection. It stumped me at first, but once I figured it out, thought it was quite genius.


Enlighten the Vote, http://www.enlightenthevote.com, is a strong advocate for the separation of church and state, and seeks to support secularists and constitutionalists alike. They used to be called something else (which escapes my memory at the moment), like Godless Something. But the new name reflects a more alluring and inviting message, that both even believers may support. Not the separation of individuals to God (if you so choose) but the separation of the state imposing religious ideology on a nation.


Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman are coming out with a new book in 2009, How God Changes Your Brain. It's based from a neuroscientist perspective. Interesting note, they were actually conducting a survey of AAI attendees, with various God/Godless questions, and even asked us to draw a PICTURE of God. I drew nothing, but labeled it [This space intentionally left blank], for obvious reasons.

Though not exactly Atheist related, I thought this thing was hilarious. It's a Bill of Rights, made of metal, http://www.securityedition.com. At an airport, when you pass through the metal detectors, it will set them off, resulting in a search. They search you for the metal object, you "Bill of Rights" are taken away, and hopefully your "Bill of Rights" will be given back.

Paul Martin, http://www.aspiringatheist.com, created a folk music atheist inspired album. I was talking to Paul, and we was saying that seeing Greydon Square perform at the last AAI Convention was one of his inspiration to making this album. I really like Track 2, Happy Heathen, here is a sample line:


I wasn't born a Christian,
I wasn't born a Jew,
I wasn't born a Muslim,
I wasn't born Hindu.
I was born free to think,
to question and to reason,
I was born free to think,
I was born a Happy Heathen

This is by no means an all inclusive list, there were tons more cool stuff.

I am going to submit each of these links individually, to see how the atheist spot community votes each up or down.

AAI Convention Preparation

I am excited for the AAI Convention this weekend.  I finally get to see the folks I read about and or read from online in person.  

The Atheist Spot will have a booth as well.  We weren't allowed to hang banners, because of the antique wood on the Queen Mary.  But I stumbled upon an old wall frame to use as a backdrop.  Pretty cool stuff.  

See you there!

Get to know an Atheist Blogger - Les Jenkins of Stupid Evil Bastard

This week we interview Les Jenkins of the the blog Stupid Evil Bastard. Once you get past the initial shock when first visiting the site and wondering what you did to upset him...you'll find Les always brings an interesting perspective to the everything he covers, with topics ranging from the market meltdown to Spore DRM issues. My personal favorite part of the blog is that every blog posting has a picture of Les starting right back at you. It's as if he's right there reading you his thoughts!

On to the interview...

Q. Tell us a bit about yourself, where you came from, what you do now, where you're going.

My name is Les Jenkins and I was born in Detroit Michigan and I've lived in Michigan my entire life. I'm just about to turn 41 in just under two weeks. My current job title is the rather generic "Technical Assistant" for a .com company I can't name due to an NDA, but I've spent the past 15 years or so working as a technical support contractor of one sort or another for various automotive companies supporting Windows based PCs in all their different forms. As to where I'm going, I haven't a clue. Ideally I'd like to win the lottery and retire early to a beach in some tropical clime where I can blog while sipping Long Island Iced Teas. Instead I'll be returning to college this fall to get a degree in... something. Haven't really decided yet.

Q. What made you decide to blog about atheism?

The truth is I blog about everything that interests me and my atheism influences a lot of how I view the world so it wasn't so much that I decided to blog about atheism specifically as much as I blog about it because it's part of who I am. I'll write about atheism in one entry, switch to religion in another, and then tell you how much I'm enjoying a particular video game or new gadget I've gotten recently. Stupid Evil Bastard, my blog, is about whatever catches my ADD addled brain long enough to write about. Religion and atheism both tend to catch my attention fairly often.

If we expand the question into "what made you decide to start a blog" then I'd say it was a natural outgrowth for someone who once ran a computer Bulletin Board System in the 1980's when he was a teenager. I've always had an inquisitive mind and a big mouth and when you put the two together with a little technology, well, I'm sure someone would make a lot of money if they could tap into all the hot air I expend shooting my mouth off.

Q. How long have you known that you are an atheist? Tell us about that time in your life, and what led to that point.

I've known I was an atheist since my early twenties. Prior to that I had been a Baptist since the age of 8 or 9 thanks to some neighborhood friends who invited me to start attending their church. My own family wasn't particularly religious and didn't attend church services. At one point in my teens I gave some serious consideration, or as serious as a teenager can manage, to the idea of becoming a Pastor myself. I asked my Pastor about what was involved and he suggested that I start off by simply reading the Bible so that's what I did and that's where the trouble started. Previously I hadn't spent a lot of time reading the Bible so much as following along during church services, but I sat down one day and started reading it from page one and, over the course of several weeks, read it all the way to the end. As I read I kept coming up with questions that I asked my Pastor about. Questions to which he couldn't always offer anything in the way of an answer beyond "God works in mysterious ways" or "you just have to have faith."

Over the course of the next several years I would read the Bible front to back three more times and grow more discouraged each time I did. I also started checking out some of the alternatives starting with the other Christian denominations and moving on to Islam, Buddhism, Wicca and Neo-paganism, and Shintoism among others. I also started studying religious history in general with whatever books I could find on the subject. None of it was done with any real sense of urgency, but out of curiosity and a desire to understand. There weren't any particularly traumatic experiences or life changing events that led me to decide I was an atheist as so many people seem to think, but rather a slow and gradual process of learning.

In the end it wasn't that I decided to become an atheist, but that it was the only thing I could be when I considered that I no longer had the belief or faith that I once held as a child. At first I didn't want to use the term because of a lifetime of being told how evil atheists are and I went with the title of agnostic instead, but I eventually realized that that was being less than honest. The only person I can remember who had a negative reaction when I first told them I was an atheist was my mother. She's best described as a deist and her reaction was, much like my own initial aversion to the word, based more off of the negative connotations attached to the word than any fear for my mortal soul. All things considered it was a smooth transition for me. I was never ostracized by my family for my lack of belief and most of my friends took it in stride as well. It probably helped that it wasn't something that came up very often.

Q. What excites you most about the current state of atheism, what are you optimistic about?

I'm most excited by the visibility of atheists in America these days. In the past there's always been a couple of atheists who were famous (or infamous), but it seems like there's more than ever before. That could just be a faulty perception on my part, but that's the way it seems. Between blogs and best selling books it's hard to overlook us as a group anymore and my hope is that our influence will grow enough to counteract some of the influence of the Far Religious Right. The fact that atheism seems to be on a slow, but sure rise in the younger generations here in America also gives me optimism. I don't think we'll be in the majority anytime soon, if ever, but if we can just level the playing field a bit then I'd be more than happy.

Q. What are your favorite books on atheism?

I really enjoyed /The God Delusion/ by Richard Dawkins, but that's probably a popular choice. /The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever/ by Christopher Hitchens. /2000 Years of Unbelief: Famous People with the Courage to Doubt/ by James A. Haught as this helped to show me that there were some very smart people who also didn't believe. And just about anything on religion published by Thomas Paine.

Q. Who do you most respect in the atheist community? Why?

That's a hard question to answer as I have respect for a number of atheists. Rather than go with any of the big names like Dawkins, PZ Myers, or Hitchens -- all of whom I have a great respect for -- I'm going to say I have the most respect for George Wiman who runs the blog called "Decrepit Old Fool" (http://www.decrepitoldfool.com). George has been reading my own blog for years now and I find that he often manages to get me to consider things I hadn't with the most simple of comments. I'm very much of the blunt and bluster type of blogger and George really isn't and I sometimes wish I could manage that style myself.

Q. How has your blog affected your life?

I think it's been, if you'll pardon the turn of phrase, a blessing. It's given me a venue to say what I really think and get feedback on those thoughts. It's helped me to grow both as a writer and as a person and I'm definitely much improved in both areas since starting it almost seven years ago. The regulars who stop by on a daily basis never cease to amaze me with their insights and their generosity and have helped me through a couple of rough patches over the years. There's a possibility that it may have cost me a job or two if a potential employer happened to Google my name, and I'm fairly sure it has, but it also helped me to land my most current job so I can't really complain. I have made friends with people I've yet to meet in person and I hope it has at least entertained, if not enlightened, a few people along the way.

Q. What advice would you give those that are new to the idea of atheism, that aren't quite sure what they believe, and could use some direction?

Douglas Adams said it best: Don't Panic. Read a few books that argue for both points of view and then just consider how much, if any of it, applies to you and your experiences. I became an atheist not because I was presented with a really good argument from some prominent nonbeliever, but because I took the time to educate myself and then really considered whether any of the things that so many folks claim to experience as a believer had ever occurred to me. I found that while there were plenty of things I attributed to God over the years, I didn't really have a lot of evidence to back that belief up. It was something I believed because I'd been told to believe it. I also couldn't recall ever experiencing being "filled with the holy spirit" or any of the other mystical things people claim to experience. A little education and self-reflection can be a big life changer if you're honest with yourself.

If you find you're still a believer then that's OK. There are plenty of believers out there that are good people worthy of emulation. If you find yourself an atheist then that's OK too. You're not alone in the world and there's more of us coming along all the time.

Q. Tell us why people should read your blog, and anything else you want to want to share with our readers.

I always hate questions where I explain why people should do anything involving me. There's a certain amount of narcissism involved in blogging as it is and one can only compound it by telling people why they should read what you've got to say. I'd like to believe that my blog is both educational and enlightening, but I'd be happy if it's just that I'm just interesting enough to read on occasion. I'm a big geek and I'm halfway decent at putting my thoughts into words. The best I can do is suggest you try it and see if it's to your liking.

Thanks Les!

Get to know an Atheist Blogger - Moiz Khan

This week we've got an extremely fascinating interview with Moiz Khan. Reminds me a bit of Ayaan Hirsi Ali's story. I won't ruin it. Enjoy...

Q. Tell us a bit about yourself. Where did you come from? What are you doing now? Where you're going?

Hello, thank you for this opportunity. I am Moiz Khan and I was born in Pakistan 18 years ago. My parents were married for around five years at the time, and they already had two children. After applying for their Visa's multiple times they finally got their chance in 1992 and they took it. We moved from Lahore, Pakistan to New York City. There were two main reasons for this, education and my father's lifelong hate for hot weather. By 2000, we moved again, about 60 miles east of the city to the suburbs. As you can see, change has always been part of my life. Right now I am attending Stony Brook University for a double major in History and Philosophy. I love the world of the academia, so that is exactly where I am headed. I want the ability to teach people how to think for themselves and without fear or dogma as I have learned through a long struggle.

Q. What made you decide to blog about atheism of all things?

I actually began my blog while I still was a religious person. The original purpose of my blog was just politics (I was always very liberal) and to have a little fun writing. It was never intended to become what it did, though I am quite glad it has. From December 2006 to September 2007, it was mostly inactive. I was just too busy with schoolwork to give it much time. I then posted "My 'Spiritual' Journey" on October 5th, 2007 (that is actually around the time when I abandoned my Muslim faith for the Atheistic worldview). By November, I had wrote the second part of "My 'Spiritual' Journey." Almost right after posting these two blogs, I received an overwhelmingly positive response via email. People told me of their similar journeys, and this gave me the reason to continue. From that point on, I posted about my personal Atheism, Politics (as it effects all of us) and my other love, Music.

Q. How long have you known that you are an atheist?

I can't actually pinpoint the exact date, as it was a gradual process. However, for much of 2007 I was an agnostic and somewhat on the fence. I think around mid 2007 is when I became an anti-theist and atheist. So I suppose I have been an atheist for a little over a year.

Q. Having gone through a difficult and slow progression from a young Muslim to a blogging atheist, what advice would you give those that are afraid of coming out, or aren't sure what they really believe?

The first step is to actually understand the faith. When I was growing up, I could recite the Quran in Arabic, but knew nothing of what those Arabic words actually meant. We were told to accept it because it was true by our parents and other elders. For the millions of Muslims who don't actually know Arabic, I would suggest reading the Quran in their language. It contains certain material that can make any reasonable person sick to their stomach. Don't cherry pick which parts you like and which you don't either. If it is the supposed word of an all-powerful god, I doubt god would put in useless material. Then, read on the incompatibility between modern science and religion. Once you understand that science and religion simply can't coexist in an intellectually satisfying way, read about evolution. So in that process you will have, first rejected religion, second understood that religion and what we now know about the world can't be combined. Finally you will learn of the beautiful alternative (evolution by natural selection) that is far more intellectual satisfying.

Q. You actively speak out against Islam on your blog. What do you think the biggest problem with Islam is, and what do you think the atheist community can do to help stem the tide of the worlds fastest growing religion?

The major problem with the Islamic world is its clash with modernity. When Muslims move to Western countries, they rarely assimilate into the culture. Rather, they stay far away from it. They are essentially living in their own worlds even when they are in modern societies. The children grow without understanding the other culture, and they continue the cycle with their children. In Europe, there have been quite a few movements that clashed with organized religion. The Renaissance, Protestant Reformation, Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment come to mind. These movements had two major effects, water down Christianity and advance the idea of the godless (or at least no personal god) world view. In the Muslim world, there are no comparable movements. Islam has never been watered down, only grown more extreme in certain cases. I rarely meet a Muslim who even considers that part of the Quran might be metaphorical. Most Muslims really do believe in the literal truth of every single word in the Quran...this gets even more complicated because most of those don't even know Arabic. So they are brainwashed by their local mosques and elders to believe the particular brand of Islam that their community follow. Thus, the biggest problem of Islam is the lack of movements against it from within.

Partially due to the British and now American imperialism of the Middle East, most of those countries are in a state similar to most Western Countries were 100-200 years ago. So I believe the best course of action for Atheists at a national level in the Western world is to urge their governments to end their grapple hold over Middle Eastern politics. Such as support for the tyrannical kings in Saudi Arabia, a focal point in the Islamic world. The US has supported military dictators and Islamic extremists (Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan) for many years, and this has effectively stopped the already weak secular and atheistic movements in the Middle East. Another major thing is I think Atheists should be more vocal in their criticism of Islam. Most Atheists mainly criticize Judaism and Christianity, and this allows Muslims who are guilty of equally disgusting crimes to go under the radar.

Q. What excites you most about the current state of atheism? What are you optimistic about?

The level to which we are beginning to get organized. We currently are a rather large minority (and probably larger than the statistics due to folks in the closet) and we are growing quickly. I am helping start a club at my university called, "SBU Freethinkers" and we already have somewhere around 60 members. Many of these members are incoming freshman and sophomores. It seems that atheism is growing quickly amongst the younger generation. With regards to optimism, in America, I want to reach the point where major politicians don't have to praise god in every speech. Also, I still hold out hope for the Middle East. As I said earlier, the Islamic world clashes with modernity. Sooner or later, this clash will become too large to be avoided by those Muslims, and hopefully it heads in the right direction, the secular direction.

Q. How has your blogging affected your life?

It has made me gain interest in the Atheist and Secular cause. In America, we face the possibility of heading closer to a theocracy or heading towards a more secular state, as intended by the founding fathers. Both of these roads are possible and it all depends on each individual citizen to their part. I personally will work within my local community to help further science education (to me, the most essential education). Without blogging I would have most likely not become so passionate for the secular cause. I also would have become some sort of lawyer instead of my current plan to become a professor.

Q. What advice would you give those that are new to the idea of atheism, that aren't quite sure what they believe, and could use some direction?

Don't be afraid to let it all go. Fear is one of the main reasons why many stay with religion. Of course, the fear comes in many different shapes and forms. Some are afraid of a possible community backlash, or their family, or death. But fear is pointless for it only restricts us. This is the only life that you will get, and you might as well make the most of it. Socrates said it best,"The pursuit of truth can only begin once you start to question and analyze every belief that you ever held dear. If a certain belief passes the tests of evidence, deduction, and logic, it should be kept and defended. ….If it doesn't, the belief should not only be discarded, but you must also then question why you were led to believe the erroneous information in the first place." I believe that the pursuit of truth is the only road to true happiness.

Thanks Moiz! Powerful stuff. So much to learn from this I don't even know what to say.

If you have a follow up question you'd like to ask Moiz, feel free to post them in the comments, or simply head on over to Moiz's site at http://moizkhan.com/blog/.

Get to know an Atheist Blogger - Hemant Mehta the Friendly Atheist

Next up in our interview series is none other then The Friendly Atheist Hemant Mehta! I've personally been following his blog for years, as I'm sure many of you have, so I'm pretty excited have him on board.

On to the interview!

Q. Tell us a bit about yourself. Where did you come from? What are you doing now? Where you're going?

In terms of atheism, I began a campus atheist group in college which led to opportunities to work with national secular organizations. I now work closely with the Secular Student Alliance and the Secular Coalition for America. I also run the website www.FriendlyAtheist.com.

Outside of the atheist world, I teach math at a high school in the suburbs of Chicago.


Q. What made you decide to blog about atheism of all things?

Sometimes, you begin writing about a subject you have some interest in and knowledge about... to work out your thoughts and let out some frustration and ask for advice... and sometimes, you find out those thoughts are shared by many other people. Atheism and the search for rational thought has been a passion for years and it's nice to find an outlet for those ideas.


Q: Before you started blogging, were there any atheist sites that you frequented?

Nope. I didn't know much about blogs at all before I started writing one myself.


Q. How has your blogging affected your life?

It means people I don't know will know about me. That includes future bosses, possibly my students, and potential dates... that's frightening.

On the upside, it means if I say something, it could be heard by a large audience of people. Complete strangers know me because they hear my voice through the website. I think about possible posts throughout the day. It also means people who want a story to be heard can come to me if they need a place to share it.

Q. How long have you known that you are an atheist?

Since I was 14. Over 11 years now...

Q. What excites you most about the current state of atheism? What are you optimistic about?

There are many atheists "coming out" and many more to come. It's the "cool" thing to be in some areas. More young people are coming to their senses when it comes to matters of faith. I anticipate more will do so in the future.

Q: Why did you choose the name Friendly Atheist for you blog?

I wanted to tie those words together: "friendly" and "atheist." Most atheists are know are kind people, and that goes against the stereotype. Hopefully, people will come to recognize that there are many friendly atheists out there, as opposed to the angry/militant/aggressive atheists.

Q: Have you ever been recognized as the "Friendly Atheist" on the street?

Not on the street. But at conventions, people have come up to me to say they read my site. Or they'll see my site's name on my badge and say they read it all the time. That's pretty damn cool.

Q. Who do you most respect in the atheist community? Why?

So many to name... I respect anyone who's not afraid to say something that is both correct and unpopular. PZ Myers and Richard Dawkins come to mind. I also respect anyone trying to make a concrete difference for atheists in America -- showing that we exist and we need to be taken seriously. Lori Lipman Brown is a shining example of this.

Q. When someone asks you how you can be an atheist, why you don't believe in god, or anything to question your lack of faith, what's your single favorite argument for atheism?

There's no one tactic that works on everyone. But usually, I try asking questions back... I want to know whether they have a problem with me not believing in any God or just their God. What would happen if they stopped believing in God? What do they think I actually believe?

Q. What advice would you give those that are new to the idea of atheism, that aren't quite sure what they believe, and could use some direction?

Talk to other atheists. Find their websites online or their books in the library and read what they have to say. Ask questions. A one-on-one conversation is more powerful than just reading what they have to say.


Thank you Hemant! Short and sweet. Just the way we atheists like it.

If you have any additional questions for the Friendly Atheist, post them in the comments below. And head on over to his blog (one of my favorites) for more.

We've got a number of interviews with other fascinating atheist bloggers lined up, and if there's anyone you specifically want to know more about, let me know and I'll hunt them down :)