Atheist Blogger Goes Catholic

Leah Libresco,
author of Unequally Yoked

Leah Libresco, author of the atheist blog Unequally Yoked, used to write about an atheistic view of ethics and religion. However, about two weeks ago, on June 18, she wrote a post called This is my last post for the Patheos Atheist Portal. In it, she announced that she aparently believes in God and intends, at least for the time being, to join the Catholic church.

She said that a debate with a friend led to realization that she believed  "that the Moral Law wasn’t just a Platonic truth, abstract and distant.  It turns out I actually believed it was some kind of Person, as well as Truth.  And there was one religion that seemed like the most promising way to reach back to that living Truth."


This realization was followed by "hugs and playing Mumford and Sons really, really loudly."

Libresco said that she met "smart Christians for the first time in college" and “was ready to cross-examine them,” but found there were “some big gaps in my defense of my own positions.” She used her blog as a way to seek out people who would ask the tough questions which would force her to refine her personal philosophy.

Regarding that blog, she wrote, "That left me with the question of what to do about my atheism blog.  My solution was to just not write anything I disagreed with." She then went on to explain that she has been writing with her new perspective for about a month and a half, so readers have already had a preview to the new content and material. This material is similar enough to her old work that it didn't quite cause a stir. Nevertheless, as of June 19, the blog moved to the Patheos Catholic channel.

Her final post on Patheos Atheist ended with a reassuring note.

"...Over all, I feel a bit like Valentine in this speech from Arcadia. 'It makes me so happy… A door like this has cracked open five or six times since we got up on our hind legs. It’s the best possible time to be alive, when almost everything you thought you knew is wrong.'"

TIL that Evolution was taught among Muslims almost a thousand years before Darwin.

Here's another post on Reddit that has exploded into something interesting. I submitted a post called TIL that Evolution was taught among Muslims almost a thousand years before Darwin. The comments turned into a pretty interesting discussion about the relationship between science and religion, the history of Evolution as a scientific idea, the effect of religion on peoples minds, and many other things.

This submission hasn't blown up the way IAmA Former Mormon Missionary. AMA did, but there are some pretty interesting insights that are definitely worth checking out.

IAmA Former Mormon Missionary. AMA

So Reddit.com has a subsection called IAmA where people post threads stating something unusual about themselves and invite readers to "Ask Me Anything" (AMA). There are some interesting threads by a girl who survived a school shooting, a Daily Show intern, the saxophonist from the Saturday Night Live band, and others.

I posted a thread called IAmA Former Mormon Missionary AMA, not really expecting much to come of it. Much to my surprise, it got over 300 comments. I spent about 9 hours answering questions. Even more to my surprise, the vast majority of questions were civil, polite, and respectful. There was lots of good discussion on a lot of topics that don't often see the light of day.

Check it out at the link above and feel free to leave a question!

Same-Sex Marriage and the Slippery Slope

It's an often used, and often mocked, argument against gay marriage that if gay marriage were legalized, it would pave the way for other types of "taboo" relationships, such as incest, polygamy, pedophilia, etc.

This argument is often dismissed on the grounds that it employs a logical fallacy known as the Slippery Slope.

HERE is an interesting post from Shameless Popery on the subject. Good for a quick read.

Let me hear what you think of the issue!

Your Logical Fallacy Is...

This sums up most of the comments on the internet.

HERE is a nice website that describes several dozen common logical fallacies used by theists, atheists and every other kind of -ist.

Just click the link above, or the one HERE, and scroll over the symbols to see a brief description of the fallacy.

I almost want to make this page required reading for anyone looking to comment here.

Or anywhere.

Just Scratching the Surface.

This site has been up for about a year and a half and traffic to it continues to grow. I would like to thank everyone who has read, followed, or commented, whether it was to show support or just to pick my brain. This site wouldn't be here without YOU!

For the vast majority of you, who haven't been reading along, here's a little of what we've looked at so far:

Philosophy

• The Omnipotence Paradox - Can God create a rock so big that he cannot lift it?
• The Omniscience/Free Will Paradox - If God knows what I will do tomorrow, how can I be free to do otherwise?
• The Logical Problem of Evil - If God is so great, why does He let us do terrible things?
• The Evidential Problem of Evil - If God is so great, why would He let such bad things happen?
• The Argument from Non-Belief - If there is a god, why doesn't He just tell us?
• The Cosmological Argument - Is there a "First Mover"?
• The Argument from Poor Design - If there is intelligent design, why didn't He use a more intelligent design?
• The Argument from Inconsistent Revelations - If there's a God, why would he allow such confusion about Him?
• The Argument from Locality - If scripture is divine, why does it reflect the society it came from?
• The Problem of Hell - Why would a loving God send his children to burn for eternity?
• Free Will in Heaven - Can free will exist in Heaven?
• Dawkins Central Argument - The main argument of The God Delusion.
• The Atheistic Argument from Physical Minds - Thought comes from a physical brain, which God allegedly does not have.
• The Argument from Design - The universe is too improbable to be by chance.
• The Courtier's Reply - Your opinion does not have to be well-informed to be valid.
• Russell's Teapot - The Burden of Proof lies on the theist, not the atheist.
• Religious Experience - Should religious experiences be considered as evidence?
• A logical Proof against Mormonism - Mormon Infinite Regress
• C.S. Lewis on Evil - The universe hurts my feelings, therefore there is no God.

Science

• Creation Science - The Genesis Account is confirmed by science.
• The Ten Plagues of Egypt - Possible chain of events showing plausibility of the Ten Plagues
• Noah's Ark - Could the ark possibly fit all animals?
• The Birth of Jesus - Archaeology resolves Book of Mormon "error".
• Elephants in America - Archaeological/Historical evidence makes us wonder about the extinction date of American elephants.
• Joseph Smith's Gold Plates - Archaeology confirms that gold plates, bound into books, were used for engraving in ancient times.
• Bible Cosmology - How does the Bible describe the universe?
• Mormon's Heavy Metal - Were the gold plates too heavy for Joseph Smith to carry.
• Modest is Hottest - Cambridge study on immodest clothing.
• 2012 and the Mayan Calendar - Archaeology or media hype?
• Wade E. Miller's Pre-Columbian Horses - Interesting potential findings of horses in America.
• Religiosity and Low IQ - Does faith make you stupider?

Religion

• Sacred, Not Secret - Why are Mormons so picky about who enters the temple?
• A Bible! A Bible!... - Biblical Inerrancy and the need for modern revelation.
• Pastor Robert Jeffress and the Mormon Cult - If Mormons are a cult, then who isn't?
• Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon - Does the use of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon prove that Joseph Smith was a prophet?
• Mormons and the Wrong Jesus - Mormons aren't Christian because they teach the "wrong Jesus"?
• Today in the City of David... - The Bible says that Jesus was born in Jerusalem when he was born in Bethlehem. 
• 10 Things that Christians and Atheists Can (And Must) Agree On - Insightful article from Cracked.com.
• Religious Violence - Religion has caused more bloodshed than any other single cause. Really?
• DNA and the Book of Mormon - A Christian double standard.

There's many that were not included here, so look around if you feel so inclined. As always, there's more to come, too, so stop by again!

My Thoughts on Prop. 8 and Gay Marriage

Prop. 8 was a big deal a few years ago in California, and voters eventually approved it, but it's been in appeals ever since. A few days ago, California's Supreme Court overturned it, and it's been in the news again. I've always had a rather unorthodox opinion regarding Prop. 8, and have already lost close friends over this controversial issue, so I've been hesitant to share my thoughts until now. I think the most tragic thing about this issue isn't who it fails to bring together, but who it succeeds in tearing apart.

First and foremost, let me say that everything I am about to say is strictly my own opinion and is not official or authoritative in any way. While I do feel that my opinion is in harmony with the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and its leadership, my opinion does not represent those teachings, nor is it even strongly influenced by them.

Let me also say that I agree that there is actually some inequality between Straights and the LGBT community when it comes to marriage. "Civil Union" is not the same thing as marriage. There are rights and privileges given to one that are denied to the other. Most of these are taxes, health insurance, and social security survivor benefits, but there are some others.

I'm going to briefly describe my understanding of each side's major argument, or at least the most common argument, and why I don't buy it. Then I'll share my own opinion.

Supporters, your main argument seems to be that gay marriage would "violate the sanctity of marriage." To all of you, I offer the following picture, stolen off of a social networking site...

It's a valid point.

If we truly viewed marriage as something sacred, then we would live in a very different society. There would be no The Bachelor on ABC. There would be no Bridezillas on WE tv. There would be no drive-thru chapels presided over by Elvis and Shaft look-alikes. And the biggest difference of all is that marriage would not be a lucrative commercial venture.

I love my wife and will always cherish my marriage to her, but the actual experience of getting married left me very disillusioned and cynical. I really wish we had just eloped and kept all our money. 

A nice cake may cost about $100. An identical cake for a wedding may cost about $800 more, for no other reason than because it's for a wedding and the cake decorator knows you'll pay it.

Same with dresses. A nice white dress may be a few hundred dollars. An identical dress for a wedding will cost you a few thousand. For no other reason than because they know you will pay. Speaking of clothing, the only reason we still have brides maids and groomsmen is because tailors want to sell you ten more dresses and ten more suits, and they know you'll pay it.

And don't get me started on photography. It's not like a camera gets better resolution if a priest is nearby. A picture is a picture, but the photographer knows you'll pay an extra thousand for wedding pictures, so the price goes up.

Rings are another perfect example. The diamond industry is basically a huge scam. Diamonds are actually extremely common in the Earth's crust. There are enough diamonds to give each man, woman and child in the United States a whole cupful. That's the reason we keep buying and buying but they never run out. The reason diamonds cost so much isn't because they are rare and supply is low, but because they know you'll pay it.

Invitations almost cost as much as you're suit, because heaven forbid you don't send an invitation to your Uncle Bernie, even though he lives on the other side of the country and clearly isn't going to show up. Marriage is so bogged down by silly traditions, corporate brainwashing, and general pride and foolishness that we've lost sight of what was supposed to be sacred about it.

Everyone wants to get married the "right" way, and by that, they mean the "expensive" way. Marriage is about money.

We like to pretend that marriage is something sacred to us, but as Christians, we've sold out. It's just about money and profit now. I can't speak for anyone else, but I don't sell what I hold sacred.

Protesters, marriage is a rite, not a right. It is a religious ceremony and no one has a right to a religious ceremony. For example, I can't get mad at Jews because they won't let me have a Bar Mitzvah or be ordained as a Rabbi. I can't be angry with Muslims because I can't participate in the Hajj to Mecca. 

I can't hold this against them any more than I get to protest against the Freemasons for not letting me walk in off the street and declare myself a Master Mason, or walk into Microsoft and take over as CEO.

Nevertheless, I do agree that there is legitimate inequality and something must be done about it.

However, my unqualified opinion is that inequality is not the real problem. It is only a symptom of the real problem.

The real problem is that the U.S. government is violating its own principle of Separation Between Church and State. The idea of a separation between church and state goes back to the writings of Thomas Jefferson and has long been an established part of Supreme Court decisions, going back to Reynolds v. United States from 1879, when the Court reviewed the history of the early Republic in deciding the extent of the liberties of Mormons, ironically, regarding their right to marry.

But now the Federal Government offers tax breaks and other benefits to those who have participated in a particular religious ceremony, and so it supports the members of those religions in a way that it denies to non-religious individuals, or to members of religions that it does not choose to recognize.

I did vote "yes" on Prop. 8, and I would do it again, not because of my religious background, or my feelings about gay marriage. I view the entire issue as a sign that our government has made a mistake. To grant the right to marry to homosexuals would only expand and perpetuate this mistake.

Rather than granting marriage rights to homosexuals, I think they should be taken away from heterosexuals.

If the protesters' motivation truly is equality, then they should be satisfied with this because no one will have any rights or privileges over anyone else, regardless of marital status. 

In addition, if supporters are truly motivated by the sanctity of marriage, then they should be satisfied by this because it removes one of the larger non-spiritual reasons why people get married; Money. Marriage will be a pretty good step toward being as sacred as we like to think it is. However, in order to fully remove the hypocrisy, we would have to learn to marry for love. That seems a long way off, but we can start working toward it.

Making a change like this would leave some things up in the air, though. For example, a man or woman has the right to make certain medical decisions on behalf of a spouse. If marriage is taken out of the equation, who will make decisions like these? Well, it would not be difficult to introduce some legislation that every adult may choose to take another consenting adult to be legally bound as a person to make decisions like this in an emergency, provide some financial support, etc. 

That's probably a poor example, but the point is that compromises could be made.

Unfortunately, I don't think many people will be satisfied by this. Supporters of Prop. 8 will not like being told that their marriage is not legally valid. Ironic, right? And to be honest, I just haven't seen much willingness to compromise out of protesters. 

That's my opinion. I do support Proposition 8. I do not hate homosexuals, but I believe in the separation of church and state and I do not like the commercialism and irreligious motivations behind many marriages.

I believe that the Founding Fathers were nothing short of inspired when they wrote the Constitution. I believe the government should not meddle with the things of God, even if it seems to benefit me. I believe that marriage truly is sacred and its time we start acting like it. I believe there is actually inequality regarding this issue and that must be addressed. 

I believe this is a fair compromise.