A behavior one can observe is how the Anti-RHB groups have actually attempted to dehumanize their opponents. One can easily see it in the headlines as Bishops accuse Pro-RH people of immorality in public online discussions. The readiness of the Anti-RHB to never understand a side that understands them all too well is apparent. It flies in the face of common sense when the Anti-RHB assume that these former Catholics or Christians or Pro-RH Christians do not understand their faith. Opposition having come from their own ranks, it never occurs to them that they already know or that they did not understand the teachings enough. This arrogant and distorted view has led to many clashes and polarized the discussion.

It does not help that the Anti-RHB people do not even provide adequate scientific backing to their arguments. Practically all of these arguments, and I’m not generalizing, are very poorly constructed. Most of the time there are no links or sources cited. Most of the arguments are anecdotal and follow poor logic, falling into logical fallacies like argumentum vericundum, negative premise, fallacy of illicit process, and a lot of self-reliant fallacies. One of the “strongest” evidences posted fail miserably in the fact checking. As an example, look at the  medical primer for the RHB by Dr. Angelita Miguel-Aguirre.

Fallacy of illicit process: Julian Simmons and Professor Gary Becke talk about overpopulation with respect to WORLD capacity, not the nation’s economic capacity. Their books and abstractions can be found in this link . It would be only fair for their views to be clarified if they really pertain to allowing families to grow sustainably in an emerging and poor market like the Philippines, especially since the Nobel prize they were awarded dealt with an entirely separate issue from Reproductive Health.

Quote-mining and fallacy of illicit process: regarding Edward C. Green’s research on the condom use in Uganda.

Obsolete and Debunked Studies: Barbara Seaman: the Pill and I 40 Years on the Relationship and the latest technology regarding contraceptive pills.

Because they have wasted people’s time with really poor and invalid evidence and continue to provoke and harass the Pro-RHB people, the credibility of such people have come to a point that they are no longer seen as worthy of proper attention or respect. Wasting people’s time, provoking them,  continuously giving the same poorly constructed arguments, and ignoring well constructed counter-arguments are actions that can only be interpreted negatively.

What is compounding the damage is the language that assumes that their opponents don’t understand anything Christian, theological, moral or ethical, that these people who are of their same faith know nothing about these things and that only they are the sole source of authority to be worth listening to.

As their actions have crossed the line to many of the Pro-RHB people and pointed out with the negative language that best describes those that act in that method, a vicious cycle is created. Their ability to selectively choose information, also known as confirmation bias, makes them think their provocation is justified and they continue to pursue a strategy of repetition. The very repetition is already a symptom of severe mental tunnel vision, being unable to act dynamically to the individual circumstances of a given situation. Cut off from rationality, they will continue to repeat this strategy until they grow tired of having severely damaged all credibility of their cause for lack of a more diplomatic solution.

To those who actually haven’t googled the term, Wikipedia defines freethought as:

“a philosophical viewpoint that holds that opinions should be formed on the basis of science, logic, and reason, and should not be influenced by authority, tradition, or any other dogma. The cognitive application of freethought is known as freethinking, and practitioners of freethought are known as freethinkers.”

In the FF forum and Facebook page, every once in a while someone oblivious to the standard definition butts in with the assumption that freethinking means setting the mind completely free – unrestrained even by reason, logic or reality. More commonly, people have assumed that freethought is synonymous to atheism.

It is important to note that the free in freethinking only means freedom from dogma imposed by “authority” but not from the rules of logic and the cold test of science. In fact, freethinking is actually a very strict discipline that keeps the mind on its toes, preventing it from jumping into convenient conclusions. Once an argument commits a single logical fallacy, all its conclusions are automatically void; long-held scientific theories are discarded like yesterday’s paper once contradicting evidence is found. (Scientific theory differs from the layman’s definition of theory in the sense that the latter is actually just a hypothesis.)

As such, freethought is a journey where one takes the road paved with science, logic and reason; atheism, agnosticism, deism, and even philosophical theism are just the destinations, none of them final. This may come as a surprise, but while the majority of the vocal Filipino Freethinkers are atheists, we do have some members who acknowledge the possibility and even the probability of God to a certain degree but are well aware that all they have are circumstantial evidence and logical arguments, not proof. There are no fundies in Filipino Freethinkers or even strong theists (#1 in Dawkins’ spectrum) who claim not just to believe, but to know that there is a God. Remarkably, there are also no strong atheists (#7 in Dawkins’ spectrum) in Filipino Freethinkers, or at least none have declared being so at the forums. More importantly, our beliefs (or non-belief) matter less than how we arrived at such beliefs (or non-belief). So you’ll never hear the words “because the Bible says so” from a freethinking theist or “because Richard Dawkins says so” from a freethinking atheist.

So what does it mean to be a freethinker? I guess it means being a truthseeker, relentlessly holding on to reason amid powerful forces telling society that blind faith is preferred. The Filipino Freethinkers are sometimes accused of being angry at religion. Well I can’t say that we aren’t, because religion, being very influential, pervading education and politics, has become the embodiment of ignorance and the eternal cause of poverty, overpopulation, and the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases while the churches continue to rake in the offerings. And yet they have the guts to say that we are the bad guys.

But how can freethinkers be the bad guys? We never ask people to give up anything - not their money, not their reason, not their freewill, not even their beliefs. Freethought is not telling anyone to believe in a certain freethought doctrine or creed; it is merely asking that we open our eyes and use our minds, to see for ourselves what is right, what is good, and what is true. How bad can that be?

Omega Nebula, 5500 light years away, in the constellation of Sagittarius (Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Hester)

Skeptics are often accused of being dismissive of the numinous and the magical aspects of life. Belief in the miraculous brings to people an aspect of life that is beyond cold and calculated reality. How can skeptics think that it’s okay to sully the wonder that comes from belief in fairies that may hide under rocks, waiting for a child to turn over their homes with the intent of granting the child’s wishes? Doesn’t faith in the supernatural bring even adults back to the delightful unfamiliarity of childhood?

Instead of turning over rocks to look for fairies, you can teach your child all about the armored bugs crawling there in lieu of imps. You can tell her about the societies these alien creatures build, where they go about their own business just like grownup people with their suits and briefcases. If she finds that interesting, wait ’til she sees what a drop of pond water looks like under a microscope. Perhaps you yourself won’t be able to suppress a childlike elation, seeing the most unremarkable of places brimming with life.

We live in a time rendered uninterested and detached by familiarity. Ignoring the marvels that can be plainly found in nature, we turn to superstitions that we think will recover the excitement we had as children, cowering under the bed sheets from monsters that are deterred only by cloth blankets. The myths we choose as bedfellows pervert and diminish the beauty readily available with a glance up at the night sky. Consider those who take horoscopes at face value. Most do not even have a thought to spare for the stars that comprise the Zodiac signs. It is amazing how our narcissism can demote KW Sagittarii, a red hypergiant star in the constellation of Sagittarius and a staggering 1,460 Suns wide, down to a menial post in newsprint, proclaiming that those born from November 23 to December 21 should hit the casinos today.

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase, which is a turbine the size of a molecule, turns the protons from your food into energy your body can use. These motors are inside all of the cells that make up your body and they evolved blindly from simpler forms that did other tasks inside your single-celled forefathers. On to the macro scale, mass deforms the fabric of space-time just like how your college textbooks bend your mattress out of shape while you study for an exam. This warping of not just space but of time has magnificent implications that predict different relative rates of aging depending on whether you live by the sea or on top of a mountain. Ranging from the sub-atomic to the so-massive-it-sucks-even-light, the cosmos is vast and mystifying beyond human comprehension.

Dig into your pocket and take out your mobile phone. Open up the menu and click through the programs. You are holding in your hands something worthy of immolation, if found in 15th century Europe. Even during a time as recent and as enlightened as the 1990’s, some onlookers may be tempted to grab their long-retired pitchforks upon hearing the witchcraft that is a Nokia polyphonic ringtone. But here you are in the 21st century, dropping your sorcerous electromagnetic contraption on the floor from time to time, without concern.

Science has been unweaving rainbows and smashing things together for hundreds of years now, allowing us to revel at even the fundamental particles that form the spectacular and the colossal. Technology has turned the fantastic into the everyday. We are living in the future. It is only our fault that we think it mundane. Albeit, it does seem rather absurd to wax poetic every time your phone receives invisible waves from space sent by your friend, declaring: ‘K’. The silliness of the situation only goes to show that we don’t need to ponder on the doctrine of the Trinity to appreciate mystery nor do we need to buy that words can transform tap water into a liquid imbued with the essence of a ghost in order to delight in the transcendent. Let us not cheapen our curiosity by satiating it with self-absorbed imitations. Reality is more arresting and much more fascinating than what humans can ever grasp. There is still much to find out and, if we’re lucky, this is a pursuit that will never cease.

Today’s top ten offer some new perspectives on religion.  Is it me or is secularism gaining ground? Check out the analysis on UK’s Equality Bill and Gordon Brown’s secularist government. Because the majority of MPs are not politically aligned with any church, sex ed bills and equal rights for homosexuals were passed, and no church has major influence on legislation.  Amazing, isn’t it?

“The unique feature of Gordon Brown’s government is not its economic incompetence. Rather, it is doctrinaire secularism. For the first time in British history, no one sitting around the Cabinet table holds traditional Christian views that defy the liberal consensus on social issues or sexual morality.”

Send your stories via The News Thread or the comments.  Theme suggestions are also welcome.

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Gay church blessings and a crisis of faith (via The Telegraph) link – Brilliant analysis of secularism in the UK and how it has allowed for certain bills to pass

3D BIBLE MOVIE IN THE WORKS!!! (via Deadline New York, Gawker) link

Pope’s brother: sexual abuse at choir school not discussed (via inquirer.net) link

“Koran says – you’re free in your religion” – Muslim cleric (via RT) link – Cleric issues fatwa against terrorism; insists ‘fatwa’ was mistranslated and does not mean ‘holy war’

Which came first – religion or the brain? (via Eurekalert) link – Press release on new book proposing that the brain needs religion; here is a good interview of the author by Mcleans link

Pope’s path to sainthood delayed by miracle doubts (via The Telegraph) link – Pope John Paul II is not a faith healer after all!

Funeral flap: religion and free speech rights (via wired.com) link - Apparently some bigots want the government to uphold their (alleged) free-speech right to disrespect funerals of homosexuals

Violence in Nigeria – food not faith (via The Guardian) link - Analysis on the murders in Jos

6 questions for an atheist undercover in an evangelical church (via The Huffington Post) link

Oregon faith healers get 16 months for son’s death (via AP) link – Faith healing could lead to negligent homicide!

-Ano ka ba naman anak, tingnan mo nga yang suot mo.
–Si Mama talaga, ako na naman ang nakita.
-Hay naku Judith, paano ba namang…
—Hindi ka makikita ni Nanay, eh halos makita na ang kaluluwa mo dyan sa suot mo? Mano po, nay.
-Kaawaan ka ng Diyos. John, samahan mo nga itong kapatid mong…
–MA! Ayokong kasama yan!
-At bakit hindi…
–MA!
-…matagal na ring di mo nakakasama ang kuya mong…
—Nay wag na. Alam niyo namang di na ako nagpupunta dun eh. Naaasar lang ako sa mga tao dun. Puro mga ipokrito.
–Kita niyo na Ma, wala ng pag-asa yang si kuya. Weird and…
—Anlakas naman ng amoy ng pabango mo, ansangsang.
–Masangsang ka diyan. Kaw nga tong amoy pawis kakabasketbol.
-John, magpunas ka na anak at magbihis tapos samahan mo itong kapatid mong…
–MA! —Nay!
-Sya sya. Judith, palitan mo nga yang damit mo…
–Si Mama talaga old-fashioned. Iba na ang panahon ngayon.
—Oo nga Nay. Paano nga naman magpapaligaw yang si Judith kung hindi siya maliligo ng pabango at magpapakita ng laman?
–Eeew!
-Susmaryosep John! Galangin mo naman ang kapatid mo!
—Respect is paid only where it is due.
–Paingles-ingles ka pang nalalaman dyan. UP ka nga di naman nakagraduate.
—Kung gusto mong galangin kita, galangin mo muna ang sarili mo.
-Tama na yan magkapikunan pa kayo. Judith, anak, magpalit ka na…
–MA! Anong oras na! Gusto niyo bang malate ako?
-Hay. Bahala nga kayo sa buhay niyo. John, magpalit ka na ng damit at baka magkasakit ka.
—Opo Nay.
-Judith, mag-iingat ka. At yung pinapabili ko, wag mong kakalimutan.
–Yes Ma. Tatlong tali ng Sampaguita.
.
.
.
–Sige Ma, magsisimba na ako.

Today is International Women’s Day! In addition to the usual, today’s top links were chosen because they discuss women and religion, women in science (at least for a day), and reproductive health.  I would also highly recommend the piece by Peter Hitchens and the expose on Scientology, which I know a lot of you are fascinated with.   Submit your links in The News Thread or the comments.  Theme suggestions are also welcome.

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Four Women and a Prophet – women fighting to reform their religion (via Times of India) link

Women will be staffing CERN on International Women’s Day (via Indiana University) link

Tamar Abrams: This International Women’s Day, let’s aim to end maternal deaths (via Huffington Post) link

Bishops want to debate Cabral on condoms (submitted by Justin Aquino, via gmanews.tv) link

(As a Catholic) Noynoy flip flops on RH Bill (submitted by Justin Aquino, via inquirer.net) link

Peter Hitchens: How I found peace with my atheist brother (via Daily Mail) link

On Christopher: “He often assumes that moral truths are self-evident, attributing purpose to the universe and swerving dangerously round the problem of conscience – which surely cannot be conscience if he is right since the idea of conscience depends on it being implanted by God. If there is no God then your moral qualms might just as easily be the result of indigestion.”

Breaking with Scientology (via nytimes.com) link

Top home-school texts dismiss Darwin, evolution (via AP) link

When observing the complex beauty of the natural world and the diversity of plants and animals and how each species’ characteristics seem perfectly tailored for a particular lifestyle, it is not difficult to jump into conclusion that everything was designed.

I was staring at a small clover garden, admiring the structured leaf formation and how it uniformly blanketed the patch of ground when I realized that underneath the miniature canopy of clover crowns must be a thriving community of insects and other tiny creatures. And beneath the ground dozens of earthworms must be burrowing and ingesting dead matter and minute soil particles, aerating the earth and secreting humus and minerals needed by the clover plant to grow. At this point it makes sense to imagine that this nice little ecosystem must have been orchestrated by an intelligent and loving being.

However, also living underground are thousands of ants, and ants feed on earthworms. Anybody who has seen a live earthworm being attacked by red ants knows that it is a slow and very painful death, the worm writhing and rolling and curling in a feeble attempt to escape the tormenting mandibles that tear all over its soft flesh, each bite leaving behind a burning toxin. It must be one of the most excruciating deaths an animal can experience (although perhaps not as agonizingly slow as that of a caterpillar whose body is being leisurely devoured from the inside by a growing wasp larva). Even if one believes that earthworms have souls that will be eternally rewarded in Earthworm Heaven for all their sufferings under the earth, it is absurd to conceive of an intelligent designer.

A lot of people especially those living comfortably in civilized societies are not aware of this life and death struggle among the lower animals.  Most have not even considered that the burgers they’re munching came from a once-living cow whose throat was slit with a very sharp industrial blade, causing it to stumble and thrash around as its air sacs get filled with its own blood, flooding its lungs and simulating a slow drowning effect that would last several minutes until the cow finally expires. Or that the drumstick they’re nibbling came from a chicken who endured its entire short life in cramped captivity, injected with chemicals to speed up growth for early slaughter.

When you’re on top of the food chain (and blissfully oblivious to the great inconvenience you are causing those below), it is easy to be overwhelmed by a feeling of gratefulness, and there even seems to be an almost instinctive need to seek an object of gratitude. But imagine if we happened to be the cow or the chicken, or the earthworm for that matter. I wonder if gratefulness would come as naturally.

If there was an intelligent designer, animals wouldn’t have to feed on one another. Every creature would be responsible for its own photosynthesis and capable of absorbing moisture and minerals from the air. Predation and parasitism would be totally unnecessary. All animals would also be able to fly, swim, run and burrow, freely frolicking across the bounds of the earth, fully enjoying the planet’s blessings.

And maybe this is why a lot of people believe (or would like to believe) that we have a soul. Perhaps unconsciously we think of the spirit as the perfect form of existence, totally free and having no need for transport, shelter, clothing, air, water, or food. And no need for food means no need for other animals to die just so we can live. The earth would be a true paradise where no creature has to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. If there was an intelligent designer, existence wouldn’t be as cruel, and the struggle for life wouldn’t be as bloodthirsty.

Today’s news links seem par for the course – we’ve all discussed this before, right? Nevertheless, there is some comfort in knowing that some things can be relied on in this effed up world of ours.  Submit your links in The News Thread or the comments.

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Bishops endorse the JC de los Reyes (via gmanews.tv) link

Bishops’ endorsement of a presidential bet cause colleagues’ concern (via gmanews.tv) link

Catholic school in Colorado boots student with gay parents (via AP) link

Jews, Muslims worry body scanners violate their religion (via The Salt Lake Tribune) link

Films with faith-based themes big at Oscars in 2010 (via Foxnews.com) link

Atheists, agnostics put ads in buses in Detroit (via freep.com) link

Darwin foes add global warming to targets (via nytimes.com) link

Learning from the Sin of Sodom (special mention to World Vision) (via nytimes.com) link

Papal aide linked to Vatican gay prostitution ring (submitted by Lawrence Salmingo and The Skyline Bugoy, via Irish Times) link

‘Idol’ finalist Jermaine Sellers: “It wasn’t in God’s will” (via USA Today) link

Let’s make this a daily feature!  Submit your recent news links in the forums (The News Thread) and we will post the new/interesting ones here daily.

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Bibles-for-porn stunt draws crowd at UTSA (submitted by Twin-skies, via Friendly Atheist, My SA News)  link

Catholic Church seeks ban on condom ads (submitted by innerminds, via Inquirer.net) link

Higher IQ linked to liberalism, atheism (via UPI.com) link

Bishop to CBCP: Issue SOS for rain (via abs-cbnnews.com) link

Anti-gay pastor Uganda shows evils of homosexuality…by broadcasting hardcore gay porn in church (submitted by Twin-skies, via Box Turtle Bulletin) link

New Zealand Church Fined for Jamming Cell Phones (submitted by Ixidor, via switched.com) link

Atheists Invited to Vatican Outreach Initiative (submitted by Twin-skies, via Pharyngula, EWTN)  link

False Gay Marriage Rumor Sparks Kenyan Riots (submitted by Twin-skies, via Gay City News)  link

Shame and Abuse: Inside Germany’s Catholic Sexual Abuse Scandal (submitted by Twin-skies, via Der Spiegel) link

Should US Foreign Policy Get Religion? (via Washington Post) link

Last week there was this short-lived but hilarious Facebook phenomenon called the Movement To Stop Filipino Freethinkers. It was a fan page announcing that the Filipino Freethinkers, while claiming to promote reason, are actually attacking Christianity.

For some reason a lot of FF members jumped in to become fans and quickly dominated and hijacked the page, quoting disagreeable Bible verses and posting status messages using extreme fundie talk. Not surprisingly, some people actually thought they were serious, and the comments ranged from “Thank you sir, let us continue to spread Christianity” to “You are stupid and ignorant people. There is no evidence of your god”. And I guess that proves Poe’s Law, which states:

Without a winking smiley or other blatant display of humor, it is impossible to create a parody of Fundamentalism that SOMEONE won’t mistake for the real thing.

It was crazy, with freethinkers besting each other’s satire. But I guess all good things must come to an end, and after about two days, the page was removed. Well, it was fun while it lasted.

Whoever was behind the Movement certainly did not expect this to happen. I’m sure they had noble intentions of doing God’s work in saving lost souls. However, they were dead wrong in their strategy, because religion only works when information is controlled by those in authority, where valid questions are conveniently silenced by “our minds are too finite to grasp God’s infinite wisdom”.

But once a religious group challenges freethinkers, it must be prepared to make arguments based on reason and science because dogma and doctrine are not recognized as authority.

Now some theists might say that freethinkers also appeal to authority like Wikipedia as if it was an infallible doctrine. But the truth is, scientific authority differs from religious authority in the sense that it is “willing to be challenged, although normally we would not go around challenging every one all the time. It is the willingness to be challenged that is important”. Moreover, Wikipedia gives sufficient notice when an article lacks citations or references, meaning its content might be questionable.

Are the religious authorities willing to be challenged as well, or will they be reverting to “we are not in a position to question God” when confronted with contradictions between certain Bible passages and reality and even between Bible passages themselves?

Long-held scientific theories are quickly discarded like yesterday’s paper as soon as contradicting evidence is found. However, the same cannot be said about religious ‘truths’ (remember Galileo?).

As such, any attempt to proselytize the Filipino Freethinkers will only be a waste of time, which would be better spent praying for divine enlightenment.  If there is an omnipotent deity, he doesn’t need second-rate evangelists spewing out pseudo-reason in order for humanity to hear and accept his word. But to the theist who truly attempts to embrace reason, you are very much welcome to discuss with us. We respect your right to your dogma-based belief for as long as you don’t try to shove it down our throats. And if you are willing to play by the rules of logic, we shall answer your questions as truthfully as we can. Try us, and it will be a great learning experience if what you are seeking for is the truth.