Reflections on Secularism

Religion and Secularism
1

Always great when two atheists I like get together to talk. Genevieve makes a few good comments but stays quiet for a lot. It’s a call in show format, so some time wasted just patting each other on the back, but overall worth your time. McGowan has started the “Only Sky” media channel, that is filling a gap of good journalism with a purely secular basis.

At 25 minutes, Dale mentions a guy named Michel de Montaigne, in a discussion about death. Warnock, if you don’t know, was diagnosed with ALS 4 years ago, and has been talking about facing death from an ex-evangelical perspective.

At 45 minutes, the question of the value of progressive Christians comes up. Dale sees them as “teammates” in the fight for modern values. He puts their values above his problems with their beliefs.

1hr and 25 min, Dale gives a great tip for dealing with fake news. If the source of the news stands to lose something, like status in the eyes of its readers, then they are more likely to tell the truth. As opposed to a fake news outlet that gains by saying something outrageous and emotionally charged.

They all agree at the end that secularists often make the big mistake of believing they are the rational actors in the world. First, it’s just not true. Second, it ignores the feelings of others. I hear liberals stating this explicitly, that they don’t care about the feelings of a guy in West Virginia working in a coal mine.

The values these three express are ones I try to promote here at CFI.

2

Back to topic

Secularism, as separation of state and church, is not a way for white imperialism to impose its dominance, it is a need.

The Iranian population is risking death to get it and to get the end of the Mollahs dictatorship. In Iran, even pious Muslims are in the streets.

Lebanon: this state is the antithesis of a secularist state. One belong to a religious community, by birth and it is very difficult to change. Many young Lebanese go to Cyprus to get a no religious wedding.

The Lebanese constitution impose that every state function is given to someone of a given religion. For instance, the president must be a Christian.

The population has asked a secularist form of government, but the leaders of Lebanon, who are the leaders of the religious communities don’t want to loose theirs powers and source of profit. The corruption is the main source of profit.

The situation is so serious that nothing works anymore in Lebanon.

3

Situation is changing in Iran.

After weeks of demonstration and hundreds of deaths, the Iranian government has declared that the vice squad will be disbanded, and that the law about clothing is going to be re examined.

I would say, probably not enough and too late.

4

Sounds like empty gestures. It is the Middle East, after all.

5

In fact it was a false annoncement.

6

Yes, it appears you are correct.