* Why People Believe Weird Things by Michael Shermer

Why People Believe Weird Things

Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of our Time
Submitted by Kahalachan
22nd July 2007

---

Shermer prefaces Why People Believe Weird Things with a brief anecdotal tour of his pseudoscientific and mystic encounters along with an introduction of what his book will entail. Science and skepticism is defined, not as an object, but as a process of discovering provisional and tentative truth. Science and pseudoscience is contrasted by their methods of change and manner in which ideas are supported. Ubiquitous logical fallacies and problems in pseudoscience are presented and defined.

Pseudoscientific concepts and superstitions are exposed as products of natural phenomena, chance, group think, and dogmatism. Near death experiences, alien encounters, and cult-like behavior are among the issues explored. The evolution and Creation controversy is given attention, not as scientific rivals, but as different modalities in supporting conclusions. The remarkable paralells drawn between Creationism and holocaust denial offer an avenue for a transition to the next section of the book.

Shermer investigates holocaust denial and describes the differences between history and pseudohistory. Photographic and documental evidence is provided within the book to serve as powerful evidence, in conjunction with the historical narratives and statistics, to support the notion that the holocaust happened as reported. Shermer's book closes with a discussion on how even highly intelligent individuals can still fall prey to irrational thinking; yet he provides an optimistic conclusion that hope can be channeled with reason to provide a better future.

One of the main strengths of Why People Believe Weird Things is that it can be digested by a wide audience, spanning from the layperson to the scholar. Shermer clears up misunderstandings concerning the naive opinions about science and history, as well as the misconceptions skeptics may possess about proponents for pseudoscientific and pseudohistoric claims. His non-confrontational but intellectually honest approach to many of these issues is likely to appeal to both the skeptic and believer. The book's greatest strength lies in the unbiased and rational assessment of differing convictions.

Conversely, the book's greatest weakness is that it primarily answers the "what" and not the "why" of weird beliefs, with the exception of the beginning and the end. An initial glance at the title might presuppose one to assume that a comprehensive psychological or sociological evaluation will be presented, when this is not the case. Shermer provides sufficient, but not an in depth, analysis of why people believe in weird things. Depending on one's expectations, this book may fall within the range of moderate to excellent.

Overall, one would be remised if they did not read this book and gain from its enlightening and informative content. I consider Why People Believe Weird Things to be such a triumph, that it is the closest possible text to serve as a skeptic's manual.

* International Humanist News

Fighting for the Rights of the Non-Religious

Submitted by admin on 23 November, 2007 - 13:04. IHN 2007.3 November | Separation of religion & state | International Humanist News

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) annual meeting on democratic institutions and human rights, held in Warsaw in September 2007, started with sessions on tolerance and freedom of religion and belief.. There were many contributors speaking on behalf of religious organisations, but the interests of the non-religious were represented only by the European Humanist Federation (EHF) and the British Humanist Association (BHA).

Strenuous efforts are now being made by religious leaders at the international level to attack secularism and to protect religions against so-called “defamation”. No satisfactory definition of “defamation of religion” has been advanced, but secularists fear that this is simply an attempt to limit the right to criticise religion and abuses carried out or justified in its name. Although the initiative for this attack on free speech originated with Muslim leaders and groups, who coined the term“Islamophobia”, the Roman Catholic Church and other churches in Europe have leapt enthusiastically onto the bandwagon with accusations of “Christianophobia”. Religious groups, which already have privileged positions, and some of which vigorously suppress opposition when they are in positions of power, are now trying to cast themselves as victims.

For example, the OSCE meeting heard the following contribution from Vatican representative, Monsignor Anthony R. Frontiero:

Demonizing Christianity, or deliberately mocking and undermining central tenets of the Christian faith as a means to promoting the rights of other groups is a clear and flagrant contradiction to the religious freedom and mutual respect that all people should enjoy, not to mention to the work of building a more just and peaceful community. Such practices must be seen for what they are: a subversive attempt to dismantle the progress made thus far in the promotion of tolerance and non-discrimination.

This resembles some of the comments we have seen in the wake of the Danish, and now Swedish, cartoons of Muhammad. Yes, they argue, of course free speech must be upheld, but it must not go so far as to offend the sensibilities of religious believers. If it does, it is an attack on the human right of freedom of religion! “Respect” must be automatically accorded to religious beliefs and believers.

In fact, away from the rarefied atmosphere of international conferences, religious leaders are often anything but respectful towards other religions. (This is hardly surprising in view of their conflicting doctrines.) An extreme example is found in Saudi Arabia, where no religion other than Islam is allowed to be preached or practised. And freedom of religion has little meaning in countries that still maintain a law against blasphemy or even apostasy.

When it comes to atheists, agnostics and Humanists, almost no holds are barred. At the OSCE Conference, Vera Pegna of the EHF called attention to the fact that hate crimes were always preceded by hate language which, in turn, preceded and fed prejudice and stereotypes. The widespread use of hate language and stereotypes against Jews in Europe had justified centuries of persecution and made the Holocaust possible. A similar smear campaign against the non-religious had been going on for over 20 centuries and was still current.

In a submission on behalf of the BHA, Hanne Stinson also took up this theme, referring to the Catholic Catechism and to the rhetoric and death threats emanating from some Muslim groups, in particular against apostates. She also instanced the many well-respected and moderate religious leaders who regularly declared that there could be no morality without religion, or who linked secularism with Stalin, Hitler and Pol Pot.

Hanne pointed out that, in work of the OSCE and many countries on social cohesion and inclusion, the focus tended to be on faith, faith communities, and faith leaders (who were rarely truly representative of the people they claimed to represent), and on interfaith and multi-faith considerations. We certainly had a multicultural society, and a pluralist society, but our society did not only include a variety of different faiths, but also a large number of people with non-religious beliefs. If we wished to work on social cohesion and address exclusion, hatred and hate crime, we needed to involve the whole community, not just the religious.

David Pollock of the EHF made a similar point in his submission, which is reproduced as one of the succeeding articles.

Diana Brown is the current editor of International Humanist News

Man is a Religious Animal. He is the only Religious
Animal. He is the only animal that has the
True Religion—several of them. He is the
only animal that loves his neighbor as
himself and cuts his throat if his
theology isn’t straight.
~ Mark Twain

Those who can make you believe absurdities
can make you commit atrocities.
~ Voltaire

Tentmaker

Men never do evil so completely
and cheerfully as when they do it
with religious conviction.
~ Blaise Pascal

Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst.
~ C.S. Lewis

* Will The Golden Compass Turn Kids Into Atheists? ... and so what if it does?

"As part of a two-month protest campaign, the Catholic League has called for a boycott of the film. They believe that while the religious elements of the film will be "watered down" from the source novels, it will still encourage children to read the series, which League president William A. Donohue says "denigrates Christianity" and promotes "atheism for kids", citing author Pullman as saying that he is "trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief."

"The Golden Compass is a forthcoming fantasy film based upon Northern Lights (titled The Golden Compass in the US), the first novel in Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials, slated for release on December 7, 2007 by New Line Cinema."

Watch the trailers ...

"In October 2007, the Catholic League called for a boycott of the film. Several key themes of the novels, the rejection of organized religion and the abuse of power in a fictionalized Catholic Church, are to be diluted in the adaptation. Director Weitz said "in the books the Magisterium is a version of the Catholic Church gone wildly astray from its roots" but that the organization portrayed in his film would not directly match that of Pullman's books. In an attempt to avoid a religious backlash, the Magisterium will instead be a critique of all dogmatic organizations. Weitz said that New Line Cinema had feared the story's anti-religious themes would make the film financially unviable in the US, and so religion and God will not be referenced directly."

* In Memory of My Beloved Sister, Jeanie

Gone From My Sight
by Henry Van Dyke

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side,
spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts
for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck
of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says, "There, she is gone"

Gone where?

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast,
hull and spar as she was when she left my side.
And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me -- not in her.
And, just at the moment when someone says, "There, she is gone,"
there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices
ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"

And that is dying...