Newsflash: Atheists are extinct!

It really only ever seemed to be the evangelicals who thought atheists had any numbers or power in the first place and now after building us up they are trying to take it all back! It was quite amusing when after the election last November the evangelicals didn't like being in the spotlight for giving the White House to Bush and they asked the ridiculous question, "What about Kerry and the Atheist vote? "

This UPI article now says Atheism is in decline. The writer supports his opening statement, "There seems to be a growing consensus around the globe that godlessness is in trouble." With quotes from: Wolfhart Pannenberg, a german theologist; Alister McGrath, an Oxford theologist, Harun Yahya, a Turkish anti-evolutionist; John Updike, an American novelist; reverend Paul Zulehneran, Austrian theologist; and reverend Gerald McDermott, an American episcopal priest.

That isn't exactly a wide sampling of global opinions. If you follow the links you will see that everybody in the list has an axe to grind so to speak. Not to mention that the UPI wire service that published this article is now owned by reverend Sun Myung Moon. I was also able to find a different version of this same bogus article with a slightly different lead. This article is perfectly identical except for the first sentence that says, "Godlessness is in trouble, according to a growing consensus among philosophers, intellectuals and scholars." To truly clear this up a third version should come out where the writer puts in the adjective "theistic" before each of those three categories as well.

The "reporter" Uwe Siemon-Netto also brings up Anthony Flew, the noted atheist who saw the light. I won't even get into the fact that the solitary conversion of an English philosophy professor is the harbinger of nothing, his transformation was also greatly overblown. Then out of nowhere he dares to bring up fraudulent "Benefits of prayer" studies, and cites an imaginary 1200 legitimate studies that claim prayer gives you something more than just talking to yourself. These studies generally aren't worth bothering with but Doctor Gary Posner has a site about some of them here.

Just like the writer didn't bother to print the facts of prayer studies he ignores the facts of what is actually currently happening with the atheist population. He even pulls out the Madalyn Murray O'Hair card. So in a way I think an article like this is a great sign. It means they are actually starting to notice us and are pulling out the big guns. I am not foolish enough to think Atheists will ever be a majority in this millenium. I could care less if we lose or gain a few percentage points every few decades. I only strive for the day when the few of us who are already here stop showing such reverence to theistic viewpoints and finally speak our minds.

PS: Sorry there will probably be no updates on skepticklish for the next week while I am relaxing in the sun watching Mariners spring training games in Peoria. See you then.