tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post6830325125642723545..comments2023-10-24T04:29:23.693-06:00Comments on Atheist Ethicist: The Golden Compass and Religious CriticismAlonzo Fyfehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-18949339126333102112007-12-13T15:34:00.000-07:002007-12-13T15:34:00.000-07:00traversActually, I said that abuse requires malici...<B>travers</B><BR/><BR/>Actually, I said that abuse requires malicious intent or negligent disregard for the welfare of a child.<BR/><BR/>Some people claim that beating a child or molesting a child does no harm. However, these are examples of epistemic negligence. They have no reason to believe these, and they are surrounded by evidence that it is not true.<BR/><BR/>It is not, however, epistemic negligence to adopt a huge portion of the people around you. The belief may still be wrong, but it is not negligence.<BR/><BR/>If doctors prescribe a medicine for your child that turns out to be harmful, the fact that you did not believe the medicine was harmful, and the belief was no fault of your own, makes you immune from the charge of child abuse.<BR/><BR/>Please note that in this example you did not form your belief that the medicine was harmless as a result of sound reason. You formed it as a result of listening to a socially accepted authority figure. That is also how many people get their beliefs on religion. So, again, this provides a shield against a charge of negligent disregard for the welfare of the child.Alonzo Fyfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-2220652897449053822007-12-13T12:20:00.000-07:002007-12-13T12:20:00.000-07:00I take issue with saying that in order for somethi...I take issue with saying that in order for something to be child abuse it has to come from maliciousness of neglect. If I hit a child with the intention of teaching him, I am still hitting the child, and is still abuse. Ignorance of negative consequences doesn't make them go away. Hell, the folks at NAMBLA claim that children are innately sexual and that they are best served by being molested... many of them even believe it. In some ways I believe that religion is much the same.logic11https://www.blogger.com/profile/12389178588378847862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-16458486267972906252007-11-21T22:25:00.000-07:002007-11-21T22:25:00.000-07:00Not an atheist myself. Raised Christian, worked as...Not an atheist myself. Raised Christian, worked as a minister for a few years, currently teaching literature. I just wanted to say that I think it blows that the film got watered down from the books - I believe the value of works like this is that it gives opportunity to test one's beliefs, be they in a God or none at all. We need those sorts of challenges, whoever we are and whatever ideology we espouse. A crisis of faith is a good thing in my mind. Kudos for your stand.Mike Perschonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09335943113292616702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-67077460703278792222007-11-21T20:05:00.000-07:002007-11-21T20:05:00.000-07:00I've been an atheist most of my life (I'm now 34) ...I've been an atheist most of my life (I'm now 34) and I've never once felt offended or victimized for being such. <BR/><BR/>Those who do, I believe, suffer from the pervasive "victim mentality" that afflicts other special interest groups. <BR/><BR/> I live in California, so maybe it's just about my location. <BR/><BR/>However, my least favorite character trait is ingrattitude, so I'm particularly bothered by whiny people who play victim unless they have some genuine grievence. <BR/><BR/>Atheism as victim seems childish. I bought into it at one time when I was really reading a lot of atheist/anti-religious books and spending my afternoons posting at Infidels. Now it seems terribly silly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-71503961548642250222007-11-21T19:57:00.000-07:002007-11-21T19:57:00.000-07:00doug s.Complain . . . loudly . . . about those who...<B>doug s.</B><BR/><BR/>Complain . . . loudly . . . about those who resort to bullying and sophistry to make their voice the only voice that gets heard, and about those who are aware of this evil but seem to content to submit to the demand that they do or say nothing in protest.Alonzo Fyfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-90784935977336149112007-11-21T18:13:00.000-07:002007-11-21T18:13:00.000-07:00So, as a New Atheist... how the hell do I take a s...So, as a New Atheist... how the hell <B>do</B> I take a stand here?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-47612814138554851422007-11-21T12:58:00.000-07:002007-11-21T12:58:00.000-07:00A very good teenager-level trilogy of novels, I wo...A very good teenager-level trilogy of novels, I would call them anti-clerical rather than atheist. Pullman is an atheist, yes, but the stories are populated by soul-like animals, angels, witches, priests and god.<BR/><BR/>Kevin Smith's Dogma was perhaps similarly anti-clerical. How did that do?Joe Ottenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18380362092159905533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-89053924312376349072007-11-21T05:21:00.000-07:002007-11-21T05:21:00.000-07:00Tom ReesThis blog post is not about "defending the...<B>Tom Rees</B><BR/><BR/>This blog post is not about "defending the movie".<BR/><BR/>This blog post is about condemning a culture of, "Once this film gets mis-labeled as 'atheist', no-one will see it."Alonzo Fyfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05687777216426347054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-33174643092838426622007-11-21T02:24:00.000-07:002007-11-21T02:24:00.000-07:00Golden Compass (northern lights here in the UK) is...Golden Compass (northern lights here in the UK) is not and never has been an atheist book/film. So it would be wrong for atheists to start promoting it - that would simply reinforce the false image that the Catholics are trying to project. Once this film gets mis-labeled as 'atheist', no-one will see it. As far as I can make out, the mainstream press is not taking the bait - it's only the nutters.<BR/><BR/>Golden Compass is an inspirational film about resisting dogmatism and oppression. So of course it should be of interest to atheists, but also to religious people who value freedom and free choice. That's the point we should be making.Epiphenomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420404206189437710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16594468.post-88203373905341590712007-11-21T00:23:00.000-07:002007-11-21T00:23:00.000-07:00The main problem with trying to counter the negeti...The main problem with trying to counter the negetive response to movies like this is the overwhelming numbers of groups dedicated to censoring the media.Not only do we have to worry about serious issues like prayer in schools,we also have to worry about the less immediate, far reaching implications of the censoring of this movie.<BR/>We are outnumbered and the only way for us to change anything is to become more active.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com