Sunday, January 27, 2013

The Left Hemispheres Podcast Ep.12: All Dogs Have Hands

As always please direct questions, comments, suggestions, or discussion via email at lefthemispheres@gmail.com. Of course you can also find us on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter @lefthemispheres.

If you subscribe to the podcast via iTunes please consider rating us. If you don't rate the podcast; theists, Fox News & Deepak Chopra win. True story. Saw it written in a book.

Friday January 25, 2013

  1. LH Podcast News
    1. Swear Jar Tally
    2. LiP reminder
  2. Religious Liberty and Freedom of Thought
    1. Abdel Aziz Mohamed Albaz
      1. Free Abdel Aziz Mohamed Albaz
      2. Change.org petition
    2. Pastor Saeed Abedini            
      1. Free Pastor Saeed
      2. Change.org petition  
    3. Call your US Senator
    4. Call your US Representative
    5. Rights Around the World by Bitchspot
  3. The Way of the Agnostic
    1. The Two Faiths
    2. Agnosticism vs. Atheism - Who Ya Got?
  4. Keeping an eye on the right wing of America
    1. New TFNEF Report: Texas Public School Bible Classes Teach Races Come from Noah’s Sons, Biblical Literalism, 6000-year-old Earth
      1. Revising The Revisionaries: The Texas Board of Ed Loses Power over Textbooks
    2. Poll: Strong majority oppose overturning Roe v. Wade
      1. This tells me that Americans of moderate political and religious leanings don't speak up often enough. They allow the far right to have too much power.
    3. The Godless Geek Blog: My Favorite Show EP:09- Reptilian Overlords Ate My Baby
      1. contains the gagged and handcuffed priest 911 call and other awesomeness.
    4. Catholic Hospital argues fetuses aren’t people
      1. Elvis’ fried chicken recipe

Check out this episode!

1 comments:

Steve said...

Two errata in this podcast:

1) I realized I said "sweared" instead of "swore." That's...that's just embarrassing.

2) I misspoke during the discussion on the 'Way of the Agnostic' NYT article. I stated that "Nobody can really truly be agnostic because once the idea of a deity is introduced you either accept it, or deny it out of hand."

I should not have stated it this way and I made myself cringe a little when I heard it on the playback. What I should have said: As I explain in my Atheism vs. Agnosticism post (in the show notes), I am of the opinion that an individual who is introduced to the idea of particular god (since that is how it works, we are taught/indoctrinated) cannot simply say “I don’t know” and this leaves them in a middle ground where they take no stance. They are correct when they say that they do not “know” as this is what agnosticism/gnosticism deals with, but it leaves out the other half of the equation which is belief and this brings us to atheism/theism. Knowledge claims and statements of belief do not exist in a vacuum. Once the idea of a God that created all that is, knows all that everyone does, loves everyone, punishes everyone, etc. the individual cannot simply say they are agnostic and take some moral “high ground.” They still, on some level accept it or not and I contend if they are claiming this perfect neutrality it is a dismissal of that claim. Otherwise they would say “I don’t know, but just in case I’m going to do x, y ,z that this God commands just to be sure.” If you say you don’t know and therefore take no stance you do not believe it. You are an agnostic atheist. I contend that the word “atheist” has been reinforced as so poisonous that the entire concept of agnostic has been misconstrued as a way for those that are agnostic atheists to not have to refer oneself that way. I know since I used to do that.

Another thing I should have worded better is my use of the word “deny.” The verb “to deny” is so heated and fuzzy in these debates for various reasons. In any event I should have said “not accept.” That would have been more generalized and accurate.