Atheists for Liberty News - Issue #15
Featured Article:
Atheist Inmate Sues West Virginia Prison
By Max Carlisle
Inmate Andrew Miller is suing over what he calls “religious coercion”. The lawsuit has been filed in a federal district court and highlights the continuing issue of approved substance abuse treatment programs being tied to Christian faith. A requirement for Miller to be eligible for parole is his participation in Alcoholics Anonymous and/or Narcotics Anonymous, both of which require prayer and the reading of Christian materials. This issues has been raised before, and while there are a number of secular treatment programs, they are often not approved by state institutions. They can only be used as voluntary programs for non-incarcerated individuals. Atheists For Liberty joins with other organizations to voice support for Andrew Miller and his sensible requests for a secular alternative.
Matthew Hebb, senior operations manager of AFL made this public statement regarding Miller’s lawsuit:
“Andrew Miller should not be subjected to religious programming simply because he wishes to satisfy a requirement for his release. Substance abuse programs are a great tool for people to overcome addiction, but this doesn’t have to be paired with faith for those who are atheist and agnostic. American Atheists is doing a good thing by defending this man, and I hope they are successful in making sure alternatives are available.”
Most alcoholic and narcotic treatment programs rely on the concept of a “higher power” and having “faith”. Secular programs rely on building personal management skills. In this way, secular programs ultimately strengthen the person from within, rather than tying them to an external source of strength, which they must always be dependent on.
Book Review:
By Max Carlisle
Although, “Why There Is No God” was originally published in 2014, at the height of the New Atheist movement, this book has recently returned to sitting on the required reading list for all atheists. As a new generation of religious people feel the need to inflict themselves upon society, we see the same old tired arguments being used yet again. This book is the antidote to that affliction. The full title of the book is: “Why There Is No God: Simple Responses to 20 Common Arguments for the Existence of God”, and as the title suggests, this book addresses the typical arguments that we hear again and again. “God is love”, “If there’s no God, where did everything come from?”, “Without God, life would be meaningless”…. and many more common arguments are thoroughly debunked.
This book is very short and to-the-point, and is dense in its value. For anyone who is going to be facing conversations with religous believers, reading this book is the quickest way to prepare yourself for the vast majority of religous apologetics that you’ll hear. Author Armin Navabi does not break any new ground, instead he condenses the most vital counterarguments that atheists will need to defend their lack of belief. Some readers might find it too quick of a read, or not a deep enough dive into the philosophy of belief in the supernatural, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, a surface level counterargument is often enough to thoroughly debunk religious claims. 9/10
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