“Cult” is the new “fundamentalist”

I have to hammer on one more thing from Sam Harris’s reply. He objects to the label “atheism” because it will chase away people who do not want to … well, read what he says.

They have read the writings of the “new atheists,” sent us letters and emails of support, are quite fond of criticizing religion whenever the opportunity arises, but they have no interest whatsoever in joining a cult of such critics. And there is something cult-like about the culture of atheism. In fact, much of the criticism I have received of my speech is so utterly lacking in content that I can only interpret it as a product of offended atheist piety.

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Cephalopod Awareness Day Alert #4

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One last compendium, I think, unless I find unusually large quantities of Cephalopod Awareness links in my mailbox tomorrow.

Sam Harris seems like a nice fellow, but very confused

Sam Harris responds to the reaction to his speech at the Atheist Alliance meeting.

Is it really possible that PZ Myers and Ellen Johnson think I was recommending that we stop publicly criticizing religion or that I am hiding my own atheism out of “shame and fear”? I would not have thought such a misreading was possible, given the contents of my speech and my rather incessant criticism of religion in my books, articles, and lectures.

It’s puzzling to be accused of misreading Harris when his misreading of PZ Myers is so far off base; perhaps my name was just tossed in as an afterthought, and he’s really trying to address Ellen Johnson’s comment. Even there, though, I think he’s mangling the point.

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Cephalopod Awareness Day Alert #3

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More cephalopods are being celebrated everywhere. Send me more!

Help Shelley pay for her education—she’s a poor graduate student

Shelley Batts of Retrospectacle is up for scholarship for bloggers, and she needs your vote. You must vote for Shelley. She once gave me a special cookie in her bed. None of the others have ever given me or you a cookie of any kind, and we aren’t going to get anywhere near their beds, so the choice is clear.

Vote Shelley Batts. The one with the cookies. And the parrot. And the nice blog about neuroscience.