Post by Tamrin on Nov 3, 2011 9:29:41 GMT 10
Sceptics’ faith is wholly with the facts
Religious organisations have a responsibility to respect the evidence, writes Glen Coulton.
LAST month, in a statement on behalf of the Churches Media Association, Bruce Robertson criticized “secular minority groups” and we believe that Hunter Sceptics Inc is one of the groups referred to.
We wish to respond to some criticisms. But first, who are we?
Sceptics organisations throughout the world sound alarm bells when people cannot produce evidence to support claims.
We challenge those who claim expertise in such things as fairies, gods, miracle cures, alternative therapies and paranormal powers to prove what they claim. We remind those making the claims that faith alone proves nothing. Proof needs evidence. Our motto is: “Seek the evidence.”
Mr Robertson wrote that freedom of religion was under attack in Australia, but provided no evidence of this. We believe there is not a single Australian being prevented from worshipping the god of his choice in the manner of his choice.
We agree with him that there is a shifting world view about the credibility of religious belief, but not because religion is being attacked. Religious belief is declining in most advanced countries, we believe, because their better educated citizens have more faith in evidence-based explanations of science than in the well-intentioned guesses of ancient writers about the origin and functioning of our world.
Public schools are meant to be secular. Mr Robertson defended the recent donation by local churches of a classroom to a public school by insisting that there were no strings attached. But he then welcomed the improved access to students the classroom would give the churches.
Mr Robertson wrote that secularism was anti-religion. We disagree. Secularism is a system of government in which church and state — God and Caesar — agree to mind their own business. The state does not meddle in how churches manage their affairs and the churches do not meddle in how the government runs the country.
Secular systems of government give the best possible guarantee of freedom of religion. In countries where there is no democratic separation of church and state — no secularism — it is too easy for one particular religion to become all powerful and persecute other, “wrong” religions. There are plenty of examples in the world today.
Like Mr Robertson, we love the great sense of freedom that Australians enjoy. But we understand that Australia’s freedom owes much to our success in keeping church and state separate.
We guarantee never to attack his freedom to believe and worship as he likes. We would even adopt his beliefs if he could produce compelling evidence of their truth.
But we deplore his attempts to deprive anyone, especially children and governments, of the freedom to act in accordance with the truths that evidence demonstrates rather than the convictions his faith demands.
Religious organisations have a responsibility to respect the evidence, writes Glen Coulton.
LAST month, in a statement on behalf of the Churches Media Association, Bruce Robertson criticized “secular minority groups” and we believe that Hunter Sceptics Inc is one of the groups referred to.
We wish to respond to some criticisms. But first, who are we?
Sceptics organisations throughout the world sound alarm bells when people cannot produce evidence to support claims.
We challenge those who claim expertise in such things as fairies, gods, miracle cures, alternative therapies and paranormal powers to prove what they claim. We remind those making the claims that faith alone proves nothing. Proof needs evidence. Our motto is: “Seek the evidence.”
Mr Robertson wrote that freedom of religion was under attack in Australia, but provided no evidence of this. We believe there is not a single Australian being prevented from worshipping the god of his choice in the manner of his choice.
We agree with him that there is a shifting world view about the credibility of religious belief, but not because religion is being attacked. Religious belief is declining in most advanced countries, we believe, because their better educated citizens have more faith in evidence-based explanations of science than in the well-intentioned guesses of ancient writers about the origin and functioning of our world.
Public schools are meant to be secular. Mr Robertson defended the recent donation by local churches of a classroom to a public school by insisting that there were no strings attached. But he then welcomed the improved access to students the classroom would give the churches.
Mr Robertson wrote that secularism was anti-religion. We disagree. Secularism is a system of government in which church and state — God and Caesar — agree to mind their own business. The state does not meddle in how churches manage their affairs and the churches do not meddle in how the government runs the country.
Secular systems of government give the best possible guarantee of freedom of religion. In countries where there is no democratic separation of church and state — no secularism — it is too easy for one particular religion to become all powerful and persecute other, “wrong” religions. There are plenty of examples in the world today.
Like Mr Robertson, we love the great sense of freedom that Australians enjoy. But we understand that Australia’s freedom owes much to our success in keeping church and state separate.
We guarantee never to attack his freedom to believe and worship as he likes. We would even adopt his beliefs if he could produce compelling evidence of their truth.
But we deplore his attempts to deprive anyone, especially children and governments, of the freedom to act in accordance with the truths that evidence demonstrates rather than the convictions his faith demands.
Glen Coulton is a member of Hunter Sceptics Inc.
Newcastle Herald, Wed. 2 November 2011, p.11