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Alan talks with David Silverman of American Atheists about his organization's controversial Christmastime billboards.
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Welcome back your microphone didn't Silverman president of American Atheists.
David is your time -- Well you know it's beginning to sound a lot like the war on Christmas again.
Tremendous failure of Reagan is on -- for second.
Now you have pretty much be guaranteed are not going to break into song.
I guess I would like that and you're born Jewish right.
Yeah my parents were originally going to naming June but -- thank -- for the Jewish sounding an opening David Silverman instead.
That's like -- -- -- come around by with an average I was ever -- really is no joke anyways so.
We -- -- give you give me an atheist at six watt what happened the age of six.
Absolutely nothing else I I was just driving in the backseat -- -- this car and I realized.
Like god and the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus world medical.
And of course you know -- as the clock it's six years old rather how you know develop and I thought process being but I remembered very clearly there was no specific events.
And a bit out of atheists really ever since then.
But today in America 90%.
-- 99% of the atheists are not involved in the movement.
And we think that a tremendous number of atheists -- closet it to their family.
What it isn't it is of the opposite a member of a movement.
It's not the opposite of a local -- the opposite of -- religion should say it's the absence of a religion but it certainly is a very.
Substantial and growing movement.
-- you've got a a campaign going this holiday season with billboard saying tell your family you don't believe in -- And they just might agree urging people to come out as in war.
Of course not to be not saying there David think -- atheists.
And vinegar.
These are obvious the legalities are obvious and and we're telling we hear over and over again I was so afraid to tell my parents are so afraid to tell my moderates -- you -- out of the house.
And then she told me why it's ultimately she told me that -- is and I used to.
Or that Italy that she didn't care or that -- -- when -- about the senate ways -- -- challenged everybody.
That -- Christian reputation.
For being intolerant to atheists is actually not as -- as we think it.
What you're doing -- though -- you're not saying everybody come on over to my -- be an atheist you're saying to people who are already nonbelievers.
To admit it.
That's exactly correct we don't care people come to our side or not.
We're here to to bring the outed that the closet -- out of the closet.
I'm never going to be able to convert RCS two atheism with a billboard we should not be trying.
And when you say have -- 37 million Americans know myths when they see them what misty you see there's a double.
And there's I guess Jesus and Santa Claus.
And I guess you're lumping them altogether there and -- -- -- Apple Biden.
Yeah Poseidon and and and we are lumping them all together because we're atheists and we we look at that -- we see format.
Because they are seeing that they are formats and if you look at a billboard of of Poseidon.
And Jesus together and you can say that one as a myth that one is not.
While -- too challenging to tell us why -- Pacific about -- about if you do you see -- different -- -- not a.
I think I I I maintain I -- I'm sure callers will call up -- this because they get upset whenever bring this up.
The Jesus may be a myth even if he's a myth though I think he's a good myth because everybody did -- Jesus preached.
We have a much better world but even it is a myth that I don't care.
Well let's just say it's safe and that he noticed do you -- -- and interest at a club you know typical July.
If all the little good if all the children in the country were good little boys and girls.
A better country -- a -- would still be.
But the point is that people who study geniuses and claim.
Or work to be Jesus like -- Christ like.
They're not doing a bad thing by trying to be that way.
The west Borough Baptist Church is doing exactly that and I think they're pretty bad people.
Please do you think the -- Baptist Church.
I think it.
These think their cries a solid Christ preached.
I think they think they're Christ like.
Well the question is how you interpret what Christ actually -- -- if you believe when -- -- curry said love your enemies -- love your.
Neighbor let you know do unto others that the golden rule if that's what your belief is.
I think you're doing a good thing by trying to be like that.
And I think that's a good -- and the problem is that anybody can take what they want an interpreted into the Bible and not what they do.
And that's why you have Christians who -- complex -- match.
And Christians who -- west Borough Baptist Church.
And Christians who are good people like you and I both know well.
And and that's the problem with that with the religion it is it's it is believed.
To be the source.
Morality when really it's just.
An echo of the morality that's already held.
And people look at that echo and they say okay well this piece that this looks like -- and now my thoughts are objective because it's in the Bible.
By the way you must have a reaction to it blows is doing.
Pulling its advertising off TLC because of the pro Muslim all American Muslim show.
I'm sure you have some thoughts about that.
You know I don't have enough thoughts about that to talk about it on the show I do think I do believe very strongly in freedom of expression.
And freedom of religion and it's if you.
I'm no fan of Islam.
They do have a right to exist in this country and I also do agree that you know they think it should be able to pull out whatever they want.
-- you -- Tim Tebow fan.
I -- not -- its.
Operating fan.
And I'll tell you -- I really have a problem with -- I mean he -- half the quarterback Tom Brady but he is more popular.
And the reason he's more popular is that he's doing exactly what we're Perry is doing which is hiding his -- -- behind his religion.
And showing his religion or when the cameras are on -- as much as.
-- I think he shows it you know that he believes that when the cameras are not alone.
I think he believes that but I think he's using those cameras.
And I think he's using those cameras and his religion to his personal financial advantage and I think it's working very well.
You think he's really have a current.
Oh yes of course I do if he wasn't ever -- would be doing it all the time.
And he wouldn't be waiting until the cameras were.
They as far as what is it true believer who really truly believes gods on his side and his helping him and he is doing the -- -- the lord's work.
You don't think as possible.
I think I anybody.
Stupid enough to think god cares about a football game.
Is not worthy over.
I think -- of that stupid frankly.
I thought -- I was like Indianapolis -- I don't know what the patriots -- kept losing and now that.
So.
Also and -- -- like Herman Cain.
Told him he should run for president right he also told Michelle Bachmann -- -- Michelle -- -- two weeks and I said there.
He's playing with money you right he's telling you both to run.
-- -- -- -- -- You know people say I heard from an imaginary friend that I wanted to try and spent a lot of money to take the most important office in the country.
We think they're -- but when they say.
She -- talk to them.
We think oh that's reasonable as a country and that's not reasonable to talk to -- You're -- at the universe -- call whatever you want the universe.
Is pushing you on a certain direction to do something -- to make a certain decision.
No.
Now I'm I'm I'm I'm pretty sure that I'm I mean I'm guided by the laws of physics and mathematics that -- the.
Yeah -- never -- there's an unusual bizarre coincidence that could not have just been random.
Now no -- -- not necessarily only random is random plus the laws of physics and mathematics that.
-- like you thinking about somebody and they call you were you run into just the right person at the right time.
-- I just saying but he had a thing as a it happens all the time and when you think about somebody and they don't call you.
You don't kind of figure that into the equation -- think of ten different people one of them cause you think -- has been good about chip.
I didn't really think about the other ninety.
Arrive in the mail -- the exact thing he needed to read that that under saying are there things that happen that make you question.
I don't -- -- vs say there's a god but -- there's some may be higher energy fours and work it may be is bigger than we are.
-- got an intelligence I don't see any room here for intelligence and I don't see any need for intelligence I do you see you know at an -- we don't believe in any sort of an afterlife.
And that's not so great okay and I wish I was gonna live forever I really do.
Doesn't mean it's gonna happen it just and I wanted to be.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- When you're dead that's it -- gun -- Course just like every other living being and the inverse.
Look at -- -- your soul there is not such thing.
Does that mean there -- no such as the -- we are here just like dogs and cats and kittens and porpoises and and -- where -- And when we die we are existence and -- that's.
We only logical conclusion based on all of the evidence to.
Tally up how the universe get -- -- something -- created from nothing.
Now -- I can sit here -- entirety you what Stephen Hawking says what Lawrence process in the end the real answer is I don't know.
I don't novel but that's not evidence for the existence of a being that breaks all the laws -- says.
The -- -- and I struggle with this myself I just I'm not I'm not you know.
I'm just kind of understand myself because I don't lenders and how we got here.
And that's -- valid answer.
That's a valid answer I don't know is -- you pollutants it.
And I personally when -- going to be here forever you went to the world's that gonna be extinct at some point.
At some point it's going to be extinct that's -- don't out.
-- -- flame out or will it will -- ourselves it will blow ourselves us.
It's gonna get really hot.
You know what and after -- -- -- I can't go anywhere -- and so we have to make the most of what we're doing right now.
We have to make the most of our secular values and our secular cells because we live in -- secular universe.
