$2/ £2/ ?2 where sold Issue 1 2019 The Heart of the Matter The Origins of the Abrahamic Religions In this issue: From Courtney's Archive 10 Applying Logic to the god proposition 11 Editorial 2 Religion/ConspiracyT heory 12 President's Letter 3 Eggs, Bunnies and Crosses? 4 The Kalaam Cosmological Argument 1 3/14 From Polytheism to Monotheism 5 About the Editor 15 An Island Divided (Cyprus) 6 /7 Escape from Faith 1 6/17 I'm Disorder, you're entropy 8 AAI Hero threatened by gunmen 1 8 Things Theists Say 9 AAI's Freethinking Hero 19 Religion is another aspect of Galilee in present-day Israel. They were culture which, as with clothing and early static populations: hotbeds for Editorial music, starts somewhere and then the birth of cultural movements. spreads out rather like an infectious Naturally, the faiths that caught the disease. A few millennia ago, the popular imagination became the waves Middle East was the first region with that the self-appointed 'men of god' Believe it or not, the three most the right conditions for this to happen, surfed on. These were opportunities popular monotheisms all originated initially to Judaism, then to that offered comfortable employment in that tiny circle in the 'Middle East' Christianity and, lastly, to Islam. without raising a sweat. Cushy shown in the red cross-hairs on the What are these conditions? Well, white-collar positions with job-for-life world map above. Arguably, they are self-proclaimed prophets who are security, to use the modern idiom. also the most warlike religions ambitious to gather a following need a It's unsurprising that expansion despite their attempts to represent captive audience. They can't deliver took place; that the enterprises spread themselves as peaceful. It's campaign leaflets to hunter-gatherers: like parasites through a population. It reasonable to ask why is this? You there's no letter box! And they can't do doesn't stretch credibility to suggest won't be surprised to hear that I am street preaching without a street! So, that they reached a stage where they going to suggest a possible humanity had to develop farming, encountered rival myth-suppliers and explanation. So here goes: permanent housing and townships competition began. That was the We all know how fashions spread; before faiths could begin; they need a beginning of the religious conflict that I'm old enough to remember when settled community. still plagues the Middle East today. rock and roll swept through the world Another useful condition for spreading a message is literacy. To and the girls got circular skirts that John Richards retain credibility, faith leaders must spun up to reveal their legs when they AAI Publications Director jived. Then blue jeans came in and the have a consistent message, so their music turned to beat groups. These stories need writing down. This are aspects of culture that can be becomes especially important when a traced back to an epicenter where they leader starts to get 'disciples'; he started. In the case of Rock and Roll, doesn't want his underlings deviating the origin was in the USA around from the doctrine. A 'scripture' Memphis, Tennessee where Elvis solidifies a leader's authority. Presley began his career. In the case Societies with the necessary of Beat Music, it was Liverpool, UK, features first appeared in the fertile home of The Beatles. Nile valley and around the Lake of 2 Secular World Magazine President?s Letter Welcome to 2019 Even in democracies, candidates of study, from high school to All of us at and leaders alike enlist internet bots university, that educators can use to spread their propaganda. The only around the globe. Atheist Alliance treatment for this is to educate the In a world of increasing chaos, International wish population to think critically. complex issues and divisiveness, So what?s to organize? The Critical Thinking is the only solution. you the very best. information and resources for It allows for people to have open critical thinking appear to be discussions and debate the issues. It scattered. It is hard to find a single allows for evidence to rule and bias to be acknowledged. Yet, the only I hope 2019 will be the Year for source where we can get what we dedicated course leading to an A/ AS Critical Thinking. need to proceed with Critical level qualification in Critical Thinking Really,, every year should be a Thinking at all levels. is being discontinued by assessment year for Critical Thinking but now is At AAI we receive requests for authority OCR! the time when it's needed more than teaching materials from many The promotion of Critical ever before. If you research the topic people in education. An education Thinking is essential for the on the internet, you'll discover there professor in Uganda is looking for betterment of mankind. It's a big are more entries today than even children books on the subject; a high challenge but one to which we are one year ago. We hear Critical school in Guatemala needs more fully committed. Thinking mentioned more often in activities for its students so they can the media, but there is also a new practice and learn the skills; a Join us this year in promoting kid on the block and he's a serious university professor in the USA says Critical Thinking around the world. enemy: Fake News. his medical students lack critical People just don't know what to thinking and asks where he can find believe nowadays. Spoof articles, course material to teach them. conspiracy theories, contrary It is our goal for AAI to become Gail Miller thought and outright lies get a focus for critical thinking. A place President, Atheist Alliance International repeated on the internet until we are where one can go to find out more all bemused. Sometimes it's mixed about it or how to teach it. We?re up with narrative which appears to starting this year with a project to be the new 'truth'. Political campaign develop an online interactive organizers no longer worry about program for students to learn accuracy; instead their concern is to Critical Thinking. It?s a beginning, but 'win the narrative'. we also want to work on programs 3 Secular World Magazine Eggs, bunnies and crosses? effect in the bulge of the tropics so remembrance of torture and death What is going on? those regions do not experience followed by 'resurrection'. The A collision of cultures, that's what. seasons or variations in day-length. absence of evidence means that In-between those positions on beliefs can only be maintained by the Following on from The Reason the orbit, the Earth's tilt is side-on to constant reiteration of stories. So, in for the Season in our last edition, the sun so, at the quarter and order to retain control of their flock, this article sets out to explain the three-quarter positions, the Northern the clerics promote the ritualistic weird mash-up of influences that hemisphere gets spring and fall. The commemoration of these events have produced our modern Easter Southern hemisphere gets the every year. holiday. Oddly, Easter attempts to opposite seasons from the North. After two millennia the pagan commemorate the rebirth of nature, For the early agrarian societies, origins of our annual religious and the death and 'resurrection' of spring was the awakening: the time holidays have been downplayed, but Christ all on one long weekend! of year when the temperature rose, have not completely gone away. Regular readers will know that plants started to grow, birds laid Remnants in the form of Holly our 'Western' religious festivals eggs and rabbits had baby bunnies. wreaths, bauble bedecked Christmas originated in the Northern Early men gave thanks to the deity trees and chocolate Easter eggs still hemisphere: Europe and the 'Holy they assumed was responsible for persist. Commandeering previous Land', to be exact. Why is that? Well, this replacement of winter's cold traditions is one thing; wiping them it's simply because that was the with a fertile season. Naturally, being out is another thing altogether. location of the early human cultures a period of rebirth, it was assigned To me it seems that the whose traditions went on to become to a mother goddess: Eostre from superimposition of Christ's execution the holiday fixtures on our calendar. whom we get our word 'Easter'. on the celebration for Eostre, a Those who read the December Some centuries later, the motherly goddess involved in new 2018 issue of Secular World will also Romans adopted Christianity as the birth, is a strange pairing! Wouldn't a know that the seasons, a higher state religion and imposed it Welcome to Spring Festival have been latitudes phenomenon, are caused throughout their conquered lands. a better match for The Nativity? by the Earth orbiting the sun while It's always easier to adapt an Especially considering that scholars spinning on a tilted axis. When the existing tradition than to introduce a argue about whether Jesus was North pole is pointed at 23 degrees new one, so Saturnalia was renamed actually born in June or October! towards the sun, it gets summer 'Christmas' to celebrate Christ's and, on the other side of the orbit birth, and the joyous spring festival John Richards when it is tilted away from the sun, it was morphed into a sombre experiences winter. The tilt has little 4 Secular World Magazine FROM POLYTHEISM TO MONOTHEISM The ancients had lots of ?gods?.