Well, just like I promised on my website, I have sent out a letter to every member of Parliament asking for the right to be an Ordained Secular Minister. If you’d like to contact your member of Parliament and encourage them to look into this issue, please go here.

This is my letter:

I must confess that I am in dismay. Canada considers itself free and progressive, but in many instances, we are not. Although we are not a religious nation, I find it alarming how significantly we are ignoring the Atheist demographic in this country. Because Atheism is not classified as a religion, we are being inadvertently discriminated against.

I speak specifically of the preferential treatment the religious are given in contrast to those that profess no significant belief in a deity. Does having no affiliation with a God make a person any less of a Canadian than a Christian, or a Buddhist?

My name is Jacob Fortin, and I am seeking to become an Ordained Secular Minister, in order to be legally allowed to perform rituals and ceremonies for the significant Atheist population of Canada. As it stands, most Canadians are forced to either be married by a priest or a Justice of the Peace, without the opportunity to seek an alternative means of marriage.

In the United States of America, several secular organizations exist that allow individuals to become ordained and perform ceremonies without significant hassle. Spiritual Humanists, for instance, are a recognized religious institution, this despite the fact that they have no formal affiliation to any Deity. They simply believe that human beings are capable of solving their own problems using logic and science. This fusion of science and ritual allows individuals the freedom not to be forced into a religious setting to pursue their spiritual guidance.

This particular organization attempted to be recognized in this country, but unfortunately, our narrow definition of religion did not allow them to gain such a status. I find this a giant blemish on the freedoms and rights of the individuals in this country who do not subscribe to theistic creeds. I therefore ask your support in this matter.

I want this country to rectify the shamefully antiquated and narrow concept of religion, and to allow secularists the same rights as their sectarian counterparts.

I have sent this letter to every Member of Parliament, with the specific intent of getting your attention. I fully expect most of you to ignore my request, since the issue of Atheism is still controversial to some, and unpleasant to others. However, my intent is not to try and force others not to believe in God. It is simply to have the same right to marry others that religions do. I do not believe that such a request is outrageous or inappropriate. Please help me, and others like me, have the same rights that my religious counterparts enjoy.

I have posted this open letter on my website, and I have issued the challenge on my popular podcast. I eagerly await your response.

Sincerely,

Jacob Fortin

www.thegoodatheist.net

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Ok, as I’m sure most of you have noticed, I took an extended break from podcasting on the site in order to concentrate on some of my other ventures. Now that I finished moving, it means that we can finally go back to weekly podcasts with your two favorite atheists.

As always, you guys are free to email me or leave comments about subjects you’ll like us to talk about. We survive on fan feedback!

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If you’re already an atheist, you might feel as though the world around you is awash in delusion. You might also have noticed that although a large number of people find comfort is the fanciful notions of religion, there are others that are entangled in guilt, pain, or violence because of it. The thought may have crossed your mind that a powerful and organized movement is required against religion to free mankind of their bondages of faith.

As I write this, an underground group called “Anonymous” is waging a war against Scientology, a rather recent inductee in the world of organized religion. Unlike most of their brethren, however, Scientology is aggressive and litigious against detractors, and this has spurred hackers and youthful protesters into action. They organize rallies, publish stories and videos, all in an effort to expose the morally questionable behavior of the “church”. So the question arises: should other similar movements be created to discredit and attack religion?

This is a tricky question, mostly because although we are loath to admit it, ideological movements, no matter how well intended, can often fall prey to the machinations of tyrants, who in turn use the momentum and frenzy to gain power. The persecution of religion has a tarnished and rather violent history, especially when these movements were subject to mob will. Ideologues, religious or not, are still dangerous, no matter how noble their original intent may be.

That is not to say that we should remain silent regarding the infantilization of mankind by organized religion, who all generally regard the world of the imaginary as more important, and more real, than the material world. Often, these religions become cults of death, focused almost entirely on a person’s immortal life, rather than the short time they actually do possess. We do need an organized movement, not to fight against religion, since this can only create violence, but rather fight for the rights of individuals NOT to believe.

We must be as visible as possible, to show that a real alternative to religion exists. Atheism is generally mistrusted, since most individuals feel as though it is hopeless and dark. They fail to realize that by embracing the material world, our focus is not on what to do with our immortal souls, but rather how to live well during the brief time we have have here on earth. We need to portray Atheism not as a counter-culture movement, but as the natural progression of belief (or, more accurately, unbelief). Just as our ancestors clung to the primitive myths available to them, many of us retain this need to believe that something, or someone, larger than us is watching out for us. But the powerful desire for this to be true makes it no more true than any other intense dream. This is what we need to convey.

Many of you that have asked me countless times: where do we go from here? Although it seems unfair for us to admit, each unbeliever is a representative of Atheism. The actions of one are interpreted as the whole. As such, it is important to maintain both an austere attitude and demeanor, to demonstrate that Atheism is not the end of hope, but a new one: that although no god may be looking out for us, we can look out for one another instead.

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If you’re like me, you use Facebook to keep in touch with friends and find people you haven’t talked to in years. But in restrictive, religious countries, the site has a reputation for being a “lustful hotbed of activity”. That’s why a young Saudi Arabian woman was murdered by her father, who caught her having a conversation with an unknown man. He beat and then shot his own daughter, presumably an honor killing, simply for having innocent conversations over the internet.

Firstly, I’m not sure about you, but I’ve never had a “hot and lustful” conversation on Facebook, much to my dismay. I normally just wish people a happy birthday, and occasionally try and organize a house party. The clerics who claim that Facebook is a place debauchery place have more than likely never visited it.

Secondly, even if it was a place where young people were sharing naughty messages, what is the harm in that? Sexy notes shared between two forbidden lovers makes for great story telling. We can all identify with a love that was never meant to be, and sometimes, fantasizing about what could be is the only thing that makes our dreary lives bearable.

I’m always personally outraged every time an ignorant and highly religious man kills his own flesh and blood for some mistaken ideal. Although I have no children of my own, it blows me away that a person’s own protective instincts towards his children could so easily be ignored over the delusion that an invisible cloud deity would seriously care that one’s daughter is on Facebook.

There is something terribly wrong with a religion that places outdated and dangerous concepts, such as “family honor” over the lives of others. My disappointment is always furthered by the non existent protestations of moderate Muslims, who seem to regard such matters as being private, rather than symptomatic of the deeply violent nature of their faith.

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