Coincidences happen.
Many people I love and respect don't believe that, but they do happen. And they do not count as signs from gods, unless we're going to accept all coincidences as signs from gods.
On the Experiment FaceBook page, another blogger commented that he'd had a couple of nice coincidences since the project started.
Sep 19, 2012
Is this thing on?
Sep 18, 2012
None of the above
Which god(s) to pray to? Tim Mawson and others discussed this question before the project started. We could pray to the toaster god, for instance, though Tim seemed to feel it made more sense to pray as if one might be heard by a Supreme Being.
My answer, of course, is "none of the above." I've yet to read or hear about a god of men that lived up to the universe in which we live. It's difficult to reconcile omniscience and omnipotence with Jehovah, for instance. His acts, as described in the Old Testament, are those of a tribal warlord. He commands and blesses the activities one might expect from a band of cutthroat raiders looking for good luck omens.
My answer, of course, is "none of the above." I've yet to read or hear about a god of men that lived up to the universe in which we live. It's difficult to reconcile omniscience and omnipotence with Jehovah, for instance. His acts, as described in the Old Testament, are those of a tribal warlord. He commands and blesses the activities one might expect from a band of cutthroat raiders looking for good luck omens.
How long will I listen for a response?
Yesterday on the A P E FaceBook Page, the consonant-challenged Mr. Breeuwer made the comment below:
"I like your analogy about SETI. Shouldn't a prayer's response, in that context, be worth waiting for? How long has SETI been operational? How many responses have they received? How long are you prepared to wait for a prayer's response?"
"I like your analogy about SETI. Shouldn't a prayer's response, in that context, be worth waiting for? How long has SETI been operational? How many responses have they received? How long are you prepared to wait for a prayer's response?"
These are good questions. SETI has been listening for decades now, and they've only targeted a small fraction of the sky. Why shouldn't we keep the antennas up as well?
I have no problem with the idea of keeping the antennae energized and in position indefinitely with
Sep 17, 2012
What makes it prayer?
What makes a prayer a prayer? I wrestled with this while trying to decide whether to participate in the Atheist Experiment project. Justin Brierley read a comment from an Unbelievable listener indicating that an atheist's prayer is a misnomer, because one requirement of prayer is belief.
Sep 16, 2012
The "Atheist Prayer Experiment" starts tomorrow
Fifty atheists from across the English-speaking world are participating in an "experiment" to test the lines of communication with any supreme being, should one exist. Dr. Tim Mawson of Oxford and Justin Brierley, host of the British radio show and podcast "Unbelievable," are coordinating the project and soliciting feedback from its participants.
The project is not scientific. It can not provide conclusive results about the existence or non-existence of gods. It is almost certainly going to result in some false positives.
Even so, such a project could be a good exercise in maintaining open-mindedness, provided there is no coercion, intimidation, or manipulation (beyond the obvious hope of the project's coordinators that praying atheists will convert to Christianity).
Links:
FaceBook page for the Atheist Prayer Experiment
Links:
FaceBook page for the Atheist Prayer Experiment
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