"Be a dick!" - Russell Glasser on Ask an Atheist

In November of 2010, Russell Glasser of The Atheist Expierence visited Seattle and joined the team of Ask an Atheist for their "Ghost Hunting" episode. Immediately after that episode, Casey Doran interviewed him about varying topics including his approach to atheism and atheism's political interface.

This is an edited and abbreviated clip from that interview. You can watch the entire conversation on the AskAnAtheistTV channel:
► http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvjFCxXAPWc
The "Ghost Hunting" episode with Russel Glasser is here:
► http://www.youtube.com/user/AskAnAtheistTV#p/u/24/FvOrMRaEjUw


ASK AN ATHEIST

Ask an Atheist is a call-in show in the Tacoma/Seattle area dedicated to atheism, skeptical inquiry, and the separation of church and state. The show is broadcast live on KLAY 1180 AM in Tacoma on Sundays at 3:00 PM, Pacific time.

► http://www.youtube.com/AskAnAtheistTV (YouTube)
► http://askanatheist.blip.tv (Show archive)
► http://askanatheist.tv (Web site)


THE ATHEIST EXPERIENCE

The Atheist Experience is a weekly cable access television show in Austin, Texas geared at a non-atheist audience. The Atheist Experience is produced by the Atheist Community of Austin. The Atheist Community of Austin is organized as a nonprofit educational corporation to develop and support the atheist community, to provide opportunities for socializing and friendship, to promote secular viewpoints, to encourage positive atheist culture, to defend the first amendment principle of state-church separation, to oppose discrimination against atheists and to work with other organizations in pursuit of common goals.

► http://atheistexperience.blip.tv (Show archive)
► http://www.atheist-experience.com (TV Show)
► http://www.atheist-community.org (Atheist Community of Austin)

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• AskAnAtheistTV
• Ask an Atheist
• Seattle
• Atheist Experience
• Casey Doran
• Russell Glasser
• TV
• show
• interview
• atheism
• religion
• religious
• faith
• belief
• Richard Dawkins
• Christopher Hitchens
• Bertrand Russell
• Ann Coulter
• Rush Limbaugh
• Monty Python
• ACA
• Atheist Community
• Austin
• Texas
• TAE
• TheAtheistExperience
• skepticism
• freethought
• call-in
• Tacoma
• news
• analysis
• discussion
• debate
• yt:stretch=16:9

[PixelSlayer247]

It's unfortunate, I catch myself 'dogmatically' following YT atheists and the like, but I don't know if you can fault people for doing that if they came from religion to atheism, most are looking for a substitute for that 'all knowingness' we had in the faith, or to regain a hero that says things they agree with most of the time. I would chalk it up to 'old habits die hard' and support what Russel says about the individual person needing to recognize the change in themselves.

[TheAtheistExperience]

@PixelSlayer247

- "It's unfortunate, I catch myself 'dogmatically' following YT atheists..."

If you mean 'religiously' watching them, that's no problem. Atheism is not an dogmatic ideology, but it's a conclusion. The religious want you to believe untestable ideas that can't be know. Atheists just want people to think about things that can be known. On YT they often have a catch phrase like "Don't take my word for it, think for yourself" or "Don't run on automatic, think," so there is not dogma.

[ndrthrdr1]

Atheist ranks are growing, and these videos are helpinhg people to reason away delusion.

Excellent.

[GuacamoleKun]

@PixelSlayer247 I didn't come from a religious background, but I understand what you mean. A lot of the hosts, especially Matt, are such rational people that after a while you start to feel like you can just take their word for it.. you don't have to think about it because you trust that they've already done the thinking for you.

I'm not saying it's good.. but I think we're all sort of prone to that kind of thinking, at least some of the time.

[YaleBreaker]

@jeremythehuman The truth-value of Christianity has nothing to do with the moral fiber of some of its adherents.

If the notion that Christianity is true because it's morally good is a fallacy, so is the notion that it's false because it's morally evil.

(I'm an atheist, by the way.)

[SoEFleX]

@Benimation so is fairies, the spaghetti monster and the boogie man. 

[hellhammerz666]

@hellhammerz666 Gaaah... Part of the comment deleted.

The only reason why "being a dick" seems strident in this aspect is because....

[hellhammerz666]

The only reason why "being a dick" in this aspect is because political correctness has been used as an excuse by religious people without justification for their supernatural beliefs to veil their bogus claims from inquiry.

When you have reasonable arguments to counter a widely spread lie, it should always be welcome as a method to build actual knowledge by eliminating false information.

When there's no reasonable argument to be a dick... then the "screw you" comes into play =).

[Thelondonbadger]

@jeremythehuman Since priests have been blessed by god and the word of god breathed into them says to bone lil children.Its ratehr popular among 50+ celibate paedofiles. For obviuos reasons, your still celibate if u fuck lil boys since technicaly its not sex with a woman. :) Nuns tho... i have no excuse for.Muslims, well kidnap and rape or sell yoru daughter for cash is the way to get married.im not even joking.Tbh we should take back marrige from religons since they cant be trusted with it

[Strictlypointless]

The internet has created Religions worst enemy, knowledge.

[MeatCloud]

@WeHave2009 SCV ready