On Monday, December 4, 2017, I hosted a showing of the documentary Contradiction, by Black atheist Jeremiah Camara. I appeared in the 2014 documentary that deals with theism – primarily Christianity – in the Black community. The film was very well-received and there was a lively discussion that followed. Most of those in attendance were theists and two Afrocentric individuals had some defenses of theism. One man, a local college instructor, made several comments.

It is a fascinating exercise to decide to whom we would speak if we had the opportunity to speak with anyone from history. First, I must state that I would have no interest whatsoever in speaking with Jesus Christ. I do not believe that he was the Son of God or even a particularly interesting or brilliant moral leader. The first person from history that I would like to speak with would be Malcolm X. I would ask him what he thinks of the Nation of Islam since Minister Louis Farrakhan assumed power. I would like to get his views on women’s rights and LGBTQI rights. I would like to know what he thought of Obama’s Presidency. I would be interested in getting his views on rap music and hip- hop culture. I would like to get his views on humanism among people of African descent. I would like to get his views on the relationship between the individual and society. And there are many others I’d want to speak to, too. . .

Today there is much controversy surrounding monuments to historical figures with problematic histories. This problem has been best exemplified with monuments established to honor Southern civil war “heroes.” Somewhat less controversial are monuments to former slave owners such as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, and explorers such as Christopher Columbus who helped bring about many deaths to First Nation Peoples.

However, Gregory rarely met a conspiracy theory he did not like. Indeed, the only ones he seemed to reject were those involving the Illuminati (based on anti- Jewish bigotry) and those involving extraterrestrial aliens (thank goodness!). Gregory really became unhinged with the idea that the infamous Atlanta child murders from 1979-1981 were part of a massive conspiracy. My former colleague, Joe Nickell of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry did a great deal of research on that case. He found that the evidence against the convicted African American murderer Wayne Williams was overwhelming. There was an eyewitness that saw Williams holding hands with one of the victims. Furthermore, the forensic evidence was solid. There were unique carpet fibers connecting Williams to the murders, for example. Williams was convicted by a jury of eight Blacks and four Whites. (Had the jury been all White, the conspiracy theory would have raged out of control.)

Recently, a religious friend of mine shared a Facebook posting about an imaginary dialogue between a disgruntled believer and God. The believer was complaining that God did not wake him up on time and apparently failed him in many other ways. However, as it turned out, God was actually steering the believer away from many problems of which the believer was simply unaware. In the end, God tells the believer to believe in the plan He has set for him. It is a warm, fuzzy story, indeed.

However, I would like to imagine such a dialogue from the viewpoint of a well-meaning humanist. Here it goes:

Progressive readers of this book should always strive to keep an open mind. When I started to read it, I thought that it would be just another conservative or reactionary defense of patriarchal thinking. After all, the author puts “climate change deniers” in scare quotes (p. 42) and implies that climate change is not a reality. However, as one continues to read, she can see that the author’s well- researched book is thought-provoking and generally fair.

David Silverman is the hyper-aggressive, abrasive, arrogant and antagonistic president of American Atheists. He constantly whines about alleged political correctness and always complains that many people – even other atheists – call him “a dick,” which he vehemently but unconvincingly denies. Silverman is of the opinion that atheists should disrespect theism without disrespecting theists. His view is reminiscent of the idea that Christians should love the sin and hate the sinner. The problem is that hating the sin looks very much like hating the sinner to most people. Similarly, Silverman often makes cringe-inducing statements that many theists find unacceptably insulting.

Genuine human progress consists largely in undoing the damage done to the world by inhumane biblical ideas and actions. Some of this progress is, ironically, initiated by progressive religionists. The very best example of this is the eradication of chattel slavery.

Turkey has made international headlines by deciding that the theory of natural selection may no longer be taught in the nation’s schools. Numan Kurtulmus, the country’s deputy prime minister, an economics professor and an influential member of the nation’s leading political party, called the well-established theory “outdated and rotten.” Furthermore, he expressed the idea that schoolchildren do not have the critical thinking skills to handle such an idea that challenges their deeply cherished religious worldview.

Baptist Pastor Keith Gomez, who heads the Northwest Bible Baptist Church in Elgin, Illinois, has stated that slavery allowed Africans to escape their continent and become civilized. “If it wasn’t for slavery, those folks would still be in Africa with a bone in their nose . . . fighting lions . . . That ain’t a prejudice. That is factual and historical,” he claimed.