oh and welcome to cross talk where all things considered i'm peter lavelle atheism a religion that has a specific worldview and even value system what accounts for the spectacular loss of faith in much of the western world and secularism captured much of christianity is message without the organizational trappings and dogma and or a few support of the same rights as people of faith. to cross not to atheism and religion i'm joined by jason torpy in washington he is the president of the military association of atheists and freethinkers in quebec we have loans to still he is the president of the creation science association of quebec and in new york we cross to rob he is a writer and comedian on a general cross talk rules in effect that means you can jump in anytime you want and i very much encourage you jason is atheism a new religion for the west atheism simply means lacking a belief in a higher power so if so if that's what you're talking about then of course not it's a simple expression of one's of one's own personal beliefs which is more feeling than anything if you're talking about

atheism a new religion for the west. atheism simply means lacking a belief in a higher power so if a so if that's what you're talking about then of course not it's a simple expression of ones who one's own personal beliefs which is more feeling than anything if you're talking about something like humanism which is a positive expression of seeing the world through the lens of science having human flourishing as a highest value understanding ethics and you know rational approach to the world that goes along with that and making your own media one line is the prince between the two that's often what's the difference in what's the difference between the two is there any meaningful difference so the meaningful difference is that atheism is a simple war with the simple definition of a lack of belief not even necessarily something that rises to the level of denying all other religions but simply a lack of belief in a higher power in the same reason a christian doesn't believe in vishnu or hindu or vishnu or a law we don't belie

atheism a new religion for the west.atheism simply means lacking a belief in a higher power so if so if that's what you're talking about then of course not it's a simple expression of one's have one's own personal beliefs which is more feeling than anything if you're talking about something like humanism which is a positive expression of seeing the world through the lens of science having human flourishing as a highest value understanding ethics and you know rational approach to the world that goes along with that and making your own media one line of prince between the two that's often went to different and what's the difference between the two is there any meaningful difference so the meaningful difference is that atheism is a simple war with the simple definition of a lack of belief not even necessarily something that rises to the level of denying all other religions but simply a lack of belief in a higher power in the same reason a christian doesn't believe in vishnu or hindu or vishnu or a law we don't believe in an

creation or to whatever surrounds us in nature and so it's more of a position and the problem with atheism i see is that it requires someone to know

and we can get off on that tangent but we're getting away from your question which is atheism the new religion and yes i think there is a backlash and base well the material of jesus is about holland so a lot of religious stuff from the. let's go to course and so what what i'm hearing is a lot of a lot of people are having a backlash organized religion and i think that's healthy i think the thing is that someone who puts them up as a more puts themselves up as a moral standard as christians or most or what will do then set themselves up for a fall if they can't maintain a moral standard and so however i like the fact of the christianity does have a moral standard has a moral yes or a right this is right or wrong where is atheism i don't see where moral standards would come from there's no general moral but i mean the right wing was making a come from you know lawrence can't you be more involved i mean can't you be morally my atheist only or can you be moral and and an atheist at the same time of course you can yes i think that you can you can but i think there's a reason for that i th

in and why you can't refer to atheism as a religion because there's no real organization to it it'slike having a meeting of anarchists gently and i think that's how did it knows that it was headed wrong and it doesn't matter because they don't want to vote on it has but you know they do not very well they don't want to vote on anything and i think i think i guess i might list myself as as an atheist but i i like to think that hopefully there's some kind of higher power but i don't want to look at in the in the classical way of some some god like guy saying you know that rob taubes driving down the cross bronx expressway in the days going to get a car accident and break his arm i mean that's that's a real religious extremism but i just think the big problem right now in our in this country's specifically and in the world is what religion has always polarized us and separated us into war to support. these with. crystal and the next time. he went about with a nice team but more news when about thirty five minutes from now in the meantime we have quality sports update stay with us for t

well europe is a battle between faith and atheism is grabbing the attention of our debate show crosstalk which is coming up later today. first of all when many people refer to religion they refer to it as organized religion and that's a big problem with atheism and why you can't refer to atheism as a religion because there's no real organization to it it's like having a meeting of anarchists and rightly and and i think that's how do you know it's. doesn't matter because they don't want to vote on this has but you know they don't not very well they don't want to vote on anything and i think i guess i might list myself as as an atheist but i i like to think that hopefully there's some kind of higher power but i don't want to look at it in the classical way of some some god like guy saying you know that rob driving down the cross bronx expressway that he's going to get a color ax in the break his arm i mean that's that's a real religious extremism but i just think the big problem right now in this country it's specifically and in the world is what religion has always polarized us and se

and and why you can't refer to atheism as a religion because there's no real organization to it it'slike having a meeting of anarchists remotely and i think that's how do you know it's. going to doesn't matter because they don't want to vote out yet has but you know they don't not very well they don't want to vote on anything and i i think i guess i might list myself as as an atheist but i i like to think that hopefully there's some kind of higher power but i don't want to look at him in the classical way of some some god like guy saying you know that rob taubes driving down the cross bronx expressway in the days going to get a car accident break his arm i mean that's that's a real religious extremism but i just think the big problem right now in our in this country's specifically and in the world is what religion has always polarized us and separated us and torn it support. it will. soon head on moscow court has resumed hearings in the trial of the late russian lawyer said. he was arrested five years ago on tax fraud charges the died a year later in pretrial detention causing a scan

hello and welcome to cross talk where all things considered i'm peter lavelle atheism a religion thathas a specific worldview and even a value system what accounts for the spectacular loss of faith in much of the western world as secularism captured much of christianity is message without the organizational trappings and dogma and support of the same rights as people of faith. to cross-talk atheism and religion i'm joined by jason torpy in washington he is the president of the military association of atheists and freethinkers in quebec we have lawrence to still he is the president of the creation science association of quebec and in new york we cross to rob he is a writer and comedian cross talk rules in effect that means you can jump in anytime you want and i very much encourage you jason.

all of americans have absorbed the fact that atheism is a bad word. and they think -- there are a few more who call themselves agnostics. others prefer to call themselves humanists. you can be all three. an atheist, agnostic, a secular humanist, a freethinker. i'd answer to all of them. but i'm an atheist. and i think a lot of those people are, too. there is a particular group in the pew poll who won't say they're atheists, they say, "i'm spiritual, but not religious." i don't respect people like that vermuch. because i think that they've bought into the idea that to be a humanist, to be concerned about your fellow human beings, to show that concern, that you can't say you're an atheist because that's what so many people think. it's important to show that atheists who move about in the world, who get married, who love their children, who buy clothes and like makeup, we're just, we're like everybody else who's a humanist in many of our values. we e no-- >> you're just not going to heaven. >> we're just not going to heaven. we're not somebody -- no, but

the mission, the mission if you can call it that, the mission of atheism isn't to convert people butt forward our ideas in the public square. we have had some success. i'm not talking only recently but over 200 years to talk about the importance in science and public policy. there are many religious people who are opposed to fact and evidence-based thinking. here's the problem with religion in politics, not just that t have an active view in religious groups shouldn't have an active view in presenting their viewpoints. all public policy has to have a rational that goes beyond the religious. because, saying, for example, gay marriage is wrong because my god tells me so. or, a certain kind of immigration policy is wrong because my god tells me so. or, in the past, slavery is right because the bible upholds slavery. and as we well know -- there's no such thing as religion. there are only certain kinds of religion. how often it is people say, this needs to be in public policy, because god says so. >> of course, you have to confront that in the islamic world. jim writes it's important, th

it's struggling with it's not catching up to the times yes atheism is definitely one of the major problems for for catholics right now but there is also issues such as. wars again homosexuality premarital sex all of that is something that a lot of specialists in the area are saying francis now has to look at and take some steps if he wants to keep the catholic church. yes there's a billion of catholics worldwide but i think there could be more if the church these are big issues for us in trade. or i think all right thank you very much for that. well in a few minutes we report on an unseen conflict in a remote colombia a scramble for gold so with us from.

given that, atheism is ruled out as a system that a thinking, rational person could adopt.ly, people can adopt it. i am saying it rather strongly. agnosticism, on the other hand, the idea that i cannot know, is a defensible position, but for me, it was kind of a cop out. and what i began to realize is that their arguments, and they have been put forward by people down through the centuries that might lead you to the conclusion that belief is more rational than disbelief.although it is not provable. therefore, over a couple of years of wrestling with this and beginning to recognize that the world religions have a lot in common, but there is something very special about christianity and the person of christ, and that is an extremely well documented -- i became somewhat against my own best interests as a scientist a believer. >> have you ever doubted that since? >> oh, sure. every believer has to have doubt is not the opposite of the leaf. it is an element of belief, doubt, but doubt is a good thing because it lets you know what you need to dig deeper into.why is this botherin

cross-talk takes a look at the heart of a hard look at religious belief and its relationship with atheismit's very important to understand that as we look at religious people as we do interfaith alliances and atheist religious alliances if we try to wake the world a better place what we need to be on both sides of the of the equation most vigilant against is those pitfalls that are most dangerous and that celebration of ignorance over evidence and celebration of myth over reality that's something that we need to be most most concerned about and it's one of the biggest differences between humanistic beliefs and practices and and some of the you know some of the traditional religious values and some of the expressions of those traditional beliefs lawrence you want to you're disagreeing there go ahead that we suddenly have transcript of well i said i was tired dogmatically. lawrence go ahead atheists are dogmatic atheists are dogmatic about their position concerning evolution evolution is the basis of their religion it's the at least the evolutionary theory of hunters into human theory is th

understandably annoyed and they call for peter to be sort of put on trial and he dies on charges of atheism he doesn't die because he's a christian and they hate christianity he dies because you stop sex that's right it's really does that have anything to do with the history of solomon. in the early catholic church you know it's interesting so celibacy doesn't actually enforced until the eleventh century priest getting married for a really long time peter himself had a wife and a daughter. but most other christians thought that people shouldn't be getting married do we know that peter actually had a wife and daughters that just could be just as apocryphal the story is that he was crucified upside down and gave this long theological speech of you know. st thomas aquinas complexity very well yeah there's more evidence the idea that he was married so it comes from multiple sources but with the persecution stories these come from so much later and so we know peter died he's on a life today he must have died and it seems likely that he was executed but was he actually q did you know because of p

struggling with majority it's not catching up to the times yes atheism is definitely one of the major problems for for catholics right now but there is also issues such as. wars again homosexuality premarital sex all of that is something that a lot of specialists in the area are saying francis now has to look at and take some steps if he wants to keep the catholic church. ridiculous because there now to some other news making headlines across the globe reports are emerging that two consecutive bomb blasts have gone off in the browser region of iraq ten people are believed to been killed and many more injured after a car bomb exploded near a bus terminal in a shiite area of the country no one was injured in the second blast it comes just days before the tenth anniversary of the iraq invasion according to new reports the conflict has cost the lives of at least one hundred twelve thousand civilians over the last decade. the news here has witnessed its biggest rally since they're just one revolution richard through the dictatorship in the country two years ago thousands of people marched

catholic church is and is and it's struggling with indemnity it's not catching up to the times yes atheism is definitely one of the major problems for four catholics right now but there is also issues such as. such as divorce again homosexuality premarital sex all.

catholic church is and is and it's struggling with indemnity it's not catching up to the times yes atheism is definitely one of the major problems for for catholics right now but there is also issues such as. wars again homosexuality premarital sex all of that is something that a lot of specialists in the area are saying francis now has to look at and take some steps if he wants to keep the catholic church. the overwhelming majority of folks voted yes to being british in a referendum on monday which claims the u.k. has stolen the on and labelled the poll of force but london was quick to capitalise to respect the people's will something the u.k. government has failed to do elsewhere the sort of further explained. this is the story of an island a proud and spirited people displaced and a government he put it devastatingly high price paradise shockingly for many it will be the first time the stories ever being heard. live to each other and. we discovered. we had. is a british colony in the indian nation and the largest of the chaebol silent as a population of a thousand people about the same

the catholic church isn't isn't it struggling with majority it's not catching up to the times yes atheism is definitely one of the major problems for for catholics right now but there is also issues such as. wars again homosexuality premarital sex all of that is something that a lot of specialists in the area are saying francis now has to look at and take some steps if he wants to keep the catholic church. and to. be but with a new team in just over twenty minutes from now with more for you but in a few minutes we'll be talking to the former head of both the cia and the national security agency michael hayden to also give the u.s. will be peace that's after this break stay with us. there was a time in america when buses were officially segregated and today if they tried to resegregate the wall next to there would be outrage throughout the usa every t.v. channel and newspaper so segregation in america was wrong but no america funding segregation no survive a foreign aid seems to be a ok and jim dandy. arab language leaflets have been spread around west bank in palestinian areas asking resi

instantly go oh deary me look at time now there was a goat after all so i think the argument that atheism is a religion is bogus however it is still it can still be something which is positive and something which is really celebrate sharee because if you think about it you're born from nothing you go from nothing you did nothing to deserve being alive but then you won't and it really is a wonderful thing and so you know we certainly don't want critics just people in any way but we think we've got enough said right all of our own scripts i think we can agree on that sanderson johns thanks so much for being with us today it's an absolute pleasure to them good luck. after the break are you sick and tired of paying hundreds of dollars a month for some part cable and internet service that never seems to be working if so you want to tune in to tonight's daily take because i'll tell you how we can say enough is enough to poor service at sky high prices. let me let me i want to know wouldn't let me ask you a question. here on this network is what we're having a debate we have our knives out. b.b.

the only path to prosperity to talk about that and more tonight politics and you don't usually hear atheism and easter service in the same sentence britain's sunday as several is trying to change that talk to senators and jones to learn more about what some are calling the church of the u.s. i'm also the united states could learn to a thing or two from mexico and it has to do with how you're watching this show right now explain in tonight's daily take. you need to know this there is a true progressive alternative to paul ryan's budget was concert representative stole headlines monday when he announced his latest edward scissorhands plan for financing the federal government ryan's path to prosperity proposal for fiscal year two thousand and fourteen includes massive tax breaks for the wealthiest americans and cuts to vital social welfare programs like snap supplemental nutrition assistance program and also a limits obama's obamacare is medicaid expansion and exchange provisions all making no specific offer to cut the tax loopholes the pad the wallets of the super rich you know the year or th

helenes over to me and he says, jody, scientists believe that buddhism is really atheism. so i said, oh, my god, i must be a buddhist. and he said the reason is because buddhists don't believe in god. they believe that, you know, every human being has the possibility of, you know, being great. being energy. all the good things that christians or muslims or hindus are supposed to be. because of their religion. >> 1998, here you are with the dalai lama. >> yeah. >> one of my closest friends had an extremely unpleasant encounter with two men who i wish i could call gentlemen who left her beaten and naked in the street. for many years i had the greatest hope that i would run into them sometime and do the same to them or worse. then i got involved in trying to stop the violence in central america and watched what's happened to people over time who only sought violent revenge against people who have done things to them or people they love. you become them. >> where are you there? >> i think it was university of virginia. i think there were 11 of us peace laureates invited to a c

or complete atheism, which i think is maybe wrong.ch has got a lot of bad publicity. maybe they can bring in a cel celebrity like mel gibson to give out a psa. celebrity catholics. people don't go to movements, because of the leader, they go because of friends and families. that's how you get people into the church, not because of the new pope. >> i am thinking mel gibson wouldn't be tops on t list. >> that was a joke. >> buzzer beater. michelle obama, on the cover of "vogue" opening up about the president and life in the white house, following in the footsteps of hillary clinton who graced the cover as first lady in 1998. and a growing movement to brick these two women together in 2016. a former clinton spokeswoman tells the washington examiner they would be "a dream team." the website, cafe press reportedly saying sales of bumper stickers like this one, touting a hillary/michelle ticket have surged 60%. we know the whole thing is ridiculous, but we want to have fun. will this trounce the competition in 2016? will. >> so you asked me