Total Liars Club

I reluctantly admit that I have an unusual fascination with TLC – otherwise known as The Learning Channel. When I say my fascination is ‘unusual’, I’m not referring to some strange interest in poor quality television, but rather to my own incessant need to understand why anyone would believe any of the crap that’s aired on the misleadingly-titled network. The word ‘Learning’ is imbedded in the network’s name, so one would naturally assume that TLC’s programming is somehow educational.

Perhaps the network maintains its title image by appealing to ignorant, right-wing North Americans, who put their faith in the seemingly compassionate nature of TLC’s show schedule lineup. You know, the great reality shows of our time that follow such plot lines as: Obese individuals on a journey to weight loss or self-love in a diet-obsessed universe; Mormon polygamists searching for acceptance in a predominately monogamous world; moms of under-aged beauty queens looking for parental validation in a helicopter-parenting society; Fundamentalist Christian families preaching simplicity and overpopulation in a sex-obsessed, birth control-moralizing nation; and self-proclaimed psychics who ‘converse’ with the dead in a perpetually dying civilization.

Not only is the programming on the so-called learning channel not educational, it’s downright offensive to the scientific community. There should be SOME truth to a network that claims to teach something of value to their viewership. But this clearly isn’t the case, as there isn’t a single show on TLC that preaches knowledge through science. Perhaps the network should seek to become more inclusive by adding a show or two about evolution; and air it, of course, right after an episode of that family with 20 kids. Or they could take a cue from The Discovery Channel and include a show about proving the existence – or non-existence – of ghosts.

Sure, TLC’s shows are entertaining – in a dizzying, roundabout, frenetic, freak show sort of way – but they’re not even the least bit educational. Yet, I still flip the channel to watch that guy with four wives…

Thanks for tuning in!

Heather, a.k.a. The Pretty Little Atheist

Just for fun, check out the Top Ten Signs You're a Fundamentalist Christian on Evil Bible.com

**Please not that The Pretty Little Atheist is in no way affiliated with TLC (or The Discovery Channel). This is merely an opinion piece about the network’s choice of programming**

It’s a Nice Day for a White Wedding

As I briefly mentioned in my last post, I recently got engaged. He’s the most thoughtful, understandable, and kindest individual I’ve ever dated…and he’s a traditional Catholic.

I was raised in a Catholic family, just like my fiancé; but unlike him, I left the idea of God behind with Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. Even though he doesn’t attend Sunday mass or pray before bedtime, he still holds a belief in something otherworldly, and therefore, insists on getting married in the Catholic Church. When I asked why he's so insistent on having a Catholic ceremony, the only answer he could come up with was, “I like the traditional values of the Catholic faith.”

Like a good little Atheist, I obviously grilled him about his ‘reasoning’. It’s not enough for Fiancé to say he enjoys the Church’s traditions; I wanted a concrete reason as to why Catholic traditions are so important to him. After all, if I’m going to make such an important compromise that it goes against my Atheist values, then I deserve a solid answer, complete with a list of references, flow charts, and statistical reports. Sounds reasonable.

After a lot of debating (albeit, with very few concrete answers) and countless accusations of trying to ‘convert’ each other, I finally agreed (conceded?) to grin and bear it at the foot of the altar because not only will it make Fiancé happy, but both of our devoutly Catholic families.

There may be a few people in the blogosphere calling me a hack or a hypocrite, but what these people need to understand (and what I fought so hard to conclude) is that I’m outnumbered in my family AND Fiancé’s family. My non-belief makes me part of a minority; so, fighting for the chance to have an Atheist wedding is just not worth losing the man with whom I want to spend my life and build a family. I guess sometimes – as in my case – tradition and family have to take precedence over religious belief systems.

I’m sure I’ll have a lot to write about once we start attending the mandatory group Catholic marriage preparation classes. And I can almost guarantee I’ll have some choice material to share as my family and Fiancé’s family begin offering their opinions about how our wedding should proceed. In other words, stay tuned for ten months of Catholic versus Atheist wedding talk!

Before I sign off, I have a question for all my readers: Have you gone through something similar, where you had to put your values aside (religious or otherwise) to make someone else happy (or prevent a war)? If so, what was the situation and how did it make you feel? It doesn’t have to be a specifically ‘Religion versus Atheism’ debate. I look forward to your comments.

Thanks for reading.

Heather <3

A.k.a. The Pretty Little Atheist.

God, No!

It’s been awhile since I last posted anything on The Pretty Little Atheist. Life got a little hectic on my end with a very large move, a fruitless job search, and an engagement. But I’m back and ready to blog!

Back in July, I promised to do a follow-up to my last post entitled, “In the Beginning… (Part One)”. However, since it’s been a whopping six months since my last post, I think I’ll save Part Two for sometime in the near future. Right now, I’d like to talk about the book I’m reading called God, No! Signs You May Already Be an Atheist and Other Magical Tales by Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller).

I’m only a third of the way through Mr. Jillette’s no-nonsense, no-holds-barred commentary on the ridiculous nature of The Ten Commandments, and I’m so captivated that I need to write about it NOW. Each chapter accounts an atheist-inspired story; and each story is categorized into one of ten sections that in some way reflects the different biblical commandments. Each section opens with the biblical version of the appropriate commandment, followed by a brief statement disproving the need for said commandment, ending with an atheist version of that particular commandment – appropriately titled The Penn Commandments.

Here’s a brief sample of the first section of God, No!:

**The Bible’s First Commandment: Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

“The greatest thing about provable reality is that by definition reality is shared. Every argument is really an agreement – an agreement that there is a reality that can be shared, judged, and discussed. To argue over whether the speed of light is constant or Batman could beat up the Lone Ranger is to share the parameters. God is solipsistic; reality is shared” (Penn Jillette, from God, No!).

One atheist’s first suggestion: The highest ideals are human intelligence, creativity, and love. Respect these above all.**

To us atheists, this seems like a pretty tame way to start a book about non-belief. Penn Commandment number one makes sense to those of us who appreciate honesty and integrity above anything else. But if anyone in the super Judeo-Christian community got their hands on this book, those heads must be reeling with the immediate-action responses they’re taught to spew at non-believers during Sunday morning worship. Or, perhaps there are a few Bible-thumpers out there who read this first page and actually took the time to think about what it means. THAT is what Mr. Jillette seems hopeful in achieving with this book: The power to think beyond what we are told, and instead, start to question the validity of such nonsense.

God, No! is a fantastic read that includes Mr. Jillette’s first-hand experience with people turning to a life of atheism. In this book, you’ll find stories about: Why Penn thinks it’s ridiculous for a magician to never reveal his/her secrets; the real reason why Penn adores the most obvious of fake boobs; why Penn believes that agnostics are full of shit; and how he ended up eating bacon with an Ex-Hasidic Jew.

If you have the chance to pick up a copy of Penn Jillette’s God, No!, please do. I promise you, it’s worth a few laughs, sighs, and head shakes. A big thank you to my brother, Steve, for buying me this wonderful book.

Thanks for stopping by The Pretty Little Atheist.

Heather <3