Cutter

The Straightdope's latest article is on how atheists and agnostics are sworn into court. Now, it isn't always easy to tell just where Cecil stands on an issue, since he uses lots of humour, but this latest article seems particularly hostile toward non-theists to me.

Just wondering if anyone else read the article and what their thoughts on it are.

Wizardry

I think this is the link:

How do courts swear in atheists?

Philosoft

I can't imagine Cecil would be unaware that, not only does the percentage of witnesses who swear to God approach 100%, the percentage of said witnesses who lie in court (or misremember) is at least 50%. The idea that swearing to God makes people more trustworthy is ludicrous. Surely he knows this.

Cutter

Yep, that's the link Wizardry.

beastmaster

Cecil should have pointed out that the affirmation isn't designed for atheists or agnostics at all. It's designed for Quakers and Mennonites who obey the command against oath-taking of Mat. 5:34-37.

The truth is that *most* godless heathens have no compunctions about swearing to "God" since He doesn't exist anyway.

Mediancat

I read that and wasn't offended in the least; it was just Cecil being a smartass. Certainly he's had no trouble in the past thoroughly examining sacred cows of Christianity (and yes, I know that's a mangled metaphor):

Jesus' existence/shroud of Turin

Why is Christmas on Dec 25?

Who wrote the Bible? -- although this is by various underlings rather than Cecil himself.

Rob aka Mediancat

Mediancat

I also need to point out that this is not Cecil's "latest" by any stretch; the Straight Dope website posts reprints of old articles once or twice a week.

This one's over 20 years old, from June 1981.

Rob aka Mediancat

Cutter

Mediancat, yeah I know Cecil's a bit of a wise ass (hell, that's why I read Straightdope ). And yes I have seen him take the mickey out of religion a few times. But this article seemed a bit more vicious than any other I've read before.

(I didn't realise it was that old either. I'm a relative newbie to Straightdope).

Mediancat

Check up the backlist of the archives; what I provided is only a small sampling, and he's every bit as vicious on occasion to believers as I think you're perceiving he is to atheists here.

In the "Why is Christmas on December 25" question, for instance, he writes, "

"One theory holds that this is the right date, postulating that Zachary was high priest and that the Day of Atonement fell on September 24, ergo, John the Baptist was born on June 24 and Christ dropped in exactly six months later on December 25. Modern scholars use this theory to get laughs at cocktail parties."

I don't think he's an atheist; but I also don't think he's any more hostile towards us than he is to the rest of mankind. Put him in the same category you'd put, say, Martin Gardner; a great skeptic of all things, including religion, but not an unbeliever.

Rob aka Mediancat