Now that PZ Myers has publicly refused to withdraw and apologise for his defamatory smear that I am defending and providing a haven for rapists, it is clear that the consequences of this smear will not be resolved quickly. So be it.
I will continue to address PZ’s smear until it is resolved, and also what led him to concoct it – my series of posts about recent media misrepresentations of the atheist movement, and PZ’s role in the culture of demonising good people.
As I do that, I will be regularly updating this page as a resource, with context and links to a chronology of some of the actual work done within the atheist movement and the harm and injustice caused by PZ and some of his associates.
I am confident that we will move beyond these smears. The first step is to stand up to them and correct them. I hope that some of PZ’s associates (and maybe even PZ) will read what I have actually written here, and will not rely on the misrepresented versions reported elsewhere.
While many of the examples of work here refer to work done by Atheist Ireland, please see that as reflective of similar work done by many local, national and international atheist groups and advocates around the world, some in considerably harder circumstances than we face in Ireland.
Contents
1. The World Atheist Convention in Dublin
2. Promoting atheism, reason and science
3. Promoting inclusivity and ethical atheism
4. Promoting social justice through secularism
5. Misrepresentations of the atheist movement
6. Recent misrepresentations in mainstream media
7. Ophelia Benson misrepresents my review
8. Adam Lee’s misleading Guardian article
9. The smears start to be directed against me
10. PZ Myers concocts the smear that I defend rapists
11. Some associates of PZ join in with his smears
12. Demythologising the rifts
1. The World Atheist Convention in Dublin
The World Atheist Convention in Dublin in June 2011, hosted by Atheist Ireland, adopted the Dublin Declaration on Secularism and the Place of Religion in Public Life.
The World Atheist Convention also formalised the restructuring and relaunch of Atheist Alliance International, as a truly international advocacy group for atheism and secularism.
Atheist Alliance was founded in America in 1991. It gradually added new affiliates, including groups from other countries, and in 2001 changed its name to Atheist Alliance International. In 2011 it agreed to split into two separate organisations.
One would be named Atheist Alliance of America, and would consist of the America-based affiliate groups of the previous AAI.
The other would retain the name Atheist Alliance International, and would consist of all of the groups from every country, including America, all involved as equals.
Atheist Alliance International now has UN consultative status, and does a great deal of patient, hard, sometimes dangerous work to protect atheists and promote secularism in the developing world, with its often overt theocracies, and to protect and advance secularism in the developed world, which is typically more democratic.
2. Promoting atheism, reason and science
February 2013 – If you believe in both science and religion, you are not doing either properly – Debate at UCC.
September 2013 – Teaching about atheism in Irish primary schools. Interview on CKNW Vancouver.
October 2013 – Does God Exist? Debate with David Glass in Newtownabbey.
November 2013 – Religion Harms Society. Speech at The Oxford Union.
March 2014 – Do we need God for morality? Debate on BBC Radio Ulster Sunday Sequence.
August 2014 – Why I am openly atheist and secular. Contribution to Freedom From Religion Foundation Out Channel.
October 2014 – Is Islam a religion of peace? Debate at NUI Galway.
October 2014 – Is there a god? Talk with Hindu Swami Purnananda at UCD Philosophy Society.
3. Promoting inclusivity and ethical atheism
July 2012 – Why atheist and skeptic groups should be inclusive, caring and supportive. In which I argued that people on both sides of recent disagreements had been victims of unfair personal attacks, and suggested ways to address the problems.
August 2012 – Speaking out against hate directed at women. As part of Amy Roth’s series on Skepchick, I analysed online sexual harassment of women in various communities and the need to tackle this problem.
August 2012 – A draft Manifesto to promote Ethical Atheism. In which I proposed ways to promote reason, critical thinking, science and atheism; natural compassion and ethics; inclusive, caring atheist groups; and fair secular societies.
August 2012 – 1,500 Women Speakers Worth Listening To. Over 1,500 women, from around the world with different areas of expertise, who would make excellent speakers at atheist, skeptic, scientific or human rights events.
January 2013 – Thunderf00t’s inflammatory video of misleading personal attacks on atheist feminists is not helpful. In which I defended the atheist community generally, and Amy Roth, Rebecca Watson, PZ Myers and Melody Hensley in particular, against various allegations.
April-May 2013 – Atheist Skeptic Dialogue. This was an unsuccessful attempt to address various disagreements through online dialogue. It was moderated by me, Monette Richards and Skep Tickle.
4. Promoting social justice through secularism
April 2013 – Should priests report child rape? Debate on RTE with a priest who insists that he would not report the rape of a child to the Gardai if he heard about it at confession.
June 2013 – Dublin Declaration on Secularism Empowering Women 2013. Adopted by Atheist Ireland’s international conference in Dublin on Empowering Women Through Secularism.
October 2013 – Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Without Discrimination. As part of the ESC Rights Initiative and Equality and Rights Alliance, Atheist Ireland argues for protecting the rights of the vulnerable in an ethical secular state.
July 2014 – UN Human Rights Committee tells Ireland to stop breaching the human rights of atheists and minority faiths, and vindicates all of the complaints raised by Atheist Ireland when we briefed the Human Rights Committee in Geneva.
August 2014 – The Catholic belief system in Ireland and human rights abuses from child abuse to symphysiotomy. Powerful extract from the closing address of Nigel Rodley, Chairperson of the UN Human Rights Committee questioning Ireland.
September 2014 – Atheist Ireland Submission to UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The same process (under a different treaty) as the one where we briefed the UN Human Rights Committee on Civil and Political Rights in Geneva.
October 2014 – Atheist Ireland’s human rights recommendations now online on the OSCE website. Includes our formal statements plus the Dublin Declarations on Secularism and Religion in Public Life 2011 and on Secularism Empowering Women 2103.
November 2014 – Atheist Ireland’s achievements in 2014. Atheist Ireland’s 2014 breakthroughs in international lobbying at the UN and OSCE, and ongoing national lobbying on secular education and healthcare.
5. Misrepresentations of the atheist movement
August 2013 – Richard Dawkins and Islam: Debate on BBC Radio with Daniel Trilling. I debated Daniel Trilling of New Statesman (soon to be editor of New Humanist) about Trilling’s criticism of recent comments by Richard Dawkins about Islam.
November 2013 – Richard Dawkins’ nuanced memoir and the unjust personal smears against him. I reviewed Richard’s memoir and analysed smears against him by Daniel Trilling, The Times, Huffingtom Post, Salon, PZ Myers and Rebecca Watson.
June 2014 – Are New Atheists Shallow and Dangerous? I debated Dr Robert Grant of TCD Philosophy Department on Newstalk Radio’s The Right Hook, presented by George Hook.
July 2014 – Are New Atheists Shallow and Dangerous? I debated Dr Robert Grant of TCD Philosophy Department for a second time, this time on BBC Radio Ulster’s Sunday Sequence.
July 2014 – The most recent example of some people uncharitably misinterpreting Richard Dawkins. I analysed some smears against Richard Dawkins based on some tweets that he published.
6. Recent misrepresentations in mainstream media
August 2014 – The demonising of Richard Dawkins, and the normalising of casual defamatory smears. My response to various issues including a Guardian article smearing Richard by Eleanor Robinson, who the day before tweeted that she won’t rest until Richard is known as a widely reviled sockfucker.
17 September 2014 – Recent media misrepresentations of the atheist movement, and the role of PZ Myers in the culture of demonising people. I analyse several sensationalised articles about the atheist movement, and express concerns that misrepresentations and smears are leaking into mainstream media.
7. Ophelia Benson misrepresents my review
18 September 2014 – If you respond to what I have actually written, I will be happy to discuss it. My response to misrepresentations of my previous post by Ophelia Benson.
19 September 2014 – The atheist movement is global. It is not defined by the mostly American ‘deep rifts’ disagreements. My response to a further response to my article by Ophelia.
19 September 2014 – The LBJ legend and my email to PZ Myers. My response to some tweets by Ophelia.
25 September 2014 – PZ Myers’ unfair and hurtful misrepresentations of Richard Dawkins’ comments about being abused as a child. My second response to Ophelia’s analysis of my review.
8. Adam Lee’s misleading Guardian article
21 September 2014 – Adam Lee’s misleading Guardian article about Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the atheist movement. My review of Adam Lee’s Guardian article about Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and the atheist movement.
22 September 2014 – The nine issues that Adam Lee’s response to my criticism fails to address. My response to Adam’s response to my review.
23 September 2014 – Adam Lee’s legitimate anger about harassment is unfairly misdirected at Richard Dawkins and the atheist movement. My response to Adam’s second response to me.
24 September 2014 – Adam Lee rejects my analysis that his comment seems to accept his Guardian article included some misrepresentations. My response to Adam’s third response to me.
9. Personal smears start to be directed against me
2 October 2014 – Another week, another set of misrepresentations and personal smears. Having defended people against misrepresentations and smears, and on returning from lobbying for atheist and secular rights at the OSCE human rights meeting, I returned to find myself the target of similar misrepresentations and smears, including mis-associations, paraphrasing, falsehoods, vitriolic personal abuse and suggestions that I am trying to silence people.
10. PZ Myers concocts the smear that I defend rapists
7 October 2014 – The smears get increasingly serious as PZ Myers crosses a new line. My response to PZ Myers publicly alleging that I am defending rapists (that’s rapists, plural) because certain people comment on my blog.
13 October 2014 – PZ Myers has failed five times to justify his smear that I am defending and providing a haven for rapists on my blog. Extracts from Twitter conversations in which PZ fails to substantiate or withdraw his defamatory smear.
29 October 2014 – Anatomy of a smear – how PZ Myers concocted a new smear when challenged about his previous smears. A review of PZ’s ten different responses to my criticisms before he finally crossed the line into making a seriously defamatory smear.
1 November 2014 – Yet more misrepresentations in PZ Myers’ post refusing to withdraw or apologise for his smear. My response to PZ’s public refusal to retract or apologise for his smears, even after quoting many of the opportunities that I have given him to do so.
11. Some associates of PZ join in with his smears
17 October 2014 – Thank you to Latsot for apologising for alleging that I defend rapists. PZ Myers, can you please also apologise? My response to Latsot, an occasional guest blogger on FreeThought Blogs, who repeated PZ’s smear, apologised, then withdrew his apology.
27 October 2014 – My Twitter conversation today with Latsot, who like PZ Myers has falsely accused me of defending rapists. A twitter conversation that illustrates the difficulty of communicating reasonably with the people making these false allegations.
31 October 2014 – Why Stephanie Zvan’s defence of PZ Myers’ ‘haven for rapists’ smear is not reasonable based on the evidence. My response to Stephanie’s interpretation that encompasses even the police and prosecution provide a haven for rapists.
3 November 2014 – Once upon a time, there was an apology, a non-apology and a retracted apology. A frequent commenter on FreeThought Blogs apologises to me, then withdraws his apology after Ophelia tells him he is wrong.
12. Demythologising the rifts
20 October – Demythologising the rifts part 1 – the women in atheism panel at the World Atheist Convention in Dublin. The first in a series of posts about how the recent rifts between some mostly American atheist bloggers and activists actually happened.