MY late father told me not to admit that I was an atheist ... when I was preparing to appear on the ABC television program ‘Q&A’ back in October 2010.
It was likely that Tony Jones would ask me a question about Mary McKillop being made a saint, as this was a media headline back then.
Through history atheists have been vilified.
During the nineteenth century in Britain, for example, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley was expelled from the University of Oxford for publishing a pamphlet explaining his atheism. At the time, those unwilling to swear Christian oaths during judicial proceedings were unable to give evidence in court.
Nowadays, atheism is tolerated in the West, but not in many Muslim countries where atheists are sentenced to death — presumably with the assumption he/she is going to hell. In these countries atheism is often confused with apostasy, which is defined as the abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief or principle.
I’ve never actually embraced a religion — though I was raised in the Presbyterian tradition — so I’m not sure how I could renounce it.
The idea that someone like myself simply does not believe is very difficult for many/most people to accept. But it is a fact. I’ve always looked to nature, not the Bible, for answers to the big questions. So, I’m fascinated by natural landscapes, which I feel always provide me with some solace, as well as understanding.
The coastline where I live at Noosa, for example, has a history that dates back perhaps 145 million years. I'm referring to the dolorite intrusion to the north of Granite Bay. Tea Tree Bay, just to the north again, has interesting wave cut platforms of sandstone, with abrasions called potholes - by geologists. I’m keen for a knowledgable geologist to explain how old these formations in this level bedrock are likely to be (see the feature image for this blog post) and what they might tell us about sea level change.
It is a fact the etching in a shoreline hold history, and meaning, for some people - myself included.
This does not mean I am in any way intolerant of those who believe in the presence of a God. When Tony Jones did ask me about miracles back in 2010, I replied:
JENNIFER MAROHASY: Like the Prime Minister [who back then was Julia Gillard], I don't believe in miracles but I do think that it is important that we have heroes and Mary McKillop is a hero for a lot of people, particularly within the Catholic faith and I'm very pleased that for those Australians their hero is being recognised and being recognised in the Vatican and I understand that Mary McKillop stood up against paedophilia within the church and I think it's wonderful that the Catholic Church is not only recognising a woman but an Australian and somebody who has stood up to issues that didn't necessarily make her popular back then.
So, while I’m an atheist I respect the beliefs held by others, including Christians and Muslims.
There is a media preoccupation at the moment in Australia with the footballer Israel Folau who was sacked from the Australian team for claiming that all homosexuals, and also atheists, are going to hell.
I understand that such a claim is likely to be more offensive to a homosexual who may also be a Christian, than to an atheist who does not believe in the concept of hell. Nevertheless, I suggest that homosexuals as well as atheists be tolerant of his perspective. In fact, I thank him for having the fortitude to be so upfront in what I perceive as his ignorance. Surely, it is better that the ignorant man tell us what he is thinking so that we can have some discussion about this, least he keep the untruth to himself and let it fester.
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The photograph is of me, and some potholes etched into Tea Tree Bay, Noosa National Park, and was taken with my new drone (Skido) in June 2019.
Jennifer, when you mentioned “the dolerite” are you referring to the quartz-diorite on the north part of Granite Bay’s main beach or some other intrusive dyke as there are a number of those around too particularly around Paradise cove.
I couldn't help but chuckle when you said that atheists have bern villified throughout history. That may have bern true in some places at some times, and may be true now under muslim theocracies, but it pales in comparison to the persecution of Christians, real Bible-believing Christians, for two thousand years. It really does depend upon one's perspective.
The point of Mr Folau's message, taken from the Bible, is that everyone, me , you, your reading audience, everyone is under God's wrath because of our sin. No one sin is worse than another. Focusing on homosexuality (or atheism) is just playing victim politics. Israel Folau's message is one of love and redemption. That is the message of the Gospel.
As for geological history, us Bible-believers, and those of us who who dare to call ourselves Biblical Creationists, use the same geologic evidence as uniformitarians, but it is our initial presuppositions that lead to very different interpretations of that evidence.
We acknowledge that the Bible provides a reliable history of the origins of the universe, life and events on earth. The chronology of the Bible was superbly documented by Albert Ussher back in the 17th Century (even Stephen J. Gould acknowledged his scholarship).
In fact, to understand geological history (as well as why society is in the mess it is in), one needs only to read and accept the biblical record of history. Instead, our interpretations are ridiculed and mocked for simply being consistent in our view of biblical inerrancy, in the same way we read Scripture that relates to sin and redemption.
Why do you, and most of us find solace and inspiration in nature? Because nature declares the glory of God, and God has placed eternity in every heart. But nature cannot save us.
A very enjoyable post. Personally, I think that religions are simply systems of social control. However, maybe its my upbringing but I still find it difficult to accept that this intricate and amazing natural world is there entirely by chance.
As for Israel Falau, I find it strange that liberals, who would never admit to believing in Hell or any such thing, would get so uptight about the utterances of someone who does. Why couldn't they just say, "Don't talk nonsense," instead of punishing him so severely?
[…] are thought to be formed from boulders working as grinding stones in the surf, as explained in the comments thread of a previous blog […]
The trouble is, our modern atheism is going to deny us all anything but a muslim future and that hell is coming to a place near you:
https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2019/07/islams-war-on-christianity-part-ii/
DaveR, IanL
So, I'm assuming that wave cut sandstone platform with the potholes is about 120,000 years old?
Your thoughts?
Cheers,
Hi Ianl,
The photograph was taken with my DJI Mavic 2 drone (names Skido), late in the day ... approaching sunset.
It is one of my new hobbies ... flying the drone, learning how to take pictures. I'm most interested in becoming proficient with the drone mapping software.
I can do you a map of this area, that provides me (theoretically you) with the capacity to measure depth and width of potholes and more ... but I'm still learning how to export all my maps/share them/make the 'insights' accessible. I've also been mapping seagrass beds with skido.
Eventually, for example, I would like to be able to create a single aerial map of hundreds of hectares of coral, and also be able to zoom in at the level of the individual coral polp. What I'm currently puzzling over ... and practicing creating using rocks and seagrass for the moment.
Cheers,
Great photo, Jennifer. Orthogonal joint sets well etched, with the potholes clearly defined. Even your Avengers shadow is useful as a scale !
DaveR above has some of the geology answered for you. I'm quite impressed that you asked the questions. Most people just tosspot off about "they're only boring old rocks".
My question: how was this photo achieved ? Drones at sunrise, perhaps ?