EVER hear of bogong moths? Well, neither had I until earlier this week when I learned from Professor Greg Craven, Vice-Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University, that they are major pest in the Canberra region – and that, in plague terms, they are pretty much like atheists.
A nasty Australian critter ... and a Bogong moth
Writing in The Age, Craven said:
FROM time immemorial, this world has been troubled by plagues. From bogong moths in Canberra to frogs in biblical Egypt, unwelcome and unlovely creatures have the awkward habit of turning up in bulk.
Just now, we are facing one of our largest and least appealing infestations. Somewhat in advance of summer’s blowflies, we are beset by atheists. Worse, they are not traditional atheists. These tended to be quiet blokes called Algie with ancillary interests in nudist ceramics, who were perfectly happy as long as you pretended to accept a pamphlet in Flinders Lane.
No, the new hobby atheist is as brash, noisy and confident as a cheap electric kettle. They want everyone to know that they have not found God, and that no one else should.
Craven is particularly miffed that his own chosen brand of irrationality – Catholicism – has been getting a fair old bashing lately from us pesky atheists.
On the surface, this is odd, as there are plenty of other religious targets just waiting to be saved from a vengeful, non-existent deity. Smaller herds, such as the Christadelphians or the Salvation Army, might seem more manageable. But the Catholic Church has two incomparable advantages as an object of the wrath of proselytising atheists. First, it is the biggie. Taking out the Catholics is the equivalent of nuking the Pentagon. Guerilla bands of Baptists and Pentecostals can be liquidated at leisure.
Catholics have the undeniable advantage that they do still demonstrably believe in something. Attacking some of the more swinging Christian denominations might mean upsetting people who believe a good deal less than the average atheist.
There’s lots more to Craven’s rant, but what tickled me most was his assertion that:
In an average week of atheistic bigotry in the Melbourne media, we can expect to learn that Catholics endorse child molestation, hate all other religions, would re-introduce the crusades and the auto de fe at the slightest opportunity, despise women, wish to persecute homosexuals, greedily divert public moneys for their own religious purposes, subvert public health care, brainwash children, and are masterminding the spread of the cane toad across northern Australia.
Well, I don’t know about “masterminding the spread of the cane toad across northern Australia”, but I would say that if the Melbourne media is guilty of spotlighting all the other Catholic characteristics that Craven alleges it has done nothing more heinous than to paint a deadly accurate picture of Catholicism in action.
Ironically, Craven winds up his hate-filled diatribe with these words:
At the bottom, of course, lies hate. I am not quite clear why our modern crop of atheists hates Christians, as opposed to ignoring or even politely dismissing them, but they very clearly do. There is nothing clever, witty or funny about hate.
The Age, incidentally, has just run a poll which asked:
Do you have a literal belief in the Bible’s account of creation?
Fourteen percent answered “Yes” and 86 percent said “No”.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
November 6th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Incidentally, “No” is an answer any Catholic could happily give to that question.
November 6th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Fair enough James, but doesn’t that rant from Mr Craven make you cringe?
His astonishing lack of self awareness is rather amusing given his position as “Mostly Harmless” – it’s a lot less so though when the RC Church promotes discrimination against gays and facilitates the spread of AIDS in Africa.
November 6th, 2009 at 10:30 am
There’s a very nice rebuttal to this in the Brisbane Times:
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.a.....-hyyc.html
I like the strapline for the article:
“Having lost the power of the gun in the West, apologists of religion have a new weapon: being offended.”
Thanks to Simon Gardner at the Dawkins forum for the link.
November 6th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Sorry, here’s the link to the thread on the Dawkin’s Forum. Some nice blow-by-blow rebuttals, there, too.
http://forum.richarddawkins.ne.....mp;t=98168
November 6th, 2009 at 10:59 am
No, no, no. We’re actually just like Christians in that respect – we hate the sin, not the sinner.
November 6th, 2009 at 11:10 am
Let’s change just a bit of this: “the new hobby atheist is as brash, noisy and confident as a cheap electric kettle. They want everyone to know that they have not found God, and that no one else should.”
into this: “the christian is as brash, noisy and confident as a cheap electric kettle. They want everyone to know that they have found God, and that everyone else should.”
And this: “In an average week of atheistic bigotry in the Melbourne media, we can expect to learn that Catholics endorse child molestation, hate all other religions, would re-introduce the crusades and the auto de fe at the slightest opportunity, despise women, wish to persecute homosexuals, greedily divert public moneys for their own religious purposes, subvert public health care, brainwash children”
into this: “In an average week of christian bigotry in the Melbourne media, we can expect to learn that atheists endorse child murder, hate all religions, would re-introduce the crusades for eugenics purposes, force women to abort, wish to become homosexuals, greedily divert public moneys for their own socialist/fascist purposes, force public health care on the unwilling, brainwash children to become gay”
There. Fixed that for him!
November 6th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
I don’t hate Christians. It’s more that I find it particularly sad that anyone chooses belief in the supernatural in the face of total lack of evidence.
And if anyone shows evidence of hate, it’s Greg Craven.
Robert
November 6th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
On his point about having ago at the Sally Ann or others instead of Catholics – one side of my family were Catholics, the other Salvationists so I let fly at either with equal abandon. Though it could be argued two rival stupidities fucked up my childhood as they fought over my soul every Sunday I can’t be bothered hating adherents to either (in fact some of them remain good friends). Too much like hard work – or Christianity.
I do reserve the right to mock either, as I do Baptists, Pentecostalists, Muslims…whatever. Every time any imbecile sets up a stall I’ll have fun knocking it down.
The only thing they’re good for is a laugh. If they don’t like that they can always grow up.
November 6th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
There is a rebuttal of this by another contribute to The Age nicely called The New Crybaby Theists.
http://www.theage.com.au/opini.....-hyyc.html
It’s a very good read. Gonna head to the Dawkins forums to see what other gems people are responding with.
Good post Barry.
Edit: Just followed the link to the Brisbane Times in the above comments. It is the same article so don’t follow this one if you have already read that one!
November 6th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Prof Craven’s childish rant shows that we freethinkers are chipping away at the stupidity of religion. The religious want the right to preach hate and control people lives but whine about anybody who challenges them.
November 6th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Great rebuttals. Thanks. No facts from Prof Craven – as usual. Just the usual whining and attacking what he sees as vicious atheists.
I assume he must be a Professor of Theology or whatever. Tough on his students. I wonder what they learn apart from how to be bigots.
November 6th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Greg Craven should not be cited as proof that all Catholics are insane. But if he is trying to prove that all incurable Catholic propagandists are insane, he is succeeding beyond his wildest expectations.
November 6th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Articles like this certainly show that by speaking out atheists have got these people quite rattled. It is quite fun to watch because their arguments are so transparently hollow and in this age of comment threads this hollowness is instantly pointed out.
I like the way that he suggests that the Catholic Church is picked as our target because it is the biggest. In the highly unlikely event that you read this Prof. Craven I will put you right about this. The Catholic Church is our most frequent target because it is the most contemptable and dispicable of the whole rotten bunch. A vile bullying criminal organisation that has done more to increase the sum total of human misery than any other and continues to do so to this day and you trying to pretend that atheists are vermin does not change that.
November 6th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
…..Catholics endorse child molestation, hate all other religions, would re-introduce the crusades and the auto de fe at the slightest opportunity, despise women, wish to persecute homosexuals, greedily divert public moneys for their own religious purposes, subvert public health care, brainwash children, and are masterminding the spread of the cane toad across northern Australia.
Other than the part about the cane toad, what in there is incorrect?
November 6th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
I hate christianity but I don’t hate christians – except this guy.
and Ray Comfort.
and everyone on Fox.
and the Pope.
oh alright I DO hate christians!!
I object to being called a “new” atheist though. I’m 43 and have been an atheist all my life. Is that new?
November 7th, 2009 at 9:12 am
90 percent of the comments are telling him he is a moron! Feel very proud of my country currently!
November 7th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
When I sat on my lunch break on wednesday morning, reading the Age as I usually do, i almost spat out my tea in disgust when I read this article. I was shocked and appalled at my daily newspaper for publishing such tripe, but at the same time excited to see the responce it would get the next day. Thankfully, there was much to be said in responce to this looney bin, and none of it good! I also just had a browse on the comments left on the age website, and they were all positive too. I was also happy to see that only 14% of respondants to the poll beleive that their sky fairy created the world in 6 days, although this figure is undeniably still too high.
My faith (so to speak) has been reinstalled in australians.
November 8th, 2009 at 12:30 am
He’s right atheists are like moths.
We attack and eat away the warm, woolly, friendly, outer coat(ing) of the xtians to expose the cold hate filled bigotry at its very core.
I’m proud of my mothy duties.
(Ya I know moths don’t eat wool themselves.)
November 8th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Stand up, stand up, against Jesus
Civility has its uses, but we should not be afraid of satire and mockery as weapons against religious power
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comm.....on-atheism
November 20th, 2009 at 9:54 am
The professors ad hominem attacks are most certainly grounded in logic, true and in no way hypocritical. Catholics never pamphlet or have an interest in nude sculpture; both of which are the height of the ultimate sin: free expression of ideas. Aetheists and moths are unlovely and unloved, as, while God loves all his creatures, he hates these two too. Of course anyone who thinks Catholics molest kids, religious sects hate each other, Catholics started the crusades, persecute homosexuals, use public money, indoctrinate children or (most heretical of all) the Earth goes round the Sun should burn as a heretic, I mean, is hate-filled, lacks any reason and is totally beyond the pale.
Can I refer the professor to his own closing words: there is nothing clever witty or funny about hate.