Jim Downard

I cannot see how it is even slightly "inconsistent" for an atheist to argue that a particular god doesn't exist, though it would seem the questioner is trying to beg the question with the phrase "work against his existence" thereby embedding the reality of the god as an assumption.

On the way home from a trip with my niece to visit her mom (my sister) down in Louisiana in July, we routed back through New Mexico to see the celebrated Anasazi ruins of Chaco Canyon, which has been on my bucket list for some time. Punctuated by wandering cows and bugs languid in the summer heat, the road into the park is a long unpaved bumpy washboard, the result of litigious private landowners unable to reach an agreement with the Park Service on paving. Perhaps this is a blessing, for it keeps visitors to a trickle, limited to those whose curiosity to see the place overcomes worries about the resilience of their vehicle’s suspension.

Q. What motivates you to be a contributor with Spokane Faith & Values? As an atheist, has interfaith dialogue been a valuable experience in your life? What is your experience with other atheists including themselves in this endeavor?

The Inland Northwest Freethought Society and the Spokane Secular Society will join forces again this summer and host a booth at the Kootenai County Fair in Idaho (Aug. 21 - 25) and the Spokane County Interstate Fair (Sept.6-15).  This will be our second year at the Idaho Fair and the third for the Spokane shindig. I heartily invite any of the Spokane Faith & Values contributors and readers who may be visiting either fair to stop by our table and say hi.

Do Atheists have regular meetings or conventions ? Do they have potlucks? And if so do they have tuna casseroles?

If you could sit and talk for an hour to any atheist living or dead for an evening, who would it be?

Find out who our atheist writer picks!

The first issue is "which god did you have in mind"?  If it is a Pascal's Wager choice between only one contender and nothing, that is a somewhat simpler issue. But the truth is that there are not only a variety of competing tables even at the Christian Casino, there are also many other religion casinos just down the block, all operating with their own proprietary (and generally conflicting) house rules.