Karen L. Garst has just edited a book comprising 22 chapters fro various female unbelievers; a long-overdue book to give some gender balance to the voices that are very often male. Here is some information on the project.
“According to my narrative, the good fight is the one that promotes science, reason, and freedom of inquiry as the standard model, because this is where I see humanity’s progress. I don’t know if we will conquer death, eliminate poverty and disease, colonize space, travel faster than light, remove limits to human intelligence, or any number of other things futurists dream about. But I am happy to dream with them—while not confusing the dream with a prediction. Meanwhile, right here and right now, regardless of whether the Star Trek vision of the human future will ever materialize, I know that our best outcomes are possible if we continue humanity’s transition from superstitious and emotional thinking to reason, to the greatest extent possible given our evolved hardware.
In this good fight, and this good story, there is no need for gods, but there is room for fabulous characters: for sages and teachers, adventurers and superheroes, starship captains, diligent scientists and brilliant thinkers. I think there’ll be use for a warrior queen or two.” Sylvia Benner
Sylvia Benner was raised in Germany and emigrated to the United States as an adult. She is one of 22 authors who wrote an essay about her journey away from religion.
Karen L. Garst has compiled these essays into a book entitled “Women Beyond Belief: Discovering Life without Religion,” which can be pre-ordered on Amazon. Dr. Garst became incensed when the U. S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby in 2014. This decision said that because of its religious views, Hobby Lobby, a craft store, would not be obligated to follow the dictates of the Affordable Care Act and provide certain forms of birth control to its employees. “Will we never end the fight for women’s reproductive rights?” Garst stated. Once again, religion has influenced the laws of our land. Politicians cite their religion in supporting restrictions on abortion, banning funding for Planned Parenthood, and a host of other issues that are against women.
The first leaders of the New Atheism movement that arose after 9/11 were men: Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett. They came with backgrounds of science and philosophy. They launched a renewed effort to show people how destructive religion can be and how all Abrahamic religions are based upon an Iron Age mythology, borrowing from other mythologies of the time.
Dr. Garst wants to add a focus on women and the role this mythology has played in the culture of many countries to denigrate and subordinate women. She states that “Religion is the last cultural barrier to gender equality.” And she is right. More and more women atheists are speaking out. And as we all know, if women leave the churches, they will collapse.
She has received support with reviews by Richard Dawkins, Valerie Tarico, Peter Boghossian, Sikivu Hutchinson and other atheist authors.
I encourage you to check out Dr. Garst’s blog at www.faithlessfeminist.com and to pre-order what looks to be an
excellent book.