Religion

A Very Heretical Easter

While others around the world were spending their weekend commemorating the miraculous resurrection of Jeeeezus by wearing big straw hats, painting chicken eggs, and eating the special pastel-colored M&Ms, I was drinking too much, dancing suggestively with strangers, and celebrating my lack of godliness at the American Atheists’ annual conference, held in San Antonio, Texas. All in all it was a good time. Though I disagreed with quite a bit of what was said by the presenters, the panel discussion, and the “Is There a God” debate, I think American Atheists is a very good organization and quite necessary in that it helps provide support and a voice to the nonreligious. Highlight of the weekend: watching two hot college girls on a panel fight over the use of humor and controversy to spread the atheistic word. I kept hoping the moderator would suggest we all head upstairs to a hotel room and settle this with a tickle fight.

If you thought that last sentence was condescending, you didn’t hear the girls in question going back and forth over who failed to invite whom to a party/meeting/whatever.

If you want to hear more about what I thought of the weekend (and not just the random sexual fantasies I entertained), you’ll have to wait to read the article I’m going to write about it for Skeptic.

In place of further blathering from me, please enjoy this Easter-themed link about Peep science experiments. I know that the idea of Peep science experiments has been done before, better, but this link is notable for this photo:

Peep Crucifixion

EDIT, June 26, 2011: Someone just sent me a link to this and asked me what I think about what I wrote more than five years ago. Well, I think I was wrong to make a joke that sexualized two women. I made a lot of off-color jokes back then, and to be fair I probably still do — but the difference now is that I’ve had five years to grow and change and learn about ideas like feminism and the patriarchy, and I’ve figured out that my actions and words will never be separate from those concepts.

So, I apologize to the two unnamed women and to all those who read my words and went away thinking that it’s okay to insult someone in that manner.

Rebecca Watson

Rebecca is a writer, speaker, YouTube personality, and unrepentant science nerd. In addition to founding and continuing to run Skepchick, she hosts Quiz-o-Tron, a monthly science-themed quiz show and podcast that pits comedians against nerds. There is an asteroid named in her honor. Twitter @rebeccawatson Mastodon mstdn.social/@rebeccawatson Instagram @actuallyrebeccawatson TikTok @actuallyrebeccawatson YouTube @rebeccawatson BlueSky @rebeccawatson.bsky.social

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10 Comments

  1. I guess I'm just sad I wasn't one of the strangers you were dancing suggestively with (no, I wasn't present, but it sounds as though it was fun).

    Related to the topic of religious stupidity, BBC news has posted this article about a group of catholics that want to emphasize that the The Da Vinci Code movie is a work of fiction by asking Sony to include a disclaimer.

    I think this is a splendid idea and we should do that to every piece of fiction—starting with, of course, the Bible.

  2. It's very hard to be an agnostic on Easter. You have the atheists and the Christians all shouting how damned cool they are while you just want to get on with the business of living.

  3. Godless suggestive dancing, hot girls argueing, potential tickle fights, and Peeps – is there anything better in the world? I think not. You shall be bookmarked and linked to!

  4. More important than crucified peeps, you should try the Easter version of the turducken: A chocolate egg inside a marshmallow peep inside a hollow chocolate buny.

  5. Easter is a celebration of fertility (hence the bunny as a mascot, and the inclusion of such items as eggs and chicks). So the only true way to celebrate it would be to have sex or allude to sexuality and procreation.

  6. As a Norwegian I celebrated by going with my family somewhere suitably far from home, enjoying nature, eating eggs, oranges and chocolate, solving crossword puzzles, playing cards and watching good British crime on TV.

    I wouldn't trade that for college girls in a tickle fight, but I was all done vacationing with the family by Thursday, so there would have been time to fit it in.

  7. Ha ha! Finally found your web site. Apparently, skepchick.com is a silly, generic e-portal-type site dedicated to chick lit and beekeeping. Who would have known?

    I’m quite glad the hot college girls didn’t end up in a tickle fight. If they had, I would have felt much worse about skipping the panel discussion to instead search for the perfect ice cream on the Riverwalk (I found it).

    It was good to meet you last weekend!

    ~ Amanda

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