Posted by Jim Henderson on: 05.12.2006 /
Off The Map recently concluded a nationwide contest for a friendly atheist who would like to work with Jim Henderson in writing a book following up on the successful experience of sending an atheist to survey churches.
The winner of this nationwide search is Matt Casper from San Diego, California.
Matt is 37, married and has two kids. He works as a copywriter. He describes himself this way “I am an open minded atheist, willing to discuss what it means to believe, and ready for someone to convince me that there IS a God. Unlike some rather self-righteous atheists, I do not make a correlation between faith and intelligence. I cheerfully and often engage people about their beliefs.”
Jim and Casper will begin a whirlwind tour of churches writing, thinking and discussing together how they manage to see the same evidence and come to different conclusions. The goal of this project is not to “save Matt” but to “save Christians” to help them become more humane, better listeners and well… normal.
Rather than “defend the faith” we plan to “defend the space” – the sacred space called dialog where friends discover that even differences can’t keep them apart.
Off The Map has been ”paying people to go to church” for over five years. When it comes to getting “better reality” about how our customers feel about our “products and services” who better to ask than a non believer and an atheist at that?
Comment by: Marty
1This is really exciting. Welcome Matt.
Comment by: Matt Casper
2Thanks. I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of this as it will allow me to explore with Jim what I think is the biggest issue in our world: the impact and nature of faith. More–much more–later…
Comment by: Eliza
3Matt - yes, this is exciting! Welcome! (Do we know you by another name at this site already?)
Comment by: Ir
4Congratulations Matt!
Comment by: Matt Casper
5Hello again,
No, you don’t know me by another name on this site. I am just another friendly atheist.
I’ll be visiting often, reporting on my adventures with one Jim Henderson, as time allows.
I look forward to an engaging back and firth on all fronts…
Matt, which is short for Matthew, a Biblical name… :)
Comment by: TXatheist
6Congratulations Matt, looking forward to the results. My real name is Mark, you know, your fellow gospel writer:) Please continue to call me Txatheist folks. Mark is so common that I never use it on forums/boards but how many Txathiests do you know? I mean we all know Texas only allows a maximum of 3 living atheists and after that they shoot ya. :)
Comment by: NCxian
7Congrats, Matt. Welcome!
(I first typed, “Welcome, Matt”, but that didn’t come out quite right! :) )
Comment by: Marty
8I was just reflecting on the irony that the new “Friendly Atheist’s” name is Matthew and TXatheists name is Mark (will Luke please come forth and reveal yourself) - I got to thinking that the name “Friendly Atheist” is no doubt the result of a stereotype (not only by the Religious Right - but others of us who do not wish to be indentified with the religious right.) and wondered if Jim shouldn’t be called the “Friendly Christian” or Falwell/Robertson be called “Unfriendly Christian.”?
One of the things that I think most have learned on this Blog is that we want to be friendly - and even more we want the others to be friendly to us - and feeling friendly toward each other goes a long way to listening to and hearing each other - which goes a long way to what seems to be emerging as what we all want - and that is to be a part of MTWABP.
That being said - I think Hemant modeled being friendly - and I am glad that Matt will be carrying on the mantle of being friendly.
Comment by: Eliza
9Just to get the name puns out of the way right up front: will you be “Casper the Friendly Atheist”? ;)
Comment by: Jim Henderson
10What do you think, will that help us sell books?
Comment by: Lisa
11I gotta say, I like the “Casper the Friendly Atheist” moniker.
Eliza, you just keep hittin’em outta the park!
Comment by: Eliza
12No, but it will help sell the Saturday morning cartoon spin-off :)
Bah-boom
Comment by: Jim Henderson
13Now you know that the religious right who we all know secretly control all childrens programming (the liberals got CNN) would ever allow an atheist to be seen in a “friendly “light even as a ghost
Comment by: TXatheist
14I like Casper the friendly atheist but be careful of trademark rules. We use Winnie the Pooh on some work things and the requirements are unbelievable not too mention the royalty fees.
Comment by: Matt Casper
15Actually, Casper the ghost is the disenfranchised spirit of a great uncle of mine… :)
When I tell people I’m writing a book with Jim Henderson, they say, “the muppet guy?”
Casper and Kermit: together at last!
Comment by: Julie Marie
16now what a book jacket that would make!
Comment by: Ir
17Wow - I’m looking forward to seeing the book that Jim’s and Matt’s shared experiences and combined senses of humor will produce!
Jim, the Religious Right doesn’t actually control all children’s programming ;) The UK TV program Teletubbies has shamelessly been shown on PBS in the US, to Rev Falwell’s dismay:
Gay Tinky Winky bad for Children
Actually, I don’t want to take this off the topic of Jim and Matt’s book so - if anyone wants to comment on Falwell’s thoughts please go to the discussion board and comment here:
Falwell says “Gay Tinky Winky is bad for Children”
Comment by: Marty
18Somehow this statement does not resonate with me and seems to me that its emphasis could use some examining.
I think one of the things that we have learned on this blog is how similar we are - and when we peel the onion back, and let go of our prejudices - we actually do see things pretty much the same. Didn’t we all pretty much resonate to Hemant’s observations?
So I offer this possibility as an alternative to the original statement.
Jim and Matt will begin a whirlwind tour of churches writing, thinking and discussing together what they observe - and when what they observe seems to be different - discuss how they manage to see the same evidence and yet come to different conclusions.
Comment by: Ir
19Marty, with all due respect I think I agree with the original statement more.
For example, when a person who prays and a person who doesn’t both see someone else praying, they see the same thing and come to different conclusions about what it might achieve. They don’t actually see two different things.
Comment by: Matt Casper
20Interesting comment, Marty…
I’ve read a fair amount of Hemant’s comments, of course, and I think the “difference” that an atheist and a Christian always have is that they don’t see things the same, no matter how many layers you peel back.
We view our the fundamentals of our very existence entirely differently. What we have in common is that we CARE, and we do not let this profound difference dehumanize each other, as is–sadly–often the case…
Like Hemant, I am polite, thoughtful, and open to discussion, but I do not currently believe there’s a God, or any kind of supernatural forces at work in the world.
My quest in working with Jim is to find out why he–and so many other thoughtful, intelligent people–think there is. Having that belief in the supernatural means anything is possible: anything.
I wonder… are you–or any Christians or people of any faith–as open to the possibilities as I am?
I say “I am currently an atheist,” which means I am not so sure of myself (or so vain) that I can say it will always be that way: there’s something new to be learned every day. People change their positions as they learn new information.
Can you say “I am currently a Christian” and leave the door open to the possibility that there is no God and no other forces at work in the world?
Matt
Comment by: Ir
21I think a lot of Christians think they are that open.
Whether they are or not is a different matter.
You say you are open, Matt, but with all due respect we don’t really know how open you are. In your life, when someone has tried to convince you that they are right and you’ve disagreed - how can you prove you were truly open to what they were saying? Maybe you weren’t. Maybe you were too quick to dismiss what they said.
Please don’t think I’m trying to paint you in a bad light. I’m only saying - we have only your word that you are open. We have no evidence…yet ;)
If you are truly open, then wouldn’t a more open starting point be: I think Christians and atheists view the fundamentals of our very existence entirely differently; but I’m open to hearing/learning otherwise.
Where does your information about Christians come from and what are the ‘fundamentals of our very existence’ anyway?
Comment by: Lisa
22Matt, #20 is so good I published it on it’s own.
Comment by: Lisa
23Ir, I moved your comment #21 to the new post.
Comment by: Ir
24Thanks Lisa!
Comment by: Matt Casper
25Awesome response! This is why I got involved in this: real discussion about real big things…
I think that most every discussion people have is driven by either values or facts. Factual discussions are unencumbered by “right” and “wrong.” Facts are facts.
A values-, or belief driven, discussion is an entirely more tricky matter, because people typically decide ahead of time what’s right and what’s wrong based on their own beliefs, beliefs that typically support their self-interests.
Hence, I have never really responded to well to someone who has tried to convince me that they’re “right” as I believe such a person is already shut down to the possibility of an honest discussion (i.e., they have already decided the outcome of the discussion—they are “right—and will cherry pick facts to support their case).
So far as my information about Christians: one of my closest friends is an evangelical Christian, as are his friends, and we talk about these things pretty often. I also grew up attending church (Presbyterian, Congregational, and Episcopalian), but church was not something I thought about: it was something I did. When I got older, I began to question the meaning and methods of churches and organized religions, and I became an atheist (after many years of sitting on the fence as an “agnostic”).
And the fundamentals of our existence that I mention can be distilled into one fundamental question that all open-minded people often ask themselves: why are we here?
An atheist will say we’re here because a wildly random series of unrelated events created a sentient life form after billions of years of “failed experiments.”
A Christian (or a Jew, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Scientologist, Mormon, Wiccan, or person who simply says “I’m spiritual”) believes there is a larger force at work, such as a God.
Atheists and believers are connected in that we share this fundamental question. We are fundamentally different in that not all of us need it answered.
Comment by: Eliza
26Oh, Ir…you skeptic you ;)
Comment by: Ir
27Eliza - heh heh :)
Matt, thanks for your response. I copied it up to the new blog entry Lisa posted which features your questions.
Comment by: Jim & Casper go to Church: Frank Conversations about Faith, Churches, & Well-Meaning Christians « My World
28 11/26/07 12:46 PM | Comment Link |[...] fascinating. It was written by Jim Henderson, who is the executive director of Off the Map & Matt Casper, who was the atheist that off the map chose to be a part of this project. After the popularity of [...]