Waving at y'all from the Wal-Mart of world religions...

Hi everybody,

I'm currently on a month-long work trip in Egypt. So far, my well-upholstered atheist butt has survived a climb to the top of a minaret built in 1472. (I can't vouch for the religious vibes, but it's excellent for photography.) The believers are hedging their bets a little, since the place has been recently reinforced against earthquakes. The mosque is also located in one of Cairo's poorest neighborhoods, which set my Irony Meter to vibrating.

The other day I wandered around in Old Cairo, the reason for my "Wal-Mart" subject line. Old Cairo has a synagogue, several Coptic (Egyptian Christian) churches, and the usual gaggle of mosques. Oh, and some Roman ruins, for those who prefer REALLY traditional values.

Also survived a papyrus sales pitch with a detailed description of Your Own Personal Judgment Day in the old Egyptian religion. The gist of it was that the jackal-headed god of the underworld, Anubis, led you to the scales where your heart was weighed against a feather plucked from the wing of the Goddess Of Justice.

Well, it's really no dumber than the gloomy Xian version of life after death. And a lot more colorful.

As self-defense against all this mythology, I'm carrying two big guns: Richard Dawkins' "A Devil's Chaplain" and Sam Harris' "The End Of Faith."

I'm so envious! It's been my life-long dream to visit! And I finally make enough money that I can take a vacation there, but er, "they" say it's not safe to visit these days . . .

Can we set up some private communication? I'm very, very interested to know what you are viewing and experiencing.

Thanks,
Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

Who is that "they?" I see tour groups all over the place here, as well as individual tourists. There are HUNDREDS of 'em just at the Cairo Museum on any given day.

Come on over! :hi:

I'll be glad to privately chat with you. We can...uh...do that here at DU, right? (Insert "dunce" icon here...)

See you later!

I just sent you a note.

:-)

from Reason.com

Just mentioning this . . . I thought the review was, ah, not at all objective. Mentions "village atheists", which of course, can only lead to a visceral thought of "village idiots".

Makes me want to buy the book!

http://www.reason.com/0501/cr.cl.among.shtml

-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale

I too am reading "A Devil's Chaplin" but here it's -17 wind chill here (yes, seventeen below zero - I'm wearing my coat in the house) and the closest thing to anything cultural is cable TV. sigh.

Enjoy yourself and fill us in on the experience of being an American in Egypt if you get time.