If you read The State News, you're probably familiar with the name John Bice.
The freelance writer and MSU alumnus writes columns for The State News that often provoke a mix of praise and criticism from his readers. He is notorious for criticizing religion, faith and the Bush administration.
Earlier this month, Bice released a collection of his columns — available on Amazon.com — called "A 21st Century Rationalist in Medieval America: Essays on Religion, Science, Morality, and the Bush Administration."
The State News asked Bice about his new book through e-mail. Here is what Bice had to say:
The State News: Where do you get the ideas for your columns?
John Bice: I've mostly concentrated on religion and politics, which are very fertile fields. The Bush administration certainly makes column ideas easy, offering a nearly limitless stream of deception, malfeasance and ineptitude. The challenge when writing about Bush is to stay focused on any one particular screwup. There's just so much, it can be overwhelming.
Ideas for columns on religion, faith and God come even more easily. Our culture is so collectively obsessed with nonsensical beliefs, there's a nearly limitless reserve of column material.
I tend to pick a flagrant faith-based absurdity, sometimes one that's in the news, and run with it. They aren't hard to find.
SN: How do you deal with criticism?
JB: It's certainly no surprise that articles highly critical of religion and faith elicit a great deal of condemnation and attack. Unapologetically secular writing, especially from an outspoken atheist, is going to be controversial in a country as superstitious and religious as the United States. I expected the disapproval, and it has never bothered me. Actually, I've found that responding to criticism from readers can be a fun and useful way to segue into related issues, or expose misconceptions behind the criticism.
SN: Could you explain the process of writing a book?
JB: One of my goals with the book was to restore material that couldn't be included in the original columns due to space constraints. I also wanted to re-edit each column to reduce redundancy and enhance readability. All this took a shocking amount of time. Essentially, the process was restoring, reading, editing, re-reading, re-editing, proofing, and so on, until I could read through the whole book without wanting to tweak something. I did most of my writing in the morning, during brief caffeine-fueled bursts of energy, which only gave me a narrow window of productivity each day. It was a long process.
SN: What motivates you to write your columns?
JB: I touch on that question in the preface and introduction of the book. Many factors motivated me to start writing the columns. Like most atheists, I saw the terrorist acts of (Sept.) 11th as a faith-based initiative. It served as a reminder of the dangers of faith and religious zealotry. I've also been motivated by the rise of Christian fundamentalism in the United States, the growing influence of religious beliefs on government policies and the ongoing creationist war on evolution and science education.
The scientific achievements and cultural progress that humanity has made in the last few hundred years aren't necessarily permanent. I believe that religious fundamentalism, which has a frighteningly strong influence on our government, represents a serious threat if left unchallenged.
My goal in writing the columns has been to spark ongoing debate of issues relating to science, religion and politics. I've also hoped to inspire other atheists to "come out" and become more vocal.
SN: What issue do you like writing about the most, and why?
JB: The indefensibly absurd seems to be my favorite topic. I'm still trying to understand how it's possible for anyone to believe that Bush has been a good president, that Jesus exists in cheap wine and crackers, that the Iraq War has been anything but a disastrous mistake, that the earth is less than 10,000 years old, that Fox News is fair and balanced, or that the Bible is the infallible word of God.
The widespread belief in what is indefensibly absurd, by millions of Americans, fascinates me.
SN: What issues does the book mainly address?
JB: The book is a reaction to the primitive and medieval mindset that characterizes so much of modern America. It consists of 10 chapters, organized by subject, each proceeded by a collection of relevant quotes and an editorial-style cartoon to set the mood. The chapters are: Weird Beliefs, The Bible, Religion, Morality, Evolution & Creationism, Science, Religious Conservatives, Gay Marriage, Politics, and Iraq War, Media & Patriotism.
SN: How did you decide which columns to use in the book?
JB: Some of my State News columns didn't fit the theme of the book, but most of them are in there. I also expanded on a couple columns I wrote for the Lansing State Journal and included two feature articles I wrote for infidels.org.
SN: Where do you hope to be in 10 years?
JB: Retired and writing books might be fun, but we'll see how that goes. My first book was a regional guide to microbreweries and brewpubs titled "Tap into the Great Lakes." That was seven years ago, and the book is out of date now. I've been considering a future series of brewery road trips to update the guide. That would be a refreshing change of pace from the concentration on politics and religion — tackling the problem one beer at a time, for as long as it takes — but I'm really not sure what I'll be doing. Who knows, maybe I'll still be writing columns, and annoying a fresh class of students.
