Lisa Miller of Newsweek is reporting in the upcoming issue that there’s a controversy brewing in the atheist community. … what’s happening in the “atheist, humanist, freethinkers” community is more like what happens to any ideological or political group as it matures: the hard-liners knock heads with the folks who want to just get along, and the cracks are beginning to show. The article focuses on Harvard’s Humanist chaplain, Greg Epstein, and the (misquoted) comment he made way back when… Read more
I know a lot about Heaven. For example, I know that you meet five people when you get there. And I know it’s full of Mormons. But some Christians claim to have experienced it first-hand. And then they write all about it. And sell many, many, many books. It’s interesting how much time they spend up there, though… Marietta Davis fell into a “trance” for nine days. As authors Dennis and Nolene Prince (who retell her original story) say: When… Read more
We did the Christians hurting Christianity thread (and the incredible-to-read comments are still coming!), so here’s the follow-up. Have you ever met an atheist who pushed you away from atheism (whether you’re a religious or non-religious person)? What did they do? How did you feel? What advice would you have for them? Keep in mind we’re not talking about the “fringe” atheists– the ones who say everyone who is even slightly religious is a complete idiot. We’re talking about the… Read more
Download and watch this (*.mov) tomorrow while you eat some food. It’s a talk that Michael Shermer gave at a recent TED conference. It’s under 15 minutes long, it’s funny, and it explains why deluded people are prone to see miracles/visions/etc. when there are perfectly rational explanations for them. And the best part is saved for last. The bit about Katie Melua is priceless (even if you haven’t heard her music, you’ll enjoy it). Hell, just start watching at the… Read more
People had such great contributions to the “You know you’re an atheist when…” posting, that I collected a few of my favorite responses, edited them up a bit, and created a one-page PDF of the goods. You can download that PDF here. Print it, distribute it, hang it on your wall! Hope you enjoy it. Read more
