The satan of the Old Testament was merely a not-especially-powerful angel in God’s employ, tasked with correcting and disciplining sinners. A millennium or two later, that supernatural being had morphed into humankind’s most-feared enemy — so evil, cunning, and potent that he could outwit the Creator Himself. The devil tempted and tricked mortals into sin and ruled over a fiery underworld where his helpers gleefully tortured those who had transgressed against the will of the Almighty. How did that remarkable transformation come about? Paul Gallagher has an interesting write-up on that at Dangerous Minds: Read more
The UK’s Labour Party is out of power right now, and if it weren’t, perhaps its leader wouldn’t be able to say what he’s just said. Ed Miliband (right), Labour’s leader and would-be British Prime Minister if things go his party’s way, has admitted to being an atheist. Talking to the Daily Mail, Miliband said: I have a particular faith. I describe myself as a Jewish atheist. I’m Jewish by birth origin and it’s a part of who I am… I don’t believe in God, but I think faith is a really, really important thing to a lot of people. It provides nourishment for lots of people. Read more
We know there are contradictions in the Bible. Lots of them. Normally, Christian apologists attempt to explain them all away. The Bible is perfect, they say; it’s just a matter of interpretation and skeptics are taking the wrong approach. Which is why Pastor Michael Lawrence’s approach to contradictions is a unique one. The leader of Hinson Baptist Church in Portland, Oregon says in the video below that the contradictions we think are in the Bible are just the result of faulty translations. The original manuscripts were errorless, you see, and if we just paid more attention to Jesus, we wouldn’t be so damn caught up in playing Spot the Contradiction. Read more
Time for a pop quiz! Contemporary Christian Music lyrics or something out of 50 Shades of Grey? Read more
Last September, orals arguments took place in front of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court concerning the Pledge of Allegiance. If the plaintiffs win, it would likely mean the end of Pledge recitations in public schools throughout the state. I’m going to throw out a hypothesis (suggested by reader Pluto Animus) that may end up being completely wrong, but hear me out on this. First, a little background. Back in 2010, the American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center and David Niose (a lawyer and author of Nonbeliever Nation) filed a lawsuit on behalf of a family whose children attended schools in the Acton-Boxborough School District (in Massachusetts). The issue was that the children — ages 13, 11, and 9 — had to say “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance and that went against their family’s beliefs. (The names of the family members have been kept anonymous, presumably so that they’re not directly harassed by Christians.) Read more
In Cameroon, Pentecostal churches are everywhere. Radio journalist Andrés Caballero scrutinized the country’s religious scene for NPR’s Weekend Edition: Read more
The video below, part of The Atheist Voice series, discusses how Jenny McCarthy, despite her claims to the contrary, is still anti-vaccination: You can read more about this here. We’d love to hear your thoughts on the project — more videos will be posted soon — and we’d also appreciate your suggestions as to which questions we ought to tackle next! And if you like what you’re seeing, please consider supporting this site on Patreon. Read more
The video below, part of The Atheist Voice series, discusses why we must continue to fight Creationism, despite arguments to the contrary: You can read more about this here. We’d love to hear your thoughts on the project — more videos will be posted soon — and we’d also appreciate your suggestions as to which questions we ought to tackle next! And if you like what you’re seeing, please consider supporting this site on Patreon. Read more
Earlier this year, Gideons International requested and received permission to leave Bibles at a Kentucky public elementary school so that interested children could pick them up. In response, the Tri-State Freethinkers group decided they also wanted to play the game by leaving books promoting Humanism at the same school. The district had no choice but to allow them to do it. Some parents, in response, pulled their children from school that day: It turns out that Casey County isn’t alone in letting the Gideons into schools. It’s happening all over the state — in high schools as well as elementary schools — and the freethinkers are fighting back. Read more
