Those of you who read this site regularly are familiar with Daniel Koster, the high school student from Florida who fought back against Bible distributions at his school by having his group set up shop and pass out atheist literature. I’m sure that went over well with Christian parents not used to being challenged 🙂 Now, Daniel and members of the Wekiva Atheist and Secular Alliance are fundraising to attend this summer’s Secular Student Alliance conference in Ohio: [Click headline for more…] Read more
The death toll from the massive tornado in Oklahoma is already above 50 and climbing and the damage financially and otherwise is likely to be staggering, too. Like other natural disasters, people of all faith backgrounds are affected by the devastation, and while you can always donate to the Red Cross, the Foundation Beyond Belief wants to offer atheists a way to donate as a group to relief organizations that directly help the people in Oklahoma who need it the most. As always, 100% of your donations will be passed along to relief organizations: We will name a beneficiary tomorrow, but the window for donating is now open. Whatever you do, please do something. God won’t make things better in Oklahoma; it’s up to us. Read more
Everybody Draw Muhammad Day was today, but if you weren’t aware of it, you’re not alone. I chose not to “celebrate” — despite having a few readers send me their drawings — because I just wasn’t motivated enough to do it. It’s not that blasphemy laws aren’t a problem in other countries or that moderate Muslims have changed their views on the issue, but the event is a reactionary one and there wasn’t much to react to this year. [Click headline for more…] Read more
Jason Cohn and Camille Servan-Schreiber first heard about Jerry DeWitt when he was profiled in the New York Times. They knew they wanted to document his story in a different way so they began speaking to him, following him, and filming him. The result is a film called The Outcast of Beauregard Parish: [Click headline for more…] Read more
Earlier today, the U.S. State Department released the 2012 International Religious Freedom Report. The annual report sheds light on abuses of religious freedom worldwide and reinforces America’s commitment to make those freedoms “an integral part of our global diplomatic engagement.” Secretary of State John Kerry spoke at an event marking the release of the report and his speech, too, celebrated the freedom to not believe in God: [Click headline for more…] Read more
In his “Ask a Pastor” column, Pastor R.A. MacDonald answered this question from a reader: “How can I witness to an atheist?” I understand why someone would want to ask that question, but MacDonald didn’t give him a well-thought-out answer. Instead, he tossed out a series of straw men and stereotypes. Like when he explained what atheists believe: [Click headline for more…] Read more
Note: Letter writers’ names are changed to protect their privacy. Dear Richard, I’m not usually the sort to ask for advice this way, but I’ve come up against a situation where I could use some input. My son is six years old and in his class at school, as is typical, almost all the kids come from Christian families and have been taught to believe in God. Two children have parents who are pastors (both parents in one case), and… Read more
Of all the posts I’ve done on this site, the ones that talk about atheist weddings and secular wedding vows still get hits long after they’ve been published. People are always looking for examples of how to have a non-religious ceremony and there just aren’t a lot of great resources out there. Amanda Greene of Wilmington Faith & Values picked up on that and wrote an article about the rise in secular wedding ceremonies and Secular/Humanist celebrants: [Click headline for more…] Read more
How many members of the Westboro Baptist Church can defect before the whole place crumbles? Rhetorical question, perhaps, but following the stories of Lauren Drain and Megan Phelps-Roper and her sister Grace and atheist Nate Phelps, we have yet another story of a God Hates Fags church member who is no longer with them. Fred Phelps’ granddaughter Libby Phelps actually gave interviews about her defection earlier this year, but a Los Angeles Times article tackles the issue in a bit more depth: [Click headline for more…] Read more
The Virginia Governor’s race is already shaping up to be incredibly expensive and polarizing, pitting former Democratic National Committee chair Terry McAuliffe against Tea Party darling (and textbook conservative Christian) Ken Cuccinelli. It’s easy to list off the things Cuccinelli has said/done that should discredit him in the eyes of any rational person: He believes Medicare is “despicable” He wants to ban abortions, even in the cases of rape or incest He doesn’t support legal rights for LGBT individuals But the race just got more interesting on Saturday after Bishop E.W. Jackson was nominated as the Republican Party’s pick for Lieutenant Governor. [Click headline for more…] Read more
