Tierra Hammond is a 23-year-old Californian. She describes her mother as “religious” but not “overly so.” She was a seasonal Christian, attending church on Easter and Christmas, but didn’t mind going there… until she was seven and her mother entered the army leaving Tierra with her very devout aunt. If she deemed a cartoon unacceptable, my younger sister & I were not allowed to watch it. She didn’t let us listen to the radio, unless it was gospel, & had a heart attack at any mention of sex. I went to church 3 times a week until I was 9. Around that time, I began to read the Bible. This was the beginning of my non-belief. [Click headline for more…] Read more
I didn’t think it would be up that fast! My talk from this past weekend’s SkepTech conference is already up! It’s about fact-checking and following up with stories: Read more
I was recently a guest on The Left Hemispheres Podcast and the episode has just gone up! Give it a listen and subscribe to the podcast. Also, a talk I gave at the Freethought Festival in Madison, Wisconsin was posted as well. It’s about how atheists should fact-check and follow-up on stories a lot better than we do right now. The talk has been revised a few times since I gave it here, and I hope to give it again in the future, but if you’re interested, here you go: Read more
The Boy Scouts of America are still considering letting in gay members and leaders — but even if their rules change, they would still forbid atheists from joining their organization. Katherine Stewart said as much in a recent article: … the questionnaire, like much of the coverage surrounding it, is silent about the role of religion in shaping the Boy Scout’s discriminatory policies in another area, one that is distinct from and yet intimately connected with its bigotry toward gay people. Adult leaders in the Boy Scouts must sign a Declaration of Religious Principles, and Scouts must take an oath “to do my duty to God”. Both adults and children can and have been excluded from the organization for lack of belief in a supreme being (or beings). Now, California lawmakers may punish any group that discriminates against LGBT individuals or atheists. Sen. Ricardo Lara recently introduced Senate Bill 323 and it’ll have its first committee hearing tomorrow: [Click headline for more…] Read more
Jim Wallis is one of the best-known “progressive” Christians and the founder of Sojourners (“Christians for Justice and Peace”). Despite being a registered Democrat and a frequent critic of the Religious Right, he has never really been a champion of LGBT rights. This is Wallis in 2008: [Click headline for more…] Read more
There are a lot of reasons I love what Foundation Beyond Belief is doing right now, but supporting The Pathfinders Project is currently at the top of the list. We spend a lot of time talking about how to improve the world and occasionally donating to causes that make the world a better place… but this project actually sends atheists overseas to do hands-on work. This is what Humanism in action looks like: [Click headline for more…] Read more
Relationship blogger Jess Downey has come to a conclusion not so new to our community. but downright blasphemous in the online dating advice world: There’s no such thing as a “soul mate.” I love her explanation, too — a series of questions whose answers make less and less sense the more you think about it: [Click headline for more…] Read more
On Friday, President Obama did something the media paid little attention to — with gun control and gay rights still making headlines, it’s hard to blame them — but we shouldn’t let this go unnoticed. He issued an Executive Order to continue the “President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships” for another two years… without addressing the biggest problems with the office. [Click headline for more…] Read more
Last month, lawmakers in Kentucky proposed a bill — House Bill 279 — that would allow discrimination in the workplace, housing, or even public facilities if the justification involved “sincerely held religious beliefs.” Gays, lesbians, atheists, Muslims, and pretty much everyone who’s not a Christian had good reason to fear this bill. On March 22nd, Gov. Steve Beshear did the right thing and vetoed the bill (PDF): As written, the measure calls into question the scope and efficacy of many laws regarding public health and safety as well as individual civil rights… Our businesses, our local governments, our citizens and our religious organizations should not be burdened with the potential consequences associated with this well intended but ultimately flawed legislation. Unfortunately, the Kentucky House and Senate had the numbers to override the veto… Which brings us to yesterday. Republican Rep. Stan Lee wrote a letter to the Lexington Herald-Leader to counter the charge that this bill was all about “pandering” and cowardice. There are so many false statements and exaggerated claims in the piece, you would think Lee was trying to get hired at FOX News Channel. My own commentary is in red: [Click headline for more…] Read more
Jonathan Merritt at Religion News Service has a fantastic article in which he talks about what real Christian persecution looks like: [Click headline for more…] Read more
