Last week, I recorded an episode of The Malcontent’s Gambit podcast and we talked about the importance of the Internet to atheism, the Atheism+ “controversy,” Jainism, and plenty more. The episode’s finally up so give it a listen 🙂 Many thanks to host Alan Litchfield for the fun conversation. I also recorded a podcast with Carl at Post Rapture Looting and that’s available as well (iTunes link here). … Subscribe and listen! Read more
At a campaign stop today, Mitt Romney made sure everyone knew he was the candidate for the Religious Right. With Pat Robertson behind him, Romney explained how he would never do the things… that Obama has never done either… “That pledge says ‘under God.’ I will not take ‘God’ out of the name of our platform. I will not take God off our coins, and I will not take God out of my heart. We’re a nation bestowed by God.”… Read more
Thing I did not know: Brandon Flowers, the lead singer of The Killers, is Mormon. Thing I did know: Richard Dawkins is not. It takes a while to get going, but watch Dawkins deliver the smackdown to Flowers on the Norwegian-Swedish talk show “Skavlan,” around the 7:07 mark in the first video: (Thanks to MegaZeus Thor for the link!) Read more
Bill Nye made a video advocating for evolution. The Creation Museum made videos responding to Nye… and now Ken Ham is throwing down an imaginary gauntlet: … Dr. [Georgia] Purdom stated to the Christian Post, [an evolution-creation debate] “could be held at a public university, using an impartial moderator. I would think that someone as polished and charismatic as Mr. Nye would relish the opportunity to debate a creationist. In addition, since Nye will soon be hosting a new science… Read more
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo has voiced his support for gay marriage. So yay! Reverend and Democratic Maryland delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr. does not support gay marriage. And he was “appalled and aghast” at the gall of Ayanbadejo so much so that he sent owner of the Ravens, Steve Bisciotti, an official letter of outrage. That’s right, guys. Mr. Burns is pissed. Eeeexcellent. I am requesting that you take the necessary action, as a National Football Franchise Owner, to inhibit such expressions… Read more
After the Secular Coalition for America announced it would be expanding into Washington, D.C., Tom McClusky of the D.C.-based Family Research Council had some choice words for them: “The national group already seems to want to make sure that those with religious beliefs don’t get the first amendment rights that are granted to them,” Tom McClusky, senior vice president of the Family Research Council’s lobbying arm, told Whispers. McClusky said he doesn’t think SCA can succeed locally. “We’re a Christian… Read more
Karen E. Klein at Bloomberg BusinessWeek asks whether businesses that court atheist consumers have any staying power, noting that we’re nothing compared to the Christian marketplace: Retailers who cater to evangelical Christians with items including books, apparel, gifts, and Bibles represent $4.63 billion annually, according to the Association for Christian Retail. Those who sell to nonbelievers tend to be small business owners who are true nonbelievers. Anecdotally, anyway, I’d say she has a point. But at least one business has… Read more
Correct answer: Not the Republicans. Obviously. Correct answer: Not the Democrats. Unfortunately. Correct answer: Whatever third party that you care about that no one else cares about. Back to the Democrats, though. They’re all about the inclusion of God in their platform (even if it’s mild) and the expansion of the office of faith-based initiatives. They love pandering to the religion masses. And, politically, why wouldn’t they? Religious groups have the numbers and those groups come out and vote. There… Read more
DPR Jones is conducting his annual fundraiser for Doctors without Borders this weekend on BlogTV (schedule here). You can also donate directly to the cause here. Or, if you feel lucky, you can bid on an assortment of atheist-y items on eBay. (My book’s in the mix!) Whatever you do, please help out! It’s a great cause and you’re donating with a lot of other atheists 🙂 Read more
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life put together a slideshow explaining the trends between religious groups and political party identification. There’s nothing in it you couldn’t have predicted yourself, but here are a few of the highlights: The “Nones” need to be more like Black Protestants — we’re only about 2:1 in favor of the Democrats while they’re more like 9:1. … 11% of the Republican or Republican-leaning voters are religiously unaffiliated: … 24% of the Democrat or… Read more
