We haven’t heard much from Alexander Aan since he “blasphemed” on a Facebook group for the Minang Atheists and stated that God didn’t exist. The authorities in Indonesia took him into custody and he faces up to five years in prison for speaking the truth. Several groups have tried to step up in his defense, to no avail… The newly-formed Malaysian Atheists put out this support statement/open letter: We declare that the continued incarceration of Alexander Aan and the threat… Read more
Richard Wade must be on to something. After posting about the potential reactions to inoffensive atheist billboards, people are starting to run with the idea. When Justin Vacula recently saw “God Bless America” scrolling across the outside buses in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, he didn’t just want to complain. He wanted to respond to that message — and test the “how little does it take to offend someone?” hypothesis — by proposing the following ad: The idea, as seen above –… Read more
Remember how Rick Santorum said that a pregnancy resulting from rape is a “gift from god”? This new video is a perfect response 🙂 I loved the line, “Don’t look a rape-horse in the mouth.” (via Christian Nightmares) Read more
Note: Letter writers’ names are changed to protect their privacy. Dear Richard, I have a complicated issue and I was hoping that you could offer some insight so I can make an informed decision. I am an “on-the-fence” atheist, but I don’t want to be atheist. I turned towards atheism several months ago, but before that I had some personal spiritual beliefs I’ve been believing for some time now. Ever since I began exploring atheism, I’ve become really depressed about… Read more
There’s been a lot of buzz lately about the man-baby boom. And when I write man-baby, I’m pretty sure you know who I’m talking about. You’ve seen ’em in movies like “The Hangover,” “Knocked Up” and “Hall Pass.” You probably know some personally, actually — ones that can’t seem to hold a job, ones that treat women like blow-up dolls, ones who can’t finish school, can’t move out from mom and dad’s and have no personal ambition or goals to… Read more
Kate at Suburban Sweetheart has an awesome story of why she supports LGBT rights and how her support inspired her to act when an injustice took place in her hometown: As easily as that, I began to identify as an ally. I went on to intern at the Family Equality Council & worked a legislative assistant on civil rights, including LGBT equality, during my time at the Religious Action Center after college. I’ve served as managing editor of Fusion, an… Read more
Randy R. Potts comes from a famous family. His grandfather was the pioneering televangelist Oral Roberts. His uncle, Richard Roberts, ran the conservative Christian university that bears Oral’s name until 2007, when a scandal forced him to resign. Richard continues to run the Oral Roberts Evangelical Association and appear at revivals and on evangelical TV stations. But Potts is not a part of that world. He is openly gay and describes himself as “godless.” And he is not the first… Read more
Scott Burdick has published In God We Trust, free on YouTube, a fascinating two-hour documentary on the town of King, North Carolina, its secular minority, its Christian majority, its religious diversity, a war memorial with one too many flags. Throughout the documentary are in-depth interviews with non-Christians in the area, including Hare Krishnas, Muslims, and “dancers.” These interviews cover not just the flag issue but general questions of faith. Many might find these parts to be most interesting. How many… Read more
A lot of atheist groups around the country are planning Darwin Day activities, and the lineup for the University of Northern Iowa Freethinkers and Inquirers’ celebration looks terrific: They have Joe Nickell (skeptical investigator of the paranormal), Jamila Bey (secular activist), Clint Kelly (biology professor) and Lawrence Krauss (theoretical physicist) speaking at their school, and those are just the keynotes. What are all of you planning? … Incidentally, ~GeneticMishap created a publicity poster anyone can use: To personalize it, just… Read more
