Wow, you all delivered. After reading the previous thread, several of you made your own version of the “Shit ____ Say to _____” videos. Ashley Paramore put together this video called Shit Christians Say To Atheists: … And so did Christina Stephens: … Polyauteur had this version up almost immediately after the thread was posted: … Finally, Mark Panzarino made an alternate version called Shit Atheists Say: Please spread the links if you like them 🙂 Read more
In 2010, I wrote a couple of posts about Mayor Bill Knight of Greensboro, North Carolina and how he supported open prayer before city council meetings. Members of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Atheists/Agnostics/Skeptics group spoke out against the public prayers at the city council meetings but Knight didn’t care. His public display of faith was more important to him than making sure the entire community felt included in the meetings. But that was 2010. There’s been a… Read more
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks explores the question: We must ask ourselves why this is, because it is actually very odd indeed. Think about it: every function that was once performed by religion can now be done by something else. In other words, if you want to explain the world, you don’t need Genesis; you have science. If you want to control the world, you don’t need prayer; you have technology. If you want to prosper, you don’t necessarily seek God’s blessing;… Read more
The first thing you should know about this video is that it comes from a school in Alabama. The second thing you should know about this video is that it comes from a middle school in Alabama. Regarding religion, there are signs that say “I’m a Christian,” “I’m a Mormon,” “I’m Saved,” and “I’m God’s child and Jesus’s friend.” But there’s also a sign reading “I’m an atheist” at the 2:52 mark. Makes you feel optimistic about the future when… Read more
As I mentioned yesterday, the Society of Open-Minded Atheists & Agnostics (SOMA) at the University of Kansas is holding it’s second annual ReasonFest on February 11th-12th. Adam Brown, the co-creator of We Are Atheism, has painted a picture of Christopher Hitchens and put it up for sale on eBay. He tells me all the proceeds will go toward ReasonFest! Sweet! Someone should hang that painting in their home so that it’ll be the first thing guests see when they walk… Read more
After the last post about video games, Angela emailed me with several quotes from Rift, a game I haven’t played (not too into MMOs myself). F From the description she sent me, there are two groups: The religious who want to win the game by supernatural means and the non-religious who want to win via technical/mechanical might. The quotes she sent me all come from the Defiants, the non-religious group. Here’s my favorite: Fate? Destiny? Bah, let’s make some miracles… Read more
A Seventh Day Adventist Chaplain at Robins Air Force Base recently lamented a divorce rate that has risen from 2.5% in 2001 to 3.9% in 2011. Is that a lot? Is there a solution? Have divorces really even increased? A religious perspective (as well as most of society) says any divorce is bad no matter what, but that might not be a healthy perspective on relationships. The fact is that many* (but not most) marriages do not last “till death… Read more
Back in my day, campus atheist groups were lucky to get one big speaker to come to their school over the course of a year. Now, some college groups are putting on events like Skepticon and not even charging an entrance fee. It’s awe-inspiring how far they’ve come. Whenever these student-run conferences happen — and more are happening each year — they deserve our support. (Perhaps even moreso when it happens in the Bible Belt.) At the University of Kansas,… Read more
For months now, the UGAtheists at the University of Georgia in Athens have been trying to stop sectarian prayers from being recited during a graduation ceremony this past December. Despite their best efforts, the university went ahead and made god a part of the graduation. Stephen Joiner, the public relations chair for UGAtheists, has the video and a rough transcript: “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Lord God almighty… Read more
