This is a guest post by Kathy Orlinsky. Kathy writes at The Stochastic Scientist blog. … I listen to a lot of theological discussions and debates. Often, someone will mention the name of a common argument for God’s existence… but I can never seem to remember which argument is which. Maybe you’re in the same boat. Accordingly, I’ve prepared the following guide for distinguishing five standard apologetics, along with my counterarguments. This isn’t a comprehensive list of arguments, nor does… Read more
This is a guest post by Ryne P. Smith. Ryne is an atheist living in Chicago, trying to figure out how to be a biology teacher. … I am fortunate enough to work in what I consider to be a secular workplace. We have a Holiday Tree and written into the rules of the desk decoration contest is a “no religious iconography” clause. I know that I am lucky to have this. I’m sure almost all of you know of… Read more
There are plenty of atheists out there who choose to take their children to a church for a number of reasons: It sounds like the “right” thing to do, they want to raise their children with good morals (as if religion is the only route to doing that), their spouse wants to go to church and they don’t feel like arguing about it, etc. Phil Ferguson used to be one of those fathers who took his kids to church despite… Read more
Note: Letter writers’ names are changed to protect their privacy. Dear Richard, I live in the heart of the Bible belt and have recently come out about my lack of beliefs. It has been quite the shock for my Christian family, friends and co-workers. Thankfully my co-workers have been the least judgmental of all. My question is how to handle the religious talk that still permeates my office. My boss and co-workers have daily office devotionals which thankfully I am… Read more
I missed this tribute a few days ago but I liked it too much not to share: (via Robert Forrey) Read more
The story in a nutshell: A Republican state senator from Minnesota, Amy Koch, resigned from her leadership position after allegations surfaced of an “inappropriate relationship” she had with a staffer. Koch is married (with one child) and had tried, unsuccessfully, to pass a bill that said “a marriage between a man and a woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in Minnesota.” In a brilliant move, John Medeiros wrote an open letter to her… Read more
If you’re having a great day today, let’s put a stop to that. Read these beautiful pieces (edited by the people behind “This American Life”) about a handful of people who died this year and whose stories may not be very well-known. The one about Richard Geller really gets to me for obvious reasons. Read more
Dr Rotwang! has a list of weapons atheists can use in our “War on Christmas.” I’m a personal fan of this one since I deploy it more than any other one: WTF-1 LOOK OF SKEPTICAL DISBELIEF Still standard-issue, this year’s WTF-1 has been slightly upgraded in response to changing battlefield conditions. Extensive testing ensures that “The Look” can be successfully deployed in response to Rick Perry TV ads, Doomsday Predictions and anything that Michelle Bachmann says. What weapons do you… Read more
This issue is hard to contemplate since (I assume) most of you who read this site have a particular view about religion. Maybe you want to convince people God exists… or maybe you want to cure people of that irrational belief. But what about people who just don’t give a shit either way? Not self-described agnostics who have concluded you can’t know whether or not god exists, but the people who choose not to think about the issue at all…. Read more
