Yesterday, NPR covered the “Why are there no chaplains for atheists in the military?” story: Military chaplains, most of whom are Protestant Christians, are assigned many secular advising duties, including marriage, family and suicide counseling, Torpy tells weekends on All Things Considered guest host Rachel Martin. They touch so many parts of service members’ lives, he says, they can help improve what he sees as an environment of exclusion. “That lack of connection to atheist and humanist communities, the lack… Read more
Reddit Atheists are on a roll with their fundraising for Doctors Without Borders over the past couple of days — several users offered to donate a few cents (or more) for every “Upvote” given to them: Granted, some of those links are fake (thanks, 4chan), many are genuine. And all together, they’re close to their goal of raising $200,000. If you’d like to help them come over the top, consider chipping in here. That lovely sound you hear is silence… Read more
It was bad enough last year when the Ellwood City Municipal Building allowed a nativity scene out front without any other holiday displays to buffer it. It was an outright endorsement of Christianity. After complaints last year from groups like the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Mayor Anthony Court opened the door to displays from non-Christian groups as well. He even invited FFRF to submit their own display. The property currently hosts a crèche, a Santa scene, a snowman, Kwanzaa posters,… Read more
Steven Jackson, a sophomore at the University of Buffalo is gay. He’s also the treasurer for his college’s Intervarsity Christian Fellowship group. When staffers and board members found out Jackson was gay, they told him he needed to step down from his leadership position. Not because he’s gay. No. Of course not. Christians *love* gay people. The problem was that Jackson didn’t accept the anti-gay Bible passages as Absolute Truth. IVCF Vice President Leslie Varughese said the club’s executive board… Read more
Dear Richard, I have an idea and I need advice. I am 26 and living on my own, not far from my parents and grandparents. I have been an atheist for a little over a year now and told my family about nine months ago. They took it very well – my parents are fundamentalists who spent many years in full time ministry, but they were respectful of my hard work and research and have sometimes asked questions about what… Read more
In case you missed it last year, Brazos Valley (Texas) has an atheist marching band and they play vuvuzelas! Last year, the big story was how one woman was upset about the group because she had to explain to her children that atheists exist (oh no!): … I have older children… and they were curious and they asked questions and it was hard for them to believe and understand that there are actually people out there that don’t believe in… Read more
This is a guest post by Rod Chlebek. Rod is the web director for Michiana Skeptics based in South Bend, IN and a cost analyst by day. … Once a year, the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture hosts its annual fall conference, this year entitled “Radical Emancipation: Confronting the Challenge of Secularism.” There was certainly a lot to choose from here; many lectures ran simultaneously. One in particular that caught my eye talked about “New Atheism.” Sounded perfect…. Read more
***Update***: Edmund Scientifics has responded to this post here. They say they’re transitioning the products to a different part of their website, but 1) They’re still in Psychology as I type this and 2) They’re still being sold without a disclaimer (or anything similar) that it’s fake science. … If you were looking to pick up awesome science-based gifts for friends or family members, Edmund Scientifics seems like a great site to visit. They have all the gifts you would… Read more
Remember this holiday classic? Last year, British-Australian comedian, actor, musician and atheist Tim Minchin contributed that song, “White Wine in the Sun,” to a CD called “The Spirit of Christmas,” with proceeds benefitting the Salvation Army. In the song, Minchin sings that that he’s not a fan of religious aspects of the holiday season and that he prefers to use the time to spending time with his family, sharing white wine. I’m looking forward to Christmas Though I’m not expecting… Read more
The Freethought Society was recently banned (for the second time) from putting up their Tree of Knowledge in front of the Historic Chester County Courthouse in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Yesterday, they held a rally in front of the courthouse to protest their exclusion (and formed the Human Tree of Knowledge seen below). Staks Rosch was there and offered a few highlights: … Freethought Society president, Margaret Downey, spoke about our exclusion, discrimination of atheists, and how she was contacted by… Read more
