Good news for families in the NorthWest: Camp Quest is set to open a chapter next summer in Seattle. In the summer of 2012, Camp Quest NorthWest is bringing a new kind of summer camp to the Pacific Northwest. With science experiments and s’mores, campfires and activities to foster critical thinking, Camp Quest NorthWest provides a secular twist on the time-honored summer camp experience for campers aged 8-17. … Excitement is high among Seattle-area freethinkers who are pitching in to… Read more
Did you know the guys behind the Armageddon/Christ-is-coming-back!/Atheists-are-screwed Left Behind series also made a version for kids? As if they hadn’t done enough damage already… The book Taken compiles the first four books in the children’s series (and covers the basic plot of the first book in the adult series). The only reason I bring this up is because the Kindle edition of the book is free of charge right now. Millions of copies of these books have been sold… Read more
Adam Conus points out one of the problems with American politics: Thankfully, our track record is a little better (Hi, Pete Stark!)… but not by much. (via Minimum Comics) Read more
Well, you have to give Thunderf00t credit for trying to go into the lions’ den and talking to representatives from the Westboro Baptist Church. For all his efforts, he ends up with about 328423 looks of exasperation on his own face and very little wisdom passed across to the other side of the aisle. The woman in the middle is just full of happiness, joy, and rainbows. There’s more hope with the daughter. You get the feeling at times that… Read more
Gotta love Doonesbury: The comic actually raises a deeper question: Would you rather a science teacher bring up Creationism/ID in order to debunk it, or would you rather the teacher not mention the fake “controversy” in the first place? I understand the arguments for the latter. Why bother mentioning something that’s not science? Why limit ourselves to the Christian Creation myth only? Isn’t talking about Creationism somehow validating it? We wouldn’t teach students about “alternatives to gravity,” would we? There… Read more
On June 4th, Rev. Daniel “Cowboy” Stewart gave an interesting sermon…: With the help of a volunteer from the audience, Stewart, pastor of Cedar Cliff Baptist Church in Robbinsville, illustrated the pull of the devil, who prowls like a “roaring lion,” as described in the biblical Book of Peter. Stewart wrapped ropes of different colors and sizes around the volunteer until it was exceedingly difficult for him to move or walk. The sermon ended with Stewart placing a sack over… Read more
Wanna make a bundle? Just start a church like these characters did: The punchline can be found here. I know some of you have calculated how much money you gave your church back when you were religious, money that was later used for (among other things) proselytizing to strangers and brainwashing a lot of children. Feel free to share that amount in the comments if you remember it! (via Ape, Not Monkey) Read more
The 830 members of Foundation Beyond Belief raised over $30,000 for our ten beneficiaries in the Second Quarter of 2011. Incredible. It’s the most money we’ve ever raised in one period. I think the fact that the Challenge the Gap beneficiary received the least amount of the money, but still a significant amount (7% of total giving), shows that the CtG idea is working. People who don’t want to give to a religious organization doing purely secular work are choosing… Read more
How do you get someone to say two slanderous things in one sentence? Ask astronaut Col. Mike Good for a soundbyte: “They say there’s no atheists in foxholes, but there’s probably no atheists in rockets,” said Catholic astronaut Col. Mike Good, who believes his faith in God was solidified by the awe-inspiring views he saw from space The “atheists in foxholes” thing has been debunked repeatedly. To say that (and mean it) suggests willful ignorance or an inability to do… Read more
All groups have their in-fighting, even Catholic priests. Edward Tarte shares a fascinating story about his time in the priesthood when there was some drama in his rectory because he and a colleague participated in a Cursillo retreat. Read more
