I don’t know why Jameel Naqvi or his editor at the Daily Herald feel this is worthy of a news article at all… but since it’s on their site, let’s talk about it. It’s another example of how crazy the Christian mentality can be when faced with any sort of opposing viewpoint. A group of atheists at Larkin High School in Elgin, IL took part in last week’s Ask An Atheist Day. They set up a couple tables in the… Read more
Andrew O’Hehir at Salon wonders why Christian movies like the recent “Soul Surfer” are incredibly lame: But do Christian-themed movies really have to be so bad?… Believe me, I have learned, over and over again, that ordinary moviegoers, a lot of the time, want to see a story that’s positive, predictable and not all that challenging, but even measured on that yardstick this one is pretty awful. Even [Carolyn] Arends of Christianity Today, who is eager to praise the film… Read more
You knew it was too good to last. Last year, the Freedom From Religion Foundation won a lawsuit which declared the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional. It was the correct decision, but a surprising one, nonetheless. U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb wrote in her decision: … the government has taken sides on a matter that must be left to individual conscience. When the government associates one set of religious beliefs with the state and identifies nonadherents as outsiders, it encroaches… Read more
For those of you in Madison, WI who still listen to the radio, I’ll be appearing on Freethought Radio (The Mic 92.1) Saturday morning at 11:00a! For those of you who prefer podcasts, it’ll be up at the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s website sometime this weekend. I spoke with Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor about this website, Foundation Beyond Belief, and my Jain upbringing, among other things. If you hear it, feedback is always appreciated! Read more
In case you missed This American Life this week, there was a really interesting story by David Ellis Dickerson. (It begins around the 8:38 mark.) David had “rejected the evangelical Christianity of his family” but was now coming home to see them again, ready to fight back against their religious arguments, expecting to win that battle easily. After a conversation with his father, though, he ended up coming down a notch or two. There’s one passage worth noting even though… Read more
The Rapides Parish Police Jury did something right this week when they voted against putting the Ten Commandments in the parish courthouse. The motion failed Monday by a 6-3 vote… “I’m comfortable with what we did,” said District F Juror Oliver “Ollie” Overton. “Like I said, when I was sworn in, I took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States and Louisiana. I will not make a decision to knowingly violate the law.” “I have lived by… Read more
Does Joy Behar have any idea what she believes? if you watch this (otherwise pleasant and civil) interview with Father Edward Beck, you get the impression she’s confused about religion, atheism, and everything in between. Things start to get weird at the 3:00 mark. Behar admits she’s an Agnostic, but adds she wouldn’t go so far as to call herself an atheist because that’s “a commitment to something.” To what, exactly…? Reason? Logic? Common sense? Who knows. She’s making the… Read more
I recently got an email from a student at the University of Illinois who’s helping put together a panel discussion called “Religion and the LGBT Community.” The plan is to have representatives from different faiths answer questions about homosexuality in front of LGBT students (and allies). His committee invited all the faith communities on campus to be a part of this. Sounds like a relevant, important issue that anyone would want to be a part of… but one group rejected… Read more
If you’re wondering what to get your atheist friend for her next birthday (or whatever), here’s an idea: the Freedom From Religion Foundation is now offering fancy, frameable, embossed DeBaptismal certificates! The certificate reads: “I, having been subjected to a Christian baptism before reaching an age of consent, or having submitted to baptism before embracing freethought and reason, hereby officially renounce that primitive rite and the Church that imposed it. I categorically reject the creeds, dogmas, and superstitions of my… Read more
A new set of atheist billboards reading “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone” are going up in Florida thanks to the Orlando Coalition of Reason: Reaching out to the like minded isn’t the only goal of the effort: “We want people to know that one can be a decent human being and contribute to society without belief in a god,” said Jack Maurice, coordinator of Orlando CoR. “You’ll find us everywhere. We’re your friends, your neighbors, your coworkers… Read more
