Hi Richard, I really enjoy your posts and I think you are doing a wonderful job. There’s something that I’ve been struggling with and would really appreciate your advice. My mom claims that she can feel the spirits of people who have passed away and travel with them in a sort of elevated state of being. She knows I don’t believe in anything supernatural, yet I know she will be hurt if I tell her that I think she is… Read more
I don’t know how many places the Atlanta Freethought Society considered when they were looking for their new headquarters, but they eventually settled on the former Collins Springs Primitive Baptist Church (That’s really its name. The jokes just write themselves…) After 140 years, the building had been sold to developers, fallen into disrepair and was in danger of being destroyed by vandals. But [Lew] Southern and his friends were determined to bring the church back to life. … AFS bought… Read more
In case you’re one of the three people on the Internet (hi, mom!) who hasn’t heard Tim Minchin’s wonderful poem “Storm,” there’s now an animated version of it! You can read the lyrics here. And Mad Art Lab has an interview with the creators! (Thanks to Dennis for the link!) Read more
If you’re an atheist parent, how do you raise your children? With no religion? With exposure to religion? Would you be ok with it if they gravitated toward religion early in life? We’ve already seen books that discuss questions like these, but M. Anton Mikicic has a new book to add to the mix. It’s called god is redundant and it’s essentially an introduction into atheism for his daughters — not to indoctrinate them, but to explain to them what… Read more
When the Washington Post On Faith column asked whether Christians should apologize for the Koran-burning of Pastor Terry Jones, a lot of you vehemently opposed that very idea. Here are some of the comments made on this site: … I’m a fan of personal responsibility and not in the business of apologizing for other peoples mistakes. … I don’t believe Christians should have to apologize for terry Jones, basically if you aren’t performing or supporting the given action or idea… Read more
If you’re new to this site or unaware of the “Rock Beyond Belief” controversy, this new video should give you a quick summary: On a side note, the Healthy Humanist will be interviewing Sgt. Justin Griffith sometime in the next few days, so if you have any questions for Griffith, let him know! ***Update 1***: This is just a trailer for what I believe will be a longer documentary. ***Update 2***: The interview with the Healthy Humanist can be found… Read more
Maggie Flynn reminds atheists about the perils of dating in a conservative city like Nashville: The wine arrived. As if to demonstrate how moderation worked, Matthew poured me half a glass, which I definitely saw as half-empty. “Are you religious?” he asked. “Not really.” “But you believe in God?” I drained my wine glass and reached across the table for the bottle. I gave him an honest answer, though I suspected I would never see Matthew again. I said that… Read more
Just so you all can put it on your calendar, Pastor Paula White’s birthday is on April 21st and her church knows exactly what she wants… We will be celebrating Pastor Paula’s birthday on Thursday, April 21st! Please make sure to pick up a birthday card from one of our ushers or greeters to sign and bring back on April 21st! Feel free to include a monetary gift to show your appreciation and bless our pastor on this special day!… Read more
In Denver, Pastor Kathy Escobar was invited to speak at a local high school’s baccalaureate service (basically, an optional, religious graduation ceremony). ***Update***: As a few readers note, I should explain these ceremonies a bit more. I’ll just quote Drew M.: A baccalaureate is an religious service for the graduating class. It is held off school property and attendance is optional, so it doesn’t violate separation of church and state. Now, back to what Kathy wrote: … they were looking… Read more
Jessica Ahlquist is the high school sophomore at the center of the lawsuit against the city of Cranston over a religious banner hanging in the local high school. She recently sat down for a lengthy interview with her uncle, who happens to make a YouTube series called Philosophy On the Ground: There aren’t too many high-schoolers out there with that level of courage and outspokenness. My appreciation for her just skyrocketed. She’s exactly the type of person you want leading… Read more
