Joe Zamecki has been an atheist activist for years… which is why it makes perfect sense that he attended Catholic school for eight years. He’s written a book about his time there called Leaving the Quiet Room. It hasn’t yet been published, but Joe has provided me with an excerpt: In fifth grade, my class had Ms. McNabb for a homeroom teacher. Actually she was one of the first lay teachers we called Ms. and not Mrs. We knew what… Read more
Remember Dee Wampler, the Christian lawyer who is on a quest to have the phrase “IN GOD WE TRUST” posted in every City Hall in the state of Missouri? Now, we know why he’s doing it: “Especially with all the new people coming to the country that are hyphenated Americans, it’s important for them to know what our history and our culture and our tradition is,” he said. Well, there’s a new euphemism for non-white people… Wampler has no business… Read more
David Hayward, who is known on this site for his thought-provoking nakedpastor cartoons, has a serious post up on his site that deserves a read. He used to be a church pastor who was welcoming to gay people. But that didn’t stop other members of his church from holding views that ran the spectrum from outright bigotry to complete acceptance. That can’t be an easy group of people to lead… (And good luck discussing the issue of homosexuality in the… Read more
Pastor C.J. Mahaney released a book called Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World in 2008. I’m hearing about it now because the video below features audio excerpts of a sermon he delivered on modesty: Some choice quotations: … Campus is a loaded minefield. There are girls everywhere, and it is guaranteed that I will pass some attractive girls as I walk in between classes. I either have to be actively engaging my mind and my spirit in praying,… Read more
One of the downsides to being a student activist is that your activism might come back to haunt you when you’re looking for a job post-college. Reader Alyssa is concerned because she’s an atheist who wants to become a teacher and sent me this email: I’m worried that being too open about my atheism (or even mentioning secular involvements on my resume) will jeopardize my chances of finding a permanent position, or isolate myself after I have been hired, especially… Read more
There are a number of local events worth checking out if you’re in the area! SURE, the Secular Student Alliance affiliate at the University of California, Santa Barbara, is bringing Michael Shermer to their campus! What: The Science of Good & Evil, a Talk by Michael Shermer When: Tuesday, April 5th at 6:30p. Where: UCSB’s Corwin Pavilion Cost: Free! … In Philadelphia, the Freethought Society is raising funds to send Solar Box Cookers to Haiti (to help the Free Thinkers… Read more
Remember that religious banner up in Rhode Island’s Cranston High School West? Our Heavenly Father. Grant us each day the desire to do our best. To grow mentally and morally as well as physically. To be kind and helpful to our classmates and teachers. To be honest with ourselves as well as with others. Help us to be good sports and smile when we lose as well as when we win. Teach us the value of true friendship. Help us… Read more
It’s always easy to blame religion for a lot of the conflicts you see in the world, but how often is that really the case? Jerry Coyne is compiling a list of evils in which religion is to blame. Sounds a little dubious since something like the Protestant/Catholic conflict in Northern Ireland sounds religious on the surface but actually has other causes that may play a larger role. So to separate those kinds of situations from the ones he’s looking… Read more
To any campus groups planning to participate in National Ask An Atheist Day on Wednesday, April 13th, the students at the Illini Secular Student Alliance (at the University of Illinois) have a couple additional resources you can use: There’s this poster: You can download a generic version of the poster (PDF), or use this Adobe Illustrator file to add your group’s name/logo. There’s also a sample press release you can use as a template to let local media know what… Read more
Foundation Beyond Belief, a non-profit group that encourages atheists to give to various charities, just announced its Quarter 2, 2011 beneficiaries! (Full disclosure: I serve as President of FBB’s board.) Health: Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning Human Rights: The Innocence Project of Texas Peace: Central Asia Institute (founded in 1996 by Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace, One School at a Time) Child Welfare: Bright Star Vision Education: National… Read more
