It’s hard enough for atheists teachers to deal with the Pledge of Allegiance and saying “Under God.” If you don’t want to say it, you may very well lose your job depending on where you work. But it’s just as tough if you’re the child of atheist parents. If you don’t stand up for the Pledge or you sit outside the classroom while others say it, you could be subject to teasing, taunting, and possibly worse. David Niose, President of… Read more
Last time we heard from Giles County, Virginia, a Ten Commandments display was going up in Macy McClaugherty Elementary/Middle School and others in the district. The Freedom From Religion Foundation told Superintendent Terry E. Arbogast this was illegal and he informed them he would take it down immediately. (Shocking, I know!) But soon after that, the school board unanimously voted to reverse his decisions. That was a month ago and there is now some happy news to report. The pressure… Read more
You have to hand it to the Atheists of Florida: They don’t disappear when the initial media spotlight goes away. They’re still pushing to find out whether Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd did something illegal when he removed basketball hoops from a local prison and gave them to a local church: Now the group wants more records, including documents detailing which employees were assigned to the project, how many hours they worked on it and which agency vehicles were used… Read more
Here’s the question posed by Paige Winfield Cunningham of Christianity Today to FOX News Channel host, failed presidential candidate, and super-Christian Mike Huckabee: The last time former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney ran for President, about one-third of evangelical voters said they were less likely to vote for a candidate who is Mormon. How much do you think evangelicals should consider candidates’ faith when deciding whether to vote for them? And here’s how Huckabee began his response: I don’t think they… Read more
Thanks to Jesusophile, I now know waaaaaaay more about sodomy than I ever wanted to: I feel awkward now. And yet I can’t stop laughing… Read more
A Week will take place March 20-26, 2011. It’s a chance to show you’re an atheist and proud of it — start some conversations with people who may not know what the OUT Campaign symbol is all about! A Week is not about being disrespectful to religion or people who have religious views, it’s about quietly showing that there are more people than may be [realized] who are ‘Good without God’ and who don’t need religion to influence their lives…. Read more
The assignment asks: name “one freedom that you exercise in your life.” One kid has the right idea 🙂 (via HaHaStop — Thanks to @CashewStyle for the link!) Read more
I’ve written before about how the Silent Reflection and Student Prayer time is back in Illinois. After several wasted “moments” in the classroom, some legislators are finally trying to put a stop to this nonsense. House Bill 0273 (HB0273) was introduced by Republican (!!!) Jim Durkin and has since picked up co-sponsors Karen May and Ann Williams (both Democrats). The bill: Amends the Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act. Changes the title and short title of the Act. Repeals the… Read more
I read this in the middle of an article in the latest issue of Wired (19.03) and had to check it out for myself. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that when you give money to a Christian charity and they ask you who’s donating, “Mr. & Mr.” is not an option for “Title.” They don’t support gay marriage, so why would they offer that? The exclusion at least makes sense (even if it’s a bigoted move). But if you and your… Read more
Dear Mr. Richard, How are you? After reading your posts on Friendly Atheist I decided to contact you with a problem of my own. First a little history leading up to my dilemma. It has been a long, hard slog to were I am at now. I started as a somewhat skeptical, but otherwise convinced, believer in God and Christ. After I entered college I immersed in evolution wanting to make an informed decision about the subject. In the past… Read more
