From his latest stand-up special, Out Of England 2, here’s comedian Ricky Gervais telling the story of Noah and his Ark, based off of a book he received as a child. It just gets funnier the more you get into it 🙂 Is there any better source of humor than the Bible and those who believe in its literal truth…? Read more
A few months ago, I sent undercover agents to the Americans for Truth About Homosexuality anti-gay-rights “Truth Academy.” Their reports are here, here, and here. That was enlightening and informative. It’s always good to know first-hand what the other side is talking about (so we’re not accused of taking them out of context). The project worked because the agents were educated (so they knew bullshit when they heard it) and good communicators (so their reports were very thorough and they… Read more
They usually start city council meetings in Grand Junction, Colorado with Christian prayers. That’s not just “bothersome,” as one news article notes. It’s illegal and it needs to stop. At least the Western Colorado Atheists and Freethinkers are trying to get their message included in the mix. They’ll get a chance to speak before the January 3rd meeting. “They offend some people because for decades, they’ve been primarily Christian based prayers mostly mentioning the name of Jesus Christ. And if… Read more
Because we offer so much to our affiliates 🙂 Ashley Paramore, one of our newest staffers, put together this video that we’ll be sending out to our member groups. It features Richard Dawkins, Mr. Deity, SSA staffers (including Jesse Galef), and several campus group leaders talking about why the SSA is so important to them. I’m in there somewhere, too… If you’d like to help us out, there’s no better time. We’re at 231 groups and growing fast! You can… Read more
You remember Tim Tebow. He’s the former University of Florida football player who tried to convert you with his eyes: Once he graduated, the NCAA ended up banning eye-billboards. Now, Tebow is a professional football player for the Denver Broncos. But since the NFL already bans eye-black messages, he has to figure out a different way to send his Christian bat-signal… and it looks like he found it! As blogger Larry Brown writes: You didn’t think something as lame as… Read more
It’s always interesting to hear Christians giving us credit where it’s due… Like this blogger, Mason, who speaks in Christianese but is trying to grapple with the fact that atheists can be kind and generous despite what the church might have him believe… It’s become pretty common that I’ll be involved in a deep discussion about faith, politics, or ethics and will end up coming to the defense not of my fellow Christians but of my atheist/agnostic friends. Not because… Read more
Hi Richard, I just found your site recently, and am finding it very helpful. Having been raised a guilt-stricken Catholic, it took me a long time to tell my parents that I no longer ascribe to the faith. My husband actually broke the news, as they are very loud and demeaning to me when they think I am wrong. We left out that I don’t follow any faith, so they kind of think I believe in something, which I don’t…. Read more
Hank Fox is an atheist from upstate New York and he’s just put out a book of his thoughts regarding religion called Red Neck, Blue Collar, Atheist: Simple Thoughts About Reason, Gods and Faith. This book is far more emotional than the other atheist books you may have read — it focuses on the transformation that takes place when you become an atheist (and leading up to it), instead of all the reasons why someone should become an atheist. A… Read more
by Brittany Meyer … Just in time for the Northern Hemisphere’s winter solstice, the 10th Circuit declined an en banc review of a previous ruling that 14 large white crosses used as roadside memorials for fallen troopers on public land in Utah violated the Establishment Clause because it gave the appearance of endorsing Christianity. In other words, the atheists have won the case, and the Circuit Court declined to reverse the ruling. As it stands, the following cross is still… Read more
I was reading the Chicago Tribune today and my jaw dropped when I saw this letter-to-the-editor from Ed Leighton: Eighteen months after graduating from a public high school, I had a chance encounter with Mr. Clark, my old guidance counselor. In what might have been a fishing expedition, he asked me who my most influential teacher was. “Mr. Eitmueller,” I replied. He then asked if it had anything to do with Christianity. It did. I was a teenager in the… Read more
