Man, it’s a good thing those kids didn’t get to the *really* bad parts of the Bible… (via wulffmorgenthaler — Thanks to Jeff for the link!) Read more
In Connecticut, the Hartford City Council wanted local Muslim imams to deliver invocations during two of their meetings… it’s September and this was an attempt to reach out to that community. The decision went over very well: … it brought on a slew of hateful emails and phone calls. Amid the public outcry, the council revoked that decision after public outcry. Instead of standing up for the Muslim community, Council President Jo Winch appeased the nutcases. There shouldn’t be prayers… Read more
by Jesse Galef — Pope Benedict sure was running his mouth upon arriving in the UK. Maybe he got a poor night’s sleep or maybe it was the way many Britons let him know he was not welcome. Whatever the cause, he lashed out at us with a strange Nazi accusation: “Even in our own lifetimes we can recall how Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society and denied our common… Read more
Bill Maher, who just received a star on the Walk of Fame, had great segments on The Tonight Show and Larry King Live this week. He spoke about Koran burning, the (close to) Ground Zero Mosque (and community Center), and religion in general: The new season of Real Time with Bill Maher starts up Friday. I curse Comcast for not giving me free HBO. On a side note, Maher was asked why he’s never won an Emmy for his show…. Read more
The Pope is making a state visit to the UK this week. He has already made his presence known to atheists, when he compared us to Nazis. Jesse has more on that later today. But before that, his visit itself prompted a number of Britons to write this open letter to him: We, the undersigned, share the view that Pope Ratzinger should not be given the honour of a state visit to this country. We believe that the pope, as… Read more
It’s such an obvious choice, I’m amazed it didn’t happened sooner. David Silverman has been tapped to become the next president of American Atheists. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy or a better spokesperson for atheism. Having worked with him in the past (and working with him now on a project I’m very excited about), I’m thrilled about the news. Silverman has been with the organization since 1996, holding positions of NJ State Director, Communications Director and Vice… Read more
The Artist Formerly Known as Molly Norris drew this cartoon after the South Park/Muhammad debacle: It led to an actual event where people drew images of Muhammad — offensive and not — on their Facebook profiles, on college campuses, on blogs, and everywhere else. Norris regretted her cartoon not long after: Norris, a Seattle cartoonist, says she’s been thoroughly stressed out ever since her April proclamation. … “It’s been horrible,” says Norris, who says she’s lost seven pounds because of… Read more
The French Senate voted 246-1 (with about 100 abstentions) on Tuesday to ban burkas and niqabs in public places. In case you need a reminder… What will happen when the law goes into effect in the spring? The law imposes a fine of 150 euros ($190) and/or a citizenship course as punishment for wearing a face-covering veil. Forcing a woman to wear a niqab or a burqa will be punishable by a year in prison or a 15,000-euro ($19,000) fine,… Read more
Dear Richard, I am a college student from the Philippines, a predominantly Catholic country. I’m an “out” atheist. Mostly, I’m not being mistreated, and I can tolerate the fact that Catholicism is such a big part of the country’s culture. My problem is that in the city where I live, I am alone in my beliefs, and sometimes it gets lonely. My friends are all Catholics. Some of them claim to be genuinely interested in what I have to say… Read more
by Jesse Galef — I used to think that the Tea Party movement was predominantly libertarian — that they were against taxes and spending and wanted the government to get out of… well, everything. Not my political leanings, but at least it was secular, I thought. It wasn’t about religion. But I was wrong. Whoo boy, was I ever. If you’re a political junkie like I am, you might have heard that something strange happened in the GOP Delaware primary…. Read more
