(Hemant’s note: This is a guest post by JulietEcho. She has been the fantastic admin for the Friendly Atheist forums for over two and a half years!) … Over the past weekend, I attended Dragon*Con in Atlanta, along with over 30,000 other sci-fi and fantasy fans. Some came for the costumes, some came for the parties, some came for the gaming — but I was there to see some of my favorite skeptics and sci-fi actors! Unlike TAM, the “Skeptrack”… Read more
Last we heard, the Virginia Attorney General, Ken Cuccinelli, was weighing in on whether Loudoun County should allow all religious displays on government property or none at all: … it is my opinion that a local governmental entity is never categorically compelled to prohibit holiday displays, including those incorporating recognizably religious symbols, because governments enjoy considerable discretion in accommodating the religious expression of their citizens and employees and in their own recognition of traditional seasonal holidays. It is further my… Read more
I’ve heard from some friends that it’s an awkwardly worded question, but that’s the jumping-off point for my current Washington Post On Faith column. An excerpt is below: Have Muslims done enough to heal this nation? As a whole, no. There’s no doubt in my mind that Muslims in America are good citizens who have been unfairly maligned in the past decade. They obviously don’t support terrorism; they want to worship in peace. The problem is that, when someone legitimately… Read more
Dear Richard, I am a 14 year old. At the age of around 12 I told my parents that I was an agnostic atheist. They were quite repulsed at first, as they saw atheism as a form of baby eating cult. I have slowly given them a more realistic approach to atheism over the years, yet it is quite annoying how they are treating me at the moment. They keep giving me all of these Christian books to read, and… Read more
I’ve been reading several articles this week about Pastor Terry Jones and how his church plans to burn Korans on 9/11. Christians don’t want to be associated with this guy. Clergy members, academics and elected officials in Gainesville have planned nearly a dozen events to counter the plan, starting on Wednesday with an interfaith prayer service. On Saturday, hundreds of local residents and visitors are expected to rally against Mr. Jones, an evangelical pastor, with signs containing messages like “Peace… Read more
Comedian Louis CK’s show Louie aired a wonderful episode dealing with God and Catholic school last week. It’s finally available on Hulu. The episode starts out downright scary (inside the Catholic school) but gets much better toward the end. (How awesome is the mother?) As usual, Louis CK’s comedy bits are awesome 🙂 (Sorry to non-US folks who can’t see it!) Read more
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation plans to run this full-page ad in the Gainesville Sun on Friday, in response to Pastor Terry Jones burning Korans: Well, it’s definitely a gesture of goodwill. I wonder if it’d be more useful, though, to donate a certain amount of money to a non-profit/charity organization for each Koran burned instead. Still, I like MRFF’s response. Your thoughts? (via Chris Rodda) Read more
Islam and Christianity are both frightening at times, full of false hope, and capable of even more destruction than they’ve already caused. Mr. Fish draws the truth: It’s incredible to hear some Christians talk about how superior their theology is to that of any other faith… maybe because they sing songs in massive churches and talk about their prophet like he’s their bestest friend, it shelters them from the fact that their beliefs have no more credibility than Muslims, Scientologists,… Read more
Oklahoma + FFRF + politics = surefire publicity, right? A new billboard places in Tulsa, Oklahoma yesterday pays tribute to Democrat Thomas Gore, one of the first two Senators from Oklahoma. He served from 1907-1921 and 1931-1937. The idea for the billboard came from FFRF member Bill Dusenberry — he heard about Gore’s atheism while reading an interview with (Gore’s grandson) Gore Vidal in The Humanist. … I was brought up by my grandfather who was thirty years a senator…. Read more
It’s a tragic story, but there’s a glimmer of hope in it. Christine Judd was the dean of students and athletic director at Cathedral High School in Springfield, Massachusetts. She married her female partner over the summer. So the Roman Catholic Diocese forced her to resign. Christine Judd told the diocese this week she had married her female partner over the summer. Church officials say that is why she was asked to step down. “I don’t think there is any… Read more