Remember that editorial by Wayne Laugesen of the Colorado Springs Gazette in which he said the atheist movement was on the decline because of groups like Atheist Agenda and their Smut for Smut campaign and FFRF going after the Mother Teresa stamps? I argued that Laugesen ignored many of the bright spots within our movement and the idea that the overall trend is in our favor. Well, there was a fantastic rebuttal. And it was written by a pastor, Rev…. Read more
President Obama’s 2011 budget calls for a big change of course for NASA. As one reader, Ben, puts it: The new proposal has the potential to put a lot of people out of work, depending on how the budget is implemented. This would affect not just NASA employees but people working in the service and other industries around NASA if our NASA center [in Houston] down-sizes. One local church has chosen to deal with this situation… by praying about it…. Read more
In the latest issue of the Secular Student Alliance’s eMpirical, there’s a debate on Greg Epstein’s book Good Without God: What a Billion Nonreligious People Do Believe: Sharon Moss, president of the Humanist Community of Central Ohio, is a fan of Epstein’s message: If our message is going to reach beyond just white men — to get the majority of nontheists off the couch and into our movement — we need to get our faces out of the philosophy books… Read more
I’m recovering from speaking at Beloit College last night (it was awesome), so consider this an open thread! Discuss what you will. Need a topic? What the %&$*# is happening on Lost? I’m obsessed with the show and yet I’m still so damn confused about everything. Read more
Do you ever find yourself in a heated debate with Creationists and all you have with you is your iPhone?! Yes. Yes, you do. Every day. That’s why you want to download Creationist Claims by Insomnia Addict — it’s the iPhone version of The Counter-Creationism Handbook by Mark Isaak. And it’s free! How awesome is that? ***Update***: While I think this app is a good source of information, I do want to make clear it’s not a substitute for actually… Read more
The band Tense Kids has a fun little song called “Song for James Randi” that I’ve been listening to for a couple nights now. The lyrics are great. Feel free to listen to it here: And check out singer/songwriter Joe Harbison’s personal page here. Yay for skeptic music! Read more
This is what you need to know about Jeff and Marci Beagley: They allowed their son to die of an inflammation of his urethra because they figured a god would cure him. Instead of taking him to a doctor for real help, they prayed… and sat back idly while he suffered. A jury found them guilty of criminally negligent homicide. The other day, they finally received their sentence: Clackamas County Circuit Court Judge Steven Maurer sentenced Jeffrey and Marci Beagley… Read more
I don’t think I want one, but maybe some of you are interested in a Jesus: Incidentally the actual location is in New Zealand. (via FAIL Blog) Read more
Dear Richard We are an atheist couple with three children aged 10, 8 and 5. The youngest starts school this year. We have explained to our children that different people believe in different gods, but neither of us believe in god, and that when they are older they can decide for themselves what they want to believe in. I think it is wrong for parents to impose religious views on children, and so I do not feel I can impose… Read more
