For those who have been having issues with the site lately: The switch is nearly complete. A new comment system is coming soon (with HTML buttons for easier commenting) Here is the best RSS feed to use for this site. (I know older feed URLs may no longer work, so please double-check!) If the site was loading slowly before, it should be better now. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you see any other issues. Thanks! Read more
Reader Jeff recently got some good news about a job interview and, since he was sitting at his computer, he decided to celebrate by typing “I’m happy” into his search bar. It turns out imhappy.com takes you somewhere that will bring you back down pretty quickly… Read more
Last I heard, the prayers said before Forsyth County Commissioner’s Meetings were deemed to be unconstitutional. An update on the case offers good news: Judge James Beaty upheld the recommendation of a federal magistrate who said prayers referencing Jesus and other sectarian deities made before meetings of the Forsyth County Commissioners are unconstitutional. Can we put this case to rest now? The government cannot engage in public displays of prayer. If you want to pray, keep it to yourself and… Read more
Note: When letter writers sign with their first names instead of a pseudonym or nickname, I randomly change their name for added anonymity. Hello Richard, First, I wanted to thank you for the advice you gave not too long ago on relating to religious people at times of grief. My grandmother just passed away and that advice made dealing with her very large, very Polish and very Catholic side of the family much, much easier. It also gave me some… Read more
Gayle Haggard has been appearing everywhere from Oprah to Larry King Live to talk about her new book Why I Stayed: The Choices I Made In My Darkest Hour. The title is in reference to the decision she made to stay with pastor Ted Haggard, even after he admitted to cheating on her with a gay male escort. Gayle now says Ted ” was ‘cured’ of his homosexual compulsions.” A couple years ago, I had a chance to interview Mike… Read more
***Update***: The forums are back up and running! … As I’ve said before, I’m switching servers for the site (curse you all for visiting it so much). When that happens, there always are a few glitches that need to be worked out. Right now, the Friendly Atheist Forums are down, but they will be back up ASAP. If you see anything else not working, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Hopefully, we’ll be back up like normal before long. Read more
Thanks to the United Coalition of Reason, Tampa Bay now has an atheist billboard! Reaching out to the like minded isn’t the only goal of the effort. “We also want to let people know that we nontheistic folks belong to the larger community,” added Rick O’Keefe, coordinator of Tampa Bay CoR. “Whether the public knows it or not, we can be found among family members, friends, neighbors and coworkers. We’re just like everyone else, except we don’t believe in a… Read more
Why is Pope John Paul II sounding more and more like Silas from The Da Vinci Code? Citing individuals in the late pope’s entourage while he was a bishop in Poland and after he was elected pontiff in 1978, the book [Why He Is a Saint: the Real John Paul II by Monsignor Slawomir Oder] says that John Paul II inflicted pain on himself to feel closer to God. “In his closet, among his vestments, there was hung on a… Read more
Joel got a note from his grandmother. (A damn near illegible note.) She cannot believe he’s an atheist: Dear Joel, I have heard that you say you’re an athesis [sic]. I don’t believe that because you have so many Christian qualities. You are honest, loyal, kind and giving — not to mention handsome and extremely talented. (Now — Those are gifts from God!) Please use this check to have a great New Years day Breakfast. Hey! What do you mean… Read more
Mike Celizic of NBCSports.com can’t believe CBS is allowing the Tim Tebow/anti-abortion ad to air during the Super Bowl next weekend: … Focus on the Family can run its ad because everyone likes Tim Tebow, and the anti-choice agenda is buried underneath the feel-good story of the kid who wasn’t supposed to be born but grew up to be a hero. But neither [CBS] nor any other network will take an ad from an atheist group whose message is there… Read more
