by Jesse Galef – I’ll admit that I felt a sense of deep sadness and disappointment when I read Garrison Keillor’s intolerant screed in the Chicago Tribune. I’m hoping that it’s satire given how abundantly stupid and offensive it is, but for the moment I’m afraid that it’s genuine. Unitarians listen to the Inner Voice and so they have no creed that they all stand up and recite in unison, and that’s their perfect right, but it is wrong, wrong,… Read more
Dear Richard, I came out as an atheist to my ultra-Catholic parents about a year ago. Surprisingly, my Dad has been very understanding. I had to move back in with my parents because I am in my last quarter of undergrad. My mother, despite her knowledge of my atheism was under the impression that I would be attending church on Sunday. Needless to say, we’ve had many fights about it. She’s pulled out many neo-con hot words like how I’m… Read more
Umm… this must be an example of a church teaching morality: Father Tim Jones, a 41-year-old clergyman at St. Lawrence Church in York, England, said that shoplifting — rather than prostitution or burglary — is sometimes the best option for poor people struggling to make ends meet… Because burglary is very different from shoplifting? At least the priest set limits: “I would ask that they do not steal from small family businesses, but from large national businesses — knowing that… Read more
There’s a new, cleaner looking banner at the top of the page. I absolutely love it. The ambigram was created by Tiffany Harvey (who does beautiful work and will one day design my tattoo). She is awesome and you should all hire her for all your designing purposes. The banner was then put together by reader Pat Thompson. For those who say it’s not readable, that’s kind of the point. It forces you to look at it carefully. But the… Read more
In a piece for The Atlantic, Hanna Rosin asks, “Did Christianity Cause the Crash?” Many explanations have been offered for the housing bubble and subsequent crash: interest rates were too low; regulation failed; rising real-estate prices induced a sort of temporary insanity in America’s middle class. But there is one explanation that speaks to a lasting and fundamental shift in American culture — a shift in the American conception of divine Providence and its relationship to wealth. Phil Ferguson, writing… Read more
Greta Christina has a terrific article highlighting several reasons atheists should be celebrating this time of year: Reason #7: Holiday traditions are comforting. The human need for tradition and ritual seems to be deeply ingrained. It’s comforting to do things at the same time every day or every year: things we did as children, things our parents and grandparents did. It gives us a sense of continuity, of being part of a pattern that’s larger than ourselves, of passing along… Read more
We’re making a couple changes to the site and some of you might see some odd formatting for a little while regardless of browser. Please bear with me and things should be back to normal soon! Read more
People are still talking about Asheville, North Carolina city councilperson Cecil Bothwell and the recent consciousness-raising of the fact that several states technically forbid atheists from holding public office. In Bothwell’s case, the state constitution says his atheism prevents him from holding his seat, but the U.S. Constitution says otherwise. (The U.S. Constitution trumps the state constitution, says the law.) “Frankly, this is one of the easiest cases I’ve ever seen,” said Arnold Loewy, George R. Killam Jr. Chair of… Read more
Laura, the Redheaded Skeptic, used to be a fundamentalist Christian and a pastor’s wife before becoming an atheist. On her excellent site, she talks about the first journal entry she wrote after meeting the man who would later become her pastor husband (whom she has since left). Specifically, she mentions a list of goals she set for their relationship as it was just beginning (along with side commentary): To learn to care more about his needs than my own. To… Read more
The Triangle Freethought Society put up a display in Moore Square in Raleigh, North Carolina earlier today to counterbalance a Christian nativity scene in the same area. “While we support the freedom of religion and the right to free speech, we feel strongly that if the city of Raleigh is going to allow an overtly Christian display to be erected in our public square, other points of view should be represented as well,” noted Mark Zumbach, President of TFS. “Not… Read more
