Michael Campbell is the chief editor of Young Freethought, a blog about atheism which features commentary from only people under 21. He sent Richard Dawkins a message about the blog, who they’re reaching out to, and what they’re trying to accomplish. Dawkins wrote him back (how excited would you be?) It’s relatively short and the whole thing is worth reading, but if you’re a college student or younger, the following part is especially relevant (emphasis mine): … Of course we… Read more
The Freedom From Religion Foundation put this sign up in the state Capitol building in Olympia, Washington last year: After all the controversy last year, the state government decided no displays for/against any religion would be allowed at all inside the capitol building. It was the right move. Unfortunately, they’re still allowing displays outside, on the grounds of the building. So far, only a Jewish group and an atheist group have applied — no Christian groups. The atheist group in… Read more
Let’s hope Google picks up on that headline. Jumaani is a numerologist who’s getting paid obscene amounts of money to tell people what they want to hear. His advice boils down to: Change the spelling of your name to make it more unique or just be born on the right day: According to Mr. Jumaani, people’s personalities and destinies are shaped by the interplay of various numbers. Among the most important are numbers derived from birth dates, like the sum… Read more
An atheist, Ted Cox, spent the past two years going undercover as a gay man undergoing gay-to-straight therapy programs run by Christian groups (as if there were any other kind). What he found was precisely what you would think: These programs do nothing to “convert” you from gay to straight. They just try to make you suppress your (gay) sexual urges. They make up their own “facts” — you’re not born with it, it’s the result of a traumatic childhood,… Read more
Bill O’Reilly actually said that on his show the other night. He also asked: “How do you sell atheism by running down a baby?” Normally, running down babies is right up my alley, but I really don’t get it in this case. Here’s the American Humanist Association ad that’s getting O’Reilly and his panel all riled up, followed by the relevant clip from the show: I would love to know how this is an attack on Christmas. Or Christians. Or… Read more
If you’re eating one of these Flying Spaghetti Monster treats over the holidays, you know there will be a smile on your face. I plan to have these for dinner every night for the next three weeks. Don’t you *dare* discourage me. The instructions on how to make them can be found at Negative Entropy. (Homage is paid to the Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories for their inspiration.) (Thanks to Ashley for the link!) Read more
Katherine is a writer who is working on a project about the Religious Right and their impact on public education (before college). Topics she is covering include: after-school evangelizing “clubs”; “student-led” prayer in high school athletics; distribution of religious literature on public school campuses; and debates over evolution, sex education, and the teaching of American history. She sends this message to readers: I’m writing a book about public education and the Religious Right. If you or your kids have been… Read more
A couple weeks ago, I participated in a two-person panel discussion on the movie Collision. The film documented a series of debates on the topic “Is Christianity Good for the World?” between Christopher Hitchens and evangelical theologian Doug Wilson. The panel consisted of me and (Christian) Dr. Chad Meister. It was moderated by Pastor Mark Bergin of The Painted Door church. (There was a feature article about them in Friday’s Chicago Tribune) Thanks to Mark and his staff, video of… Read more
Julia Sweeney’s fantastic one-woman show Letting Go of God had its Showtime premiere earlier a few nights ago and will be airing on the premium channel several times over the next month! Specifically: Showtime’s deal gives them dibs on the movie for a year. If the ratings are good and the audience likes what they see, they can pick it up for another year. In the meantime, Julia and others are discussing the movie at two forums — one sponsored… Read more
The Tulsa Coalition of Reason has a billboard going up this week! … Meanwhile, the new billboard in Baltimore is getting quite a bit of press: Keep up the good work, CORs! Read more
