I’m currently en route to Ohio! I’ll be back Tuesday. The blog is on autopost until then. Feel free to send emails/links, but I probably won’t get to them before next week. There will be updates on Twitter throughout the weekend (including the Creation Museum trip — the hashtag #CreoZerg will be used, per PZ’s request — and the Secular Student Alliance conference), so feel free to send the love on there. I’ll be taking photos and video… and trying… Read more
I mentioned last week that the Metro State Atheists in Colorado were running a charity event called Food for Freethought 2009. You give them non-perishable foods (which will be donated), and they’ll give you a banned book! In order to make this happen, though, they need books. They now have a wish list up on Amazon. If you can purchase anything on this list, you’d be helping a great cause! (Thanks to Tanya for the link!) Read more
Richard Wade here. I’ve spent a long time on this blog trying to have and to promote respectful dialogues with the many Christians who visit. Many of you have expressed your appreciation of my courteous approach. I now want to spend some of that “social capital” by respectfully issuing you a challenge, and by making an appeal: CHRISTIANS! DO YOU STAND UP FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND RELIGION OR NOT? Your truthful answer is not shown by your words but… Read more
Luke Galen, an associate professor at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, recently conducted a survey in conjunction with the Center for Inquiry of non-religious people specifically. That hasn’t happened in much depth before. You can check out the methodology and results here (PDF). The biggest flaw, as far as I can tell, is that only people on CFI’s mailing list were polled. That’s a big problem, but it’s tough to get a sampling of atheists without seeking them out… Read more
To folks near Collierville, Tennessee (close to Memphis), there’s an event going on in your area next week at the Collierville Church of Christ you may want to attend: a “Truth About Human Origins” Seminar with Brad Harrub. Here’s the schedule: Friday August 14: 7:00PM: Atheism’s Attack on America Saturday, August 15: 6:30PM: Is Genesis a Myth 7:30PM: The Dinosaur Dilemma Sunday, August 16: 9:30AM: Was Darwin Wrong 10:30AM: Medical Examination of the Crucifixion 1:30PM: Scientific Accuracy of the Bible… Read more
I would love to be the person who breaks the news to the co-worker in this story. Background: This takes place at a shop which constantly plays Christian music via satellite radio. The owner isn’t a fan but he doesn’t bother changing it since he only stops by the shop casually: … One day [the owner] came in and chatted with us [employees] for a while when he noticed the radio was playing a mainstream song. He asked, “Did someone… Read more
Sam Harris already published a much-discussed op-ed in The New York Times about why Francis Collins is a bad choice to head the National Institutes of Health. Yesterday, he published a longer version of that piece on his website — it’s a much more pointed, in-depth explanation of why Collins shouldn’t be offered this job. Here are just a couple excerpts: Is it really so difficult to perceive a conflict between Collins’ science and his religion? Just imagine how scientific… Read more
This is adorable: Not only is it a Flying Spaghetti Monster license plate, it advocates organ and tissue donation! Father Alec writes this about his daughter: Saffy had cancer as an infant and was saved with a liver transplant after being listed as status 1 (less than a week to live). Some may attribute that miracle to her team of surgeons, donor family and modern science, but we know it was really His Noodly Appendage that saved her. I’m glad… Read more
Just the other day, I mentioned that the following bus ad was placed on 20 buses in Des Moines, Iowa: It was timed perfectly so that the ads would run while the Iowa state fair was in progress. I know what you’re thinking: That’s offensive! How dare they put an ad on buses that doesn’t praise The Jesus? Apparently, some people seem to think that way. There were many complaints and the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) took… Read more
The Ask Richard postings seem to have struck a chord with a lot of you. Our friend Richard is now being featured in Humanist Network News, the ezine for the American Humanist Association 🙂 HNN is free to sign up for if you don’t receive it already. Congratulations to him! More of his advice will be coming in the next few days. Read more
