I really would like to know why Rev. Billy Graham has a syndicated column. In his latest one, he spends most of the time talking about something that has nothing to do with the letter-writer’s question. That question is actually a good one: My 7-year-old son asked me to ask you this question: Do you think there’s intelligent life on other planets? Does the Bible say anything about this? My son is very curious about things such as this. Graham… Read more
Some good news from the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign! A couple months ago, atheists paid to have this ad put on buses in Bloomington, Indiana: After paying for it, Transpo Bloomington Transit (the bus company) decided the ad was “too controversial” and never placed the ad on buses. A lawsuit was filed. Today, the atheists have prevailed! The members of the campaign are pleased to announce that we have reached a settlement with Bloomington Transit regarding our lawsuit. A preliminary… Read more
John Travolta may finally be coming to his senses… According to The Daily Mail (UK), Travolta is still distraught over his son’s death. That death may be attributed to the Church of Scientology: He reportedly resents going along with Scientology’s prescribed treatment for [son] Jett’s condition. The church does not recognise autism as genuine, but instead believes it to be merely psychosomatic. The church recommends treatment with vitamins and a detox program, not prescription medicines. It is also reported that… Read more
Abstinence-only education is a bad idea even when it comes to school lunches, says The Onion: Despite the popularity of abstinence-only meal programs in schools across the country, the study found that children who were provided with no food at lunch and cautioned against eating at an early age were no less likely to become overweight than those who were provided with a well-rounded nutritional education. … “There’s no evidence to suggest that instructing teens not to chew, swallow, or… Read more
Hi Richard, Where does an atheist turn when she finds herself surrounded by people yet always alone? I live in a fairly conservative part of the country and while my friends know and accept that I’m an atheist, they view it as more of a novelty than anything — something they like to bring up when there are new people around, or if they have had a few drinks and feel like debating someone. Like it’s fun to wind me… Read more
I’m reading a new book called Intersections of Religious Privilege: Difficult Dialogues and Student Affairs Practice. It’s the theme for the 125th installment of the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series New Directions for Student Services — that is to say, it’s a collection of academic papers on a particular topic. Normally, I stay away from reading those because… well… they bore me to tears. In this case, though, the focus is religion (and atheism) on college campuses, so I was intrigued…. Read more
Monday’s edition of The New York Times features Sam Harris weighing in on the Francis Collins debate. The issue: Collins is a brilliant scientist/geneticist recently appointed to head the National Institutes of Health. Collins is also an evangelical Christian. Should we be concerned? Harris answers that last question with a definitive “Yes”: What follows are a series of slides, presented in order, from a lecture on science and belief that Dr. Collins gave at the University of California, Berkeley, in… Read more
Reader Josh noticed this air compressor at his workplace: Who knew freethinkers ran companies like this?! Read more
I don’t know why. I just know I like what I’m seeing. Does that costume come in pajama form? Because I’m *totally* buying that for my future babies if it does… (via jritch77 — Thanks to James for the link!) Read more
“Sarah” is a 23-year-old atheist living in Jerusalem. That wouldn’t be newsworthy except for the following: … there is no shortage of atheists in the world, but precious few of them were born into the family of a conservative rabbi and raised in what many would consider a stifling domain, the austere, God-fearing world of the haredim, as ultra-Orthodox Jews are known. Sarah is a rarity in Israel. She is a “yotze,” the term used here for someone who has… Read more
