In Letting Go of God, Julia Sweeney talks about her parents finding out about her atheism. She says: “I think my parents had been mildly disappointed when I told them I didn’t believe in God anymore, but being an ‘atheist’ was another thing altogether!” That’s the idea behind this cartoon: (via Atheist Cartoons) Read more
This week marks the first anniversary of Atheist Nexus, an online social networking site. There are over 9,000 members right now, but they are trying to reach 10,000! If you haven’t joined, you should consider it. If you’re a member, please consider inviting your friends. Joining A|N is free and I can attest to the great networking potential it has. I have a personal page and a Friendly Atheist page on it. If you need any more convincing, there are… Read more
Dear Richard, I recently found myself in an awkward, social situation. I was sitting in a public place with a small group of people who all knew each other, at least well enough to match names to faces. Some around the table were theists and some were not. One person mentioned a news story about suicide bombers, and another began to rant about how all the world’s ills were caused by religion. No one else at the table wanted to… Read more
Reader Bob has noticed himself doing something I figure many atheists do: When I think about family and friends, I will often think to myself, “God bless ’em” when I am worried about them. This is not said out loud; it is just a personal thought toward the person I am thinking of, a long ingrained habit. As an atheist I certainly don’t think it actually does anything. But am I planning on stopping? No. Old thought patterns are hard… Read more
I mentioned the ther day how atheist Rob Sherman was going to ride his Godless-in-Chicago-Mobile around town during local parades. The picture may be Photoshopped, but the mobile does really exist. And Rob did indeed drive it around. The reaction wasn’t very pleasant. You can hear the boos… Unless he was running over cute puppies with the RV, the boos aren’t his fault. All he’s doing is saying he’s “godless and proud.” He’s arrogant as hell about it, yes, but… Read more
Last week, The Sunday Times published a series of mistake-ridden articles about Camp Quest UK. The most gratuitous error was the headline for the main article: Dawkins sets up kids’ camp to groom atheists Not only was Richard Dawkins not running the camp (he only made a small donation to it), it most certainly does not “groom atheists.” It encourages them to think for themselves and does not guide them toward a godless conclusion. Anyway, today, they finally published a… Read more
Every year, the Secular Student Alliance gives out awards to the best campus atheist groups in the country in a variety of areas. Each group receives a plaque and a cash reward. Here are this year’s winners: Best Service Project: Students for Freethought at The Ohio State University. … They took the idea to their own group and immediately started planning a similar, week-long trip to help rebuilding efforts in New Orleans. But they weren’t content to stop there! They… Read more
I don’t know how much expertise you have when it comes to Islam and the Middle East, but here goes. I’m in the very beginning stages of what I suspect will develop into a relationship with a guy from Saudi Arabia. He spent some time in the U.S. as a child, seems pretty westernized, isn’t super-religious, and is aware of my stance on religion, my feminism, and my Jewish heritage. I’m not going to lie, though. The whole thing still… Read more
The story in a nutshell: “Bob” finds a wallet on the ground. He looks at the license and finds the address. “Bob” returns the wallet to its rightful owner. No money is missing. The owner is stunned… and thankful. The owner tells his wife. Now, both are thankful. Praise God they say. A child comes in the room. Both parents point to the man, telling their child there are still kind, decent, honest people in the world. Praise God they… Read more
As an atheist, you’re probably used to someone asking, “Why are you an atheist?” Depending on who is doing the asking, and what their motivation might be, you may end up giving 10 different stories to 10 different people. You’re never lying, but you may focus on different elements of the story for each person. SarahH mentioned the one common thread that she tells during each “Testimonial”: … The only thing I always share, for sure, is my “breaking point”… Read more
