This post is by Jesse Galef, who works for the Secular Coalition for America. He also blogs at Rant & Reason … I just heard that Governor Mark Sanford was not hiking, but had in fact sneaked off to visit a woman in Argentina. Also at issue is that he seems to have lied to his staff and his family about his whereabouts. In a press conference today, he opened up about the whole thing. I really wanted to feel… Read more
A reader sends this question via email: I currently work for a large Fortune 500 company and I check the Friendly Athiest and other secular blogs on a regular basis. I also listen to several secular podcasts. I was dismayed to find that your site as well as several of the podcasts have been blocked at work as of last week. I received a warning notice saying that the site has been blocked under the “Occult” category. I know they… Read more
I was impressed a couple years ago when I heard that 20% of Americans aged 18-25 had no religious affiliation or were atheist/agnostic. Apparently, I should have been looking to Britain. It turns out if you survey British children aged 13-18, the stats are even more favorable for non-theists. According to a new study of 1000 teenagers (by Penguin books in the UK — I’m not sure the methodology or reliability), this is what was discovered: 60% of them go… Read more
Next time I go an atheist conference, I’m totally wearing this: The ladies will be flocking to me. Umm… *ahem*… more than usual, that is. A word of advice to the men: This is one time where too much Reason may work against you. Use in moderation, please. (via Ariane Sherine) Read more
A month ago, Liberty University made news because it shut down the Democratic Party club at the school because of the party’s platforms. The Young Republicans group was allowed to stay put. Of course, since Liberty is a tax-exempt university, they cannot take sides politically and they could’ve been in deep trouble with the IRS. Jerry Falwell, Jr. announced a new policy yesterday in regards to the groups. Here’s how Rob Boston of Americans United put it: Falwell has announced… Read more
For anyone attending Dragon*Con (September 4th through the 7th) in Atlanta, the Skeptics’ track just added a very cool new event taking place the evening before the conference: A star-gazing party, hosted by astronomers Phil Plait and Pamela Gay, with proceeds benefiting cancer research. All the details are here. (Thanks to Maria for the link!) Read more
There have been a number of shootings at churches in the news lately — Rev. Fred Winters and Dr. George Tiller come to mind. So how can a church protect itself from the violence? That’s a tough question. But I don’t think this idea will help: Traditional security measures, like metal detectors or pat-downs, might compromise that sense of sanctuary, [security consultant Vaughn] Baker said. So he proposed other, subtler methods. He suggested that churches organize undercover security teams –… Read more
A new survey released by the Barna Group focuses on the spiritual lives of gay and straight people. One thing they had in common? … The areas of similarity included the facts that a small minority of people in both groups believe that Satan is real… Well, that’s a plus. Good to know that belief in Satan isn’t being taken that seriously. Though a “small minority” is still far too many people. One key difference between the two groups: Heterosexuals… Read more
You’ve probably already seen this incredible exposé of the Church of Scientology and leader David Miscavige, courtesy of Joe Childs and Thomas C. Tobin of the St. Petersburg Times. The entire three-part series is now available online. If it’s the beginning of the end for Scientology, fantastic, but I don’t know how much of an effect these articles will have. Still, I am pleasantly surprised that a newspaper bankrolled this type of report. Normally, I would’ve expected this kind of… Read more
Normally when I hear the name Regina Spektor, I think “my gorgeous future wife.” Maybe I have to reconsider the wife part. Her new album, Far, is being released today. The first single is called “Laughing With” and it is essentially saying that we may scoff at the notion of God, but when we’re put in difficult situations, we’re not laughing anymore: No one laughs at God in a hospital No one laughs at God in a war No one’s… Read more
