This letter comes from a new police recruit in Philadelphia. He’s also an atheist. Can you help him out? Today I was told that the police academy will be sending its recruit class to “Blue Mass” on Friday at Philadelphia’s local Holy Family College. All recruits have been given the opportunity to opt out, and I have. However, I cannot get past the fact that the city of Philadelphia will literally be paying the other 150+ members of my class… Read more
Do your parents know about your atheism? Are you still in the closet at home? Neon Genesis posed a wonderful analogy about such atheists on the Friendly Atheist Forums: I also don’t think it’s hypocritical for you to hide your atheism from your family. I think it’s your family that’s being hypocritical since Christians claim to love people but put atheists in such situations where they have to hide who they are for fear of being hated. And it’s not… Read more
This is a great contrast to the National Day of Prayer. In 2005, the New Orleans Secular Humanist Association was issued the following Proclamation from Mayor Ray Nagin to celebrate the National Day of Reason: This year, they’ll be awarded a proclamation for a Citywide Day of Reason signed by all of the New Orleans City Council Members. It reads: WHEREAS, the foundational documents of the United States of America were born of the Enlightenment, incorporating a commitment to the… Read more
Why is a news station doing a story on whether Heaven exists? Probably for the same reason they give airtime to kooks who see Jesus in their furniture… At least they featured an atheist, Edwin Kagin, in the piece. The website for the story features two polls, both heading in the wrong direction. At the moment: 9% saying no to Heaven. 17% saying no to Hell. We can fix that, right? Read more
Remember this video? This coupon is eerily reminiscent: That ad is courtesy of Faith2Action, a Christian Right group, worried about what would happen if a hate-crimes bill currently in Congress passed. Apparently, it means you’re going to shoot senior citizens. I would love to understand their position… I really would. But then they do stupid shit like this and I fee like I will never comprehend what goes on in their minds. Somewhere, there must be a sane Christian who… Read more
The question: In the last month, same-sex marriage has become legal in Iowa and Vermont. What do you think about same-sex marriage at a state level? The response: At a state level, it’s up to them. I don’t want it to be a federal thing. I personally still think it’s wrong. People don’t understand the dictionary — it’s called queer. Queer means strange and unusual. It’s not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or… Read more
Once again, Obama is giving an unnecessary hand to the Religious Right by issuing a proclamation for the National Day of Prayer (this Thursday, May 7th). “President Obama is a committed Christian and believes that we should be engaging Americans of faith in efforts to renew our country,” a White House official said. “He is following the tradition of Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush and others by signing a proclamation honoring the National Day of Prayer, while continuing to work… Read more
I mentioned yesterday how a draft law in Alberta, Canada could allow parents to remove children from classes when the topic (e.g. Evolution) contradicted religious beliefs. Lindsay Blackett, the provincial minister responsible for human rights, says this is not going to be the case: “This is opt-out on religious instruction not on grounds of religious beliefs. So the thought that somebody can get out of evolution using the fact that it’s against their religious beliefs is not correct,” he said…. Read more
And why do I have to hear about it from Al Jazeera? Ahmed Shah Ahmedzai said there must be a “serious investigation” after military chaplains stationed in the US air base at Bagram were filmed discussing how to distribute copies of the Bible printed in the country’s main Pashto and Dari languages. In one recorded sermon, Lieutenant-Colonel Gary Hensley, the chief of the US military chaplains in Afghanistan, tells soldiers that, as followers of Jesus Christ, they all have a… Read more
The Knoxville News Sentinel’s Jessie Pounds has an article about American Atheists president Ed Buckner speaking to a local atheist group. At first glance, nothing seems particular striking in the article, but I did catch one bit that made me do a double-take. I suspect very few Christians were in the audience for an event like this — the paper notes that of the 15 people who asked questions, only one was openly Christian. I *love* the way Ed handled… Read more