Samantha Stein of the United Kingdom writes about her experience as a Camp Quest counselor in Detroit and lets us know that CQ is arriving in the UK in 2009! (Incidentally, the title of the article is called “My summer at atheist camp” — not Samantha’s idea. Just a lazy copywriter who assumes all kids attending CQ must be atheists. Not true. Still, it’s not nearly as bad as the NPR copywriter who initially called CQ “Anti-Christian” before CQ’s President… Read more
I love PZ Myers. He’s a wonderful teacher and, at times, he’s downright hilarious. But other times he can be… well… something else entirely. Paul Jones has died. I didn’t know him, or even know about him, until his obituary was sent to me, but it’s an utterly tragic life story. He was an ordained Baptist minister — there’s a waste of a life right there — and his death was ironic and futile. He died of a heart attack,… Read more
Emerging church blogger Matt Stone recently posted some extracts from a 2005 article in the Journal of Parapsychology entitled “Personality and motivations to believe, misbelieve and disbelieve in paranormal phenomena”. As the title indicates, the article discusses how personality (e.g. Myers-Briggs types) affects one’s tendency towards skepticism or belief in what they call “psi”, i.e. psychic phenomenon. I’ve not read the entire article (it’s rather long) but the excerpts on Stone’s blog are fascinating. Here’s a few quotes: Paranormal beliefs… Read more
The latest cross-shaped MP3 player — the TEO MP-301 — holds 1 GB of music and costs $49: According to Joshua Fruhlinger of Engadget: … According to reviews, the player has some serious interface issues and a weak screen, but if crucifixion is your thing, you can’t go wrong with this necklace cross-cum-MP3 player. Or is that the other way around? Is this an MP3 player that’s also a cross? Anyway, there you have it: the cross-shaped MP3 player, indeed…. Read more
… but it’s something, I suppose: Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, once criticized for leaving out atheists and nonbelievers when he delivered a much-touted speech on faith in America, now says he missed a chance to discuss their role in society. Romney, who addressed his Mormon faith on Dec. 6 to allay concerns by hesitant voters, was criticized for asserting in that pre-primary speech that, “freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom.” This week, Romney said he is still… Read more
She keeps breeding… She never stops… Someone make her stop! And I know some of you don’t like it, but dammit, this image still makes me laugh. (Thanks to Benjamin for the link!) [tags]atheist, atheism[/tags] Read more
Spending time with the family this Mother’s Day? Then watch this lovely video with them in lieu of church 🙂 It’s written and performed by Julie Wittner and Ryan Smith: (Thanks to SarahH for the link!) [tags]atheist, atheism[/tags] Read more
What is the right way to handle a piece of paper money that says “In God We Trust” on it? Option 1) Ignore the phrase. Option 2) Put a stamp on it that reads “”Keep Church and State Separate.” Option 3) Cross out the offending phrase with a black marker. Option 4) Replace the word God with “Science.” Option 5) [Fill in the blank.] (Thanks to Brockli for the image!) [tags]atheist, atheism[/tags] Read more
One wedding and two graduations to attend in the span of two days. I’ll be gone for most of the weekend. Consider this an open thread! Ask questions, start discussions, be respectful, and I’ll moderate comments when I get the chance. [tags]atheist, atheism[/tags] Read more
Ellen Johnson, former president of American Atheists, hasn’t said anything publicly yet (and hasn’t responded to an email inquiry) about her recent firing. But others are making their voices heard… and they’re not all too happy with the AA Board’s decision: I am Gil Gaudia. My wife Jeanne and I have been editorial assistants for the past two years at American Atheists. In doing so, we have worked closely with Ellen Johnson whom we respect and admire greatly. We have… Read more
