The Humanist Symposium can be found this week at Glittering Muse. Go read it! The next HS is at Mind on Fire in three weeks. Submit your entries here! [tags]atheist, atheism[/tags] Read more
A bill just passed through the Oklahoma House of Representatives that allows students to express their religious viewpoints without being penalized for it. On the surface, House Bill 2211 (RTF file) sounds like a nod to religious freedom. A good thing. However, this legislation actually has the potential to be disastrous. Says Dave McNeely of The Edmond Sun: If a student’s religious beliefs were in conflict with scientific theory, and the student chose to express those beliefs rather than explain… Read more
I found out why churches need all that money: (via SeeMikeDraw) [tags]atheist, atheism, church, Christian, money, Jesus[/tags] Read more
Atheists in Indiana? Never! But they exist… (shocking, I know). Freethought Fort Wayne is an affiliate of the Center for Inquiry. There’s now also a collective blog with meeting information and more. Any other state or city atheist groups hovering around somewhere in the blogosphere? (Thanks to Jeremy for the link!) [tags]atheist, atheism[/tags] Read more
Snopes.com responds to the idiotic urban legend that, if you’re an organ donor, doctors won’t do everything they can to save your life. Here are a couple examples of the donation myth: I heard that having the pink organ donor ticket on your driver license will cause the Paramedics to allow you to die in order to harvest your organs. The rumor claims that due to the long list of people on the organ waiting list, the Paramedics are instructed… Read more
Christians often ask atheists why they single out Christianity when discussing faith. My answer is that it’s the most prevalent religion in America. If I lived in another country, my answer might be different. A poster on (the best of) Craigslist asks why Christians “ignore all other brands of non-Christians”: Rather, it is the non-belief of atheists that bothers them. These people have faith so thoroughly engrained in their lives that to see somebody without a trace threatens them. They… Read more
Ray Comfort said it. Not me. … an atheist… once wrote me a stinging email, saying that if I really believed in Hell and that I had found everlasting life, I would be running around the streets pleading with people. I wrote back and told him that that is exactly what I do. I have been doing that for more than 30 years. I have stood on a box around 5,000 times and looked like a fool as I pleaded… Read more
It’s easy to argue atheists can’t make a real difference in the world because we’re a relatively small group of people. But it’s also easy to refute that argument. The website Christian Cross Talk says we have tremendous influence! In fact, Edward Gordon says we’re responsible for future genocide, civil war, and mass extinction. And — even worse — gluttonous behavior! You’re gonna want to click on that image and see the larger version. Let’s play a game: How many… Read more
The article is by Sabrina Tavernise of the International Herald Tribune. After almost five years of war, many young Iraqis, exhausted by constant firsthand exposure to the violence of religious extremism, say they have grown disillusioned with religious leaders and skeptical of the faith that they preach. The quotations are startling. You rarely hear Muslim youth speaking this openly against Islam. It’s a pleasant surprise to know they’re taking a stand against the faith: “I hate Islam and all the… Read more