It’s one thing to not stand up during the daily Pledge of Allegiance recital in high school. It takes balls to do that in most places. But to get 50 of your classmates to do it with you… that’s just freaking phenomenal: “Boulder High has a highly diverse population, not all of whom believe in God, or one God,” said Emma Martens, a senior and president of the [Student Worker Club], which has about a dozen members. “We didn’t think… Read more
In a piece by Baylor University senior Justin Mueller, he argues that the school “should be more friendly to groups of disbelief.” Within the Atheist and Agnostic Society on campus (yes, there is one) nearly every member has told his or her “story” of their rejection of religious ideas, and the oft-ensuing parental sobbing and family strife that unsurprisingly follows. Some of these people have also been homosexuals, which can add another layer of duress with the conservative prejudices that… Read more
Tonight’s special moment from Survivor: China featuring Leslie Nease, the Christian radio talk show host: Imagine the tears flowing as she says the following line: It’s just hard because I don’t have a Bible… Umm… You’re a Christian radio talk show host. I’m guessing you know large parts of the Bible by heart. At the very least, you understand the gist of it. I like music. When I’m traveling sans iPod, I can still play the songs in my head…. Read more
Skepchick Rebecca Watson won the Public Radio Talent Quest competition! Wonderful news for a very talented woman. I shall refrain from making any Oreo references. On a side note, I’m honored to be a part of next year’s Skepdude calendar. More on that later. [tags]atheist, atheism[/tags] Read more
(L-R: Sgt. Mike Aguilar, SPC Christopher Carr, SPC Jeremy Hall, SPC Tony Hernandez, and SPC Dustin Chalker) The one in the middle, Jeremy Hall, is joining the Military Religious Freedom Foundation in suing the Department of Defense (here’s a PDF of the lawsuit): The suit, in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., alleges that [Maj. Paul] Welborne threatened to file military charges against Hall and to block his reenlistment for trying to hold a meeting of atheists and non-Christians… Read more
A. J. Jacobs’ book comes out on October 9th, the same day as Stephen Colbert’s I Am America (And So Can You!)… That’s either tough competition or *really* entertaining reading for me the following weekend. Jacobs’ book is called The Year of Living Biblically. What is it about? Here’s Publishers Weekly: What would it require for a person to live all the commandments of the Bible for an entire year? That is the question that animates this hilarious, quixotic, thought-provoking… Read more
Well, this has to be slightly awkward… There are some times when I feel absolutely delighted to be an atheist hidden among thousands of Christians. This is not one of those times. The (anonymous) writer is a senior at Wheaton College outside Chicago — the alma mater of Billy Graham, Rob Bell, and our own Mike Clawson. The name of his her blog is Leaving Eden. I used to be a very committed Christian. I was in love with God… Read more
Here are video excerpts of Congressman Pete Stark’s speech at Harvard last week! [tags]atheist, atheism, Harvard, Humanist, Chaplaincy, Greg Epstein[/tags] Read more
Last week, I asked this question: What absurd statement will Sherri “Is the world flat? I don’t know” Shepherd make next? You all responded in droves. Here are the Top 10 answers (with submitters)! 10| “In defense of my statement on the earth…well, damnit, why SHOULD I be expected to know science? I’m a woman. Science is left up to the men of this world. And everything else that requires thought.” (Kate) 9| “Does Human papillomavirus come from Spain?” (Brian)… Read more
Rev. Dan at Outchurched tells us all about a Christian magazine called Everyday Woman. Everyday Woman is a magazine about, I suppose, everyday women… whatever that means. (Are there “ceremonial women” or “special women” that you’re s’posed to drag out for special occasions or something?) According to Dan, what’s the best part of the magazine? The logo at the top. A response to what’s inside, perhaps…? [tags]atheist, atheism, Christian, magazine, media, Jesus[/tags] Read more
