The O Project was conceived by Hamish MacPherson in 2005. Its mission is twofold: To champion the contributions that humanists and other non believers make to wider society in the fields of social justice, equality and human rights. To promote good relations and cooperation between believers and non believers. This isn’t about trying to convert people to atheism; rather, the project aims to increase good relations and respect between religious and non-religious people. There are atheists who think religious thinking… Read more
Unfortunately, there has been very little coverage of the National Day of Reason in the American mainstream media, which is unfortunate. But guess who did cover the event, using it as a starting point to discuss the rise of atheism in our country? A British newspaper, of course. The Sunday Telegraph manages to tie together the rise in atheist literature, the names of several national secular organizations, Pete Stark, a questionable quotation by George Bush Sr., and a picture of… Read more
The Harvest Show is an “internationally syndicated live, hour-long, daily television program” for Christian audiences. I’m going to be appearing as a guest on Tuesday morning to talk about I Sold My Soul on eBay. If you’d like to watch the episode, here’s the list of where the show airs! [tags]atheist, atheism, Christian, The Harvest Show, I Sold My Soul on eBay[/tags] Read more
Cacy Cantwell was hired as a manager for Maine Contract Farming in 2003. Maine Contract Farming is a subsidiary of DeCoster farms, which is the “region’s largest brown egg producer.” Cantwell was fired in 2006 for “poor job performance,” even though he had never received any written warnings about this. What was the real reason he got fired? According to the Maine Human Rights Commission, there are reasonable grounds to think Cantwell was fired because he was an atheist. The… Read more
Brian Flemming summarizes how books with an atheist perspective are negatively received by Publishers Weekly, a very influential publication in the literary world. (Besides being highly respected, PW reviews are often the first ones you see on Amazon.) He cites negative reviews (or at least negative aspects) of God is Not Great (Christopher Hitchens), The God Delusion (Richard Dawkins), and The End of Faith (Sam Harris). Flemming throws I Sold My Soul on eBay in the mix as well. Austin… Read more
Dana Milbank of the Washington Post has a terrific article about attendance at various National Day of Prayer events in Washington, D.C. (By the way, he uses the term “Let us pray” as a rhetorical tool… he’s not preaching to you.) The emphases are mine: Let us pray that, on next year’s National Day of Prayer, there is better attendance at the “Bible Reading Marathon” on the West Front of the Capitol. Organizers put out 600 folding chairs on the… Read more
The Daily Herald (Central Utah) reported on the recent convention for Utah County’s Republicans: Utah County Republicans ended their convention on Saturday by debating Satan’s influence on illegal immigrants. … Don Larsen, chairman of legislative District 65 for the Utah County Republican Party, had submitted a resolution warning that Satan’s minions want to eliminate national borders and do away with sovereignty. Wait. It gets better: Republican officials then allowed speakers to defend and refute the resolution. One speaker, who was… Read more
I am guest on the most recent Point of Inquiry podcast! Point of Inquiry is a weekly online radio show put out through the Center for Inquiry. You can download the MP3 through this link. Or better yet, subscribe to the show through iTunes and just listen to them each week. It’s the best podcast out there for non-religious people– You’ll be glad you listened. [tags]atheist, atheism, Point of Inquiry, Center for Inquiry, iTunes[/tags] Read more
Last night, an atheist in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina was attacked and robbed by some guys who objected to an inflammatory phrase that was on the back of his car. According to police reports: The victim told police he was getting out of his car in the parking lot of the Crabtree Gym in Myrtle Beach about 8 p.m. when the men pulled up beside him and inquired about a derogatory statement on the back windshield of his car… The… Read more
Richard Dawkins is on Time magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. Not surprising given what he’s done for atheism in the past year with his book The God Delusion. Which esteemed scientist wrote his profile? Michael Behe. The intelligent design advocate who wrote Darwin’s Black Box, Next on the list, Sylvia Browne writing an homage to James Randi. And the late Ayatollah Khomeini saluting Sam Harris. And Rhonda Byrne, the author of The Secret, is… Read more
