Ain't No God Atheism News
Freedom From Religion Foundation
Wilkes-Barre student Justin Vacula, in conjunction with the Freedom From Religion Foundation, has just arranged placement of a colorful banner saying "Nothing Fails Like Prayer" in Public Square in downtown Wilkes-Barre, Penn. The banner is in response to a banner placed by a religious group earlier in May for the National Day of Prayer promoting a scheme to "circle the Square with Prayer."
The banner is on a scaffolding structure owned by the city and made available for banner displays. FFRF...
by dbarker@ffrf.org (Dan Barker)
24 May 2013 at 5:54pm
Statement by Annie Laurie Gaylor and Dan Barker
FFRF Co-Presidents
We congratulate Boy Scouts of America for lifting its longtime, hurtful ban on gays being members. BSA has taken a major step forward, albeit still barring gay adult leadership. But why does it remain socially acceptable for BSA to continue discriminating against nonbelievers?
BSA's discriminatory policy proudly bars atheist and freethinking members. BSA advertises "any boy may join," yet explicitly bans atheists and children ...
by lseering@ffrf.org (Lauryn Seering)
24 May 2013 at 4:26pm
The Freedom From Religion Foundation has renewed its objections to constitutional violations occurring aboard U.S. Navy ships.
In a May 20 letter to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, FFRF Staff Attorney Andrew Seidel urged Mabus to order an end to the practice of broadcasting official nightly prayers over ships' loudspeakers.
"We recently received complaints about prayers on the USS Momsen, but the practice is widespread. We have received complaints from service members and civilians about pra...
by bdunn@ffrf.org (Bill Dunn)
24 May 2013 at 3:17pm
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Madison, Wis-based state/church watchdog, stopped presentation of a fifth-grade religious musical program in Lindale, Texas. FFRF was contacted by a concerned parent about a 5th grade music program scheduled to take place today at E.J. Moss Intermediate School in Lindale.
The concerned parent had no idea what the program contained until her child brought home a script to memorize. All fifth graders who participate in the music class at the school partic...
by lseering@ffrf.org (Lauryn Seering)
23 May 2013 at 9:50pm
Statement by Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor
FFRF Co-Presidents
While President Obama was counseling "faith in the Almighty" and prayer in the wake of the devastating Oklahoma tornado (to his credit, promising to "back up those prayers with deeds"), a brave secular survivor of that tornado has become a social network phenomenon.
CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday asked Rebecca Vitsmun, a young mother holding her 19-month-old son Anders amid the rubble left in the tornado's wake, whether "she...
by scott@ffrf.org (- -)
23 May 2013 at 3:35pm
Statement By Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor
FFRF Co-Presidents
The Freedom From Religion Foundation has a very rare, very elite category of members who are ?honorary officers.? The title is reserved for freethinkers who have won Supreme Court cases in favor of the separation of church and state. We?re sorry to report that Alton Lemon, one of our honorary officers, died on May 4. He was born in 1928.
Alton Lemon won the case, Lemon v. Kurtzman, 1971, which successfully challenged a Pennsy...
by lseering@ffrf.org (Lauryn Seering)
23 May 2013 at 2:14pm
After receiving a student complaint, the Freedom From Religion Foundation has called for Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., to investigate allegations that a physics and astronomy professor appeared to be teaching creationism at the public university.
FFRF, a Madison, Wis.-based state/church watchdog, sent a May 15 letter to BSU President Jo Ann Gora urging BSU to investigate whether the professor has been proselytizing in the classroom. The controversy has erupted on social networks and ...
by lseering@ffrf.org (Lauryn Seering)
22 May 2013 at 8:20pm
Should a church in Madison, Wis., be allowed to proselytize in the Pheasant Branch Conservancy in the adjoining city of Middleton? The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a national state-church watchdog based in Madison, thinks not.
The city's Conservancy Lands Committee will discuss a request from Rev. Ted Krajewski of Calvary Gospel Church at its meeting in City Hall on Wednesday, May 22, at 7:30 p.m. Krajewski's letter says the church "is attempting to establish and grow an extension work i...
by scott@ffrf.org (- -)
21 May 2013 at 8:44pm
On Monday a public school district in Muldrow, Okla., confirmed that it has permanently removed Ten Commandment signs which were posted in its classrooms. The final vote is a victory for the separation of church and state. The whistleblower was 16-year-old student Gage Pulliam, who will be the recipient of FFRF's new "Strong Backbone Student Activist Award," a cash scholarship of $1000. After Pulliam contacted FFRF and reported this major constitutional violation ? Ten Commandments plaques ...
by lseering@ffrf.org (Lauryn Seering)
17 May 2013 at 3:41pm
The Freedom From Religion Foundation today contacted Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, protesting his decision to override the Department of Natural Resources and return bibles to all lodge rooms and cabins in Georgia state parks. The DNR, appropriately, had removed the bibles after a guest complained.
FFRF Staff Attorney Elizabeth Cavell wrote a letter on behalf of FFRF's Georgia membership, as well as FFRF's 19,000 members nationwide, pointing out "Certainly, if a guest wants to read this religious...
by scott@ffrf.org (- -)
15 May 2013 at 9:30pm
Atheism News Search
Atheism changes over time and is a reaction to the dominant religious beliefs of the time. Today's atheism is, in part, a reaction to the political activism of conservative Christians, or the "Christian Right." This is one of the conclusions found in a new study of American atheists, There is No God: Atheists in America, by University of North Texas sociologists David A. Williamson and George ...
30 Apr 2013 at 1:25am
Atheism changes over time and is a reaction to the dominant religious beliefs of the time. Today's atheism is, in part, a reaction to the political activism of conservative Christians, or the "Christian Right."
1 May 2013 at 11:56am
Karnataka Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah's 'atheism'is not a new trend in Indian politics, points out Archis Mohan.
13 May 2013 at 6:25am
The head of an autism association in Turkey has apologised for suggesting that autistic people were natural atheists, and that atheism could be a form...
30 Apr 2013 at 1:04pm
May 14, 2013 (KHARTOUM) ? The chairman of the Islamic Centre for Preaching and Comparative Studies, Ammar Saleh, said that cases of apostasy and atheism are on the rise in the country and accused authorities of negligence in addressing this issue. At a press conference on Tuesday, Saleh claimed that the number of converts from Islam in Khartoum has reached 109 apostates, stressing that these ...
15 May 2013 at 8:14am
IN a city with an abundance of churches, atheism is apparently flourishing.
8 May 2013 at 6:50am
American money may be inscribed with the words ?In God We Trust,? but at least one group of young nonbelievers is happy to take it anyway. An organization of student atheists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is on track to receive the largest grant ever awarded by an American university to a nontheistic student group. The landmark grant, totaling $69,000, marks a cultural shift in ...
2 May 2013 at 8:57pm
After 15 weeks of fighting with the Orange County school board, several groups will now be allowed to supply 11 high schools with atheist materials for teens. The groups only started urging for this after Bibles were allowed to be available to students in January. The literature was placed at Boone High School Thursday. David Williamson of Central Florida Freethought Community said he has been ...
2 May 2013 at 2:09am
Cranford, New Jersey ? A prominent atheist organization founded in 1960?s by Madeline Murray O?Hair has announced that it plans to ship books on atheism to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in hopes that they will be placed in every cabin in the state parks. The move is reportedly an effort following Governor Nathan [...]
19 May 2013 at 10:20pm
An interview with Sam Harris about self-defense and the seduction of faith
25 Apr 2013 at 2:28am
About: Agnosticism/Atheism
Every study that has ever looked at the issue shows that atheists are more distrusted and despised than any other minority in America. Atheists are the least likely people that Americans would vote for in a presidential election. It's not just that atheists are hated, though, but also that atheists seem to represent everything about modernity which Americans dislike or fear.
24 May 2013 at 11:02am
Christian Violence FAQ: articles explore the Christian history of violence, including the Crusades, the Inquisition, violence between Protestants and Catholics, continuing violence in Northern Ireland, violence towards witches and pagans, the Holocaust and more.
24 May 2013 at 11:02am
Traditional theistic religions are often defended on the basis that they teach believers to love. It's true that they typically include ideals about loving both God and humanity, but it shouldn't be assumed that the two are always and necessarily compatible. On the contrary, other teachings common to religions around the world can in fact set the two at odds with one another such that the more one loves God, the more difficult it can be for them to also love humanity.
24 May 2013 at 11:02am
Islam vs. the West: Why is there Conflict? As the saying goes, can't we all just get along? One should wonder why Islam and the West cannot simply find a way to get along peacefully and without so much violent conflict. Unfortunately, one of the reasons for the conflict is not their differences, but actually their similarities. They are, in many ways, too similar to just get along easily.
24 May 2013 at 11:02am
The term 'logic' is used quite a lot, but not always in its technical sense. Logic, strictly speaking, is the science or study of how to evaluate arguments and reasoning. Logic is what allows us to distinguish correct reasoning from poor reasoning. Logic is important because it helps us reason correctly - without correct reasoning, we don't have a viable means for knowing the truth or arriving at sound beliefs.
24 May 2013 at 11:02am
A common criticism which atheists raise against religion is how violent religion and religious believers have been in the past. People have slaughtered each other in large numbers either because of differences in religious beliefs or because of other differences which are further justified and intensified through religious rhetoric. Either way, religion has a lot of blood on its hands. Can the same be said for atheists and atheism? Haven't atheists killed more people in the name of atheism?
24 May 2013 at 11:02am
The Five Pillars of Islam are obligatory actions which are required of every Muslim and considered the cornerstones of Islam. It might seem odd for the cornerstones of Islam to be actions rather than beliefs, but unlike Christianity Islam is founded on orthopraxy (right action) rather than orthodoxy (right belief). This distinction, and the behaviors required of Muslims, are important for critics of Islam to understand - especially if they more accustomed to religions like Christianity.
24 May 2013 at 11:02am
Astrology: Is Astrology a Pseudoscience? Many practitioners and followers of astrology are certain that it is scientific - but are they right? When examining astrology for many standards traits of pseudoscience, a different conclusion becomes apparent.
24 May 2013 at 11:02am
Many Muslim beliefs are similar to Christian and Jewish beliefs, but not all. Any basic understanding of Islam requires first understanding what Muslims believe, why Muslims believe those things, and how Muslim beliefs differ from beliefs in other religions.
24 May 2013 at 11:02am
A popular image of the Nazis is that they were anti-Christian while Christians were anti-Nazi. The truth is that German Christians supported the Nazis because they believed that Adolf Hitler was a gift to the German people from God. Nazi Christians didn’t abandon basic Christian doctrines, like the divinity of Jesus. Germany saw itself as a Christian nation and millions of Christians enthusiastically endorsed Hitler and the Nazi Party, seeing both as embodiments of German and Christian ideals...
24 May 2013 at 11:02am
Although the Crusades themselves were long finished, Christian Europe continued to be under pressure from the expanding Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans would make impressive victories, including the capture of Constantinople, last outpost of the Roman Empire and spiritual center of Orthodox Christianity. Eventually Western Christians would mount effective counter-attacks and keep Ottoman forces out of central Europe, but for a long time the Turkish Menace would haunt European dreams.
24 May 2013 at 11:02am
Crucifixion may be one of the most horrible methods of execution ever invented. A person is nailed to a cross or stake and hangs there until their own weight suffocates them. The horrors of crucifixion are glossed over by the gospel authors, however, in favor of the deeper theological meanings behind these events. Perhaps that is why the gospel authors are inconsistent in describing what happened.
24 May 2013 at 11:02am
What did Adolf Hitler think about Jesus Christ? According to Hitler's own words: 'My feelings as a Christian points me to my Lord and Savior as a fighter. It points me to the man who once in loneliness, surrounded by a few followers, recognized these Jews for what they were and summoned men to fight against them and who, God's truth! was greatest not as a sufferer but as a fighter.'
24 May 2013 at 11:02am
What is the definition of atheism? How do atheists define atheism? How do dictionaries, standard and online, define atheism? There is some disagreement about the definition of atheism and it is interesting to note that most of that disagreement comes from theists - atheists themselves tend to agree on what atheism means. Christians in particular dispute the definition used by atheists and insist that atheism means something very different.
24 May 2013 at 11:02am
Glossary of Religion and Philosophy - a short biography of Saint Peter
24 May 2013 at 11:02am
Alltop News
Last month, a house burst into flames four doors down from blogger Leia. Thankfully, no one lived in it, but several firefighters had to spend several hours putting it out.
As an ex-Mormon, Leia writes that her first thoughts were all religious in nature but, as an atheist, she decided to do something more than just thank God for keeping everyone safe:
[Click headline for more?]
24 May 2013 at 6:00pm
The Photoshop Phriday challenge: Remove one letter from the name of a movie and redesign the poster.
Of course, that led to Godfellas:
[Click headline for more...]
24 May 2013 at 4:00pm
There are many different ways in which religious theists try to establish some sort of equivalence between themselves and atheists regarding their approach to matters of truth. Atheist critics of ...
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24 May 2013 at 3:00pm
Texas Governor Rick Perry is set to sign a bill (HB 308) that will allow teachers and students to say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hanukkah" or "happy holidays" without repercussion.
Even though no one was ever trying to stop them.
The same bill allows for holiday displays, too:
[Click headline for more?]
24 May 2013 at 2:00pm
I was reading about the recent horrific attack against a British soldier by cleaver wielding jihadists the other day. It's a tragic story. The jihadists were, of course, screaming out passages from the Qur'an and other faith-based lunacy as they were committing their bloody deed on a street in London.
The post I wrote for the Atheist Pig Prime Minister of Freedonia Defends a Violent Philosophy lampoons how Prime Minister Cameron insisted that Islam is a religion of peace, and had no causal rel...
24 May 2013 at 1:41pm
Star Trek Into Darkness is the latest offering by sci-fi god, J.J. Abrams. To me, the funny thing about Paramount choosing Abrams to reboot the Star Trek franchise is that he seems like a Star Wars guy, not a Star Trek guy. (In case you didn’t know, Abrams is also ? Continue reading
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24 May 2013 at 12:41pm
Atheism Definition
Photo: Jack Star/PhotoLink/Getty
The notion that there can be a "fundamentalist" atheism is nonsense because atheism isn't an ideology with dogmas that a person can be "fundamentalist" about. Nevertheless, the ideas and attitudes which critics identify under the label "fundamentalist atheism" do exist and do merit some attention.
The primary focus of critics seems to be the expression of a strong, unambiguous, and uncompromising rejection of the existence of gods. People w...
24 May 2013 at 12:00pm
What Google Now couldn’t tell me was to carry on some underwear because our luggage never made it to our destination yesterday. Filed under: Life Tagged: Google Now, phone post
24 May 2013 at 11:17am
Yesterday, I posted about something interesting Pope Francis said in a recent homily -- namely, that even atheists could be "redeemed" if they were good people.
Many atheists thought it was pretty damn nice of the Pope to say that... even if the idea of being "saved" or "redeemed" thanks to Christ's death is all made up.
We all knew that sense of one-ness and actions-speak-louder-than-prayers wasn't going to last very long. As the Pope's words made their way around the world, a Vatican spok...
24 May 2013 at 11:00am
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