Atheist Nation

This is the eleventh entry in the Atheism round of the 2012 Ideological Turing Test for Religion. In this round, the honest answers of atheists are mixed in with Christians’ best efforts to talk like atheists. It’s your job to see if you can spot t...  

This is the twelfth entry in the Atheism round of the 2012 Ideological Turing Test for Religion. In this round, the honest answers of atheists are mixed in with Christians’ best efforts to talk like atheists. It’s your job to see if you can spot th...  

Atheism is one of the most absurd belief systems every devised. A worldview based on denial of a belief in God will inevitably manifest itself in bitterness, anger, and hatred. Atheists are a miserable lot who seek to inflict their misery on ...  

This is the tenth entry in the Atheism round of the 2012 Ideological Turing Test for Religion. In this round, the honest answers of atheists are mixed in with Christians’ best efforts to talk like atheists. It’s your job to see if you can spot the ...  

This is the ninth entry in the Atheism round of the 2012 Ideological Turing Test for Religion. In this round, the honest answers of atheists are mixed in with Christians’ best efforts to talk like atheists. It’s your job to see if you can spot the ...  

The problem of atheism: Can atheists insist upon morality? Am I perpetuating a myth when I say that atheists cannot establish a basis for morality? I do not believe I am. It’s not that atheists cannot be moral. Of course, they can. But they cannot b...  

This is the eighth entry in the Atheism round of the 2012 Ideological Turing Test for Religion. In this round, the honest answers of atheists are mixed in with Christians’ best efforts to talk like atheists. It’s your job to see if you can spot the...  

This is the fifth entry in the Atheism round of the 2012 Ideological Turing Test for Religion. In this round, the honest answers of atheists are mixed in with Christians’ best efforts to talk like atheists. It’s your job to see if you can spot the ...  

Catherine Dunphy was trained as a Roman Catholic Chaplain before becoming an atheist, and she is now a graduate and board member of The Clergy Project. On May 6th, she delivered the following sermon about her deconversion at West Hill United Church (a relatively Humanistic church) in Toronto, Ontario. *** I would like to take [...]  

This is the seventh entry in the Atheism round of the 2012 Ideological Turing Test for Religion. In this round, the honest answers of atheists are mixed in with Christians’ best efforts to talk like atheists. It’s your job to see if you can spot th...  

Dennett, along with Richard Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens, might best be described as the Holy Trinity of atheism. Where Hitchens was a brilliant, militant and supremely eloquent orator, able to logically eviscerate believers left and right ...  

This is the sixth entry in the Atheism round of the 2012 Ideological Turing Test for Religion. In this round, the honest answers of atheists are mixed in with Christians’ best efforts to talk like atheists. It’s your job to see if you can spot the ...  

This is the fourth entry in the Atheism round of the 2012 Ideological Turing Test for Religion. In this round, the honest answers of atheists are mixed in with Christians’ best efforts to talk like atheists. It’s your job to see if you can spot the...  

This is the third entry in the Atheism round of the 2012 Ideological Turing Test for Religion. In this round, the honest answers of atheists are mixed in with Christians’ best efforts to talk like atheists. It’s your job to see if you can spot the ...  

It might be expected that conservative Christians would hold at least some animus towards atheists, and in fact hostility towards atheism is almost universal among 'born-again Christians.' Even non-Christians and ...Read Full Post  

In a conventional Turing Test, computer programmers try to write a computer program that can pass for human.  In the Ideological Turing Test, atheists and Christians test how well they understand each other by trying to talk like each other.  All the...  

Dave Silverman appeared on The Alyona Show (with substitute host Abby Martin) Wednesday night to talk about the state of atheism in America.It’s a long segment with time for some substantive discussion — pretty unusual for television news a...  

This is the first entry in the Atheism round of the 2012 Ideological Turing Test for Religion. In this round, the honest answers of atheists are mixed in with Christians’ best efforts to talk like atheists. It’s your job to see if you can spot the ...  

I’ve been an atheist most of my life, and I find it very strange when people don’t understand. So, this article will try to explain why I am an atheist. First, we need to define …Read More  

There is a huge thorn in the side of Atheism. It’s had about 2500 years to expunge the world of superstition, and still most people believe in some form of supernatural Grandeur with a very sadistic sense of right and wrong and a peculiar similarity to ...  

So often I find myself harping on about the term “atheism”, what it means, what it doesn’t mean, and the implications, associations and misunderstandings that go hand-in-hand with the term “atheist”. It’s annoying to parrot on, but I hope this adds something to the conversation. For many, the atheist represents everything that is bad in [...]  

Explaining to a die-hard Christian that you are a “friendly atheist” is sometimes equivalent to explaining you are a friendly murderer.   To them, atheists are evil soulless creatures condemned to hell. God made atheists, atheists. Who are they to question his creations? Who are they to question anything? Questioning means you don’t have true faith. The [...]  

Hello. My name is Quinn Mander, and I am an atheist. I am also a (not very anonymous) recovering alcoholic, which makes the aforementioned atheism difficult to maintain in the face of fellow members of Alcoholics Anonymous. And it requires a fair amount of mental contortion and gymnastics if one intends to put into practice [...]...  

Atheism is a disbelief in Gods. "The New Atheism" refers to an exceptionally active group of atheists centered around the work of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and the recently deceased Christopher Hitchens. All four are ...  

It would be difficult to find conservative Christians, and perhaps even Christians generally, who don't mischaracterize atheism as a belief or a religion. It's probably the most common misrepresentation out there and is the most fundamental misunderstanding of atheism possible. How do you respond to that when you encounter it -- and you definitely encounter it if you discuss atheism at all. Read Full PostForum Discussion: Atheism is...  

The New Atheist Agenda    Patrick Zukeran, Probe Ministries - May 23, 2012   The New Atheist AgendaNearly thirty years ago John Lennon sang the song, “Imagine.” The words went like this:    “Imagine there’s no heaven    It’s easy if you try    No hell below us    Above us only sky    Imagine all the people    Living for today    Imagine there’s no countries    It isn’t hard to do    Nothing to kill or die for    And no religion too...  

Frequently Christian apologists who want to claim that atheism entails both meaninglessness and immorality enjoy mining the atheistic existentialists for material that presumably supports their contentions. Earlier this month, Patrick Mefford fisked a professor at Brigham Young University who tried to use Camus in this way as part of a Mormon apologetics piece attacking atheism. [...]...  

By itself, atheism doesn't really qualify as an "identity" or even much of a basis for an identity because mere atheism is simply the absence of belief in gods. Nevertheless, you'll find a lot of people -- some atheists, but mostly theists -- who try to create just such an "atheist identity." They aren't doing atheists any favors, though, because they are creating identities designed to control atheists by framing what is and is not...  

While some are more accepting than others, the black community sort of has this policy of sorts that damns non believers to hell: Several years ago, I pitched a freelance piece about black atheism to a prominent magazine geared toward African-Americans.  

New posts at Many Years Young 5/20/12 Analytic Thinking Can Promote Atheism Distinct ‘God Spot’ in the Brain Does Not Exist, Study Shows Highly religious people are less motivated by compassion when helping a stranger Scientific evidence proves why healers see the ‘aura’ of people Plus lots more.  

It can be said that almost all religions do not even know that they are extremist, all they believe is their religion and what they’ve heard and would go to any length to prove their faith. In the last few weeks I have and seen so many ...  

Maybe they would offer a way to address the problem. Maybe they would argue that there is no problem - life is just a cycle of birth, eating, procreating, fighting and dying. Let’s hear. Atheism, of course, wouldn’t help atheists.  

For half a decade, the cognitive science of religion has sought the evolutionary origins of religious belief. This burgeoning field has some deep and convincing explanations, but it may also stigmatize atheists as aberrations of evolution. Now ...  

I’m getting increasingly annoyed by all the anti-religious propaganda that litters my Facebook newsfeed. Look, as a fellow humanist and atheist, I get it. Organized religion is a problem on so many levels that I don’t even know where to begin. I’d be the first person to say that something needs to be done about it and I’m delighted to see atheism become normalized in our society and culture. But seriously, folks, what are you hoping to achieve...  

They were reacting to some of his postings on a Facebook page devoted to atheism: a note entitled “the Prophet Muhammad was attracted to his own daughter-in-law”; a comic suggesting the Prophet slept with his wife's maid; and a status update ...  

Isaac Asimov, the late famous author and professor of biochemistry, is known for saying, "Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived."  Many atheists were once religious. Those in the U.S. are far more likely ...  

My upbringing was a little atypical – my parents never mentioned religion at all that I can remember. To this day, I’m only 50% sure they are also atheists, the other 50% is that they straddle the line between atheist and just-don’t-care. Though every year my dad says the Singularity is only 10 years away [...]...  

The New Atheists — participants in the contemporary anti-religion movement led by Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and the late Christopher Hitchens, among others — are working overtime to tell the world that reason favors atheism, and atheism alone.  

I want to get a couple atheist stories out of my guilt file before it’s too late. Ignore this YouTube here for a second and let’s look at the good media coverage. Here’s the Associated Press report on a recent atheist event: Read more on Mixed bag of atheism coverage…  

God Is Not Dead Yet | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction William Lane Craig lays out his best arguments for the existence of God.(tags: kalam william-lane-craig christianity religion apologetics atheism philosophy)On God and Our ...  

Well I must say this piece on the Independent blog really made my blood boil. It's called "Islam and Christianity must renovate religion: Atheists have to stop trashing it." Ugh. So here's my line-by-line:"In Religion for Atheists, published earlier this year, Alain de Botton suggests that religion has a lot to teach atheists. It is far too important to be regarded as completely redundant, he argues, because it promotes “morality” and...  

Richard Dawkins is a fine evolutionary biologist, but a feeble theologian. He has every right to be an atheist, to promote atheism and persuade others to be atheists, and to urge others to scorn religion and reject Christianity. I would never say that he should not exercise these rights. But I would say two things: one, he, like other atheists, cannot prove the non-existence of God; and, two, he, like other atheists, accepts the non-existence...  

Patrick Greene, an atheist activist in Texas who said last month he had become a believer in Christ after a Christian woman showed compassion to him, now says his conversion was merely out of excitement.  

Several years ago, I pitched a freelance piece about black atheism to a prominent magazine geared toward African-Americans. The pitch was denied, but not for any real reason. "That one might be a bit, uh, hard," is all my editor said. I'd later come to ...  

Why do cult leaders and religious fanatics try to insult atheists by comparing atheism to a cult and atheists to religious fanatics? Zealous atheists resemble religious fanatics. Rabbi Dow Marmur #Atheism is a cult with a small following. Deepak Chopra I really don’t get it. It’s as if I were to sneer at creationists by [...]...  

Nancy Frankenberry is the John Phillips Professor of Religion at Dartmouth College. She has recently edited The Faith of Scientists: In Their Own Words Since we are already riding piggyback here, I will ignore Eagleton’s and Dawkins’ books ...  

I love this new song, "Satellite", by the folk singer Anna Dagmar, from her upcoming album of the same name. It's a (I assume) autobiographical account of growing up in a home with a scientist father and a religious mother ...  

If you ask an educated person to name prominent French figures of the Enlightenment, there is a pretty good chance he or she will name Voltaire and/or Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Atheists will likely view these Enlightenment figures positively, especially Voltaire, for laying the foundations for modern secular thought. In this essay, I want to discuss just … Continue reading »  

#rants Several years ago, I pitched a freelance piece about black atheism to a prominent magazine geared toward African-Americans. The pitch was denied, but not for any real reason. "That one might be a bit, uh, hard," is all my editor said. I'd later come to find out that he was merely sheltering me from his ultra-Christian executive editor, who would never let a piece questioning religion run...  

Public discussion of religion tends to be extremely polarized, split between religious fundamentalism and the aggressive atheism of such writers as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. But much of what people actually believe falls somewhere in ...  

For those gay people in our LGBT community that believe God does not love them, they will be happy to know that there are some godless people that share the same sentiment. Atheism is on the rise in the gay community.  More and more LGBT ...  

Cord Jefferson, the senior editor at GOOD magazine, has a wonderful piece at Gawker about the struggles of being a black atheist: Several years ago, I pitched a freelance piece about black atheism to a prominent magazine geared toward African-Americans.  

The idea of an atheist attending church services seems contradictory - doesn't that require belief in God? Isn't freedom on Sunday morning one of the benefits of atheism? Although most atheists don't count themselves as part of religions which require regular attendance at churches or other houses of worship, you can still find some who do... Read Article: Do any atheists go to church? If so, why?  

Atheism is quite simply the absence of belief that any deities exist. In a sense there is no such thing as a true absence of faith. The rejection of deities as propagated by an atheist or the uncertainty towards deities of the agnostic is in itself a system of belief.[...]  

 @AndreaAbate While you state that "not all religious people are like how you describe" you then go on to say "atheists seem to peg ALL religions as anti-science, bigoted and intolerant." If you don't want someone to make a sweeping comment about all religious people, you shouldn't make a sweeping comment about atheists. There are plenty atheists who do not feel that ALL religious are anit-science, bigoted and intolerant.  

Christopher DiCarlo of Freethought TV and Atheist Community of Austin president Matt Dillahunty will argue for atheism while philosopher Michael Horner and Dr. Paul Chamberlain of the Institute for Christian Apologetics at Trinity Western University will ...  

Its study also showed Christians nationwide had a higher divorce rate than atheists. Such findings prompted Austin Cline, who writes on atheism and agnosticism for about.com to say, “The difference in divorce rates is particularly interesting given the ...  

There are frequent debates not only between atheists and theists, but also among atheists on the subject of religion. Why? Because there is no unanimity among atheists on religion. Different ...Read Full Post  

They are made quite aware of their atheism, either because of how they're treated for it, or because they have to keep silent about it for fear of being ridiculed. So perhaps with this tendency to be more self-conscious comes an equally more ...  

FFRF's co-president Dan Barker sent a letter of complaint to Mayor John Dennis and the City Council. In a video posted on Faith Church's website, the church's pastor Steve Viars said that asking whether it is appropriate for government to allow a tax ...  

Over at the blog Why Evolution is True Jerry Coyne has linked to a vast collection of videos about evolution, creationism, science, and critical thinking. I was so impressed by this project that I've added the website to my list of recommended sites, ...  

I see a lot of misunderstandings and errors about atheism and atheists all over the net. People don't understand what atheism is, what the definition of atheism is, or the ...Read Full Post  

Economist Robin Hanson poses an odd challenge to atheists: A few days ago I asked why not become religious, if it will give you a better life, even if the evidence for religious beliefs is weak? Commenters eagerly declared their love of truth. Today I'll ask: if you give up the benefits of religion, because you love far truth, why not also give up stories, to gain even more far truth? Alas, I expect that few who claim to give up religion...  

A popular means used by religious believers, and Christians in particular, to spread their ideas is the ubiquitous religious tract. Tracts are so common and have spread so far that people tend to overlook them and forget they are there. This is unfortunate because I believe that it causes atheists to also overlook the impact atheist tracts might have. Religious organizations and churches are not the only ones who can benefit from short...  

Every election year, and especially during presidential election years, there are complaints about voter guides distributed to churches by Christian Right and Christian Nationalist organizations. These guides purport to be neutral explanations of candidates' positions, but in reality they are designed to promote particular candidates at the expense of others. The purpose is to help elect conservatives who will push the Christian Nationalist...  

It is often said, in defense of religion, that we all live parasitically off of its moral legacy, that we can only dismiss religion because we are protected by the work it has already done on our behalf. This claim has been debated ad nauseam since at least the middle of the 19th century. Suffice it to say that, to many of us, Western society has become more compassionate, humane, and respectful of rights as it has become more secular.  

Assuming God or a bus doesn’t strike me down between now and then, I’m gonna go to the 2012 Global Atheist Convention this weekend. In preparation I’ve been reading and watching some stuff about atheism, or to be precise The … Continue reading →  

A C Grayling was one of the other stars at the Global Atheist Convention in Melbourne. His talk canvassed the future of atheism and he set this in a very comprehensible historical context. Anthony Grayling’s academic research concerns the relation ...  

If you are a geek like me, then you went to see Marvel’s The Avengers this weekend. It was a fucking awesome film. But what does it tell us about religion and what interesting things should atheists take away from the film? On the surface, there are two references to gods. The first was when [...]  

The façade of a “humanistic” atheism is only able to stand as long as one accepts the basic principle, as espoused by the Declaration of Independence – based on the opening chapters of Genesis – that every human being possesses infinite preciousness.  

Public discussion of religion tends to polarize between two extremes: religious fundamentalism, and the aggressive atheism of such writers as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. But much of what people actually believe falls somewhere in between.  

Alain de Botton has a book out called Religion for Atheists  in which he talks about uses of religion for atheists. His view of the problem of religion is interesting enough: the social constructions we call religion have adapted through a range of historical challenges and traumas. They have adapted and evolved and have some features which makes them reproduceable. Culturally speaking, religions, despite their obvious flaws, work. This is...  

Stop slinging mud Published Apr 20, 2012 01:01AM MDT Re “Atheist praises the rise of science, not Jesus, in Utah lecture” (Tribune, April 8): As a fellow atheist (humanist), I take issue with Minnesota biology professor Paul Myer’s portrayal of religious people as “total nut jobs” and believers in “some outrageous bullsh--.” Even if one is diametrically opposed to religion, mudslinging is inappropriate. Mary Schofield Holladay...  

While writing about a radio interview with Anna Quindlen, Ophelia Benson (Butterflies & Wheels) offered us one reason who some male atheists might not think to include women in their activities: the "combative" nature of the atheist movement. Atheism by its nature is “combative” – at least, active or outspoken or explicit or “movement” atheism is. Movement atheism is naturally combative. Her central point was that we tend not to see women...  

Public discussion of religion tends to polarize between two extremes: religious fundamentalism, and the aggressive atheism of such writers as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. But much of what people actually believe falls somewhere in between.  

The unfriendly dialogue between atheists and Christians is getting nowhere, largely because it focuses on trying to establish which worldview is worst. Just take, as Exhibits A and B, the following remarks by Christopher Hitchens and Dinesh D'Souza ...  

Wikipedia says that "the demographics of atheism are difficult to quantify. Different people interpret atheism and related terms differently, and it can be hard to draw boundaries between atheism, nonreligious beliefs, and nontheistic religious and spiritual beliefs.  

Atheists have been around for decades, and they've been organizing for decades. But something new, something big, has been happening in atheism in the last few years -- atheism has become much more visible, more vocal, more activist, better ...  

Atheist Books in Public LibrariesPhoto: Getty/Stockbyte If you enjoy some of the books written by prominent atheists, haven't you also wished that more people could be encouraged to read them as ...Read Full Post  

Public discussion of religion tends to polarize between two extremes: religious fundamentalism, and the aggressive atheism of such writers as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. But much of what people actually believe falls somewhere in between.  

Why is atheism the privileged philosophy worthy of taxpayer support? Why must Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish schools pay their own way, but atheist schools are supported by billions of taxpayer dollars? Are they better than the denominational schools?  

So I know that this PM must do things that upset me or she will be a goner. I think that the Chaplaincy Program is lame and should have a secular atheism alternative but I don't really care that much about it. It only costs a couple of hundred million ...  

A month ago, I posted about how one of the cast members of “Teen Mom 2,” Kailyn Lowry, openly talked about her atheism on Twitter. Yesterday, one of her followers questioned her status as a role model because of that: @kaillowry you are atheist? And you are considered a “role model” ? — Alex Mendez [...]  

"Coming out" now may be a clichéd term, but as the "We Are Atheism" project has shown, it hasn't entirely lost its currency. The new organization encourages others to be open about their atheism, an act that is more than a confession ...  

"If genuine belief isn’t usually caused by argument," asks Mitch Stokes, author of A Shot of Faith (to the Head): Be a Confident Believer in an Age of Cranky Atheists, "should believers bother debating religion with atheists?"  

The National Day of Reason provides an alternative to the National Day of Prayer. Atheists provide both an implicit and an explicit charge here. They reject praying to a God whom they will not acknowledge. They advocate “scientific” reason ...  

Recently, I refuted the idea that the Reason Rally was an ill-conceived event (LINK)  Before that, I exposed the canard that religion is better for human rights than secularism. (LINK)  Today's misguided follower of Jehovah (but not Jesus ...  

Have you heard the term "post-atheism" used by people in the atheist movement? I have encountered a few different definitions of this term, but I've always thought that the best one was the idea that post-atheism refers to the mindset that while one is still technically an atheist (i.e., one does not accept the theistic belief claim), one no longer considers atheism to be a significant part of one's identity.One way to look at post-atheism...  

Playing the devil’s advocate is different than being a double edge sword. Yesterday’s article showed an apparent view of how some atheists feel about our gay community but Atheism as a whole is not solely about hate.  The purpose of that ...  

I want to be the kind of atheist who does not pick fights with the religious but does not run from conflict when it is encountered either. I want to be the kind of atheist who defends secularism whenever necessary and recognizes that strengthening the wall of separation between church and state is of vital importance. I want to be the kind of atheist who models reason, critical thinking, and basing beliefs on evidence. I want to be the kind of...  

Being asked to write my opinion on atheism and faith has been a challenge. It is one thing to write my opinion, quite another to write on the opinions of others. For me, atheism requires more faith than Christianity.[...]  

We are atheists - atheism is our belief system, atheism is our religion. People say that us atheistshave no god or don’t believe in any god, but that’s not true. Our god is the god of the magical cosmicexplosion which started it all. Our godis called ...  

If you ever want your fill of daily political atheist links and links to general atheist resources, you could do worse than visit Secular News Daily. And if you want to follow a feed with a number of atheist blogs, you should both add Freethought Blogs to your feed reader and also read Planet Atheism, [...]...  

I followed a link from Susie’s page to this post by Steve Volk about the deification of Christopher Hitchens and how new atheism gets so many things wrong.  rolling eyes I have to agree in one respect about the deification of Hitchens.  I don’t get it either.  Hitchens was in many respects as irrational as [...]  

BERGHEIM - It's still a free country, albeit a polarized one. That's especially true when the discussions of politics, government and religion intersect. You can say what you want, but you suffer the consequences. Your neighbors can like it or lump it or ...  

“E Pluribus Unum” – Latin for “Out of Many, One”  This was the motto of the United States Of America from the time the Seal of the United States was first created in 1776, right up until the 1950′s, where during the height of the Cold War and the McCarthy communist fear, under the Eisenhower [...]  

A local, Staks Rosch is the National Atheism Examiner here on Examiner.com.  Here, he tells us a little bit about himself and what it is like being an Examiner. For starters, why don’t you tell the readers a little bit about yourself. There isn’t ...  

Ryan Cragun, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Tampa who studies American atheism, sees the growing political organization among nontheists as a sign of their maturation as a movement. Yet while Cragun says he personally supports the ...  

Why would any organization or social change movement want to ally itself with a community that’s energetic, excited about activism, highly motivated, increasingly visible, good at fundraising, good at getting into the news, increasingly ...  

In the modern West, atheists have made a play for the high ground - to claim the coveted prizes of reason, truth and popularity. The implication of this approach is that in the name of reason and truth, all "irrationalisms", such as religion (or usually ...  

Continuing the conversations from here and here, I received this email from an atheist who teaches at a Christian school. If you’d like to share your experience as an atheist in a Christian workplace, please shoot me an email. … I met my husband in church. We had both been raised in fairly conservative, Bible-believing [...]  

I've been working my way through Peter Rollins' new book, "Insurrection," when I came across a section that intersected with a question raised in my latest "Banned Questions" book, "Banned Questions About Jesus." The question posed on the book ...  

The Daily Circuit features a weeklong discussion about faith: What people believe, why they believe it and how it shapes their politics. We've been looking at issues pertaining to faith and public life this week, but today we are going to look ...  

Sarah Robinson (AlterNet) wrote an interesting article, 6 People You Need to Start a Revolution, that is worth a read. Her argument is no movement seeking meaningful change can hope to succeed without effectively utilizing diversity. I agree completely, and this is part of why I have repeatedly called for "big tent" atheism (i.e., a recognition that the atheist movement needs all kinds of people performing different roles). While Robinson is...  

CHRIS Berg rightly asserts the importance of Christianity to the formation of European and modern civilisation in ''The godless delusion'' (Opinion, 15/4). But his argument is misleading. First, he suggests that certain social goods, such as the importance ...  

Some people seem to honestly think that atheism is a similar belief-system as the religions are. However, do all non-stamp collecting people share a common hobby of not collecting stamps? You do not need to believe in non-existence of something that d...  

It was at a symposium at New York University in May 2004 that Flew gave up his 50-year belief in atheism and announced that he now accepted the existence of a God. He writes: What I think the DNA material has done is that it has shown by the almost ...  

My journey to atheism was not long or difficult. I was raised in a Reform Jewish home that was not particularly religious. I grew up in a city where there was a fairly large Jewish population in the suburbs, but there were very few other Jews within the city. My sister, two teachers, and I [...]...  

Washington, April 27 (ANI): Analytic thinking can decrease religious belief, even in devout believers, says researchers. A new University of British Columbia study found that thinking analytically increases religious disbelief among believers and skeptics ...  

Atheists in America often get criticized by Christians for “only focus on Christianity.” It is not unusual for Christians to even claim that atheists are afraid to criticize Islam. To address this issue, I’m going to start by criticizing Christianity.  

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) visited an Indonesian atheist in prison for his beliefs on 18 May, as part of a ten-day fact-finding visit to investigate violations of freedom of religion or belief in the country ahead of the United Nations Universal ...  

Once the general perception of atheism as something evil is done away with through research and discussion, one common question is where atheists stand in regards to ancient Eastern philosophies such as Buddhism and Taosim. Even though they're regarded as ...  

Would people pray in the temple? “No, no. People would probably behave as they would in a museum.” De Botton wants to reclaim atheism from strident anti-religion figures such as Richard Dawkins. While this is a laudable aim, I can’t help thinking ...  

Greta Christina put up a really thought-provoking post today at FreeThought Blogs (“Will Atheism Become Easier?“).  Greta’s not talking about the boring question (will atheists be less stigmatized in the future — pretty clearly yes), she’s ...  

I am in the middle of a riotous love affair with the television show Intervention. The affair happened quickly, mostly out of boredom and, out of the chronically bizarre array of options on Netflix streaming, it received a resounding “whatever… good enough” before hitting the “play” button. Reality shows are not usually my cup of [...]  

A reader directed me to this fine TED talk where an African speaker illustrates how stereotypes of Africans are the result of people having only one rather homogenous story about Africa upon which to base their conclusions. She begs listeners to expand their familiarity with more stories. Ironically, and refreshingly, the speaker also confesses she [...]  

The number of disbelievers is growing, but they remain America's least trusted minority. Why? How many atheists are there? It depends on your definition of the term. Only between 1.5 and 4 percent of Americans admit to so-called "hard atheism," the ...  

Over the last 40 years, Gallup polls as well as other surveys on American attitudes have consistently concluded that the most despised minority in America is one in which people refer to themselves as atheists or agnostics. These authors, along ...  

Here is a simple question for atheists - especially those atheists who will be attending the Global Atheist Convention: "What is life for?" Simple enough? In a curious way there would seem to be two apparently contradictory answers to this question and ...  

Atheists and Atheism have made contributions to the world. Those contributions include a more peaceful world. I am not an atheist. The peace that I am referring to is not that of promoting peace among nations. I am not speaking here of the ...  

I am an atheist because, as my brother once said, ‘If it don’t gel, it ain’t jello’. Religion and supersition in general just does not gel. I see no reason to believe in gods or the supernatural. It took me some time and and a good deal of exploration to come to that conclusion, but [...]...  

Home · Atheist Channel · Unreasonable Faith · Unreasonable Faith. A reasonable blog on atheism, religion, science and skepticism. Get Patheos Atheist Newsletters. Follow Patheos Atheist: Home · About · Forum · Writings ...  

Yesterday Hemant Mehta of the Friendly Atheist took issue with comments made by physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson in relation to atheism. In a video by BigThink, Tyson attempts to distance himself from atheism. Here’s the video: While I wouldn’t call myself a “militant atheist” because I don’t own any guns or advocate violence (the way [...]  

Alain de Botton’s ”Religion for Atheists,” which has received harsh criticisms from the likes of David Brooks (the NYT review) and The Economist, is an insightful and moving treatment of wisdom without doctrine.  At the outset, de Botton dispenses with the most frequent subject of engagement for today’s vocal atheists–arguments with believers against the existence of God–and elaborates on the more [...]  

(Author's Note: The following review was solicited and is written in accordance with this site's policy for such reviews.) Summary: A surprising, welcome reminder that atheism has a long and storied history in the U.S. Letters f...  

As an atheist I love your conversations about faith and theology, but I often find the discussion of atheism wanting. I think the issue for me is similar to one you've complained about as a Catholic: that the loudest proponents of your religion do not ...  

Since the beginning of 2012, there has been a great deal of discussion regarding the role of atheism in abolitionism.  The debate has ultimately resulted in a significant split in the abolitionist community.  While philosophically, I have little to add ...  

Atheists tend to follow science and rational thinking, which can only be a good thing during elections.  The second plan has to do with learning. They are currently developing a tutoring program for the Buffalo School District. This will not be a ...  

As a Christian and a parent, I wish to both protect my children from the dangers of the world while at the same time educating them about the problems they will face in life.  Sometimes this comes by way of learning experiences when things happen to them ...  

This article will be brief, and I do not intend to present much empirical evidence, only my thoughts on a small matter dealing with the ‘atheism – theism’ debate that has taken the attention of much of this community. I want to address the issue of ...  

SAN ANTONIO, May 3 (UPI) -- A Texas man who has been suing officials for decades on allegations of endorsing Christianity said he briefly converted before returning to atheism. Patrick Greene, 63, who has filed complaints and lawsuits against ...  

I believe two varieties of atheists exist, which I call “small-A” and “big-A.” Small-A atheists comprise more or less ALL atheists; small-A atheism is simply the fact of not believing in any gods or practicing any theistic religion (at least, not with the understanding that any of it is real in any sense but cultural). [...]...  

The Thinking Atheist compiled this collection of comments from people who declared their atheism, only to be ostracized or cut off in return: If you’re able to declare your atheism to certain people without fear of reprisal, please do it. Do it for the people in the video. Do it so that pointing out the [...]  

Greta Christina, over at the other blog collective (which is starting to look better after Patheos 3.0), asks “Will Atheism Become Easier?” I’m wondering if this struggle will be easier for the people who come into atheism after us. Or even if it will be a struggle at all. I’m wondering if they’ll look at [...]  

Note: I realize Atheism is Religion may raise a few concerns as it runs counter to our prevailing rhetorical position, but the world is made of all types, so I let this blog join. I expect you all to be nice when visiting his blog. We’ve had a new b...  

I was brought up to be a Christian, taken to a protestant church from the time I was born until I went off to college. Everyone in my family is a Christian, indoctrinated into the faith with bible stories every night and prayers at every meal and nearly every public event. Christianity was part of [...]...  

As further evidence that atheists are as diverse as their faithful counterpart, Alain De Botton has penned a controversial new book called Religion for Atheists. And not surprising, he’s gotten no small amount of push- back from the atheist community for ...  

. . . [A large] share of the American public (19 percent) spurns organized religion in favor of a nondefined skepticism about faith. . . . [...] Most polls suggest that atheists are among the most disliked groups in the … Continue reading →  

It is often asked by the Religious why so many articles for Atheism have been published here on News24 of late. I would like to venture my reason for this trend. It is often said and echoed by many that people of different faiths or non-faith to respect ...  

Oxford - Richard Dawkins is without doubt one of the most outstanding scientific minds of our or of any generation, but when he ventures out of his field, he does not shine quite so brightly. It is not quite true that Dawkins rewrote Darwin, rather ...  

Omar Shahid sure seems to think so. In an opinion piece at The Independent, Shahid insists that atheists can learn a lot from religion, and that religious leaders need to reform their belief systems. My take? Shahid hasn't got a clue. Related articles: Atheists! Think you know more about religion than the faithful? Something-You-Already-Knew of the Day: Atheists Know More About Religion than Religious People, Study Finds  

I was raised in the quite conservative Reformed Church of America. I was a very curious child and read the entire bible through a few times starting at a young age, yet I still swallowed every lie they fed me. I never really fit in in high school youth group. We went to a smallish [...]...  

In news that doesn’t seem to be getting a lot of American press, José Mujica, the President of Uruguay, made a reference to his own atheism this week when speaking about the ailing Hugo Chavez: Reader David Osorio was kind enough to translate: “I still have not been able to believe in God… if such [...]  

In the minds of many believers atheism is linked with immorality, and despite mounds ofevidence to the contrary, religious leaders reinforce this stereotype. I once attended a Palm Sunday service at a popular Calvinist megachurch in Seattle.  

To put it simply, there is a lot of risk involved. As stated in a previous article about The Clergy Project, revealing one's atheism, whether you're a cleric or not, means a good probability of losing your friends, job, or even family.  

Atheists from Fort Bragg bragged about an Atheist event which, while it was called “Rock Beyond Belief,” was geared towards Atheist who rely 100% upon belief for their Atheism—dogmatheism. Think about it, they not only claim that they have not ...  

Scientific American columnist Michael Shermer calls it Stenger's best work to date, “clearly placing him in the new atheist pantheon alongside Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens.” Author Guy Harrison, who wrote “50 ...  

Crommunist has started what has basically become a meme on FreeThoughtBlogs.com taking the next step from PZ Myers' "Why am I an Atheist" series. It's an interesting view on atheism, moving away from the cause into the effect side of the equation. I'm...  

A few days ago this forum published an article of mine in which I challenged atheists to explain to the world what was in or about atheism which could persuade a Believer to forsake his or her belief and become an atheist. I also posed the question as to ...  

How many atheist politicians can you name? Naming Scandinavians is cheating; stick to the U.S. of A., please. Tough, isn’t it? Pete Stark, congressman for California’s 13th district, is the only openly atheist member of either house.  

Our Daily Train | A blog by Jeremy StyronMarco the Atheist ‏ @marco_iO9 #Religion is a life preserver filled with lead; it drags you down, but the writing on it says it lifts you up. #atheism #teamjesus #teamgod Marco the Atheist ‏ @marco_iO9 When you pray to #god for help, you’ve given up believing that you can help yourself. #atheism #teamjesus #jesustweeters #teamgod#religion Marco the Atheist ‏ @marco_iO9 I am #religion, and I allow people...  

“Coming out of the closet” is what many in the secular community call publicly admitting to atheism. Silverman believes it should be a personal choice.  These politicians’ identities are therefore a closely guarded secret. “We want ...  

If you read this blog regularly, you'll have come across work by Will Gervais and Ara Norenzayan, at the University of British Columbia in Canada. Previously, they've shown that atheists in North America are are disliked because they are distrusted, an... Related articles: Something-You-Already-Knew of the Day: Atheists Know More About Religion than Religious People, Study Finds Atheists and rapists: you just can’t trust ‘em  

The news stories from the FFRF have competed for headlines with another seemingly polar opposite group, The Dove World Outreach Center led by Pastor Terry Jones. They are the church responsible for publicized ceremonies featuring the burning of the Koran.  

Competition among denominations may account for that interest in religion, Smith said. The surveys found: • Atheism is strongest in northwest European countries such as Scandinavia and the former Soviet states (except for Poland). The former East Germany ...  

a great little collection of recordings, produced by trey parker and matt stonea quote from the video description:"atheism in the name of god is an abandonment of all religious beliefs . . . giving up the attempt to make sense of the world in terms of ...  

Atheism and agnosticism are still taboo subjects in this country, yet a surprising number of celebrities are "out" with regard to their personal beliefs (or lack thereof).  This is encouraging in that as the topic gains more exposure ...  

Having grown up in secular Holland in the 1980′s I don’t need a reason to be an atheist. One’s an atheist by default. Those attending church on a regular basis are either few and far between or tend to live in the heavily segregated villages in the Dutch ‘Bible belt’. The only interesting question that [...]...  

“I’m an atheist. I know that can be hard for some people to understand sometimes. But I’ll give you my background and perhaps it will shed some light. It is true that some atheists have had bad experiences with churches. I was one of them, but my atheism grew from that after much contemplation and [...]...  

Fellow Atheism Examiner, Justin Vacula from the North East Pennsylvania Freethought Society decided to put that theory to the test. The ad had just one word on it along with two websites. The word, “Atheists” was deemed “too controversial” for the ...  

Why I'm An Atheist The Amazing Atheist discusses some of the reasons why religion's not for him. MY LINKS: My blog: http://blog.thatfatatheist.com/ My facebook: http://www.facebook.com/YoutubeTAA My twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/amazingatheist My forums: http://forum.thatfatatheist.com SUBSCRIBE TO ME: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=theamazingatheist From: TheAmazingAtheist Views: 80789 9375 ratings...  

This is hardly a new idea. Auguste Comte, John Stuart Mill and innumerable others have tried this before in one way or another, but de Botton is not deterred by their failures. He offers a new system, taking elements from many religious traditions and ...  

CP: For most of the book, you want people to better understand why they hold different views on religion and politics and learn to get along better. But chapter 8, "The Conservative Advantage," reads like a strategy paper for the Democratic National ...  

It would be fanciful self-flattery to assume that coming to atheism was all my own doing, based solely upon some youthful intellectual shrewdness and critical thinking abilities. Of course, we all can lay claim to unconsciously filing away in our brain any signals and inconsistencies we encounter over time. But of course there were outside [...]...  

My parents were Church Of England, mildly practicing (more my mother than my father). My grandparents were strongly practicing C of E (as strong as that gets anyway – that is they went to church every week and all that). However – my father works in oil and his job took him around a lot [...]...  

Earlier this month, the Dallas–Fort Worth Coalition of Reason started an advertising campaign called “Our Families Are Great Without Religion.” Their plan was to have the following ad play on movie theater screens before the films began: After getting rejected by one theater that had a “no religious advertising” policy, the Angelika Film Center in [...]  

I was just looking through some articles about the Reason Rally because I was curious to see what the corporate-owned media was saying about it. Dan Merica's article at CNN's Belief Blog caught my eye because of the title, "Atheist rally billed as 'coming out' moment for nonbelievers." I was curious what you thought about the following claim from Merica's post:[Richard] Dawkins, who is widely regarded as the most respected figure in atheism...  

The three-day Freethought Festival features presentations on a range of topics, from secular parenting and morality to the historical Jesus and the separation of church and state. — atheism, agnosticism, skepticism, freethinking, humanism and more.  

Thanks for the find from Cory Doctorow on BoingBoing: Justin Griffith, an atheist in the US military, tells the story of how he ended up with ATHEIST/FSM on his dogtags. It all started when he enlisted as an atheist, only to have his recruiter record his religion as "Baptist." Even switching recruiters didn't end up with the error corrected. At boot camp, recruits were only allowed one "holy book" from their stated religion, so he brought...  

The Reason Rally may be over, but I have a feeling that the "spirit" of the event is going to live on among those who were there and those of us who they inspire. Could there possibly be a better reason to hold events like this?Greta Christina was clearly inspired by what she experienced at the Reason Rally, and she's come up with a simple but powerful suggestion for every one of us, whether we were able to attend the rally or not. To those...  

Those who wish to demonize or denigrate atheists are rather fond of telling us what we believe as a consequence of our atheism. You've undoubtedly heard the shrieking refrain of “you're an atheist? That means you believe ...  

I was born into a christian family. We weren’t fundamentalists, religion wasn’t the center of our lives. We did go to church every Sunday morning and I went to youth group every Wednesday night. Neither were overbearing and you were allowed to believe whatever you wanted, so long as it was still christianity, except, that, [...]...  

Over the weekend, this was posted at Postsecret: I’ve heard from a few of you who are in that type of predicament right now. Turns out the secret’s owner isn’t alone. From one reader: Five years ago, after growing up in and being educated in church institutions, I lost my faith. Trouble is, I’m married [...]  

After an online contest held in January to design their next billboard, the Mid Ohio Atheists selected two designs (both created by Elliot Fuller) and they went up yesterday in Mansfield! In addition, they put up the following billboard as a response to a sign a local church put up last summer (which strangely used [...]  

BoingBoing has posted a story about Justin Griffith, an atheist in the US military, who tells the story of how he ended up with ATHEIST/FSM on his dogtags. Read the full story here. It all started when he enlisted as an atheist, only to have his recruiter record his religion as “Baptist.” Even switching recruiters [...]  

I grew up Catholic, and had argued myself to the “correct” conclusion, that the Church’s teachings and morality were soundly defensible via logic. During college, however, my views on morality, especially but not limited to sexual morality, changed, forcing me to re-evaluate the logical connections I had previously accepted. (I remember vividly one time, while [...]...  

WASHINGTON (RNS) One of the biggest growth areas in political activism around religion is coming from an unlikely source: the nonreligious. And it's happening far from the marbled corridors of power in the nation's capital. The Secular Coalition ...  

Bruce Gerencser is a former preacher turned atheist who writes the worthwhile Fallen From Grace blog. In a post this week, he explores the issues I raised when I wondered about the pros and cons of atheist and former preacher Jerry DeWitt coopting the stylistics of his Southern Pentecostal preaching background for advancing the cause of atheism: Dan [...]...  

Home · Atheist Channel · Unreasonable Faith · Unreasonable Faith. A reasonable blog on atheism, religion, science and skepticism. Get Patheos Atheist Newsletters. Follow Patheos Atheist: Home · About · Forum · Writings ...  

The Farmington Independent has a nice article about Bill Lehto, a Minnesotan who collected the personal “coming out” stories from people in the state and put them into a book with proceeds benefitting Minnesota Atheists. The hope is that the book will make it easier for readers to go public with their own atheism. Full [...]  

Regarding that atheist sign that was stolen in Streator, IL: The Freedom From Religion Foundation is offering a $1,500 reward “for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator(s).” Both the theft of the banner and vandalism to … Continue reading →  

I don’t go to movies much anymore. When I do, I can’t say I pay much attention to the advertising ahead of the film. Others do, though, and might be lured into buying whatever is offered because humankind is often more sheeple than people. If rationalism, atheism and reason are what’s being offered, heaven forbid! [...]  

When I was a kid, there was no Internet. Getting to a bookstore wasn't always easy, and even when I could do so, I rarely had money. What I did have was a public library, and I relied on it quite heavily for reading material. Unfortunately, they didn't have much of anything on atheism. This is why Austin Cline's post about the importance of getting atheist books in our local public libraries struck me as a good idea. I realize that kids today...  

Anthony Pinn considers the mission: What is the basic concern – the destruction of religion? Or, more specifically, the destruction of the poor patterns of thinking, communication, and practice supported by theistic religion? Does the development of ...  

I used to wonder whether atheists would ever organize protests of churches. Not churches in general, mind you, but certain Christian extremist churches that had been preaching a destructive message of hate. I reasoned that something like a well-organized picket of such a church might do much to call attention to our efforts and show that we would remain silent no more. I agreed with readers who suggested that picketing might be especially...  

Stripped of its supernatural elements, does religion have anything to offer atheists? What can nonbelievers borrow from the organizations, practices and rituals of believers — without borrowing a belief in God? Swiss philosopher Alain de Botton says a lot.  

I grew up in a Christian household, but my parents were, thankfully, not zealots about it. We went to church multiple times a week, did all the usual Protestant and Southern Baptist stuff that they do, and let me tell you, I didn’t like going to any of it. I was more than willing to [...]...  

It is often said that atheists have nothing in common besides our lack of god belief. I disagree. I think that the overwhelming majority of us have many things in common. Besides our lack of god belief, I suspect that the primary one is that we are proponents of church-state separation. In fact, many of us recognize the value of strengthening the Jeffersonian wall of separation between church and state. Happy National Day of Reason! H/T...  

Two leading philosophers will discuss the topic ‘The role of reason in faith and unbelief’ in a public conversation at St Paul’s Cathedral on 12 April. Professor Peter Singer of Princeton and Melbourne Universities, and an atheist, and the Revd Professor Brendan Purcell, of University College, Dublin, and a Roman Catholic priest, will engage in conversation as part of the Anglican Church’s response to the global atheist convention being held...  

When Patrick Greene dropped his campaign due to a worsening eye condition, a church in Athens, Texas, as well as atheists from across the country, helped raise money to pay for treatment. The church’s efforts have caused him to reconsider Christianity ...  

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has taken its billboard campaign to Nashville, Tenn., where a Tennessee student proudly proclaims "This is what an atheist looks like" on a bright magenta billboard. The billboard is located west of do.....  

Over the weekend, an atheist sign was stolen in Streator, IL: The Freedom From Religion Foundation offered a $1,500 reward for the capture of the perpetrators, but no one has been caught just yet… In the meantime, FFRF has put … Continue reading →  

Washington (CNN) – Billed as a watershed moment in the atheism movement, a gathering of atheists, agnostics and humanists drew large numbers of non-theists to the Washington Mall Saturday despite bad weather. Put on by a coalition of atheist ...  

Hemant Mehta (Friendly Atheist) brings us the story of a church-state violation at a dinner held by city officials in Saskatoon to honor volunteers. It seems that one official offered a sectarian prayer during the dinner. This promoted a complaint from Ashu Solo, an atheist who was among those invited to the dinner to receive an award. Hemant believes that Solo overreacted and that his response "makes him (and us) look crazy." On one hand, I...  

In an article he wrote in February for the New Statesman, Journalist Bryan Appleyard described how a “neo-atheism” – by which he ... Islam”, an anthropomorphised God and other metaphysical concepts which seem farfetched.  

As our politicians desperately try to show how pious they are, it seems that growing numbers of Americans are growing tired of religious pandering. This article at CNN by Lisa Desjardis suggests that some evangelical Christians are beginning to tire of hearing religious talk from politicians. Tim King (Sojourners) is quoted as saying:You don't get to win the argument because you have more Bible verses. You need to make the case about why your...  

Addicting Info brings us another disturbing story about the Catholic Church. And no, this one does not involve child rape.As you know, the Church is opposed to contraception and continues to rail against the Obama administration's mandate that it be made available by insurance companies. Appearing on MSNBC this week, Cardinal Timothy Dolan said that the Church was willing to end all charity work, including aid to the poor, in order to protest...  

As more people become dissatisfied with efforts by religious extremists to inject their beliefs into our secular government, efforts to protect separation of church and state may become more common. And as more of us embrace reality over faith, we may gradually become more willing to speak out against church-state violations.Suppose you run into a violation of church-state separation in your local community, are upset by the violation, and...  

The United States was founded, in part, on the idea that citizens should be free to practice their religions without government interference. We hear a lot about religious freedom these days, but it is difficult to imagine that the founders were talking about anything other than one's freedom to practice one's religion in the privacy of one's own home or place of worship. They probably weren't thinking about religious freedom as involving the...  

I hadn't planned on writing about Edwina Rogers. Others in the atheist community seem far more concerned with her hiring and far better positioned to put the tough questions to her than I am. But I've been asked about how I, a politically progressive atheist, feel about Rogers' hiring, and so I thought I'd share a few thoughts. In case you are not familiar with the controversy over Rogers, here is how Adam Lee (Daylight Atheism) summarized the...