Atheism

This month's issue of Psychology Today has an interesting piece that reminded me of everybody's dear friend, Vox Day. He asserts in his blog and his book on many occasions that atheists are more likely to suffer from what he terms "social autism"--disorders such as Asperger's Syndrome or mild forms of autism. He bases this on informal internet surveys that questioned people on their pers

Thank you to the 4 people who have commented on this post thus far. This is a quote from Dr. Jason Lisle.  If the argument doesn’t make sense to the reader then I really suggest going to the link provided at the bottom of the post.     “The materialistic atheist can’t have laws of [...]

Thank you to the 4 people who have commented on this post thus far. This is a quote from Dr. Jason Lisle.  If the argument doesn’t make sense to the reader then I really suggest going to the link provided at the bottom of the post.     “The materialistic atheist can’t have laws of [...]

The Cambridge Companion to Atheism - Michael Martin - Upload a Document to Scribd Read this document on Scribd: The Cambridge Companion to Atheism - Michael Martin the cambridge companion to ATHEISM In The Cambridge Companion to Atheism, eighteen of the world’s leading scholars present original essays on various aspects of atheism: its history, both ancient and modern, defense, and implication

Paul Harrison, environmentalist and founder of the World Pantheist Movement, explains the basics of a belief system considered by some to be "sexed-up atheism." In The God Delusion Richard Dawkins calls Pantheism “sexed-up atheism.” This is a fair description. Pantheism, in essence, is reverence for Nature and the wider Universe—the Pantheist “God” is everything that exists. In fact the

“The more you stomp in poop, the more it stinks.” Who thought I’d ever be quoting Billy Ray Cyrus, eh? It’s true, though, and it’s the best way to describe how I feel about responding to the anti-atheist comments I get here. Sometimes they’ll go all-out on their rage (“You’re going to hell!”) or be deceptively [...]

Since the media began to popularize "the new atheism," the subject of atheism is cropping up everywhere. Reports of declining church attendance and increases in the number of people indicating that they are not affiliated with any religious tradition, many commentators have found themselves faced with reporting on a poorly understood group of people describing themselves as "atheists," "freethinke

Its common sense that humans suffer from the guilt of their actions.  Once a human has committed a crime they change emotionially and sometimes even physically. Atheists are free from all the guilt of all the murders and genocide that religion has brought on our species over the centuries.  We don’t have to say “sorry” for [...]

‘The burden in proving God doesn’t exist does not lie at my door; it’s up to believers to prove he does’ writes one atheist commentator. Though I wish I had a compelling personal journey which produced my atheism, I don’t. While I agree the burden lies with the believers, I will nevertheless try and justify [...]

‘The burden in proving God doesn’t exist does not lie at my door; it’s up to believers to prove he does’ writes one atheist commentator. Though I wish I had a compelling personal journey which produced my atheism, I don’t. While I agree the burden lies with the believers, I will nevertheless try and justify [...]

‘The burden in proving God doesn’t exist does not lie at my door; it’s up to believers to prove he does’ writes one atheist commentator. Though I wish I had a compelling personal journey which produced my atheism, I don’t. While I agree the burden lies with the believers, I will nevertheless try and justify [...]

‘The burden in proving God doesn’t exist does not lie at my door; it’s up to believers to prove he does’ writes one atheist commentator. Though I wish I had a compelling personal journey which produced my atheism, I don’t. While I agree the burden lies with the believers, I will nevertheless try and justify [...]

I often blog about atheism, but for this post I'd like to address a different and much broader set of beliefs that I (and others) refer to as Atheism - capital A Atheism. This is the sort of Atheism championed by American Atheists. It would be misleading to speak of Atheism as the atheist worldview. After all, there many atheistic worldviews. However, I suspect that Atheism, as used by American

I am a convinced law-and-order conservative, an eagerly practicing capitalist, an ideological libertarian. I accept enthusiastically the whole package of US Republican Party policy and sentiment - pro-America, pro-victory in Iraq, pro-gun, anti-abortion (with sensible reservations), pro-death penalty, pro-tax cuts, pro-smaller government, pro-spreading democracy and freedom throughout the world, p

I am a convinced law-and-order conservative, an eagerly practicing capitalist, an ideological libertarian. I accept enthusiastically the whole package of US Republican Party policy and sentiment - pro-America, pro-victory in Iraq, pro-gun, anti-abortion (with sensible reservations), pro-death penalty, pro-tax cuts, pro-smaller government, pro-spreading democracy and freedom throughout the world, p

What does the future hold for atheism in the United States? Will momentum build until even our harshest critics will acknowledge the reality of the atheist movement, or might our growing influence wane and further delay the goal of atheist equality? I'm no fortune teller, but I'll gladly speculate on what we might see over the next few years. This post focuses on the future of American atheism wit

In the couple years since I've been blogging, there has been unprecedented growth in material related to atheism on the Internet. Atheist websites, blogs, and forums are springing up every day as technological innovations in social networking, blogging software, tagging, and RSS have made it easier to find and distribute content related to atheism. As the unexpected success of many books critical

In the couple years since I've been blogging, there has been unprecedented growth in material related to atheism on the Internet. Atheist websites, blogs, and forums are springing up every day as technological innovations in social networking, blogging software, tagging, and RSS have made it easier to find and distribute content related to atheism. As the unexpected success of many books critical

I've mentioned before how many people at FSTDT assert, in insulting atheism and blaming it for basically everything, that atheism is a religion. My answer last time was, "So what if it is?"I'm pretty well convinced that atheism is a religion, to the same extent that Confucianism - another non-theistic set of practices - is considered religion. In fact there are quite a few 'godless' religions, s

As a philosophical stance on the question of god(s), atheism is more than just the default position. There is a certain nobility in bucking tradition, appeals to authority, and the pressures of social conformity to permit reason and evidence to influence one's worldview. Even while recognizing that there are multiple paths to atheism, there is a certain shared joy that comes from living in accordance with reality.In a recent rant by at ExChristian.net, Bob Patterson wrote:For reasons not easily understood, humans seem to have a basic need to want to believe that an invisible, omnipotent and omniscient deity -- one that is entirely responsible for everything and that demands our unquestioning devotion, obedience and respect for everything good that happens -- is watching over us.We can talk

As a philosophical stance on the question of god(s), atheism is more than just the default position. There is a certain nobility in bucking tradition, appeals to authority, and the pressures of social conformity to permit reason and evidence to influence one's worldview. Even while recognizing that there are multiple paths to atheism, there is a certain shared joy that comes from living in accorda

Atheism-The cultivation of a new perspective;Herein lies the true meaning of being independent.Evil it has been thought to be,the denial of God,I for one,am an Atheist,and i wish to be the master of my own fate,Sanctity is but a frivolity for me,My life is my own,only i control it,and nobody else.

In the April 14 online edition of Vanity Fair, Christopher Hitchens turns his notoriously wide-ranging and (usually) literate intellect to the task of reviewing a new biography of Sir Isaac Newton. The review is worth reading for more than one reason, but the thing that caught me most by surprise -- aside from his incomprehensible admiration for Carl Sagan -- was Hitchens's decision to refer to the Creator of the universe as "god." Small g. Not once, but twice. As thus:Paley’s book Natural Theology, arguing that all of “creation” argued for the evidence of a divine designer, became the key text for those who saw the hand of god in the marvels of nature.Hitchens's war against the Almighty thus degenerates from the philosophical to the typographical. Sure, he has cursed and ridiculed G

In the April 14 online edition of Vanity Fair, Christopher Hitchens turns his notoriously wide-ranging and (usually) literate intellect to the task of reviewing a new biography of Sir Isaac Newton. The review is worth reading for more than one reason, but the thing that caught me most by surprise -- aside from his incomprehensible admiration for Carl Sagan -- was Hitchens's decision to refer to th

FORT RILEY, Kan. — When Specialist Jeremy Hall held a meeting last July for atheists and freethinkers at Camp Speicher in Iraq, he was excited, he said, to see an officer attending.But minutes into the talk, the officer, Maj. Freddy J. Welborn, began to berate Specialist Hall and another soldier about atheism, Specialist Hall wrote in a sworn statement. “People like you are not holding up the Constitution and are going against what the founding fathers, who were Christians, wanted for America!” Major Welborn said, according to the statement.Major Welborn told the soldiers he might bar them from re-enlistment and bring charges against them, according to the statement.Last month, Specialist Hall and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, an advocacy group, filed suit in federal cou

A short rant by Bob PattersonFor reasons not easily understood, humans seem to have a basic need to want to believe that an invisible, omnipotent and omniscient deity -- one that is entirely responsible for everything and that demands our unquestioning devotion, obedience and respect for everything good that happens -- is watching over us. This same deity, however, vehemently denies any responsibility whatsoever for those things which are bad, undesirable, or painful. It's the ultimate and most divine "cop out" that humanity has ever documented! To sum it up simply: God gets all the credit for that which is good, but takes none of the responsibility for that which is bad. This is all somehow justified by the doctrine of "original sin" -- an unpaid debt that was caused when Eve ate a forb

coming soon InshaAllah May God show us all the straight path, Ameen! The Miracle of the Holy Quran Science Islam One of the Miracles of the Quran explained by a white former Christian, Yusuf Estes (Pharaoh’s [from the time of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him)] corpse found?) …

Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) interrupted atheist activist Rob Sherman during his testimony Wednesday afternoon before the House State Government Administration Committee in Springfield and told him, “What you have to spew and spread is extremely dangerous . . . it’s dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists!” Yup, this actually happened. This [...]

It is rather depressing to see that even in the America of 2008 politicians can gain mileage from scapegoating atheists. Scapegoating a minority, no matter how distrusted or despised it may be, suggests that many Americans have learned little from history. Perhaps the revisionist history pushed by Christian extremists has something to do with this, but that can be addressed in another post. For now, I simply want to suggest that atheism is often used as a sort of smokescreen behind which to conceal unpleasant truths, rally support, and perpetuate ignorance.Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) may seem like an unlikely source for anti-atheist bigotry, but her words indicate otherwise. In discussing atheist Rob Sherman's efforts to preserve the separation of church and state, Rep. Davis had the fo

This is absolutely hysterical - and not in the hysterically funny sense.Listen as Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) attacks an atheist testifying before her.Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) interrupted atheist activist Rob Sherman during his testimony Wednesday afternoon before the House State Government Administration Committee in Springfield and told him, "What you have to spew and spread is extremely dangerous . . . it's dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists!"This is the Land of Lincoln where people believe in God," Davis said. "Get out of that seat . . . You have no right to be here! We believe in something. You believe in destroying! You believe in destroying what this state was built upon."This is exactly why the separation between church and state exists.Wha

My friend, Bishop Leland Somers, sent me an excellent article, some excerpts of which I wanted to share with you. The following excerpts are from a new book by Christ Hedges, author of the excellent book, "War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning". Hedges has just come out with a new book that I have yet to read entitled, "I Don't Believe In Atheists" from which the following are some of the excerpts. "There is nothing in human nature or human history to support the idea that we are morally advancing as a species or that we will overcome the flaws of human nature. We progress technologically and scientifically, but not morally. We use the newest instruments of technological and scientific progress to create more efficient forms of killing, repression and economic exploitation, and to acce

ExChristian.Net has partnered with Alive Mind Media to offer The Atheism Tapes on DVD. Alive Mind Media holds exclusive rights to the The Atheism Tapes.The Atheism Tapes is a BBC television documentary series presented by Jonathan Miller. The material that makes up the series was originally filmed for another, more general series, Atheism: A Rough History of Disbelief, but was too in-depth for inclusion. Instead, the BBC agreed to create The Atheism Tapes as a supplementary series of six programs, each consisting of an extended interview with one contributor.In these off-the-record interviews, neurologist turned playwright, filmmaker and self-described atheist Jonathan Miller filmed conversations with six of today's leading men of letters and science: the New York Times best-selling author

Sent in by M. L.It has been a long and often emotionally turbulent journey, but I can now state, without fear eternal damnation, that I am an Atheist.I am not angry. I do not feel “done in” by Christianity. I do not even feel that my years as a Christian were wasted. In fact, I believe that I am who I am today due to the sum of my experiences. And Christianity played a big part in that.That said, becoming an Atheist has had a greater impact on my life than all those years of Theism ever had.I now go through life with eyes wide open.My relationship with my husband has reached an all time high. I can be adventurous without feeling guilty. I can unequivocally state that he is the true love of my life without the nagging voice in the back of my mind reminding me that Jesus should actua

Yesterday I blogged about muslims attempting to take down pictures of their invisible friend on wikipedia via petition. Today we got a letter from the head of the number one turkish atheist site which has been stripped from the eyes of Turks twice. Once under the original domain and then again under another domain. Unfortunately, the owner is unable to fight this in court because to do so he would have to identify himself which if you're familiar will end up resulting in his head being chopped off by the peaceful and loving muslims who work for Allah. If you speak Turkish and you are an atheist please support this site...read more

Author on anti-Catholic criticism and how he imagined the epic worldTODAYupdated 1:22 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2007“The Golden Compass” is the first in Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy. In the first volume, Pullman invites readers into a world as convincing and thoroughly realized as Narnia, Earthsea or Redwall. Here lives an 11-year-old orphaned ward named Lyra Belacqua, whose carefree life among the scholars at Oxford's Jordan College is shattered by the arrival of two powerful visitors. First, her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, appears with evidence of mystery and danger in the far North, including photographs of a mysterious celestial phenomenon called Dust and the dim outline of a city suspended in the Aurora Borealis that he suspects is part of an alternate universe. He l

Author on anti-Catholic criticism and how he imagined the epic worldTODAYupdated 1:22 p.m. ET Nov. 2, 2007“The Golden Compass” is the first in Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy. In the first volume, Pullman invites readers into a world as convincing and thoroughly realized as Narnia, Earthsea or Redwall. Here lives an 11-year-old orphaned ward named Lyra Belacqua, whose carefree life among the scholars at Oxford's Jordan College is shattered by the arrival of two powerful visitors. First, her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, appears with evidence of mystery and danger in the far North, including photographs of a mysterious celestial phenomenon called Dust and the dim outline of a city suspended in the Aurora Borealis that he suspects is part of an alternate universe. He l

I strongly believe that one of the most important things we atheists must do is to educate others about what atheism is and what it is not. In this post, I'll show you yet another example of how atheism is misunderstood in the mainstream media and provide my response.This particular example comes from an article written by Jake TenPas for the Corvallis Gazette-Times (OR). Here is an excerpt from the article:I'm not an atheist. I don't believe that "there is no God" I personally think there are just too many mysteries in the universe, and I personally enjoy leaving them unexplained. Asking for proof of the divine is a bit like asking for proof that a slice of American Dream pizza tastes good. If you need proof, then all your receptors aren't functioning at optimum levels.See the problem? Atheism in no way insists that there are no gods. Atheism is a response to theism. The theist claims that some sort of god or gods exist; the atheist does not accept this claim as accurate.

A Catholiccritiques to Christopher Hitchen’s book “God is Not Great” Many of the author’s reproaches against believers of all religions — the book treats Islam no better than Christianity, which shows considerable courage on the part of the author — are well founded, and must be taken seriously so that the same errors of the past are not repeated in the future.  But Hitchens, in my view, makes a mountain out of every molehill. He claims to follow the Gospel principle of judging the tree by its fruits, but as for the tree of religion, he only considers the rotten fruits, never the good ones. The saints, the geniuses and benefactors given to humanity by the faith or nourished by it, count for nothing. Using the same principles — I mean, by considering only the dark side of an institution — one could write a “black book” about any of the great human realities: the family; medicine (just think what it was used for at Auschwitz);

This is just one of my many “OUT-ing” in my college; So, its November 2007 & my first semester in college. I had eyes on me for over a week after this incident. What is he playing at? Is he out of his mind? How can he talk to teachers like that? Ruben Babu, the atheist–someone who doesn’t believe in God. An anticleric. A disrespecter of religion. A mocker of Christianity, became popular by a matter of minutes. An Atheist, being stared at like something vile. Someone like, oh, Diderot (”Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest“). Or Voltaire (”The truths of religion are never so well understood as by those who have lost the power of reasoning“). Or Bertrand Russell (”The Christian religion, as organized in its churches, has been and still is the principal enemy of moral progress in the world“)…. Unfortunately, I’m no Bertrand Russell…. For one thing,

Kelly O’ConnorThe Catholic Church has officially ended their campaign to improve the public image of the Church with the latest papal encyclical, Spe Salvi, which means “saved by hope” for the Latin fans out there. The Catholic Church’s history is littered with crimes against humanity, and Pope Benedict XVI seems to desire the return to pre-Vatican II Catholicism. This was a concern voiced by many at the time that the former Joseph Ratzinger* was canonized to this position. The former pope, John Paul II, had made great strides in the modernization of the Church, and many were reluctant to elect somebody who would reverse that trend. Despite John Paul’s dogmatic adherence to the sexual proscriptions of Catholicism, he at least officially accepted evolution, admitted Protestants in

Have you heard of the First Church of Atheism? The author of Secular Planet is the latest in a series of atheist bloggers who have decided to get ordained as ministers by this new church. Is having such a church a good idea, or does it simply reinforce common misconceptions about atheism?A Church of Atheism?Given that atheism is nothing more than the lack of theistic belief, atheism is not a belief system or worldview and has no doctrine whatsoever. Thus, it is clear that atheism is not a religion.But is it not possible to imagine a church without religion? Although I could imagine a church as an association of like-minded individuals who congregate for secular purposes, I would have little reason to call such a group a church.Benefits of an Atheist ChurchBut perhaps there is a good reason to want atheist churches. According to the First Church of Atheism's website:The First Church of Atheism was born out of necessity. Created by Paul and Jacki McMaster, the FCA is the first society

First of all, to those of you who have been reading this blog regularly, I apologize for repeatedly writing about Dinesh D’Souza. This is occurring for multiple reasons: he’s the only person who’s promoting his biased agenda with actual fervency (which includes frequent articles or blog posts), and I was specifically asked by Ken Bronstein from NYC Atheists to continue deconstructing his propaganda. It’s like being stuck between a rock and a hard-head…oh, I meant hard place. I must confess that I haven’t yet watched this televised discussion, although I plan to, because I would like to get this written, at least preliminarily, before suffering the inevitable loss of neurons that will occur when I watch their mutually masturbatory misinformation session. Thankfully, it was on

Simon Owens at Bloggasm has written a thorough and insightful post, "The Dawkins Effect: How The God Delusion Mainstreamed Atheism." I was happy to be interviewed for this article and to see myself mentioned along with PZ Myers (Pharyngula), John W. Loftus (Debunking Christianity), and Kelly (Rational Response Squad). Talk about some impressive company in which to find oneself!Owens does a fantastic job of exploring the current state of the atheist movement - covering without disparaging - something corporate media cannot seem to do. It is a must read.Tags: atheism, Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, Pharyngula, Rational Response Squad, Debunking Christianity

(Please, for the love of your god, if you do not understand what satire is, don’t comment!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSzttF8EXrE Related PostsReligion and Atheism…...can in fact co-exist, if I say so myself. My recent visit to Germany proved that it is actually p...Atheists Have No MoralsI can follow some religious fundamentalists that claim that atheists have no morals. But only with s...How Dare You!!!I’ve been an atheist my whole life.  Even though I was raised that atheism is “akin to Satanism...Is atheism a religion?Apathism Is The New Atheism

Atheists like to point out the evil and atrocities committed by religious people in the name of faith.  Theists like to point out the evil and atrocities committed by atheists. The common examples that atheists present are: the Crusades, Northern Ireland conflicts, 9/11, Rwanda, infighting between Christian and Islam sects over the centuries, Spanish Inquisitions etc.  The usual counter-examples that theists produce are: Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pat, Mao, Enver Hoxha. It is not my intention now to weigh the crimes of both sets and see which way the scales tilt.  I want to make a few observations, and point out that this ongoing battle is futile and irrelevant. First, in defence of atheism: it is hardly certain that Hitler was an atheist.  It is certain that the others mentioned above were.  Atheists usually like to say that no one has committed an evil action in the name of atheism.  But I don’t think this is true.  Atheists who use this weapon to attack theism will discover it is

Looking for a gift for that special atheist in your life who probably thinks that celebrating an ancient pagan holiday corrupted by Christians to honor the birth of someone who may or may not have actually lived is just a bit silly? How about a gift that can be used all year round to bring some sanity to a world filled with religious delusion? How about an atheism quotes calendar? A reader, who happens to be a designer, put this together and thought you might be interested. Looks pretty cool if you ask me.Tags: gift ideas, atheist, atheism, atheist wall calendar, atheist quotes calendar, Christmas, holiday

…can in fact co-exist, if I say so myself. My recent visit to Germany proved that it is actually possible. Even the most religious person I met did not bombard me with the usual questions that I’ve heard here en masse. None of the “How can you be moral without religion?” “You have to believe in something.” “Don’t you think we must be here for a reason?” I am not sure if it was simply a try to avoid conflict or discretion that forbid them to ask, to discuss who or what has turned me into an Atheist. Either way, after being very active and passionate here (at home) about Atheism and Religion I found it pleasantly relaxing to just be… to sit back, relax, chat with all kinds of people (parents) of all kinds of faiths, realizing that we all had one thing in common… to raise our children, keep them safe, live happy and in peace and to have friends. Arriving back in the States and leaving the airport the first thing I saw wa

Believe it or not, some white nationalist groups are showing signs of opening their doors to atheist members. Given that these groups are often regarded as an arm of the right-wing Christian extremist movement, I was shocked to discover discussions of atheism on one prominent white supremacist website. I'm even more shocked to think that nonbelievers might consider joining such groups.The Stormfront White Nationalist group first came to my attention when I received an e-mail from a former atheist blogger in North Mississippi (she's still an atheist but no longer blogging). She told me that there had been a Klan rally in her community and that she was visited the website listed on their literature to learn what she could about these extremists. This brought her to the Stormfront White Nationalist Community, where she discovered an atheism/agnosticism sub-forum in the theology forum. Could such hate groups actually have nonbelievers for members?The Ku Klux Klan was historically tied t

I know that I can’t prove a negative, and atheists in general feel caught by a “democratic” need to acknowledge that since you can’t fully disprove the chance, however small, that there might be some god somewhere, you must acknowledge that the delusional claims about such entities may at least in principle have some merit. I do not acknowledge that merit, except as a mental exercise that one can do for fun if one feels so inclined, however, because in spite of my disbelief in metaphysical beings, I’m not an atheist. The non-belief of atheism is easy, and you can get a long way with that. I know that all things in this vast universe are ultimately connected, but as little as I consider how it affects the red spot on Jupiter that I mow my lawn, consistently with the aforementioned atheists I don’t consider the remote chance of something even less observable influencing my thoughts either. It is easy to not believe, yet atheists seem stuck at searching

Here is a link to Amazon.com's list of bestselling books on atheism. It updates hourly, and it is interesting to see how much fluctuation there is.H/T to Debunking ChristianityTags: Amazon.com, atheism, books, bestsellers

I’ve been holding off talking about Richard Dawkins’ “Out Campaign” for a while (yes, it’s probably all died down by now - you’ve either got a scarlet “A” on your t-shirt, website, car and baby, or you don’t) because I still haven’t figured out what I really think about it. On one hand, I applaud the effort to bring atheists together and to “out” themselves, but on the other, I still see the label “Atheist” as useful as “non-chocolate lover” or non-spice girls fan1. Of course, the use of the word “atheist” (and therefore the need to “out” oneself) has been stirred up recently by Sam Harris at an Atheist Alliance conference in Washington2 - there are no “non-racists”, so “why are we defining ourselves by something that should simply be the case”3? Every political or social group have certain beliefs and/or interests in common. A football team s

The following is a mass email message sent out by Coral Ridge Ministries http://www.coralridge.org. Apparently, we have created a little a stir! Atheism is nothing new, we all know about it. But in the past 12 months there have been disturbing developments in this country. There is a new breed of atheists on the scene. They [...]

While reporting on the annual Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) convention in Madison, WI, the Associated Press notes that it has been a good year for atheism. I agree. Impressive sales of atheist-oriented books have pushed atheism into the American consciousness to a degree not seen during my lifetime. Not only do there appear to be increasing numbers of us, but we are slowly starting to become better organized. A national freethought radio show just launched, and membership in freethought organizations such as the FFRF are increasing. Growing numbers of nonbelievers are tiring of remaining in the closet and beginning to speak out. We seem to have that critical yet elusive force of momentum on our side. The challenge is how we can build on this year's accomplishments and sustain the current momentum while taking our growing movement to the next (and yet to be defined) level.I suppose this notion of needing to maintain our momentum as our secular movement expands is one of the m

I'm working on improving a couple of informational sites about atheism I developed (see Learn About Atheism and Atheism: Welcome to the Reality-Based Community) to promote understanding of atheism, and I'd like to link to some quality posts on other atheist blogs. If you are an atheist blogger and have written or are interested in writing on a handful of atheist-related topics, please consider leaving links to such posts in the comments. What I'm looking for right now are posts on any of the following topics:Definition of atheism (what it is and/or what it isn't)What it is like to live as an atheist in predominately Christian AmericaThe case for atheist activismPromoting atheismI can't guarantee that I'll use every post submitted. I have to be selective so we don't end up with too much redundant material. But even if I don't use the post on one of these pages, you can be sure that I'll read it and consider linking to it at some point.Tags: atheism, atheist

It seems common to think that Atheists cannot have a positive outlook on life, because the non-existence of god somehow denies life of any meaning. I recently attended a funeral (not someone I knew, but I was there to support the family) followed closely by a wedding. And then, as if it was all part of some higher plan (irony intended), I find myself listening to this podcast which I downloaded a while ago, but hadn’t got around to listening to yet. The funeral certainly reminded me of death (which, one might imagine, might be an unpleasant thing to think about), but because of my recent “brush with death”, I was able to appreciate the wedding so much more. Knowing that life will end (and will not go on forever, as many religious people might hope for) made the celebration much more special that it might have been otherwise. As Joseph Brisendine explains in the podcast - how long could you have a orgasm for before it became boring? Life is wonderful precisely because

I was talking to my boyfriend the other night, and we got onto religion. He knows I’m an atheist and says he is too but for a very different reason. The Boyfriend: “It’s not really that I believe or don’t believe I just don’t care. I have more important things to worry about, like finding a job and paying for gas.” I’ve dubbed it Apathism. And if you look around you may notice several more people seemingly basing their religious and philosophical beliefs on Office Space. People have stopped caring about religion, politics, government, science, world events and health. Now at first you may be thinking, “Why that’s terrible!” and in some ways it is. *cough*bush*cough* But isn’t this just what many atheists have been predicting? The religion has lost. It’s the old horse, put out to pasture with others like segregation and metal underwear to stop masturbation. This may be a solely American occurrence and looking at

An amazing report from the CBC. I’m not sure how I feel about atheists “congregating” in basements playing hymns on the guitar, sounds too much like Sunday school to me and un-evolved, but hey, at least the atheists are mobilizing and the religious will have a more powerful opposition to contend with than just labcoats. Reposted [...]

I fire up my trusty RSS reader (FeedDemon) at least once a week to catch up with the atheist blogosphere. Every time I do, I can count on finding at least a few stories in either the mainstream media or various theist-generated sources claiming that atheism is a religion or that atheism requires as much faith as any religion. While easily dismissed, the frequency of such claims is starting to irritate me.Magic in the GardenI am about to tell you something I have never told anyone. My next door neighbor has a small garden gnome of the sort you've probably seen before. The thing is, my neighbor's gnome comes to life for one evening a month, always on the twelfth day of the month, between 8:00 and 11:00 pm. The gnome explores the yard and has even climbed the fence to come into my yard. I know this not because my neighbor told me but because I have personally experienced it. I asked my neighbor about it once, and he looked at me like I was crazy. How rude! I've scene the gnome spring t

Celebrated director, David Cronenberg, openly identified himself as an atheist during a recent interview with Reuters. In fact, Cronenberg offered an intriguing example of how his atheism informs his work in cinema.While discussing a particularly violent scene in his upcoming film about the Russian mafia, Eastern Promises, Cronenberg had this to say:"Murder is a serious thing. I am taking it very seriously," Cronenberg told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the Toronto International Film Festival, where "Eastern Promises" had its premiere on Saturday night."I'm an atheist," Cronenberg said. "To me an act of murder is the act of total destruction, it's absolute. There's no comeback, there's no going to heaven, that's it. And it is very easy for that to be veiled or covered up, in a movie especially."To me it makes perfect legitimate, artistic and, if you push me, moral sense as well to do that this way."In other words, murder should be ugly, violent, and shocking. Unlike

The Washington Post has two stories on atheism today. "In America, Nonbelievers Find Strength in Numbers" by Jacqueline L. Salmon provides a concise overview of the atheist revival. Mary Jordan's "In Europe and U.S., Nonbelievers Are Increasingly Vocal," is a much longer piece dealing with the growth of atheism on both sides of the Atlantic. Both are worth a read, so check them out.Tags: atheism, America, Washington Post

I offer this purely as a philosophical curiosity and invite free-wheeling speculation from any reader who cares to indulge in it. (See my two questions at the end.)The current installment of the Washington Post's "On Faith" feature, which I have posted about before, invites participants to weigh in on the impending publication of letters by Bl. Mother Teresa which reveal her 50-year struggle with religious doubt and long periods of spiritual desolation. Vehige and I have had our say on this story and the ruckus it has raised -- or is alleged to have raised -- among people of faith.What catches my interest today is the reaction to the story from "On Faith's" resident atheists -- Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, and Susan Jacoby. There is nothing very surprising in what these three have to say, other than my ongoing surprise at the intellectually shallow and facile arguments against the existence of God that are put forward by thinkers like Dennett and Harris, putatively two of atheism's

Author: Martin PriestmanPaperback: 324 pagesPublisher: Cambridge University Press (February 2000)Language: EnglishISBN: 0521621240(R)Romantic Atheism explores the links between English Romantic poetry and the first burst of outspoken atheism in Britain, from the 1780s onward. Martin Priestman examines the work of Blake, Coleridge, Wordsworth, Shelley, Byron and Keats in their most intellectually radical periods, as well as a host of less canonical poet-intellectuals and controversialists of the time. Above all, the book conveys the excitement of Romantic atheism, whose dramatic appeals to new developments in politics, science and comparative mythology lent it a protean energy belied by the more recent conception of "loss of faith." Zip Password: T0sT@rN@

CBS Sunday Morning tomorrow will feature Ellen Johnson, Christopher Hitchens, and Julia Sweeney. The show airs Sunday at 9am ET. For more information, see here. Lets hope CBS handles the topic a little better than CNN did.H/T to The Friendly AtheistTags: Ellen Johnson, Christopher Hitchens, Julia Sweeney, atheism, CBS Sunday Morning, television

I long for a post-religious world where congregations of believers cling to private superstitions while science, education, and government are free from the toxic influence of religion. The atheist movement has done a remarkable job of demonstrating that theistic belief is both irrational and detrimental. Efforts to promote atheism are growing, and fundamentalist Christians are worried. Now, some atheists are beginning to explore potential next steps. In this post, I try to identify some of the important questions for us to consider as we work to progress beyond religion.I do not intend what follows to be an exhaustive list. I am trying to highlight what I think are the most critical of many possible questions we must address.What are the benefits individual believers derive (or think they derive) from theistic belief? We need to catalog the actual or imagined benefits to believers from belief itself, stripping away potential benefits derived more from the institution of religion. Secu

What does it mean? It means I don’t believe in any divine beings. Everyone is born an atheist. There are degrees to atheism, such as whether one simply disbelieves in god(s), or whether one thinks god definitely doesn’t or cannot exist. I wouldn’t say that a god cannot exist, but I am reasonably certain that one doesn’t exist, just as I’m reasonably certain there isn’t a teapot orbiting Neptune. I see absolutely no evidence that a god(s) exist, and no part of the universe necessitates postulating one for explanatory purposes. In short, I apply Occam’s razor. Do I like it? As far as simply believing or disbelieving goes, I neither like being an atheist nor dislike it. Atheism is a result of my rational and critical examination of the world. So, I didn’t choose to be an atheist. Morality I don’t like unnecessary harm. I can appreciate that other living beings also don’t like it either. Harming others makes me feel bad, and being nice to others makes me feel go

Is atheism a religion? It’s a question that has been bounced back and forth ever since modern atheism started gaining momentum in the mid-twentieth century. Most atheists agree that in no way can atheism be called a religion. Theists often prefer to call atheism a religion, perhaps because they fallaciously think that we would then be as susceptible to attack as they are. But are we really content to be “Other” in every religious context, or is there something to our belief? (more…)

Is atheism a religion? It’s a question that has been bounced back and forth ever since modern atheism started gaining momentum in the mid-twentieth century. Most atheists agree that in no way can atheism be called a religion. Theists often prefer to call atheism a religion, perhaps because they fallaciously think that we would then be as susceptible to attack as they are. But are we really content to be “Other” in every religious context, or is there something to our belief? (more…)

Is atheism a religion? It’s a question that has been bounced back and forth ever since modern atheism started gaining momentum in the mid-twentieth century. Most atheists agree that in no way can atheism be called a religion. Theists often prefer to call atheism a religion, perhaps because they fallaciously think that we would then be as susceptible to attack as they are. But are we really content to be “Other” in every religious context, or is there something to our belief? (more…)

I CAME TO ATHEISM BY ACCIDENT, AND I DECIDED TO STAY By Rook Hawkins Looking back from where I am at now, my life has always been one of luck. I am one of only three brothers to survive past one year of age, I have the most caring and understanding—if not down right supportive—family a guy could ever hope for, and I’ve really never been denied anything I’ve sought after save perhaps a full career serving my country which is something I think I’ll never get over. My parents did divorce when I was four years old, and even among the normal bickering that parents do when they think they know what is best for their child, I never really felt like I was in a bad place, even if my childhood was something other then what would be considered ‘normal.’read more

The first step of the atheist revival has been a full-scale assault on religious belief. Books by Harris, Dawkins, and Hitchens have reminded modern atheists of classic arguments against theism, framing them in a contemporary context. Increasing numbers of atheists are utilizing the Internet to criticize religious belief, discuss atheism and secular humanism, and connect with other freethinkers. Others are coming together offline via meetup groups and secular organizations. Now some at the forefront of the atheist revival are starting to ask an important question: what's next for atheism?Bolstered by everything from a faith-based American presidency to the explosive growth of the atheist blogosphere, 2007 really has been the year of the atheist. Fueled primarily by recent atheist books on the bestseller list, the American media is paying more attention to atheism than they have at any point during my lifetime.With the spotlight on atheism, it is no surprise that new atheist blogs, onl

I think Scott Adams (Creator of Dilbert) needs a bit of an atheist education. In his post “The Atheist Who Thought He Was God“, he makes two common misunderstandings/fallacies relating to Atheism. Can you spot them? Perhaps there are more, but I think they boil down to the following: Few, if any, atheists claim to be 100% sure that God does not exist. (99.99999% IS good enough) Pascal’s Wager (which Adams’ post is based on - although perhaps not knowingly) doesn’t account for the multitude of beings which claim punishment for non-belief. Of course the other fallacies of Pascal’s wager are equally present in Adams’ post. atheism, belief, certainty, dilbert, god, pascalShare This

AC Grayling defines atheism on the BBC and discusses naturalism with Ernie Rea and others. The audio file in real media format is available here. Linda Woodhead professor of religious studies at Lancaster University joins in the discussion and says: “I’m just an average kind of Briton” I always worry when someone describes themselves as average. It’s normally a precursor for a crazy follow up… “I believe that there’s a richer and more wondrous dimension of existence, that contains truths and powers that aren’t immediately obvious to us, but which become available through understandings and particularly through appropriate action” What does that MEAN? I, well, I, what does that actually MEAN? I really do hope that she isn’t an average Briton. If so, I’m surrounded by idiots. Apart from that little nugget of wisdom the rest of the show makes for an interesting listen. atheism, BBC, Philosophy

While doing some reading in the vibrant atheist blogosphere, I cane across a post by J.C. Samuelson that captured my attention - Ex-Christian.net's article, "Public Atheism: A Question of Image or Discrimination?" Even if you haven't read it yet, it will be familiar because it addresses a popular question you will surely recognize from the title. However, there was something else about the post that caught my eye.The whole article is a good, thought-provoking read, but something in the first paragraph made a particularly strong impression.In a world in which faith and supernaturalism have always ruled, being an atheist (in the broadest possible sense and including naturalists of many stripes) has never been easy. Classically, the individual claiming that title (or one like it) risked alienating his/her entire social circle and, depending on prominence, society at large. In other words, choosing atheism seemed to be - and perhaps still is in some places - a choice to be alone. [italic

I haven’t written anything about atheism so I’ll address the situation right now. I personally believe that atheism is one of the simplest concepts in the world. Atheism is the school of thought that denies the existence of a supreme being (most commonly referred to as a god). It’s fairly straight-forward and is devoid of the esoteric hoopla that usually comes with other systems of belief hinged on the existence of god. The dearth of atheists don’t really shock me though. I concede to the relative ease of believing in a god. I agree on the cliche that religion truly is an opiate for masses. It does answer a lot of questions for a lot of people and if it helps them lead better lives, then good for them. Understanding the concept of Atheism has proved to be a challenge for a lot of people. Fortunately, signs are definitely promising. More open-minded people are definitely more knowledgeable about the tenets of autonomy and self-determination and these people ar

I’ve been asked this question a few times, not only on this blog but also in one of my favorite blogging communities, 9rules. I wanted to quickly to clarify my position. First, what is atheism? I won’t delve into lots of dictionary definitions because ultimately they say very much the same thing. Simply put, atheism is a lack of belief in a God or gods. So why do I take this position? Well, the simple answer is that I have no choice. I don’t think one can choose to believe in God no more than one can choose to believe in anything supernatural. You either believe or you do not. You are either a person that bases their beliefs on empirical evidence or you are someone that believes more on the basis of experience. Of course there are reasons why I do not believe, I interpret the evidence in one way and find it difficult to take anything on faith or some else’s say so. I’ve never been convinced by arguments from ignorance. atheism, blog, god, religion

An article refuting many of the claims made by Sam Harris in his books The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reasonand Letter to a Christian Nationcan be found in the latest edition of Biola Connections, the alumni magazine of Biola University. The article, with contributions by Christian scholars Douglas Geivett and William Lane Craig, can be found online here. A pdf of the entire issue can be found here. apologetics, Christianity, CultureCopyright © 2007 Prudent Musings. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact legal@www.prudentmusings.com so we can take legal action immediately.

There is an outstanding letter about atheism in the Oregon Daily Emerald. Here are some highlights:Recently the Democratic presidential front-runners participated in a "Faith and Politics" forum on CNN to prove their religiosity to the voters. Why is this attack on the separation of church and state so easily accepted? Why is this blatant bigotry not only tolerated, but also encouraged? Don't we deserve to be judged by the content of our character, not by our willingness to embrace superstition? Do we really want to continue to keep some of the brightest and most educated people out of public office?AndWe ask our judges, our journalists and our educators to stick to the facts. It gives us the best odds for positive results. This is what we strive to do in our educational institutions and in our justice system because we know that a critical look at all the evidence will most likely lead to the most desirable outcome. So why is this method of reasoning marginalized when it comes to the

Looks like I’ve just been accepted as a citizen of Planet Atheism! Planet Atheism aggregates some great blogs by “non-believers and free thinkers”, and most of my favourite blogs are already there! If you want a nice simple way to catch up with a whole range of Atheist ideas, you can subscribe using their full RSS feed, or via email (you’ll get my blog posts that way, too - but of course, you could just use my RSS feed if that’s all you want!) atheism, blogs, links, planet atheism, rssShare This

Barna Sudy Sites This 9% Of Population To BeUncharitable, Independent and DisengagedA new evangelistic movement has emerged in America. Yet this effort does not spring from those loyal to a particular faith or religious view.The new evangelists are atheists. People who have determined there is no God or who doubt his existence (a group commonly known as agnostics) are adopting a more aggressive, intentional effort to discredit the notion that God exists and to critique people of faith. Widely reviewed new books such as The God Delusion and God is Not Great represent this movement.Beyond the bestseller lists, however, a new survey shows there is indeed a significant gap between Christians and those Americans who are in the "no-faith" camp. For instance, most atheists and agnostics (56%) agree with the idea that radical Christianity is just as threatening in America as is radical Islam. At the same time, two-thirds of Christians (63%) who have an active faith perceive that the nation is

Could it be that members of the American public are starting to realize something we atheists have long known? According to an article in The Mountain Press (TN) by none other than Fox "News" bully Bill O'Reilly, "Atheism is chic, it's cool, it's the latest craze." I hoped that 2007 would be the year of the atheist (and the first of many to come). Could it be that this hope is finally being realized?To support his tongue-in-cheek claim about atheism being the next big thing, O-Reilly cites the explosive sales of atheist-oriented books and the number of celebrities identifying themselves as nonbelievers (e.g., George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Carrie Fisher, etc.). So far so good. But considering the source, one knows things are about to turn ugly.With little subtlety, O'Reilly quickly steers his article to the familiar ground travelled by virtually every other anti-atheist piece we have seen. Even without knowing he is the author, the smug tone is obvious. He makes sure the reader kn

Earlier this month, The Great Realization did a very thought-provoking post called "Is Atheism a "Movement?" I've been thinking about it ever since and have already linked to it in a previous post. However, I now feel the need to come back and address it in more detail.Is atheism a movement? My initial thought was, "Of course not." How can a simple lack of belief in gods serve as a movement? But I soon reconsidered. Perhaps atheism itself is not a movement, but something is happening in America today. Call it a backlash against the influence of fundamentalist Christianity, a reaction to the Bush administration's assault on science and glorification of faith-based lunacy, or even a swing of the social pendulum, something is going on that is beginning to resemble a movement.Criticism of fundamentalist religion has expanded significantly since 9/11. A focus on Islamic extremism opened the door, and many of us starting asking questions about Christian extremism as well. If fundamentalis

No. Next question, please? If only it were that simple. Bruce Walker, in his article Militant Atheism and Mendacity (subtitle: How the rise of atheism is destroying truth) warrants - although doesn't necessarily deserve - a more detailed response. The hidden horror of atheism is a greater loss than just the grave which faces us all, and the loss of God involves a loss greater than just chastity, charity and security. The loss of God involves the loss of the possibility of truth. Why? If there are no absolute objective moral virtues, then honesty is not an absolute moral virtue. The Judeo-Christian tradition, what I have sometimes simply called "The Great Faith," demands the absolute moral virtue of honesty, and it shows this demand it ways that surprise unbelievers. This is, essentially, the Argument from Morality, which has been well and truly refuted on many occasions. For example, Ebon Musings' article Unmoved Mover, shows the logical inconsistency of divine moral absol

I'm sure I've written most of this before but, as usual, something I heard on radio started me reflecting on the subject again. To me this seems so obvious that I now have trouble really get my head around why people make this mistake. However I can remember how this came as an eye-opening statement of clarity when I first came across it.Much of Western religious thinking seems to take God vs Atheism as the only possibilities. There is perhaps a fairly token nod towards pagan pantheism, and trying to find names that make God a bit more 'spiritual' and less of the old man with the long white beard (almost a sort of Merlin/Gandalf image). But this blank-and-white polarity is about as daft as saying that if a country isn't ruled by a Monarch then there must be Anarchy. If there isn't a King or Queen then there is some other form of government - it's that simple.Buddhism isn't atheistic (in the sense of denying the possibility of beings that appear to humans as god-like) but i

We atheists can learn a great deal from other social movements that have helped to reduce bigotry and encourage equitable treatment. Civil rights, women's suffrage, and gay rights all contain valuable lessons, but it seems to me that the plight of the GLBT community may have the most to teach us. We share many things, but one of the most important may be the issue of our visibility.Just as many Americans used to (and some still might) claim to have never known a homosexual person, many now claim to have never encountered an atheist. They may acknowledge the existence of atheists in some distant blue state but not in their heartland community. And yet, we are there. Like many in the GLBT community, many of us try to conceal our lack of belief because we fear the consequences of revealing it.What we can learn from the gay rights movement is that one of the key steps to improving our situation is to increase our visibility. Increasing numbers of us are "coming out," but one area where we

In a previous post we talked about on what religion the Church of Integrity is based. The church is not only inspired by the religions mentioned in that post but also on Atheism. We gave a short hint about this relation whe we added the Atheist Blogroll. In this post we'll go more in depth into how atheism influenced us.The atheist movement is on a rise. We believe there are many different reasons why people become atheists. Many are frustrated with how religion seems to bash and pervert science as some religious groups have done with the theory of evolution. In the Church of Integrity we of course base our world view on science so you shouldn't end up with any frustrations like that here. Others are frustrated with fundamentalism which we want to avoid at all costs. Yet others have fundamental issues with many religions because they require unconditional belief. We don't require unconditional belief, in fact we encourage people to question the world around them. Yet others are tire

While atheism has been under attack throughout the course of modern history, it seems as if specific attacks are on the rise. What’s worse, they seem to still have acceptance from large portions of American society. Below are four examples of such attacks, coming from various sources. Starbucks is getting complaints for trying to promote dialogue: An Ohio woman is steaming after reading an anti-God message published on the side of a Starbucks coffee cup. The message that got Michelle Incanno’s blood boiling reads: “Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imaginations for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure.” PBS is taking some heat over a three part history of atheism: Conservative Christians are criticizing a plan by Public Broadcasting

Unlike muslims, roman catholics and jews, Atheists don’t have the luxury of having a symbol to identify with. Due to the inherent nature of Atheism as a school of thought that does not have a rigid and hierarchical structure akin to other religions, graphical representations of the philosophy will not gain overnight popularity.     This is the American Atheists logo side-by-side with hybrid logo with its European counterpart. It’s fairly easy to spot that the American logo is a bit too cartoon-y for something as cerebral and philosophical as atheism. Though allusions to the atom are well conveyed it notably lacks the depth that the European hybrid offers. Aside from the prominent orbitals, the six electrons are meant to represent the six levels on non-believers - Atheist, Agnostic, Humanist, Freethinker, Heathen and Infidel. As good as the logo is, the mark is meant to be used by a transcontinental organization and not as a general symbol for all the Atheists of

Convinced that atheists have nothing to fear from believers and that to suggest otherwise is just being paranoid? I want to draw your attention to a disturbing account over at Unorthodox Atheism.After Reed lent his copy of Dawkins' The God Delusion to an atheist friend, the friend's father found the book, took it so that his son could not read it, and contacted Reed in what sounds like a threatening manner. Picturing Reed obsessively checking his locks and actually sleeping with a baseball bat makes me sad. It makes me sad for we atheists who must always consider scenarios like this before speaking our minds, and it makes me sad for open-minded Christians who strive to practice tolerance.I think that Reed handled this difficult situation extremely well. It is a good thing he had the foresight to alert personnel at his school since his friend's father actually showed up to demand that he be punished for distributing atheist literature. Evidently, the father refuses to acknowledge tha