Have you ever decided to come out as an atheist to your friends and family, only to have them react with anger or outright denial? Any atheist — not just former Jehovah's Witnesses — is likely to face this after they leave their faith. Many of us hope our associates will get used to the idea, but some never do. They may use guilt, angry condemnations, or other tactics to bring us back into their religion, all while insisting that it's for our benefit. This can be as hurtful as it is confusing.

 

Read Article: Coming Out as an Atheist to Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watchtower Society

Too many Christians in America seem to confuse their Bible with the Constitution. The difference is critical: their Bible is a religious document with no more authority than they give it, and even then it's solely over their own lives. The Constitution, in contrast, creates the structure of the American government and constrains the legitimate authority of our government. The Constitution has no religious authority and the Bible has no civil authority.

This should be obvious and easy to understand, but the truth is that too many Christians in America confuse the two completely. Read more...

It is feared that many Catholic diocese around the country have records and evidence of how they have covered up the large numbers of criminal priests who have sexually abused children. In many cases, bishops moved predator priests around to unsuspecting parishes, allowing them to continue molesting at will. Catholic leaders want to keep these damning records hidden, but should they be allowed to? Does church/state separation protect churches who are protecting criminals?

This question is complicated by the fact that in most, and maybe all, cases the statute of limitations have run out -- so no matter what we learn, no one can be prosecuted. Perhaps this is one reason why the Catholic Church has fought so hard to prevent state legislatures from extending the statute of limitations on the molestation and sexual abuse of children -- better to let predators go free to continue raping kids than risk what might happen to current priests and bishops?

This would also explain why some of the predators have been sent abroad, hidden in monasteries and other church locations. Apparently the church is doing nothing to bring priests back to nations where they face arrest or imprisonment. Instead of being disciplined, they have found sanctuary and are even continuing with work in the church with communities that have no idea what these priests' backgrounds are like.

Throughout the course of modern history, science and the scientific method have contributed substantially to the reduced the scope of religious claims about the world as well as the scope of religious authority. Science has done far more to both explain the world around us and help us improve our condition than millennia of religion. It's not surprising that some religious believers resent this and among their response is to deny that science is any different from religion.

 

Read Article: Myth: Science is a Religion for Atheists that Requires Faith