Pope Benedict Urges Boycott of Italian Vote
Tuesday May 31, 2005
Italians will be voting on a referendum to appeal restrictive laws on assisted fertility. A "yes" vote would lift the ban on embryo research, lift the ban on egg and ... Read More
Atheism Responsible for Poverty?
Tuesday May 31, 2005
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, recently gave an address in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo where he called upon Christians and Muslims to unite in efforts to reduce poverty. ... Read More
Pity the Poor Atheist Children
Tuesday May 31, 2005
Atheists who attended the San Francisco "All Atheists Weekend" actually had the temerity to bring their children. This seems to have bothered some religious people who don't think that children ... Read More
This Date in History: Adolf Eichmann Executed
Tuesday May 31, 2005
May 31, 1962: The Israeli government executed Adolf Eichmann for his role in the slaughter of six million Jews in Nazi Germany.
Tom Cruise Slams Brooke Shields
Tuesday May 31, 2005
Tom Cruise, the movie star who uses his fame to promote Scientology, recently slammed Brooke Shields because she reveals in her recent book that she took an anti-depressant medication to ... Read More
Newsletter 05-31-05
Tuesday May 31, 2005
News items from the past week include how creationists are trying to redefine science since they can't fit the current definition, a paraplegic in Brazil who was denied a church ... Read More
Gays in Mexico: Coming Out and Proud
Tuesday May 31, 2005
Mexico has traditionally sported a culture of hyper-masculinity which has been very harsh towards gays. Recently, though, that has begun to change. There's a section of Mexico City called the ... Read More
Thank God for Anti-Atheist Bigotry
Monday May 30, 2005
Bigots rarely like to admit that they are bigoted, so they search far and wide for "rational" reasons to defend their prejudices. People once cited "studies" about low intelligence and ... Read More
Homophobia & Misogyny
Monday May 30, 2005
Is there a connection between homophobia and misogyny? There are good reasons to think so: each position tends to be based upon common assumptions about the superiority of the masculine ... Read More
This Date in History: Female Priests in the Catholic Church
Monday May 30, 2005
May 30, 1994: Pope John Paul II issued a six-page apostolic letter explaining that the Roman Catholic Church's ban on female priests is definitive and simply not open to debate ... Read More
Blogsnark: Muslim Fanatics Hate Us Because of Atheists
Monday May 30, 2005
One of the most common critiques that Muslim fanatics have about the West generally and America in particular is that they are "godless." This conflicts with many Americans' self-image as ... Read More
Bibles for Iraqis
Monday May 30, 2005
Conservative evangelicals seem to understand no boundaries when it comes to promoting their religion. Pushing Christianity in Iraq can only serve to undermine what the American government is doing there, ... Read More
Atheists' Son Denied a Job Because of Father?
Sunday May 29, 2005
Richard Sherman is the son of Rob Sherman, a Chicago-area atheist who has been a thorn in the side of local government officials for many years. Richard was offered a ... Read More
Florida: High Schools Require Bible Reading
Sunday May 29, 2005
Two high schools in Florida are requiring incoming 11th graders to read the book of Genesis over the summer. Some parents are upset about this, claiming that it violates the ... Read More
Blogsnark: Discrimination Against Atheists in Hiring
Sunday May 29, 2005
Some people like to falsely claim that prejudice against faith is the last acceptable prejudice in America. When was the last time, though, you heard of someone saying that they ... Read More
America's God
Sunday May 29, 2005
One thing that is important to understand about American Christianity is that it is as American as it is Christian. It naturally shares many features with Christianity in other nations, ... Read More
This Date in History: Constantinople Captured
Sunday May 29, 2005
May 29, 1453: Ottoman Turks under the command of Mehmed II break into Constantinople and capture the city. With this, the last remnant of the Roman Empire is destroyed. Constantine ... Read More
The God Who Wasn't There
Sunday May 29, 2005
There's a new movie out there that challenges commonly held assumptions about Christianity, Jesus Christ, and theism itself. Is it any good? Have you seen it?
According to the web site:
Holding ... Read More
AFA Ends Disney Boycott
Sunday May 29, 2005
Well, the American Family Association has announced the end of the boycott of Disney. What, you say that you didn't know that they still had a boycott going on? You ... Read More
Weekly Quote: Jay F. Rosenberg on Suffering
Sunday May 29, 2005
I am suspicious of the notion of unrequited suffering, in particular, of its inescapable implication that suffering can be “requited”. Suffering is not a debit entry in some ledger, something ... Read More
Faith-Based Media and the Death of Fairness
Saturday May 28, 2005
One recent development that hasn't been discussed too much is the growing influence of conservative evangelical media - particularly "news" media - in the bast few years. They appear to ... Read More
Purpose of Intelligent Design: Promote Confusion
Saturday May 28, 2005
Creationism isn't science and creationists have nothing to do with advancing science, human knowledge, or education. So what are they up to? The truth seems to be that they are ... Read More
This Date in History: Holy Sites in Jerusalem
Saturday May 28, 2005
May 28, 1950: Israel proposes that instead of the internationalization of the entire city of Jerusalem (which had been the position of the UN), only certain holy sites within Jerusalem ... Read More
Atheism Lite?
Saturday May 28, 2005
Dylan Evans recently wrote an article for the Guardian criticizing atheists' approach to religion and arguing that religion should be treated like a kind of art. There have been many ... Read More
reDiscovery Institute
Saturday May 28, 2005
The Intelligent Design movement, pushed primarily by the "Discovery" Institute, is focused on getting supernatural religious beliefs included in modern science. The "reDiscovery" Institute is taking this a step further ... Read More
Viagra & Sex Offenders: Setting Morality Tests for Medical Benefits?
Friday May 27, 2005
People all over the country expressed outrage to hear that sex offenders in California were receiving erectile dysfunction medications like Viagra through Medicaid. Due to pressure from the federal government, ... Read More
North Carolina: 'In God We Trust' Challenge Continues
Friday May 27, 2005
In Davidson County, North Carolina, a large display with the phrase "In God We Trust" was placed in front of the County Government Center. They were sued, but they have ... Read More
Newsletter 05-27-05
Friday May 27, 2005
Welcome to issue #7.21 of Free Thought Now!, the Agnosticism / Atheism site newsletter. This week we'll take a look at claims that the Harry Potter books promote witchcraft, a ... Read More
What Will We Do With Women?
Friday May 27, 2005
The Christian Right is hostile towards women having a fully equal status in society. At every point, the Christian Right has opposed measures designed to improve equality and the treatment ... Read More
This Date in History: Increase Mather
Friday May 27, 2005
May 27, 1664: At the age of 24, colonial theologian Increase Mather became the minister of Boston's Second (Congregational) Church. He would serve there until his death in 1723.
Dumping Cancer Awareness Because Lance Armstrong is an Atheist
Friday May 27, 2005
Bigotry against atheism and atheists in America is widespread. A few try to claim that there is serious bigotry against religion and "people of faith," but truth is very different. ... Read More
American Family Radio: Liberals Have No Family, Church Responsibilities
Friday May 27, 2005
The Christian Right has a long-standing habit of attacking liberal and moderate Christians in a way that denies that they are actually Christian to begin with. Sometimes they get so ... Read More
People in the Bible: Pontius Pilate, Roman Prefect of Judea
Thursday May 26, 2005
Pontius Pilate was prefect (not procurator, as the gospels say) of Judea during the reign of emperor Tiberius Caesar. He was the fifth Roman appointed to govern Judea and held ... Read More
Whitewash in Works at Air Force Academy
Thursday May 26, 2005
There has been extensive reporting on the religious bias and discrimination that occurred at the Air Force Academy. Despite an on-going investigation, the Air Force has announced that it wants ... Read More
Practical Sex Education Actually Works?
Thursday May 26, 2005
The Christian Right likes to promote abstinence-only sex education, but a recent study has proven that a "skills-based" sex education cuts the rates of sexually transmitted diseases. This involves practical ... Read More
This Date in History: Martin Heidegger
Thursday May 26, 2005
May 26, 1976: German philosopher Martin Heidegger died in Messkirch, Germany.
Blogsnark: Atheism = Satanism + Humanism
Thursday May 26, 2005
Sometimes, in the quest to smear atheism and attack atheists, Christians will reach for the most ridiculous and absurd arguments. These are arguments to bad that one led to seriously ... Read More
Indiana: Judge Forbids Parents Teaching Son Wicca
Thursday May 26, 2005
Cale J. Bradford, chief judge of the Marion Superior Court in Indianapolis, has forbidden a divorced mother and father from exposing their son to "non-mainstream religious beliefs and rituals" - ... Read More
Evangelicals Protest Bush
Thursday May 26, 2005
President George W. Bush gave a commencement speech at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was founded by members of the Christian Reformed Church and professors there took out ... Read More
Louisiana: Restrict Gay Books?
Wednesday May 25, 2005
Alabama isn't the only state where someone has attacked the presence of "gay" books in libraries. In Louisiana, Republican A.G. Crowe has proposed that all books with "homosexual themes" be ... Read More
Creationists Trying to Redefine Science
Wednesday May 25, 2005
Even in its guise of Intelligent Design, creationism is not scientific. Rather than try to conform their ideas to the standards of science, creations have been working hard to alter ... Read More
Religious Atheism?
Wednesday May 25, 2005
Atheism does not necessarily imply that one is irreligious - there are any number of religions which are atheistic in one fashion or another. The voice of religious atheists tends ... Read More
Protesters Confront Scouts of Ban on Gays, Atheists
Wednesday May 25, 2005
In Texas, the Boy Scouts of America is holding it annual national meeting. Critics have also gathered there to protest the Boy Scouts' bigoted, discriminatory attitudes towards gays and atheists. ... Read More
Removing the Anti-Evolution Stickers in Cobb County
Wednesday May 25, 2005
Cobb County, Georgia, continues to fight the court order that they remove the anti-evolution stickers from their science text books. Cobb County wants to keep using them to cast doubt ... Read More
Criminalizing Abortion in South Carolina
Wednesday May 25, 2005
In South Carolina, Gabriela Flores is in jail for taking a medication that induced an abortion. The immigrant farm worker faces more jail time, too, if she is convicted on ... Read More
This Date in History: Scopes Monkey Trial
Wednesday May 25, 2005
May 25, 1925: Fearing that the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, might be able to initiate a test case of the Butler Act first and thereby steal away all of the ... Read More
Newsletter 05-25-05
Wednesday May 25, 2005
News items from the past week include the difficult situation of gays in Pakistan, Catholic doctors who put the interests of their patients ahead of Catholic dogma, a Reiki practitioner ... Read More
Alan Keyes: Going Downhill & Picking Up Speed
Wednesday May 25, 2005
Alan Keyes is known for spouting a lot of incredible nonsense - the views he holds are almost 100% incompatible with a liberal democracy like what America currently has. It ... Read More
When Creationists are Burglarized
Wednesday May 25, 2005
A common argument used by creationists is that evolution has never been directly "observed" and, therefore, doesn't count as real "science." What would be the consequences if this standard were ... Read More
Alabama: Freedom to Agree
Tuesday May 24, 2005
Alabama Republican congressman Spencer Bachus wants HBO's show "Real Time with Bill Maher" taken off the air because he considers some of Maher's comments treasonous. He says that he doesn't ... Read More
North Carolina Church Sign: Koran Should Be Flushed
Tuesday May 24, 2005
Rev. Creighton Lovelace, minister of the Danieltown Baptist Church in Forest City, North Carolina, put up a sign at his church that states "The Koran needs to be flushed." I ... Read More
New Jersey: Judge Lets School Ban on Religious Song Stand
Tuesday May 24, 2005
Frenchtown Elementary School doesn't want to let an 8-year-old girl sing the song "Awesome God" during a talent show because of the separation of church and state. A federal judge ... Read More
Bush Fish
Tuesday May 24, 2005
You've probably seen all of the religious "fish" that people can buy. Well, now there is a special "Bush Fish" available. It's a fish shape with the words "One Nation..." ... Read More
Atheists Protesting Anti-Atheist UK Program
Tuesday May 24, 2005
UKTV has apparently broadcast a program named "Christmas Under Fire" which has one episode with a man saying that the Nazis were atheists. Atheists in the UK have attempted to ... Read More
Federally-Funded Religious Abstinence Program Challenged
Tuesday May 24, 2005
The Silver Ring Thing is a federally-funded program that encourages abstinence to teens. It also apparently promotes evangelical Christianity and, because of that, the ACLU is challenging the USD $1 ... Read More
Netherlands: Controversy Over Evolution
Tuesday May 24, 2005
Evolution and creationism have been making headlines in the Netherlands. In Amsterdam, the headmaster of a religious school had to "cool off" at home for a few days after saying ... Read More
This Date in History: Voting on School Prayers
Tuesday May 24, 2005
May 24, 1996: Decided: ACLU v. Black Horse Regional Board of Education Third Circuit Court ruled that a school could not allow students to vote on whether or not they ... Read More
Denmark: Atheist Back in the Pulpit Again
Tuesday May 24, 2005
Reverend Thorkild Grosboell, the Danish Lutheran minister who made headlines around the world after he was sacked for coming out as an atheist, has renewed his vows and will return ... Read More
Sacred Sites: Temple in Jerusalem: - History, Geography, Religion
Tuesday May 24, 2005
For millennia, the Jerusalem Temple was the focal point of Jewish religious practices. The first Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians who then carried many Jews off to captivity. It ... Read More
Iran: Losing Faith in the Ayatollahs
Tuesday May 24, 2005
Iranians, even religiously conservative Iranians, are losing patience with mullahs who run their nation. Liberal Iranians are upset with the constraints on their lives. Conservative Iranians think that the mullahs ... Read More
Timeline of the Anti-Gay Movement
Monday May 23, 2005
The Christian Right has been building its opposition to gay rights for a long time. Most people aren't aware of just how long ago the foundations were laid or how ... Read More
Meteorology, Evolution, and Intelligent Design
Monday May 23, 2005
From a religious perspective, creationism is defended by reference to the Bible. From a scientific perspective, creationism is defended by arguments about how the process of evolution cannot be observed ... Read More
Same-Sex Marriage: Three Points of View
Monday May 23, 2005
One of the tactics of those who try to stop gay marriage is to misrepresent the issue by over-simplifying it. Ignoring bothersome facts makes it easier to present their preferred ... Read More
Afghanistan: Women Continue to Suffer
Monday May 23, 2005
America was supposed to have "liberated" Afghanistan from the grip of the Taliban, but many things haven't changed or at least haven't changed much - for example, the abusive and ... Read More
Christian Right's War Against Condoms
Monday May 23, 2005
The Christian Right has long waged a war against access to abortion; now they are targeting contraception. The Christian Right is a driving force behind the growth of abstinence-only education ... Read More
This Date in History: Israel & Palestine
Monday May 23, 2005
May 23, 2004: In Israel, Justice Minister Tommy Lapid compares an image of an old Arab woman digging through rubble in Rafah to his own grandmother, a victim of the ... Read More
Vatican Lets Legion of Christ Founder Off
Monday May 23, 2005
I earlier wrote about how the Vatican was finally going to investigate the long-standing allegations of sexual abuse against Marcial Maciel, founder of the militant, right-wing Legionaries of Christ. Now ... Read More
Newsletter 05-23-05
Monday May 23, 2005
News items from the past week include a very strange (but profoundly ignorant) defense of colonialism, someone making up "facts" about evolution, and the ongoing ability of Christians to dehumanize ... Read More
Divorce in the Philippines?
Monday May 23, 2005
Divorce is illegal in the Philippines and the Catholic church would like to see it remain that way, but many citizens appear to be tired of Catholic prelates assuming the ... Read More
Australia: Church Calls for End to Secular Education
Sunday May 22, 2005
In Victoria, Australia, the Uniting Church has called for an end to all secular eduction. According to the Uniting Church, intolerance and disrespect are the consequences of children's education not ... Read More
Jehovah's Witness Teen Transferred to New York
Sunday May 22, 2005
Regular readers here may have noticed that several stories have appeared here bout the on-going saga of a Jehovah's Witness girl in Canada seeking to avoid blood transfusions as part ... Read More
Brazil: Paraplegic Denied Wedding Due to Impotence
Sunday May 22, 2005
Opponents of same-sex marriage sometimes argue that such marriages would be invalid because of the absence of children. Critics say that straight couples wouldn't be denied marriage for that reason, ... Read More
Rude Student = Hitler Youth
Sunday May 22, 2005
Some conservatives are, quite frankly, starting to lose their grip on reality. Conservatives have long prided themselves on the belief that their political philosophy was better tied to reality than ... Read More
Suppressing Dialogue in the Catholic Church
Sunday May 22, 2005
Jesuit Fr. Tom Reese was recently removed from the Jesuit magazine, America. People have wondered whether this was just a routine change or retaliation for his fairness in how he ... Read More
This Date in History: Council of Trent and the Reformation
Sunday May 22, 2005
May 22, 1542: Pope Paul III called the Council of Trent to deal with the Reformation and renewal of the Roman Catholic Church.
Goon Squad on Converting an Agnostic on his Death Bed
Sunday May 22, 2005
A few days ago, I commented on how the God Squad (now dubbed the Goon Squad) complained about the prejudice against people of faith being the "last acceptable prejudice in ... Read More
Flawed Originalism: Gay Marriage, Interracial Marriage, & the Constitution
Sunday May 22, 2005
It's obvious that the arguments being used against gay marriages are often identical to those once used against interracial marriage. Among the serious problems with this is how it undermines ... Read More
Weekly Quote: Peirce on Reason, Belief, and Logic
Sunday May 22, 2005
Few persons care to study logic, because everybody conceives himself to be proficient enough in the art of reasoning already. But I observe that this satisfaction is limited to one’s ... Read More
Separation of Church and State: Just a Slogan?
Saturday May 21, 2005
Archbishop William J. Levada of San Francisco has been made head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, formerly known as the Inquisition. Benedict XVI himself held this ... Read More
IRA: Still Violent Thugs
Saturday May 21, 2005
Not long ago, I wrote about how the IRA were little more than thugs despite the "glorious cause" they had fought for over so many years. Unfortunately, it appears that ... Read More
This Date in History: United Presbyterian Church
Saturday May 21, 2005
May 21, 1963: The highest governing body of the United Presbyterian Church stated for the record its opposition to mandatory prayers in public schools, Sunday closing laws, and special tax ... Read More
Christian Student Dictionary
Saturday May 21, 2005
Do Christian students need their own special dictionaries? Perhaps, if parents are going to protect them from the real world and all of the inconvenient facts they might learn out ... Read More
Biological Basis of Empathy
Saturday May 21, 2005
Our capacity for empathy appears to be a critical component of our morality - it's because we can "feel with" others that we can understand when they are experiencing pleasure ... Read More
Pascal's Wager: What's It Really About?
Friday May 20, 2005
Most people, including myself, have treated the infamous "Pascal's Wager" as a serious argument for convincing skeptics that it's reasonable to believe in a god. Is it possible, though, that ... Read More
Newsletter 05-20-05
Friday May 20, 2005
Welcome to issue #7.20 of Free Thought Now!, the Agnosticism / Atheism site newsletter. This week we'll take a look at what people thought about the nature of marriage back ... Read More
Pope Benedict XVI: Sins of Omission
Friday May 20, 2005
Has Pope Benedict XVI been completely honest about his past? The facts suggest that he hasn't - that his activities in Nazi Germany went a bit further than what he ... Read More
This Date in History: Stephen Jay Gould
Friday May 20, 2005
May 20, 2002: Stephen Jay Gould, American paleontologist, died.
Christian Right: Condoms Cause Cancer
Friday May 20, 2005
In Bozeman, Montana, the high school invited someone to speak about sex. What they got was Tina Marie Holewinski and the tales she told the students were so outrageous that ... Read More
Challenging People of Faith
Friday May 20, 2005
More and more people are using the term "people of faith." It's a creation of the Christian Right to help divide Americans even more and depict themselves as the only ... Read More
In Defense of Colonialism
Thursday May 19, 2005
Colonialism is a relic of the past, right? Not necessarily. Americans have traditionally abhorred colonialism and, even when America has engaged in ostensibly colonial actions, the government has worked hard ... Read More
This Date in History: Hospitallers Defend Malta
Thursday May 19, 2005
May 19, 1565: Suleiman the Magnificent attacks the Hospitallers on Malta but is unsuccessful. Numbering just 700, the knights were aided by several European nations who saw Malta as the ... Read More
Terri Schiavo vs. Death Row Inmates
Thursday May 19, 2005
Christian conservatives insisted not long ago that the government should err on the side of life and, therefore, Terri Schiavo's feeding tube should be reinserted until a full review could ... Read More
Pregnant Student Banned from Graduation; Father Not Banned
Thursday May 19, 2005
In Montgomery, Alabama, Alysha Cosby was forbidden from participating in the graduation ceremonies at her Catholic high school because she was pregnant. What's interesting is that the school had no ... Read More
Florida: School Holding Graduation Ceremony in Church
Thursday May 19, 2005
In Brevard County, Florida, four high schools decided to hold graduation ceremonies in a local mega-church. Americans United for the Separation of Church and State represented the family of one ... Read More
Pope Benedict XVI Loves Beer
Thursday May 19, 2005
The new pope, Benedict XVI, is German so it is perhaps no surprise that he has a preference for beer. In fact, he had a large shipment sent to him ... Read More
Vatican to Investigate Legion of Christ Founder
Wednesday May 18, 2005
The Vatican has long refused to seriously investigate the credible allegations that Marcial Maciel, founder of the militant, right-wing Legionaries of Christ, repeatedly abused young boys and seminarians over the ... Read More
Gays in Pakistan
Wednesday May 18, 2005
The government of Pakistan denies that any of its citizens are gay, but homosexuality exists in Pakistan just as it does everywhere else. Slowly, cautiously, gays there are starting to ... Read More
Newsletter 05-18-05
Wednesday May 18, 2005
News items from the past week include an exploration of possible class bias behind the Christian Right's attitudes towards sexuality and gays, the connections between creationist thugs in Turkey and ... Read More
This Date in History: Acre Lost
Wednesday May 18, 2005
May 18, 1291: Acre, the last territory in Palestine taken by the first Crusaders, falls to invading Muslim forces. Around 60,000 Christians are believed to have perished. This is the ... Read More
Second Class Christians: Faith, Freedom, and Intolerance
Wednesday May 18, 2005
Christians are becoming more diverse in the lives they lead; this, in turn, is leading to greater tension and divisions within Christian churches. Some members seem to be becoming "second ... Read More
Definition of Marriage in 1886
Wednesday May 18, 2005
Opponents of same-sex marriage like to argue that a marriage between two members of the same sex is a contradiction in terms because it does not fulfill the traditional requirements ... Read More
Most Catholic Doctors Would Prescribe Birth Control
Wednesday May 18, 2005
Catholicism forbids "artificial" birth control, but a recent survey shows that Catholic doctors are almost as likely to prescribe birth control as non-Catholics. These doctors recognize that their moral and ... Read More
California: Mayor Favors Christians Over Others
Tuesday May 17, 2005
In Santa Clarita, California, Mayor Cameron Smyth is being criticized for using his title in his participation in an evangelical Christian event. The prayer breakfast promoted evangelical Christian beliefs over ... Read More
Churches Debate Flying the American Flag
Tuesday May 17, 2005
Some Christians are having trouble reconciling their allegiance to their faith and their allegiance to their nation. If their religion is supposed to be "above" nationality, then presumably churches shouldn't ... Read More
Blogsnark: Atheism as a Biological Disorder
Tuesday May 17, 2005
There are many people who are unable to seriously deal with theological arguments - either in the sense of creating and defending their own or in the sense of addressing ... Read More
Dobson: Killing Filibuster is the Whole Point
Tuesday May 17, 2005
What exactly is the point of threatening to end the ability of Senators to filibuster judicial nominees (the "nuclear option," as Republican leaders have named it)? It's not about getting ... Read More
This Date in History: Bush Support for the Taliban
Tuesday May 17, 2005
May 17, 2001: The United States government, under the administration of George W. Bush, gave USD $43 million to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to aid in the destruction of ... Read More
Harvard Humanists: End of an Era
Tuesday May 17, 2005
Thomas Ferrick is a former priest and one of the few humanist chaplains on American college campuses. This summer he is retiring and Harvard's humanists are looking forward in the ... Read More
Sacred Sites: Temple Mount in Jerusalem
Tuesday May 17, 2005
The Temple Mount in Jerusalem (known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary) is the most famous and contested piece of religious real estate in the world. It's the past site ... Read More
Religion & Moral Absolutes
Tuesday May 17, 2005
Many religious people like to portray themselves as the defenders of moral absolutes and, therefore, of morality itself. In doing so they tend to ignore the history of religion, the ... Read More
Baltimore: No Muslim Holidays
Monday May 16, 2005
Schools in Baltimore County will not have any Muslim holidays during the school year. This has upset the many Muslim families in the area because obviously Christian holidays like Christmas ... Read More
Imposing Religion on Schools
Monday May 16, 2005
What is an "activist" judge? The Christian Right likes to toss around the term so much that it's lost any meaning it might have had, but if it were to ... Read More
Republicans: A Faith-Based Group?
Monday May 16, 2005
Is being a member of the Republican Party a matter of faith? Is the Republican political philosophy a faith-based philosophy, like a religion? Many conservatives would object to that, even ... Read More
Homos Everywhere!
Monday May 16, 2005
People like Pat Robertson really don't like gays - but they are (in their own eyes at least) very good at spotting gays. During a commercial break in a Larry ... Read More
Southern Baptists Eyeing Homosexuality in Public Schools
Monday May 16, 2005
The man who tried to get the last Southern Baptist Convention meeting to recommend pulling kids out of public schools has a new cause: getting the next SBC meeting to ... Read More
No Bibles At Recess? More Christian Right Lies
Monday May 16, 2005
Have you heard about the Tennessee school that has banned Bibles at recess? If not, then you haven't been paying attention to right-wing news recently. That's probably a good thing, ... Read More
Newsletter 05-16-05
Monday May 16, 2005
News items from the past week include an interesting criticism of the separation of church & state, a cardinal complaining about how gays are destroying society then saying that gays ... Read More
This Date in History: Excusing Sexual Abuse of Children
Monday May 16, 2005
May 16, 2002: Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Honduras, sometimes described as a leading candidate for the next papacy, was in Rome to receive an honorary doctorate from the Pontifical ... Read More
Antony Flew: Atheist or Theist? The Book is Out
Monday May 16, 2005
Well, Antony Flew's new book is out - or, to be more specific, the new edition of his old book is out. I don't have it yet myself, but apparently ... Read More
Homeopathy is not Real Medicine
Monday May 16, 2005
Many people use homeopathy and believe that it works; in reality, it can only work if much of what we understand about chemistry and physics is wrong. That's the case ... Read More
Conservatives vs. Lunatic Fringe
Sunday May 15, 2005
What's the difference between regular political conservatives and the extreme lunatic fringe of conservatism? Because politics is a continuum, finding clear lines of division can be difficult but in this ... Read More
Christian Right: Pro-War, but not Pro-Enlistment?
Sunday May 15, 2005
Most Christian groups in other nations have spoken against America's invasion of Iraq. Many liberal or moderate Christians groups in America did so as well. Conservative evangelicals, however, have supported ... Read More
This Date in History: Excusing Torture
Sunday May 15, 2005
May 15, 1252: Torture to elicit confessions is first authorized by Pope Innocent IV in his Bull Ad exstirpanda of May 15, 1252, which was confirmed by Pope Alexander IV ... Read More
Teacher: Girl a 'Slut' for Kissing
Sunday May 15, 2005
At the Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School in Chicago, a student had to go to the hospital because she contracted mononucleosis. People can catch this through kissing, but one ... Read More
North Carolina: Punishing Cohabitation
Sunday May 15, 2005
In North Carolina, an 1805 law prohibits unmarried couples from living together. It isn't enforced much, but it was the cause for a sheriff's dispatcher having to leave her job. ... Read More
Weekly Quote: J. Michael Straczynski on Religion and God
Sunday May 15, 2005
If I take a lamp and shine it toward the wall, a bright spot will appear on the wall. The lamp is our search for truth ... for understanding. Too ... Read More
Tulsa Restricts Gay-Themed Kids Books
Saturday May 14, 2005
The Oklahoma government has passed a law requiring all publicly funded libraries that children's books that involve homosexuality must be placed in a restricted Adults Only section. Naturally, libraries are ... Read More
Lou Dobbs Makes Up 'Facts' About Evolution
Saturday May 14, 2005
Lou Dobbs is a news host for CNN who focuses on monetary and economic issues. Lou Dobbs may be competent in his areas of specialization, but he doesn't know much ... Read More
Questioning Liberal Religion
Saturday May 14, 2005
How tolerant should atheists be of liberal religion? It's true that liberal religious believers arrive at conclusions that atheists tend to agree with (tolerance of minorities, religious liberty), but shouldn't ... Read More
Bait & Switch of Intelligent Design
Saturday May 14, 2005
Advocates of "Intelligent" Design refuse to say that the "designer" of life is their god and try to leave open the possibility that they are seeking an "intelligence" which is ... Read More
This Date in History: Scopes Monkey Trial
Saturday May 14, 2005
May 14, 1925: John Randolph Neal, a former law professor and law school dean at the University of Tennessee who had been ousted from by fundamentalists because of his support ... Read More
Moral Relativism of American Conservatives
Saturday May 14, 2005
American conservatives have a habit of complaining about moral relativism, arguing that American culture has abandoned the moral standards necessary for a good, safe community. Unfortunately, many conservatives seem to ... Read More
Dehumanization & Sanctified Violence in Iraq
Saturday May 14, 2005
One of the more curious aspects of Christian history is how, despite it being a religion of "love" and "peace," it has still managed to develop the means for sanctifying ... Read More
Fake Acupuncture as Good as 'Real' Acupuncture
Friday May 13, 2005
This will come as no surprise to skeptics, but believers may have a problem with it: a study of more than 300 patients in Britain reveals that people receiving acupuncture ... Read More
Dr. Hager's Family Values & the Christian Right's War on Women
Friday May 13, 2005
W. David Hager is a Kentucky obstetrician, member of the advisory committee of the FDA, evangelical Christian, and outspoken opponent of abortion, stem-cell research, and contraceptives. Good Housekeeping named him ... Read More
ABC News Admits: We're Irrelevant, Incompetent
Friday May 13, 2005
Real journalism is hard. Covering stories about runaway brides is easy, but covering complicated stories about war, corruption, and structural problems in society is difficult to do, even if you ... Read More
Baptists: Not Enough Hate in Modern Psychology
Friday May 13, 2005
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary evidently pioneered the integration of Christian theology and psychology, but today under the direction of the Christian Right they are pioneering a new separation. It ... Read More
Newsletter 05-13-05
Friday May 13, 2005
Welcome to issue #7.19 of Free Thought Now!, the Agnosticism / Atheism site newsletter. This week we'll take a look at "alternative" methods of acquiring knowledge, an excellent analysis of ... Read More
Virginia: Schools Ignoring Civil War?
Friday May 13, 2005
One of the most enduring myths of Christians in the South is the idea that their ancestors' war on behalf of slavery was good, just, and noble. They haven't come ... Read More
This Date in History: Pantheon Converted
Friday May 13, 2005
April 13, 0609: Pope Boniface IV turned the Roman Pantheon into a Catholic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and all martyrs. This was also, therefore, the first celebration of ... Read More
Missouri: Pharmacies not Stocking Emergency Contraception
Friday May 13, 2005
It's bad enough that pharmacists are starting to refuse to fill prescriptions for contraceptives, but now there is evidence that many pharmacies aren't even bothering to stock emergency contraceptives, thus ... Read More
Florida: Judge Should Be Denied Communion?
Friday May 13, 2005
You may remember that a judge in Florida ruled that a 13-year-old girl in foster care was mature enough to make her own decision about whether she should have an ... Read More
Pharmacist: Woman Seeking Emergency Contraception a 'Baby Killer'
Thursday May 12, 2005
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a pharmacist pretending to be a medical professional refused to fill a woman's prescription for emergency contraception. Not satisfied with merely not doing his job, he then ... Read More
Christian Agenda Worries Minority Faiths
Thursday May 12, 2005
Religious minorities in Kansas are concerned that attempts to teach Intelligent Design in Kansas' public schools are really just a pretense to promote Christianity at the expense of other religions. ... Read More
Air Force Academy Critic Fired by Head Chaplain
Thursday May 12, 2005
What is it they say, the effort to cover up wrongdoing usually makes you look worse than the original wrongdoing ever would have? That doesn't seem to be a lesson ... Read More
Australia: Muslim Death Threats After Prayer Vigil
Thursday May 12, 2005
Anis Ghanem, an announcer on a Muslim radio station in Australia, began a campaign to get Australian Muslims to pray for Douglas Wood, an Australian kidnap victim in Iraq. In ... Read More
Jerusalem: Clergy Caught in Scandal
Thursday May 12, 2005
The city of Jerusalem is the holiest city for Jews and Christians; it is one of the holiest cities for Muslims. For some reason, in addition to being a major ... Read More
Defending Religion as a Kind of Art
Thursday May 12, 2005
Some argue that religion is a kind of art and, therefore, must be judged as such. Religion is an interpretation of life, like a painting, and not designed to be ... Read More
Blogsnark: Just Test Christianity and See
Thursday May 12, 2005
It's amazing the number of Christians who assume that atheists must not really know about Christianity, much less that many atheists used to be Christians. This stems from the assumption, ... Read More
This Date in History: Teutonic Knights
Thursday May 12, 2005
May 12, 1237: By decree of Pope Gregory IX, the crusading order "The Swordbrothers" is merged into the order,"The Teutonic Knights." Both orders had been heavily involved in Crusades against ... Read More
Separation is Satanism
Thursday May 12, 2005
Many people object to the separation of church and state because this prevents them from ensuring that civil law reflect God's law. Is a failure to enforce God's law really ... Read More
Michael Ruse on Appeasing Extremists
Thursday May 12, 2005
One complaint creationists make about evolution is that it encourages atheism. That's false, but it is true that a number of evolutionary biologists are outspoken atheists. Should they just shut ... Read More
Toward a New Enlightenment
Wednesday May 11, 2005
The Council for Secular Humanism will be celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. From October 27th through the 30th, they will be hosting a conference in Amherst, New York, on ... Read More
Church vs. Neighborhood
Wednesday May 11, 2005
A growing problem in America is the growth of large churches: you have to put them somewhere, usually in or close to residential neighborhoods. People who live in those neighborhoods ... Read More
Newsletter 05-11-05
Wednesday May 11, 2005
News items from the past week include Muslims helping Anglicans create a rival church in the Sudan, government funding active churches in California, misunderstandings about atheism, and the real consequences ... Read More
Anti-Choice Women Who Have Abortions
Wednesday May 11, 2005
It might seem incredible, but apparently many anti-abortion women and activists have abortions. Why? There also appears to be a common rationalization that their situation is unique and justifies an ... Read More
Blogsnark: Atheism Nonsense
Wednesday May 11, 2005
Is atheism nonsensical? Some theists think so, but when they try to explain how and why they typically use really awful misunderstandings or myths about atheism. It's clear that they ... Read More
This Date in History: Choosing Bishops
Wednesday May 11, 2005
May 11, 2003: In an interview that appeared in the Boston Globe, Father Richard McBrien of Notre Dame University explains how the Vatican makes decisions regarding whom to appoint as ... Read More
North Carolina: Political Pastor Resigns from Ungodly Church
Wednesday May 11, 2005
Chan Chandler, the preacher who kicked Democrats out of his church, has himself now resigned. Some members of the East Waynesville Baptist Church continue to support him, though, and label ... Read More
Linking Hatred Through Christianity
Wednesday May 11, 2005
The hatred displayed towards gays in America today is disconcertingly similar to the hatred that has been used against other groups in the past — blacks in America and Jews ... Read More
Sheik Blames Women for Being Raped
Tuesday May 10, 2005
There was a time when people assumed that women were at fault for being raped - in some way, they must have encouraged the rapist. In the West this attitude ... Read More
Who Are 'People of Faith'?
Tuesday May 10, 2005
More and more the Christian Right has been using the phrase "people of faith" to describe themselves. It's been used with particular effectiveness in their fight to end filibusters of ... Read More
Catholic Hospitals Helping Rape Victims Get Pregnant
Tuesday May 10, 2005
Should a woman receive worse health care because she is ovulating? That's the standard being used in Catholic hospitals, at least those in Colorado. According to their procedures, rape victims ... Read More
This Date in History: Book Burning
Tuesday May 10, 2005
May 10, 1933: In the Opera Square in Berlin, Germany, Nazis burned at least 20,000 of books by Jewish authors, including Sigmund Freud.
God Squad Bigots on Others' Alleged Bigotry
Tuesday May 10, 2005
It's a fact that atheists are a group which experiences bigotry and prejudice more than most others in America. More people would be willing to vote for a gay man ... Read More
Tom Cruise, Scientology, and a Critical Press
Tuesday May 10, 2005
Everyone knows that Tom Cruise is not only a devoted follower of Scientology, but also that he uses almost every opportunity to promote Scientology-related products. When was the last time ... Read More
Consequences of Opposing Evolution
Monday May 9, 2005
Does it matter if people oppose evolutionary theory? Yes: evolutionary theory is the basic organizing principle of biology which unifies the field of biology and makes it comprehensible. Denying evolution ... Read More
Is America Democratic?
Monday May 9, 2005
America is regarded, at least by Americans, as a beacon and symbol for democracy for the entire world. America's democratic system has certainly been working on democracy longer than any ... Read More
Protect Your Womb!
Monday May 9, 2005
One of the curious features of the Christian Right's agenda for America has been the way it treats women as little more than baby-makers. For them, a woman is defined ... Read More
Cardinal: Gay Marriage is Destruction of the World
Monday May 9, 2005
The Catholic church is two-faced when it comes to gays in society. On the one hand, Catholic leaders insist that gays should be treated well; on the other hand, Catholic ... Read More