Judas Iscariot: Contradictions in Gospel Accounts of Judas' Betrayal of Jesus
Friday March 31, 2006
There was no option for Jesus not to be executed because without his crucifixion, he could not rise again in three days and thus save humanity. To be executed, though, ... Read More
Discussion: Did Jesus Really Exist?
Friday March 31, 2006
A forum member writes: Occham's razor favors that view that the gospels are partly right and partly erroneous.
If you strip away all the supernatural events, the story in the gospels ... Read More
Is Darwinism Holy? Pretending that Science is Religion
Friday March 31, 2006
Why do so many Christians pretend that science and/or evolution are religions? This is a difficult question to answer because there are so many possibilities. Perhaps religion so controls their ... Read More
This Date in History: Terri Schiavo Dies
Friday March 31, 2006
March 31, 2005: After 13 days without her feeding tube, Terri Schiavo dies in Florida. Terri Schiavo fell into a coma brought on buy her bulimia and the loss of ... Read More
Church/State Fundamentals: Lee v. Weisman (1991)
Friday March 31, 2006
How far can a school go when it comes to accommodating the religious beliefs of students and parents? Many schools have traditionally had someone offer prayers at important school events ... Read More
Daily Poll: Do You Believe Any Paranormal or Supernatural Claims?
Friday March 31, 2006
Just because a person is an atheist doesn't mean that they don't believe in things like astrology, reincarnation, ghosts, psychics, and similar things. There are a lot of things supernatural ... Read More
Popularity of the Apocalypse (Book Notes: Apocalyptic Prophet)
Friday March 31, 2006
It seems that the most popular Christian fiction books today (and they are fiction, something that readers don't always seem to keep firmly in mind) are about an apocalypse in ... Read More
History of Rome
Friday March 31, 2006
Book of the Day: The Romans: From Village to Empire, by Daniel J. Gargola, Richard J. A. Talbert, and Mary Taliaferro Boatwright. Publisher: Oxford University Press.
The rise and fall of ... Read More
Last Supper: Contradictions in Gospel Accounts of Last Supper of Jesus & Disciples
Thursday March 30, 2006
There are good reasons why Jesus' 'last supper' with his disciples has been made the subject of so many artistic projects over the centuries: here, at one of the last ... Read More
Atheists Discriminated Against in Child Custody Cases
Thursday March 30, 2006
A couple of days ago I read a blog dismissing the importance of the survey showing atheists to be the most distrusted minority in America because there isn't any practical ... Read More
Discussion: Becoming a Better Person
Thursday March 30, 2006
A forum member writes: If you want to 'be good' (whatever that may mean to you), then there's no way to be that except by 'doing good' (whatever that may ... Read More
Abortion to Save the Life of the Mother: Not a Valid Exception
Thursday March 30, 2006
Most anti-choice activists support exemptions to bans on abortions that cover the life or health of the mother, rape, and incest. It's rare for laws criminalizing abortion not to provide ... Read More
This Date in History: O'Hair Murders
Thursday March 30, 2006
March 30, 2001: David Waters is sentenced for the murders of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, her son Jon Garth, and her granddaughter Robin O'Hair.
Mailbag: Real Live Psychic!
Thursday March 30, 2006
From: "Steven R."
Subject: Genuine Psychic
Just wanted to contact you personally about possibly getting a colleague of mine listed on About.com in the missing persons area. Her name is Kelli Faulkner ... Read More
Daily Poll: Are Beliefs like Buddhism Religion or Philosophies?
Thursday March 30, 2006
The New Buddhism: The Western Transformation of an Ancient Tradition Buddhism is often categorized as a religion, but because it doesn't mandate belief in any gods some argue that it ... Read More
Defending Family Values: Using the Family for Social, Political Control (Book Notes: Southern Cross)
Thursday March 30, 2006
It's been remarked by more than one person that the conservative evangelical claims to be 'defending' family values stands in stark contrast to policies and agendas that make matters difficult ... Read More
Bible, Race, Slavery, and the American South
Thursday March 30, 2006
Book of the Day: Noah's Curse: The Biblical Justification of American Slavery, by Stephen R. Haynes. Publisher: Oxford University Press.
The history of slavery in America may not be hidden, but ... Read More
Is Larry Darby's Support Growing or Dwindling?
Wednesday March 29, 2006
It's unfortunate, but a number of atheists are defending or even supporting Larry Darby's Holocaust Denial and Anti-Semitic drivel. This is a sad demonstration that being an atheist doesn't make ... Read More
Carnival of the Liberals #9: Ask And Ye Shall Receive
Wednesday March 29, 2006
When putting out calls for submissions for this ninth edition of the Carnival of the Liberals, I requested that people try to write about religious and philosophical issues in order ... Read More
Passion Week: Contradictions in the Gospel Accounts of Jesus' Passion Narratives
Wednesday March 29, 2006
During Holy Week Christians are expected to devote time to the study of the passion of Jesus Christ - his suffering, his death, and his eventual resurrection which is commemorated ... Read More
Discussion: How To Live?
Wednesday March 29, 2006
A forum member writes: Atheism, cut loose from all this, needs something else--or does it?--to show us a way, some way, any way. Biology and genetics and evolutionary theory tell ... Read More
Christian Hate: Evolution is a Jewish Conspiracy
Wednesday March 29, 2006
Christian extremists make up all sorts of things about evolution and science in order to push their theocratic agenda, but one of the most disturbing is the idea that evolution ... Read More
This Date in History: Student Prayers at Football Games
Wednesday March 29, 2006
March 29, 2000: Argued: Santa Fe School District v. Doe The Supreme Court ruled that official, student-led prayers before a school football game violated the separation of church and state.
Agnosticism Basics: Agnosticism & Robert Green Ingersoll
Wednesday March 29, 2006
Robert Green Ingersoll was a famous and influential proponent of secularism and religious skepticism during the mid- to late 19th century in America. He was a strong advocate both of ... Read More
Daily Poll: Terrorism in Your Community - A Concern?
Wednesday March 29, 2006
Terrorism has been a serious concern in many communities around the world for some time now. Recently, the threat of terrorist attacks seems to have increased. Are you concerned about ... Read More
Christianity & Women: Christian Equality vs. Christian Misogyny (Book Notes: Daughters of Light)
Wednesday March 29, 2006
Christians often regard their religion as one of peace, freedom, and liberation - but it hasn't always been that way, and it isn't even always that way today. For most ... Read More
IBM and the Holocaust
Wednesday March 29, 2006
Book of the Day: IBM and the Holocaust: The Strategic Alliance between Nazi Germany and America's Most Powerful Corporation, by Edwin Black. Publisher: Three Rivers Press.
The Holocaust wasn’t the first ... Read More
Dear Amy: Respect Is a Two-Way Street
Tuesday March 28, 2006
When you show respect to a person and their beliefs, they should return it and show the same respect to you and what you believe. When they don't - or ... Read More
What is Lent? When Does Lent Occur? What Do Christians Do During Lent?
Tuesday March 28, 2006
In the Christian liturgical calendar, Lent is the penitential period of 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter. Traditional Christians observances of Lent include fasting and penitence, both in preparation ... Read More
Discussion: Atheists Receiving Holy Communion
Tuesday March 28, 2006
A forum member writes: Does anyone know if atheists and/or agnostics are disqualified from being given communion? Let's say an atheist went to church to make his mother happy on ... Read More
Do Atheists Act in Vain?
Tuesday March 28, 2006
Far too often I see theists insist that the actions of atheists can't really matter if they don't believe that they will live forever in some sort of ill-defined, unsupportable ... Read More
This Date in History: Jews Expelled
Tuesday March 28, 2006
March 28, 1917: Turkish authorities expelled all Jews from Tel Aviv and Jaffa.
Religious Groups Getting Huge Funding Boost from Government
Tuesday March 28, 2006
Religious groups are benefiting from President Bush's 'faith-based strategy' in a big way. Pat Robertson's notorious Operation Blessing, for example, only received USD $108,000 two years ago, but is now ... Read More
People in the Bible: Christians During New Testament Times
Tuesday March 28, 2006
The definition of Christian is a matter of great debate - every Christian group seems to have their own definition that includes themselves but excludes many others. The simplest, most ... Read More
Daily Poll: Public Financing vs. Private Patent Protection
Tuesday March 28, 2006
When private universities develop some new product or method for doing things, they common file for patent protection and thereby make a lot of money. Much of their research, however, ... Read More
Race & Honor: Biblical Origins of Christian Racism, Slavery (Book Notes: Noah's Curse)
Tuesday March 28, 2006
Why would Christians believe that someone is inferior simply because their skin is black? Racism likely derives from fear of differences, but that has nothing to do with how they ... Read More
Same-Sex Marriage and the Constitution
Tuesday March 28, 2006
Book of the Day: Legally Wed: Same-Sex Marriage and the Constitution, by Mark Strasser. Publisher: Cornell University Press.
The legal validity of gay marriage has become an important topic in recent ... Read More
Is Easter a Christian or Pagan Holiday? Unpacking the Pagan Elements of Easter
Monday March 27, 2006
Easter is the oldest Christian holiday, but how much of the most public and common celebrations of Easter today remain Christian in nature? Many people go to church - far ... Read More
Abortion: Bad Because It Means Sex Without Consequences
Monday March 27, 2006
The rhetoric of anti-choice activists usually focuses on the fetus and the premise that a fetus has the same moral status as a child or adult - therefore, abortion is ... Read More
Discussion: How to Ditch Church
Monday March 27, 2006
A forum member writes: Easter is coming. My Mom wants ... all of us to go to church. I said "no thanks". She then says that I am trying ... Read More
Reflections of a Pakistani Atheist
Monday March 27, 2006
Popular depictions of Muslim nations portray such societies as if everyone were hard-core Muslims. This is certainly how religious and political authorities would like their nations to be thought of ... Read More
This Date in History: Construction of Auschwitz
Monday March 27, 2006
March 27, 1940: Heinrich Himmler ordered the construction of the concentration camp of Auschwitz at Katowice, Poland.
Making War as a way of Making Love
Monday March 27, 2006
It's common to presume that war and love are opposites - if you love someone you don't make war on them and if you launch a war on someone, you ... Read More
Philosophy Fundamentals: Epistemology: Philosophy of Truth, Knowledge, and Belief
Monday March 27, 2006
Epistemology is the investigation into the grounds and nature of knowledge itself. Epistemological studies are usually focused upon our means for acquiring knowledge and, as a consequence, modern epistemology generally ... Read More
Daily Poll: Should Polygamy be Legal?
Monday March 27, 2006
Many religions in the past have included polygamy as a valid, if not dominant, form of marriage. In America today only marriage between a single man and a single woman ... Read More
Using Religious Scripts to Define Social Roles (Book Notes: Desert Patriarchy)
Monday March 27, 2006
Most people don't think about the social roles they play - they don't give much thought to the expectations they have to fulfill as man or woman, husband or wife, ... Read More
Madalyn Murray O'Hair
Monday March 27, 2006
Book of the Day: UnGodly: The Passions, Torments, and Murder of Atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair, by Ted Dracos. Publisher: Free Press.
The disappearance and death of Madalyn Murray O’Hair has been ... Read More
Bible Commentary: Jesus Heals a Blind Man in Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26)
Sunday March 26, 2006
Here we have yet another man being healed, this time of blindness. Alongside another giving-of-sight story that appears in chapter 8, this frames a series of passages where Jesus gives ... Read More
Arkansas: Geologists Not Allowed to Tell Truth to Students
Sunday March 26, 2006
Evolution is not officially banned in Arkansas schools, but it has been unofficially removed by administrators and school boards who are afraid of upsetting fundamentalists. Teachers are actually ordered to ... Read More
Discussion: Would the World be Better without Religion?
Sunday March 26, 2006
A forum member writes: I really don't think so. Even though many atheists are rational (at least most on this forum are, to my knowledge), their rationality was the means ... Read More
Some Conservatives Admit to Being Homophobes
Sunday March 26, 2006
A significant number of conservatives are homophobic and this is why they are so opposed to civil and legal equality for gays. Unfortunately, most of them are unwilling to admit ... Read More
This Date in History: Catholic Politicians Told How to Vote
Sunday March 26, 2006
March 26, 1995: In the encyclical Evangelium Vitae, Pope John Paul II ordered all Catholic voters, judges, and legislators to obey Vatican teaching in their decisions and votes: "In the ... Read More
Islam and Religion in Turkey
Sunday March 26, 2006
People concerned about the direction Islam is taking or may take should pay careful attention to Turkey. A Muslim society with a strong tradition of secularism and democracy (though imposed ... Read More
Mailbag: Atheism & Hope
Sunday March 26, 2006
From: "Lance"
Subject: I don't understand...
I stumbled onto your website and looked around a bit. Obviously, it didn't take long to figure out that you are an atheist. ... But in ... Read More
What is Easter? History of Christian Celebrations of Easter, Spring Equinox
Sunday March 26, 2006
Like pagans, Christians celebrate the end of death and the rebirth of life; but instead of focusing upon nature, Christians believe that Easter marks the day that Jesus Christ was ... Read More
Capital Punishment, Catholicism and Cathars (Book Notes: Yellow Cross)
Sunday March 26, 2006
Today the Catholic Church stands resolutely against capital punishment. The validity of executions has not been rejected completely, but the situations in which they are licit are so narrow and ... Read More
Vatican & World War II
Sunday March 26, 2006
Book of the Day: Inside the Vatican of Pius XII: The Memoir of an America Diplomat, by William Tittman III. Publisher: Image Books.
World War II was a difficult time for ... Read More
Days of Easter Season: Easter is a Season of Holy Days, Not a Single Holiday
Saturday March 25, 2006
In Christianity, Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe happened three days after he was buried. Easter is not an isolated holiday: it is the culmination of the ... Read More
Conservatives: Ideological Purity More Important than Ethics
Saturday March 25, 2006
You might have heard about the sad story of Ben Domenech: Republican extremist who has written lots of hateful, and even racist, material was hired by the Washington Post in ... Read More
Discussion: Debating Religion
Saturday March 25, 2006
A forum member writes: What we so easily seem to ignore is the fact that religion, by and large, is not about belief. Most religious people are not particularly concerned ... Read More
Rick Duncan: Gay Rights Incompatible With Religious Liberty
Saturday March 25, 2006
Opposition to equal civil rights for gays comes in many forms. Religious conservatives are losing the argument that there is something necessarily wrong with homosexuality, so they appear to be ... Read More
This Date in History: Marcel Lefebvre
Saturday March 25, 2006
March 25, 1991: Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre of Switzerland dies in Martigny, Switzerland. Lefebvre had broken with Rome following the Second Vatican Council and, over the years, consecrated hundreds of priests ... Read More
Priests Abusing Children, Church Abusing Victims
Saturday March 25, 2006
It apparently wasn't bad enough that Catholic priests were abusing children and that Catholic bishops were covering up for the priests, moving them around so they could avoid punishment and ... Read More
Daily Poll: Medical Research with Human Embryo Stem Cells
Saturday March 25, 2006
Some researchers argue that the use of human stem cells take from embryos could lead to incredible advances in medical science - for example, cures for diseases like Parkinson's or ... Read More
Ego & Uniqueness (Book Notes: Religion of Paul the Apostle)
Saturday March 25, 2006
Quite a few Christians insist that Christianity isn't a religion, it's a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The fact that Christianity, even as lived by such Christians, perfectly fits just ... Read More
Lust, Desire, and Sin
Saturday March 25, 2006
Book of the Day: Lust: The Seven Deadly Sins, by Simon Blackburn. Publisher: Oxford University Press.
Most people are acquainted with sin, especially if we define "sin" more broadly than narrow ... Read More
Atheists Hated More than Gays, Muslims, All Other Groups
Friday March 24, 2006
Atheists are hated more than any other group in America. Surprised? Atheists know this very well, but a recent survey conducted by the University of Minnesota has provided new evidence ... Read More
Resurrection: What is a Resurrection? What Does the Bible Say About Jesus' Resurrection?
Friday March 24, 2006
The concept of resurrection refers to the idea of dead people who have found special favor with their deity such that they rise from the dead, restored to bodily form. ... Read More
Jihad: War and Violence in Islam
Friday March 24, 2006
Were you searching for more information about the Islamic concept of jihad? The nature of jihad is hotly debated in the press and even among Muslim theologians. Many apologists for ... Read More
Discussion: 100 Years From Now
Friday March 24, 2006
A forum member writes: It is the year 2104 and you have stepped out of your time machine. What do you see? How do people think Will there be more ... Read More
God's Senator: Sam Brownback Seeks Christian Fascism, Theocracy
Friday March 24, 2006
Sam Brownback is a Republican Senator from Kansas who would probably like to be President. The far Christian Right also seems to want him to be the next president because ... Read More
This Date in History: Terri Schiavo Appeals
Friday March 24, 2006
March 24, 2005: The U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear an appeal brought by the parents of Terri Schiavo. Terri Schiavo fell into a coma brought on buy her bulimia ... Read More
Church/State Fundamentals: DiLotero v. Downey Unified School District (9th Circuit Court, 1999)
Friday March 24, 2006
Can a school refuse to publish or post a paid religious message if it allows other paid messages and advertisements? Can the school refuse to publish or post any paid ... Read More
Daily Poll: Pope John Paul II: Conservative or Liberal?
Friday March 24, 2006
Pope John Paul II was usually thought of as a conservative and it is true that he had done a great deal to bolster conservative forces within the Roman Catholic ... Read More
Constantine & Christianity: Political, Social Unity Through Religion (Book Notes: Christian World)
Friday March 24, 2006
Just about everyone familiar with Christian history realizes that Christians achieved its powerful position in the Roman empire because of the patronage of emperor Constantine. A question that vexes historians, ... Read More
Dictionary of Islam
Friday March 24, 2006
Book of the Day: The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, edited by John L. Esposito. Publisher: Oxford University Press.
Islam is the second largest religion in the world; in some regions, it ... Read More
Plate Tectonics is Incapable of Being Scientifically Proven?
Thursday March 23, 2006
Creationists like to pretend to know something about science, but usually just end up demonstrating their ignorance. One good example is the attempt to 'prove' that evolution is incompatible with ... Read More
Book Reviews: Books from Oxford University Press
Thursday March 23, 2006
Oxford University Press publishes some of the most interesting and informative books currently being written on religion, philosophy, history, and politics. OUP is the world's largest university press and can ... Read More
Colloidal Silver
Thursday March 23, 2006
Were you searching for more information about Colloidal Silver? Once a common ingredient in a variety of alternative medical treatments, but primarily for killing bacteria, colloidal silver can be a ... Read More
Discussion: Universal Health Insurance
Thursday March 23, 2006
A forum member writes: This national/universal health care bit has been mentioned in the Seattle PI. I am not convinced that it is a good idea. After all, 85% of ... Read More
Free Speech Opponent Elected to Florida ACLU Board
Thursday March 23, 2006
Parvez Ahmed, chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) was recently elected as an "at large" member of the Florida ACLU's board of directors. Parvez Ahmed is an opponent ... Read More
Carnival of the Liberals: Call for Submissions
Thursday March 23, 2006
The ninth edition of the Carnival of the Liberals is coming next week, on March 29th. I'd like all submissions by 6PM EST the Monday before, which is March 27th. ... Read More
This Date in History: Mountain Meadows Massacre
Thursday March 23, 2006
March 23, 1877: John Doyle Lee, a Mormon fanatic, was executed by a firing squad, Lee had masterminded a massacre of Arkansas Methodist emigrants in 1857. In the "Mountain Meadows ... Read More
Mailbag: Atheism & Evolution
Thursday March 23, 2006
From: "Jason"
Subject: Question
So, do atheists believe in evolution, since they believe there are no gods?
Most atheists do believe evolution, but they need not. Atheists don't believe in any gods - ... Read More
Daily Poll: Will there be Peace in the Middle East?
Thursday March 23, 2006
The largest source of violence and conflict in the world today must be the Middle East - especially where Israel and the Palestinians are concerned. Will there be a peaceful ... Read More
Sacred Time & Sacred Space in Cyberspace (Book Notes: Online Religion)
Thursday March 23, 2006
Religion has become an important aspect of the internet, with many people seeking religious information or even religious fellowship online. One possible conflict here is the fact that religions have ... Read More
Paradox and Philosophy
Thursday March 23, 2006
Book of the Day: A Brief History of the Paradox, by Roy Sorensen. Publisher: Oxford University Press.
The term paradox comes from the Greek paradoxos, which means "conflicting with expectation," and ... Read More
Did Tom Cruise Force the South Park 'Scientology' Episode to be Pulled?
Wednesday March 22, 2006
It's being reported that Tom Cruise has used his clout to get Comedy Central to cancel a repeat of the famous Scientology episode which portrays Cruise as being 'in the ... Read More
Crusades: Timeline of the Ottoman Empire on the Offensive, 1300 - 1600
Wednesday March 22, 2006
Although the Crusades themselves were long finished, Christian Europe continued to be under pressure from the expanding Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans would make impressive victories, including the capture of Constantinople, ... Read More
Martin Luther & the Reformation
Wednesday March 22, 2006
Were you searching for material about Martin Luther, the Augustinian monk who was largely responsible for initiating and driving the Protestant Reformation? Luther objected to what he regarded as a ... Read More
Discussion: Prayers At Sporting Events
Wednesday March 22, 2006
A forum member writes: Okay, all constitutional questions aside... I don't see why people would want to pray before a sporting event. It makes some vague sense to me, I ... Read More
Human Evolution Proceeding
Wednesday March 22, 2006
Every so often, someone repeats the claim or assumption that human evolution has essentially stopped because human culture and technology have so reduced environmental pressures on human survival (for example, ... Read More
This Date in History: Right to Contraceptives in America
Wednesday March 22, 2006
March 22, 1972: Decided: Eisenstadt v. Baird The right of people to have and know about contraceptives was expanded by the Supreme Court to unmarried couples because the right of ... Read More
Misusing Funds in Faith-Based Organizations
Wednesday March 22, 2006
Defenders of giving more money to religious charities often insist that religious groups are more efficient than the government and do more good than purely secular efforts. This doesn't mean ... Read More
Agnosticism Basics: Philosophic Origins of Agnosticism Before Huxley
Wednesday March 22, 2006
Although Thomas Henry Huxley coined the term agnosticism, it did not spring fully-formed from his mind. On the contrary, Huxley was relying upon a long philosophic tradition of religious and ... Read More
Daily Poll: Should Selling Human Organs Be Legal?
Wednesday March 22, 2006
Some people think that if it were legal for people to sell their organs, or for a person's estate to tell a dead person's organs, then there would be more ... Read More
War Fever in America: Silencing and Punishing Dissent (Book Notes: Mencken)
Wednesday March 22, 2006
One of the most disturbing features of America's march towards invading and occupying Iraq was the treatment of those who disagreed. War dissenters were labeled traitors and "objectively pro-terrorist." It ... Read More
Does God Exist?
Wednesday March 22, 2006
Book of the Day: The Impossibility of God, edited by Michael Martin and Ricki Monnier. Publisher: Prometheus Books.
Does God exist? There's a great deal of debate on this question and ... Read More
Gays No Different than Neo-Nazis? KKK?
Tuesday March 21, 2006
Banning Irish gays from participating in the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade is getting to be as much of a tradition as wearing green. This seems to be ... Read More
What is Fundamentalism?
Tuesday March 21, 2006
Were you looking for information about religious fundamentalism? Fundamentalism is a religious position typically characterized by a rigid adherence to what are perceived to be the most basic and traditional ... Read More
Discussion: Is Homophobia Irrational? Dangerous?
Tuesday March 21, 2006
A forum member writes to an anti-gay forum member: If an individual contributes to a culture of prejudice against a group of people (by, for example, labelling them as "abnormal", ... Read More
This Date in History: Sex Abuse in the Catholic Church
Tuesday March 21, 2006
March 21, 2002: Pope John Paul II makes his first public statements about the scandal of sexual abuse of children by priests and the subsequent cover-ups: "As the church shows ... Read More
People in the Bible: Sadducees: Profile of Sadducees
Tuesday March 21, 2006
The Sadducees were a faction or interest group within Judaism. The label Sadducees derives from the Hebrew saddiqim, which means 'righteous ones.' It's uncertain whether this title originally came from ... Read More
Daily Poll: Should the Pledge of Allegiance say 'Under God'?
Tuesday March 21, 2006
Ever since the 1950s, the Pledge of Allegiance has included the phrase 'Under God.' Some have challenged this, arguing that the addition of those words was unconstitutional. Others say that ... Read More
Power and Violence: Who Has the Moral High Ground? (Book Notes: God and Power)
Tuesday March 21, 2006
In the so-called 'war on terrorism,' it's all too common to see conservatives try to justify barbaric actions of the U.S. government by pointing to even more barbaric actions by ... Read More
Manufacturing Nostalgia
Tuesday March 21, 2006
Book of the Day: Culture Industry, by Heinz Steinert. Publisher: Polity Press.
We are all surrounded every day by the culture industry - it influences what we eat, what we read, ... Read More
Philosophy of Science and Technology
Monday March 20, 2006
Were you searching for information about the philosophy of science and technology? Although this site does not specialize in that topic, we do have some information which might prove useful ... Read More
Black & White Thinking
Monday March 20, 2006
Human beings have a need to categorize everything; this is not a fault but rather an asset. Without our ability to take isolated instances, gather them together in groups, and ... Read More
John B. Shea: Atheists Can't Tell Right from Wrong?
Monday March 20, 2006
Many theists arrogantly presume that their beliefs are required for being able to tell right from wrong, good from evil. People who don't share their beliefs (atheists) or who don't ... Read More
Discussion: Free Will vs. Determinism
Monday March 20, 2006
A forum member writes: There are a couple of possibilities where you can accept determinism and (maybe) still have some form of free will. One is that the brain is ... Read More
Faith-Based Fudging
Monday March 20, 2006
Many have probably heard that, according to a scientific study, prisoners who go through Charles Colson's InnerChange program have a lower recidivism rate. This is a religious program consisting of ... Read More
Oklahoma Votes to Segregate Gay-Themed Books in Libraries
Monday March 20, 2006
The Christian Right agenda to marginalize gays continues at a steady pace in Oklahoma where the state house voted to withdraw funding from public libraries that don't segregate materials with ... Read More
This Date in History: Aum Shinrikyo Terrorist Attack
Monday March 20, 2006
March 20, 1995: Several people died during a nerve-gas attack on the subway system of Tokyo, Japan, during the morning rush hour. Officials would later learn that the attack was ... Read More
Purpose and Meaning in Life
Monday March 20, 2006
It's common for religious theists to argue that only theistic religion (and preferably their theistic religion) can provide meaning and purpose in life. Irreligious atheists can't possibly have meaning or ... Read More
Mailbag: Truth About Mormonism
Monday March 20, 2006
From: "Luke"
Subject: Mormonism
I am writing in regards to the Mormonism section located within the atheism part of your web site. First I would like to say that I respect your ... Read More
Philosophy Fundamentals: What Are Flaws in Reasoning & Arguments?
Monday March 20, 2006
When a person's argument is flawed, usually those flaws can be traced back to identifiable fallacies. Not all flaws, however, can be technically labeled as fallacies. Some of these flaws ... Read More
Daily Poll: Atheists Participating in Religious Traditions
Monday March 20, 2006
Religious traditions are very important to structuring a religion's beliefs, doctrines, and even membership. Unfortunately, when a person leaves a religion, they also leave behind much of what might have ... Read More
Who's Responsible for Oppression? (Book Notes: The Church Enslaved)
Monday March 20, 2006
Oppression is, unfortunately, a common aspect of human life. All through history and all around the world, people struggle against oppression by others. Who is responsible for all this oppression, ... Read More
Deity for the New Millennium
Monday March 20, 2006
Recently Received: God.Com: A Deity for the New Millennium, by John A. Henderson. Publisher: Parkway Publishers.
Traditional conceptions of gods, for the most part, include characteristics that can only be described ... Read More
Famous Philosophers
Sunday March 19, 2006
Were you searching for more information about famous philosophers? This site has biographies - short and long - of dozens and dozens of important and influential philosophers from throughout history. ... Read More
Film Examining Christian Support for Nazi Party
Sunday March 19, 2006
The Baptist General Convention of Missouri showed at Columbia, Missouri, the one-hour documentary 'Theologians Under Hitler.' Based on the book Betrayal: German Churches and the Holocaust, it examines the relationship ... Read More
Bible Commentary: Jesus on the Leaven of the Pharisees (Mark 8:14-21)
Sunday March 19, 2006
Throughout the gospels the primary opponents of Jesus have been the Pharisees. They keep challenging him and he keeps rejecting their authority. Here, Jesus contrasts himself with the Pharisees in ... Read More
Racing to Save a Nazi Church
Sunday March 19, 2006
Most Christians today don't have any conception of just how tightly intertwined Christianity and Nazism were in Germany. It's often assumed that they two were antagonistic; the truth, however, is ... Read More
Discussion: Too Nice to be an Atheist?
Sunday March 19, 2006
A forum member writes: Lots of people here have mentioned that theists have told them variations on "You're too nice/friendly/kind to be an atheist." It seems like there's a ... Read More
Same Sex Marriage is a Civil Matter
Sunday March 19, 2006
Arguments against the legalization of same-sex marriage usually rely upon religion, religious premises, and religious beliefs. There is a problem with that: if the only arguments against allowing gays to ... Read More
Battling the Contraceptive Mentality
Sunday March 19, 2006
The so-called 'culture of life,' which is often little more than a love affair with the fetus, isn't just aiming to eliminate abortion; it's also aiming to eliminate contraception. More ... Read More
This Date in History: William Jennings Bryan
Sunday March 19, 2006
March 19, 1860: American politician and fundamentalist religious leader William Jennings Bryan was born.
Fantasy vs. Reality: Role of Ideology in America's Invasion of Iraq
Sunday March 19, 2006
It's common for people to counter the actions and arguments of the Bush administration with their own arguments based upon what they believe to be facts. This may be a ... Read More
Mailbag: Just Give God a Chance
Sunday March 19, 2006
From: "FRE"
Subject: hi
i'm now writing to criticize just to bring forth a suggestion. I know that atheism does not include God. In other words, atheists do not believe In the ... Read More
Catholicism and Healthcare: Effects on Doctors in Catholic Hospitals
Sunday March 19, 2006
Even non-Catholic doctors working at a non-Catholic hospital suddenly find themselves under severe restrictions when their institution merges with a Catholic hospital. A doctor's admitting privileges, scope of practice, participation ... Read More
Daily Poll: Can Creationists Teach Evolution?
Sunday March 19, 2006
There are a lot of people out there who believe in creationism and some of them teach in public schools. At times, science teachers who are creationists have wanted to ... Read More
Torture and Unilateral Power (Book Notes: Religion, Politics, and the Christian Right)
Sunday March 19, 2006
The impact of torture on those who must suffer it is obvious, but torture also has wider implications for the rest of society. Even just the hint of torture possibly ... Read More
Thomas Jefferson / John Adams Correspondence
Sunday March 19, 2006
Recently Received: "Ye Will Say I Am No Christian": The Thomas Jefferson/John Adams Correspondence on Religion, Morals, and Values, edited by Bruce Braden. Publisher: Prometheus Books.
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams ... Read More
Fortune Telling
Saturday March 18, 2006
Were you searching for more information about fortune telling and predicting the future? This site has a number of resources to help you learn about the various ways in which ... Read More
Sikhs and Sikhism: Sikh Sects
Saturday March 18, 2006
The Sikh religion is not an entirely monolithic faith - there are several sects which are not recognized by the majority of Sikhs as orthodox in their teachings and beliefs. ... Read More
Daily Illini? Daily Cowards: Editor Fired by Email Over Cartoons
Saturday March 18, 2006
Acton Gorton was the editor of the Daily Illini who chose to publish some of the Danish cartoons of Muhammad. He was almost immediately suspended and even before this he ... Read More
Discussion: Atheist Etiquette During Prayer
Saturday March 18, 2006
A forum member writes: The setting is at the home of my in-laws, who are religious and raised my husband as a Christian (he even attended a Pentecostal church for ... Read More
Jesus: Lord or Lunatic?
Saturday March 18, 2006
Critical thinking skills are a precious commodity - far too precious, in fact. They reason why they are precious is that they are in such short supply. People need them ... Read More
Christian Abortion Rate as High as National Average; Catholic Rate is Higher
Saturday March 18, 2006
Conservative Christians oppose legal abortion, but do they oppose abortion enough to refuse to have abortions themselves? Maybe not: according to a study by The Center for Reason, the abortion ... Read More
This Date in History: Knights Templar Burned
Saturday March 18, 2006
March 18, 1314: Thirty-Nine French Knights Templar are burned at the stake.
Policing Behavior in Animal Groups
Saturday March 18, 2006
Some theists insist that the existence of morality is a sign that God must exist - after all, morality couldn't evolve, right? Well maybe it can. Not only are there ... Read More
Mailbag: Homosexuality
Saturday March 18, 2006
From: "Gary"
Subject: Homosexuality
I wanted to express my concern over the fact that the atheism news letter seems to be turning into the gay newsletter. I am not necessarily against gays ... Read More
Creationism Fundamentals: Scientific Creationism & Creation Science
Saturday March 18, 2006
When the evolution vs. creationism debate comes up, we are usually speaking of a more specific type of creationism: the fundamentalist Protestant version of creationism. This creationism (usually called Scientific ... Read More
Daily Poll: Should Ritual Animal Sacrifices Be Allowed?
Saturday March 18, 2006
In some religions, animal sacrifices are an integral part of many religious rituals. Whether to allow this is a difficult choice. Is the fact that dominant religions don't do animal ... Read More
Public Recognition of God and Jesus (Book Notes: Politics, Religion, and the Common Good)
Saturday March 18, 2006
It's common - far too common - for public officials to introduce god-talk into their public statements or speeches. This is often defended on the basis of most Americans believing ... Read More
Fundamentalism and American Culture
Saturday March 18, 2006
Recently Received: Fundamentalism and American Culture: The Shaping of Twentieth-Century Evangelicalism, 1870-1925, by George M. Marsden. Publisher: Oxford University Press.
The Christian Right is very powerful and influential in American politics ... Read More
Jehovah's Witnesses
Friday March 17, 2006
Were you searching for more information on this site about the Jehovah's Witnesses? A Christian group which was created by Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916 CE) in the late 19th Century, ... Read More
Saudi Women and Hypocrisy
Friday March 17, 2006
In Saudi Arabia, there are many restrictions on what women can and cannot do, can and cannot wear. In fact, their lives are restricted in a myriad of ways that ... Read More
Skepticism & Astrology: Conception vs. Birth in Astrology
Friday March 17, 2006
Why does astrology rely upon the birth of a person rather than the conception? Why do celestial objects exert their influence over our personalities and lives at the moment we ... Read More
Better to be a Fascist than Gay?
Friday March 17, 2006
As bad as being a fascist may be, at least it's not as bad as being gay, right? That's the opinion of Alessandra Mussolini, granddaughter of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini ... Read More
Discussion: Can't Believe the Things I Used to Believe...
Friday March 17, 2006
A forum member writes: Last night, I was flipping channels, and happened upon the "Catholic Channel," in which a nun (Mother Angelica) and two priests were discussing the Catholic practice ... Read More
Thank God for Slavery! New Republican Slogan...
Friday March 17, 2006
Most people today have trouble understanding how Christians in the past could have supported slavery and even owned slaves themselves. Such beliefs and behavior are just too foreign to today's ... Read More
This Date in History: Pat Robertson on Church/State Separation
Friday March 17, 2006
March 17, 2003: Speaking on the 700 Club, Pat Robertson expressed his support for the separation of church and state when the "church" in question involved a religion other than ... Read More
Varieties of Political Islam: Differences Between Islamists and Islamic Extremists
Friday March 17, 2006
In the West, discussions about Islamism and Islamic extremism tend to paint Muslims with a broad brush. This sort of attitude is a gross oversimplification between there are deep and ... Read More
Church/State Fundamentals: Stone v. Graham (Supreme Court, 1980)
Friday March 17, 2006
Are the Ten Commandments secular enough to warrant posting in all public school classes, or are they so religious that such postings would amount to a government endorsement of religion ... Read More
Daily Poll: Is Religion the Answer to Today's Problems?
Friday March 17, 2006
There are those who feel that the only real way we will be able to solve today's problems is by turning to religion because religion (their religion, naturally) holds all ... Read More
Individualism, Greed, and the Christian Right (Book Notes: The Cheating Culture)
Friday March 17, 2006
Perhaps the most important catch-phrase of the Christian Right is 'family values' and a significant amount of their political, social, and cultural agenda is predicated on the defense of 'family ... Read More
Fear, Faith, Fact, Fantasy
Friday March 17, 2006
Recently Received: Fear, Faith, Fact, Fantasy, by John A. Henderson. Publisher: Parkway Publishers.
It's normal for people to be prejudiced in favor of religion and theism — although people may disagree ... Read More
Morals vs. Ethics
Thursday March 16, 2006
Were you searching for more information about the difference between morality and ethics, or perhaps information about what the study of morality and ethics are? The terms ethics and morality ... Read More
Supreme Court Won't Hear Case on Sculpture Critical of Catholicism
Thursday March 16, 2006
Back in 2003 Jerry Boyle created a sculpture which elicited howls of outrage when it was erected on the campus of Washburn University in Kansas. It's an unflattering bust of ... Read More
Christian History: Crime, Christianity & Early America
Thursday March 16, 2006
As leaders and pundits of the religious right are fond of pointing out, there was a time in America's history when religion did play a greater role in the lives ... Read More
Christian Evangelist a Walking Set of Contradictions
Thursday March 16, 2006
The Rev. Tony Campolo does not fit into any easy categories. He's an evangelist and a fire-and-brimstone preacher, but he's also a social activist who believes in the separation of ... Read More
Jeff Jacoby Opposes Equal Humanity & Citizenship of Gays?
Thursday March 16, 2006
Does Jeff Jacoby hate gay Americans? He doesn't come right out and say that he hates them, but his comments on gay adoption wouldn't be treated as anything other than ... Read More
Discussion: Traditional Values & WalMart
Thursday March 16, 2006
A forum member writes: So, how about the next time someone tells you they want America to get back to "traditional values", ask them if they shop at Wal-Mart. By ... Read More
Should Politicians Swear to Uphold the Bible?
Thursday March 16, 2006
Democratically elected representatives are typically expected to swear to uphold the laws and the Constitution. Some, though, act like part of their job is to uphold their particular interpretation of ... Read More