Nativity vs Gospels: Are the Gospels Reliable About Jesus' Birth?
Friday November 30, 2007
Because Christmas has traditionally been a Christian celebration of Jesus' birth, it's common during the Christmas season to see and hear depictions of wise men, shepherds, a star, a manger, ... Read More
Religious Extremists Riot; Taslima Nasreen Leaves Calcutta
Friday November 30, 2007
In Calcutta, India, the government had to deploy the army to quell the religious riots that broke out over Taslmia Nasreen. She isn't a terrorist, a criminal, or even just ... Read More
Slavery & Christianity in the Old South: Blending Culture and Christianity
Friday November 30, 2007
Slavery is, obviously, supported in the Bible. Slavery was defended in the Old South by good white Christians who relied on the Bible to justify their immoral, unjust, and oppressive ... Read More
War on Christmas: Objecting to the Extreme Christmas Spending, Materialism
Thursday November 29, 2007
Image © Austin ClineOriginal Poster: Library of Congress
Why do conservatives fail to see how they could gain more for their agenda if they directed their efforts towards commercialization rather than ... Read More
What Interests (Religious) Conservatives Most?
Thursday November 29, 2007
What a person reads says something about them — about their interests, personality, and attitudes. What a group or movement reads also surely says something about both the group generally ... Read More
Weekly Poll: How Have Courts Treated Christians and Christianity?
Thursday November 29, 2007
Silent Night, Godless Night: Surviving Christmas as a Godless Atheist
Wednesday November 28, 2007
The term 'juggernaut' is thought to come from a Jagannath, an idol of Krishna pulled along on a cart under whose wheels devotees would throw themselves. Christmas in contemporary America ... Read More
Mitt Romney Supports Religious Discrimination in Government?
Wednesday November 28, 2007
Mitt RomneyPhoto: Getty / Scott Olson
As a member of a religious minority whose religion might be an obstacle to being elected to national office, one might imagine that Mitt Romney ... Read More
Forum Discussion: Aren't Atheists Sad and Angry?
Wednesday November 28, 2007
A lot of Christians make a lot of unjustified and unfair assumptions about atheists; what's curious, though, is how sometimes such Christians recognize they are doing this but insist on ... Read More
War on Christmas: Buy, Buy, Buy this Commercial Holiday Season
Tuesday November 27, 2007
Image © Austin ClineOriginal Poster: National Archives
Rather than make sacrifices in order to fight the war on terror, something everyone was asked to do during World War II, people today ... Read More
Ken Hutcherson, Gay Rights, and Microsoft
Tuesday November 27, 2007
A former linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys and now a right-wing evangelical pastor, Ken Hutcherson is not happy with Microsoft. No, he's not happy at all. Microsoft has a policy ... Read More
Comment of the Week: What do Kids Really Know About Religion?
Tuesday November 27, 2007
Many Christians insist that America's youth need "more religion" in their lives in order to lead more moral lives, despite the fact that there is no evidence that morality needs ... Read More
Oh, Christmas Tree: Christmas Tree as a Secular Symbol of a Secular Christmas
Monday November 26, 2007
The most popular symbol of Christmas, except perhaps for Santa Claus, may also be the least Christian: the Christmas Tree. Originally derived from pagan religious celebrations in Europe, the Christmas ... Read More
When Being Inclusive Means Privileging Christianity
Monday November 26, 2007
In Lake Placid, New York, the Central School District was faced with a challenge to the long-standing practice of hanging a "Merry Christmas" sign on the front of the elementary ... Read More
Book of the Week: Humanism, What’s That? A Book for Curious Kids
Monday November 26, 2007
Image courtesyPriceGrabber.com
There are lots of books out there designed to explain various religions to children, but what about non-religious, non-theistic belief systems? Is there anything that can help children better ... Read More
War on Christmas: We Can't Destroy Christianity Until We Destroy the Christian Christmas
Sunday November 25, 2007
Image © Austin ClineOriginal Poster: Library of Congress
For Christian Nationalists who promote the so-called War on Christmas, it's not enough to see references to Christmas everywhere. Instead, they insist that ... Read More
Government-Funded Pregnancy Centers Promote Religion, False Information
Sunday November 25, 2007
As if acting out of a desire to prove critics right that faith-based funding projects are just a way to get the federal government to fund religious evangelization and promote ... Read More
Mailbag: Purpose of Life
Sunday November 25, 2007
From: "Ghetto"
Subject: Question
I visited your atheism-home page. I would like to ask that do you think that believing in God is bad? Life is pretty damn hard to go through ... Read More
Christmas & Cultural Diversity: Is Secular Christmas Antithetical to Diversity?
Saturday November 24, 2007
Multiculturalism can mean a lot of things, but it's generally part of an argument that minority cultural traditions and practices should be given a more equal status alongside majority cultural ... Read More
Christian Hecklers Disrupt Atheist's Speech
Saturday November 24, 2007
In October, the Secular Student Association of California State University sponsored a speech by Dan Barker, author of Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist and co-president of the ... Read More
Einstein Quotes on Ethics & Morality: Humans, not Gods, Define Morality
Saturday November 24, 2007
An important principle of most theistic religions is that morality originates with their god: there is no morality apart from their god and, in particular, apart from obedience to their ... Read More
War on Christmas: Keep Christ Out of X-Mas, Christ Doesn't Belong in Christmas
Friday November 23, 2007
Image © Austin ClineOriginal Poster: Library of Congress
The complaint about secularists "taking Christ out of Christmas" is a common one today and a rallying cry for Christian Nationalists who promote ... Read More
Bishops: God will Punish Catholics for Voting Wrong
Friday November 23, 2007
Every four years since 1976 the U.S. Bishops' Conference has issued a set of instructions to American Catholics on voting in a manner that they say is most consistent with ... Read More
Corporate Religion & Christian Nationalism: Religion for Profit, War, Power
Friday November 23, 2007
American churches have aligned themselves with American nationalism in a way that has caused Christianity to be as 'American' as it is 'Christian' - sometimes as unlike European Christianity as ... Read More
We Wish You a Godless Xmas: What's Secular About Christmas Holidays?
Thursday November 22, 2007
Many Christians insist that Christmas is a Christian religious holiday which belongs exclusively to them. While there are many ways to celebrate Christmas in a Christian manner, the simple fact ... Read More
Muslim Faith Not Welcome at Interfaith Site
Thursday November 22, 2007
In Austin, Texas, an Interreligious Ministries organization had intended to hold a Thanksgiving celebration at the Hyde Park Baptist Church. When church leaders learned that non-Christians — and specifically Muslims ... Read More
Weekly Poll: Religion in American Politics
Thursday November 22, 2007
War on Christmas: Boycott Christmas & Go To Work
Wednesday November 21, 2007
Image © Austin Cline
Original Poster:National Archives
Poster Text: PadawanHost
Because American culture has been dominated for so long by Christianity and Christian traditions, Christmas is celebrated widely even by non-Christians. Indeed, it's ... Read More
Mike Duran: Can Atheists Really "Give Thanks"?
Wednesday November 21, 2007
Christians treat Thanksgiving as a Christian, religious holiday — but there's nothing in the Bible or Christianity history about it. Thanksgiving is an American cultural and secular holiday which is ... Read More
Forum Discussion: Atheist-Friendly Countries?
Wednesday November 21, 2007
In most western, industrialized nations a person's atheism should not cause them any problems; indeed, atheism is so common in many of these countries that most atheists would never think ... Read More
Secular Santa Claus is Coming to Town: What's so Christian about Santa Claus?
Tuesday November 20, 2007
Christians treat Christmas as a Christian holiday, and it certainly started out that way, but we can tell a lot about the real nature of holidays by how they are ... Read More
Evolution and Human Life Spans
Tuesday November 20, 2007
Human males live shorter lives than females, that is widely known, but why? One common explanation is that males take a lot more risks than females in order to attract ... Read More
Comment of the Week: Poison of Superstition, Fear, Religious Taboos
Tuesday November 20, 2007
Atheist critics of religion are sometimes asked what real harm religious beliefs ultimately do and one obvious answer to this is how religious dogma can warp a person's perspective on ... Read More
War on Christmas: Satanic Santa & Christmas
Monday November 19, 2007
Image © Austin ClineOriginal Poster: Library of Congress
Poster Text: KateHost
So much of any "religious" meaning has been drained from Christmas in modern America that perhaps it isn't extreme to regard ... Read More
Christianity: Propping Up Masculinity Through Infantilizing Women
Monday November 19, 2007
Image © Austin Cline
Original Poster:Library of Congress
Conservative Christians will readily insist that their ideology has nothing to do with rendering women socially, politically, or culturally inferior. Women are "equal" to ... Read More
Book of the Week: Encyclopedia of Christmas
Monday November 19, 2007
Image courtesyPriceGrabber.com
Just how much do you know about Christmas? Do you know why holly is traditionally used? Do you know what "first footing" is? Do you know what the ancient ... Read More
War on Christmas: Santa Claus is a Lie
Sunday November 18, 2007
Image © Austin ClineOriginal Poster: Library of Congress
One of the most significant changes to Christmas has been the integration of Santa Claus into the holiday. At one time Santa had ... Read More
Religion's Role in Violence & War
Sunday November 18, 2007
The connection between religion and violence is a subject that produces a great deal of debate and disagreement. It's clear that religion is involved with violence, but so many religious ... Read More
Mailbag: Apology From a Christian, Part 4
Sunday November 18, 2007
From: “Matt“
Subject: Thoughts From a Non-Stereotypical Christian
It amazes me how un-Christian those "Christians" in your hate mail really act. And what is most frustrating is that they don't realize it. ... Read More
War on Christmas: The Grinch Was Right We Must Stop Christmas
Saturday November 17, 2007
Image © Austin ClineOriginal Poster: Library of Congress
Poster Text: PadawanHost
As the religious pluralism of America increases, so must the sensitivity of people increase. The fewer traditional Christians there are around, ... Read More
Freedom as Submission; Democracy as Obedience: How Christianity Subverts Liberty
Saturday November 17, 2007
It's common for Christians to regard their religion as an important foundation for political and social liberty, but it can be argued that religion has an inherent tendency towards authoritarianism ... Read More
Adolf Hitler: Compromises with Atheism Destroy Religious, Ethical Values
Saturday November 17, 2007
What did Adolf Hitler think about Christianity vs. atheism? Hitler said: 'By its decision to carry out the political and moral cleansing of our public life, the Government is creating ... Read More
What is Freedom From Religion? Freedom of Religion Requires Freedom From Religion
Friday November 16, 2007
Conservatives insist that the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, not freedom from religion, and argue against strict separation of church and state. Too often, though, conservatives seem to have a ... Read More
India's Religious Right: Hindutva's Aspirations and Failures
Friday November 16, 2007
Hinutva means "Hinduness" and is the name of a broad political, social, and cultural movement in India that is dedicated to asserting Hindu domination of society. They are the Indian ... Read More
Divinity & Humanity: Looking for God or the Divine in Human Beings
Friday November 16, 2007
Many Christians try to 'sell' Christianity based on the idea that it is focused upon an instance where God and humanity became one. This is supposed to special and unusual ... Read More
Skepticism & Astrology: New Planets and Astrology
Thursday November 15, 2007
For the longest time, astrology relied upon the existence of five planets (besides Earth): Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. These are, not coincidentally, the only planets which are visible ... Read More
Evangelical Christian "Cancer" in America's Air Force & Military
Thursday November 15, 2007
Image © Austin Cline
Original Poster:National Archives
Sometimes it seems like there are new revelations every other week about how Christians are trying to use the military as a vehicle for evangelization ... Read More
Weekly Poll: Does it Matter if God Exists?
Thursday November 15, 2007
Philosophy Fundamentals: What is Descriptive Ethics?
Wednesday November 14, 2007
The category of descriptive ethics is the easiest to understand - it simply involves describing how people behave and/or what sorts of moral standards they claim to follow. Descriptive ethics ... Read More
New Study: Chiropractic "Medicine" a "Waste of Time"
Wednesday November 14, 2007
Magical thinking, which lies behind both religion and paranormal beliefs, can also be found infiltrating science as well. There are numerous cases where some system of magical thinking is dressed ... Read More
Forum Discussion: Will the Terri Schiavo Case Affect Elections?
Wednesday November 14, 2007
When it was occurring, the Terri Schiavo case was something that everyone was talking about — if they weren't discussing Schiavo specifically, they were discussing what would happen if they ... Read More
Godless Constitution: Constitutional Law without Gods or Religion
Tuesday November 13, 2007
The Christian Right regularly claims that America is a 'Christian Nation' and was founded on Christian principles. If this is the case, then those principles should be identifiable in America's ... Read More
Islam & Alcohol: Shame and Fear of Muslims who Drink Alcohol
Tuesday November 13, 2007
It is forbidden for Muslims to drink alcohol, but as with any religion not everyone perfectly follows all the rules — especially when Muslims live in a non-Muslim society. Even ... Read More
Comment of the Week: Angry Atheists or Angry Theists?
Tuesday November 13, 2007
There are often criticisms from religious theists that atheists often seem so "angry," and there are certainly lots of good reasons for atheists to be angry. Isn't it just as ... Read More
Is Atheism a Religion? Defining Atheism and Religion
Monday November 12, 2007
Many Christians seem to believe that atheism is a religion, but no one with a fair understanding of both concepts would make such a mistake. Because it's such a common ... Read More
Perfect Creation? Possible Defect Found in the Fabric of Reality
Monday November 12, 2007
Crab NebulaPhoto: StockTrek / Getty Images
It's a standard aspect of western theology that God created the universe and our world as "perfect" — if there are any imperfections in creation, ... Read More
Book of the Week: Roswell: Inconvenient Facts and the Will to Believe
Monday November 12, 2007
Image courtesyPriceGrabber.com
So what really did happen in Roswell, New Mexico back in 1947? According to popular legend, a UFO crashed, and from the wreckage, the United States government obtained the ... Read More
Christian Privilege & Christian Supremacy: Understanding Christianism in America
Sunday November 11, 2007
One of the most significant developments in American Christianity in recent years has been Christian Nationalism. An ill-begotten blend of extreme nationalism and even more extreme Christianity, it would supplant ... Read More
Human Speech, Human Mind, and Human Evolution
Sunday November 11, 2007
Image Source: Jupiter Images
Svante Pääbo and colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig have extracted from Neanderthal fossils a gene linked to the creation of bird ... Read More
Mailbag: Apology From a Christian, Part 3
Sunday November 11, 2007
From: “Matt“
Subject: Thoughts From a Non-Stereotypical Christian
In their defense (as weak as it may be), most Christians are taught to "spread the Word," and I would imagine that's what most ... Read More
Fetus, Humanity, Personhood: When Does a Fetus Become a Human Person with Rights
Saturday November 10, 2007
Abortion is the focus of some of the most intense social, cultural, political, religious, and ethical debates in modern American society. Some regard abortion as something people should be able ... Read More
Should Christians Accept Biological Evolution? Of Course Not...
Saturday November 10, 2007
Image © Austin Cline
Original Poster:Library of Congress
The conflict between Christianity and modern science reasserts itself on a regular basis in different contexts, but for the time being at least the ... Read More
Einstein Quotes on Science & Religion: Do Science and Religion Always Conflict?
Saturday November 10, 2007
The most common interaction between science and religion seems to be conflict: science finding that religious beliefs are false and religion insisting that science mind its own business. Is it ... Read More
Church/State Fundamentals: Torcaso v. Watkins (1961)
Friday November 9, 2007
In the early 1960s, Roy Torcaso was appointed by the Governor of Maryland to the position of Notary Public. When the time came for him to actually assume his duties, ... Read More
Jim Rudd on Gays: Arrest, Imprison, and Execute Gays in the Name of God?
Friday November 9, 2007
Jim Rudd, director of the Christian Street Preachers Alliance and the editor of Covenant News, doesn't think that Christian Nationalists are doing enough to stop the horrors of homosexuality in ... Read More
God, Morality, & Principled Choices: Is Divine Command Morality Even Moral?
Friday November 9, 2007
The divine command theory of ethics is the idea that nothing is right or wrong outside of God's will. If God wills something, then it's good. If God wills that ... Read More
New Hampshire: Lawsuit Filed Against Pledge of Allegiance
Thursday November 8, 2007
Image © Austin Cline
Original Poster:University of Georgia
Court challenges against the addition of "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance don't exactly have a stellar history, but that doesn't mean they ... Read More
Christianism, Christian Nationalism: Christian Extremism, Patriotism
Thursday November 8, 2007
Christianism or Christian Nationalism is analogous to Islamism. Just as Islamists seek to reform society along Islamic, Christianists seek to reform society along Christian lines and force conformity to conservative ... Read More
I Don't Know what Militant Atheism Is...
Thursday November 8, 2007
...but it seems to exist whenever atheists assert themselves. I read the following recently, and it struck me as rather appropriate:
"I myself have never been able to find out precisely ... Read More
Weekly Poll: Conflict Between Science and Religion
Thursday November 8, 2007
Christian Love? Church Takes Away Burial Plots When Man Stops "Donating"
Wednesday November 7, 2007
In Conroy, Iowa, Wayne Lienen seems to have learned a real lesson in Christian love: because he drifted away from the Trinity Lutheran Church after his wife died, he was ... Read More
Christmas in America: Atheists, the Christian Right, and Christmas Traditions
Wednesday November 7, 2007
Perhaps the mid-winter holiday season centered around Christmas should be a time of festivities, but in America many other things intrude as well. Atheists are faced with questions about whether ... Read More
Hans Zeiger: Boycott Philadelphia for Promoting Equality
Wednesday November 7, 2007
The rhetoric from apologists for Boy Scout bigotry towards atheists and gays has adopted an interesting feature: when public and private institutions refuse to give the Boy Scouts special privileges, ... Read More
Forum Discussion: Religious Fervor and War Enthusiasm
Wednesday November 7, 2007
It is interesting how often religion and warfare coincide — not just that religion provides excuses for war, but also that religion fails to act as an impediment to war. ... Read More
Conservatives Against Religion in Politics... When it Embarrasses Them!
Tuesday November 6, 2007
A cornerstone of the GOP's electoral success over the past three decades has been the fervent support of the Christian Right — a religious, cultural, social, and political movement dedicated ... Read More
Atheism Basics: Online Dictionary Definitions of Atheism
Tuesday November 6, 2007
When debating atheism online, people often rely on various online dictionaries. These are references which everyone has equal access to, unlike printed dictionaries which people may not have at all ... Read More
Religious Freedom vs. Abuse of Religious Power
Tuesday November 6, 2007
There is a growing conflict between the protection of religious liberty of individual believers and the prevention of abuse of power by religious organizations. One area of debate is the ... Read More
Comment of the Week: Coming Out of the Closet as an Atheist
Tuesday November 6, 2007
One topic that receives much attention and discussion among atheists is coming out of the closet and revealing one's disbelief in gods to family, friends, coworkers, and others. Often this ... Read More
State Supports Christian Parents Indoctrinating Foster Kids into Homophobia
Monday November 5, 2007
Once again, Christian homophobia and bigotry have come into conflict with government needs to promote equality — and this time, Christian bigotry has won. Vince Matherick is a 65-year-old minister ... Read More
Parapsychology: Argument from Ignorance in Parapsychology
Monday November 5, 2007
In genuine science, no one argues that a lack of alternative explanations is by itself a sufficient reason to consider their theories correct and accurate. In pseudoscience, such arguments are ... Read More
Islamism vs. Muslims
Monday November 5, 2007
Religious extremists commonly claim to represent the interests of and to be fighting on behalf of fellow believers, but they aren't. What they really represent is the alleged desires of ... Read More
Book of the Week: The Transcendental Temptation: A Critique of Religion and the Paranormal
Monday November 5, 2007
Image courtesy PriceGrabber.com
Is there some basic connection between religious beliefs and paranormal beliefs? Some commonality which helps explain not only their similarities, but also why they have been so appealing ... Read More
Pope Benedict XVI: Pharmacists Should Make Moral Decisions for Customers
Sunday November 4, 2007
Pope Benedict XVI in Loreto, ItalyPhoto: Giuseppe Cacace / Getty Images
How many people still believe that pharmacists trying to be excused from doing their job are only doing so for ... Read More
Places in the Bible: Megiddo - Will Armageddon Occur Here?
Sunday November 4, 2007
Megiddo is an ancient city which is today associated with the Tell el-Mutesellim. Occupation of the site can be traced to the early 4th millennium BCE. It is most famous ... Read More
Atheists Have No Reason to be Moral; Therefore, Atheists Should Have No Rights
Sunday November 4, 2007
The belief that atheists have no reason to behave morally isn't just a myth and it isn't just an example of anti-atheist bigotry. Ideas have consequences, and this idea can ... Read More
Mailbag: Apology From a Christian, Part 2
Sunday November 4, 2007
From: “Matt“
Subject: Thoughts From a Non-Stereotypical Christian
Atheism is the default perspective (well...agnostic atheism at least) when you look at it logically. It assumes nothing. The difference between your belief system ... Read More
American Superstition: Majority Reads Bible Stories as Literal History
Saturday November 3, 2007
Many religious theists — primarily Christians — respond to atheists' critiques of religion by insisting that atheists are only criticizing vulgar, literalistic forms of religion which are restricted to fundamentalists. ... Read More
Liberation Theology: Catholic Liberation Theology in Latin-America
Saturday November 3, 2007
The primary architect of liberation theology in the Latin-American and Catholic context is Gustavo Gutierrez. A Catholic priest who grew up in grinding poverty in Peru, Gutierrez employed Marx’s critiques ... Read More
Bob Jones University: Pistols OK, Jazz Not OK
Saturday November 3, 2007
Bob Jones University has long been a bulwark of extreme fundamentalism in America — they are so fundamentalist, they make other fundamentalists look like liberals. The rules for students, like ... Read More
Christians on Hitler & Nazis: Quotes from Christians Supporting Hitler
Saturday November 3, 2007
American Christians seem to be completely unaware of the degree to which Christians in Germany threw their support behind Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. If they did, they might ... Read More
Rome: Church to Evict Poor Families to Get Higher Rent
Friday November 2, 2007
The Vatican and Roman Catholic leaders like to talk a lot about how Christianity and Catholicism are so dedicated to serving the poor and less fortunate in society, but when ... Read More
What Do Atheists Say About Religion & Christianity? Are Atheists Anti-Religion?
Friday November 2, 2007
Because atheists are so often seen critiquing religion, it's common for religious theists to wonder what atheists really think about religion and why. The truth is complex, however, because there ... Read More
Militant Feminism vs. Militant Atheism
Friday November 2, 2007
Some people like to complain about so-called "militant" atheism, but they can only do so on the basis of reducing the concept of "militant" to little more than forcefully advocating ... Read More
Bible Commentary: Dating and Origins of Mark’s Gospel
Friday November 2, 2007
Because of the reference to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE (Mark 13:2), most scholars believe that Mark was written some time during the war between ... Read More
Padre Pio Faked Stigmata with Carbolic Acid? No, Because Pope is Infallible
Thursday November 1, 2007
Maria De Vito was the cousin of a pharmacist and, according to a book by Italian historian Sergio Luzzatto, she supplied Padre Pio with carbolic acid and that he used ... Read More
Female Ovulation & Human Evolution
Thursday November 1, 2007
Human females don't display their fertility status like other female animals do — or do they? Geoffrey Miller of the University of New Mexico decided to do some studies of ... Read More
Weekly Poll: Is Abortion Shameful?
Thursday November 1, 2007