Coming Out to Friends & Neighbors: Should You Reveal Your Atheism to Friends?
Thursday December 31, 2009
Not all atheists have revealed their atheism to their friends and neighbors. Religious theism is so widespread, and distrust of atheists so prevalent, that many people can't tell the full ... Read More
Stephen Prothero: Sexist Bigot as well as Anti-Atheist Bigot
Thursday December 31, 2009
Defense of religious privilege is frequently accompanied by defenses of other sorts of privilege: gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. This is because those other types of privilege are typically justified ... Read More
Why Don't Theists Believe What Atheists Tell Them About Atheism?
Wednesday December 30, 2009
Most atheists who have had discussions with religious theists, especially Christians, about religion, theism, and atheism have probably experienced this. The atheist explains something about their own atheism (like why ... Read More
Believers' Objections to Atheism are Moral, Not Evidentiary
Wednesday December 30, 2009
When atheists debate the existence of gods with theists, there's a good chance that the entire debate is irrelevant and going in the wrong direction. The reason for this is ... Read More
Commercial Tax Exemptions for Church Businesses
Tuesday December 29, 2009
Tax exemptions on church property used for specific worship purposes or religious work may be most easily defended because of the charitable and community work performed. Serious problems come into ... Read More
New Atheism vs. New New Atheism
Tuesday December 29, 2009
It's long been obvious that there is nothing substantively "new" about the so-called "New Atheism." If you ask any of the critics of New Atheism just what it is about ... Read More
Comment of the Week: Family and the Holidays
Tuesday December 29, 2009
When it comes to religious holidays like Christmas and even some non-religious holidays like Thanksgiving, there's a lot of potential for conflict between atheists and religious family members. If you're ... Read More
Myth: Atheists are Rebelling Against the Church, Religious Institutions, Leaders
Monday December 28, 2009
It is true that there are people who have become atheists due to anger at their church and/or religious institutions generally. It is also true that some of these same ... Read More
People Ascribe Beliefs to God, Create Their God in Their Image
Monday December 28, 2009
Religious theists typically say and believe that their moral compass is ultimately derived from their god -- even if they must admit that it has come to them through religious ... Read More
Debating the 6 Biblical Proofs of the Watchtower Society & Jehovah's Witnesses
Sunday December 27, 2009
The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society argues it is the True Religion on the basis of six biblical requirements that only they allegedly meet. Atheists may debate these biblical proofs ... Read More
Senator Ben Nelson: Catholic Bishops Need to Review, Approve Federal Legislation
Sunday December 27, 2009
I wrote not long ago about how members of Congress like Jason Altmire are apparently casting their votes based on instructions from Catholic bishops. Now, though, it appears that the ... Read More
Mailbag: The Clock is Ticking
Sunday December 27, 2009
From: "Nasar"
Subject: Ignorant Site
Your site is the most ignorant site on the internet and i shall push for its closure. Your information is not based on any evidence whatsoever. And ... Read More
Christians' Vicious War on Christmas
Saturday December 26, 2009
Atheists and humanists are frequently accused of waging a "war" on Christmas, but somehow they haven't managed to damage or do anything to Christmas at all -- Christmas still exists ... Read More
Mike Huckabee Believes God is Behind Him: Is God a Mike Huckabee Partisan?
Saturday December 26, 2009
The surprising success of Mike Huckabee in the Republican primaries forced pundits to confront the power of the Republican Party's base of evangelical Christians and produced a variety of explanations. ... Read More
Jane Gilvary: It's Denigrating when Atheists Voice their Opinions
Friday December 25, 2009
It's simultaneously depressing and amusing to see Christians blow a fuse over atheists doing little more than expressing an opinion and/or being public about what they think. One might get ... Read More
Merry Christmas! Wanna Make Something of It, Punk?
Thursday December 24, 2009
Some Christians' obsession with people using "Happy Holidays" rather than "Merry Christmas" causes them to act as if the issue were something like an ethnic identity. Happy Holidays still includes ... Read More
Celebrating a Secular Christmas
Wednesday December 23, 2009
Many Christians believe that Christmas is inherently religious and Christian, which means that it cannot be celebrated in a secular or otherwise non-Christian manner. This is easily refuted by pointing ... Read More
Forum Discussion: Atheists & Christmas Commercialism
Wednesday December 23, 2009
Atheists approach religious holidays in a variety of ways. Many atheists ignore religious holidays because they wish to divest themselves of all the trappings of religion. Others rejects the holidays ... Read More
Matthew vs. Luke: Disentangling the Gospel Contradictions
Tuesday December 22, 2009
December is a time of the year when many people think about the nativity stories about Jesus -- but do they think very closely and carefully? If they do, they ... Read More
Comment of the Week: Atheists in the Christmas Closet
Tuesday December 22, 2009
Many atheists debate whether they should celebrate Christmas in a "traditional" manner, celebrate in some other way, or just ignore the holiday entirely. There are decent arguments for all perspectives ... Read More
Christ vs. Christmas
Monday December 21, 2009
What does Christ have to do with Christmas? Many religious conservatives complain that modern liberalism and secularism have driven Christ from Christmas, but if we take a closer look at ... Read More
Imitation of Culture; Culture of Imitation
Sunday December 20, 2009
Is American politics following American culture by creating images and ideas that have no basis in reality? Postmodernist critiques of American culture as creating "imitation reality" that determines "real reality" ... Read More
Mailbag: Fear God
Sunday December 20, 2009
From: "Nancy"
Subject: HMMM....
well all i can say is....man do you have a lot of false information on your websight..i must say that it disturbed me very much to know taht ... Read More
Christmas Wars as Tribal Conflict
Saturday December 19, 2009
Many have wondered why religious conservatives have been making such a big deal about "Merry Christmas" the past few years. There have been complaints in the past about the lack ... Read More
Sarah Palin on Religion, Science, Secularism, Church/State Separation
Saturday December 19, 2009
Alaska Gov. Sarah PalinAugust 31, 2008 in O'Fallon, MissouriPhoto: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
When John McCain announced that Sarah Palin would be his vice-presidential running mate for his presidential campaign, an unusual ... Read More
Taking Christmas Out of Christianity
Friday December 18, 2009
Many religious conservatives complain about how liberals are trying to take Christianity out of Christmas, but should Christmas even be in Christianity to begin with? There are Christians today who ... Read More
Abortion & Shame: How Christians Use Guilt, Shame to Control, Intimidate Women
Friday December 18, 2009
Should the decision to have an abortion be treated as a valid, moral, and even normal choice in a woman's life? Many people don't think so, and that includes Christians ... Read More
Fiction & Storytelling as an Evolutionary Adaptation
Thursday December 17, 2009
Scientists usually seem to focus on environmental and biological pressures that drive evolution because these are the most relevant and important sources of selection pressure for most animals. When it ... Read More
Atheists at Christmas: Should Atheists and Humanists Reject Christmas?
Wednesday December 16, 2009
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 getting to the point where Christmas is ... Read More
Michael Otterson: It's Wrong for Humanists to Criticize Christians
Tuesday December 15, 2009
Some religious believers really can't seem to handle any sort of criticism of their religious beliefs. Granted, I doubt anyone actually enjoys criticism which feels personal, but the reality is ... Read More
Comment of the Week: What is the Meaning of Christmas?
Tuesday December 15, 2009
The so-called "War on Christmas" is ultimately about power -- specifically, whether traditionalist Christians will have the cultural, social, and political power to define the meaning and nature of the ... Read More
Susan K. Smith: Saying We Can Be Good Without God is Bad, Intrusive
Monday December 14, 2009
It's been a while since I've seen someone basically tell atheists that they need to sit down and shut up instead of expressing their beliefs or ideas, but now we ... Read More
Maryville Chooses to Follow Law; Christians No Longer Want to Play
Sunday December 13, 2009
For 22 years, government officials in Maryville, Tennessee have incorporated Bible reading into their annual holiday celebrations. This year, for the first time, a resident finally thought to ask whether ... Read More
Mailbag: Origins
Sunday December 13, 2009
From: "Geoffrey"
Subject: Where Did We Come From?
Evolution? Don't make me laugh, you need more faith to believe in that than God.
It's common for many Christian creationists to try and ... Read More
Evangelist Offers Religious Pamphlet to Woman, Shoots Man in Stomach
Saturday December 12, 2009
Most evangelists don't pull a gun on the people they are proselytizing to, but perhaps you shouldn't always assume that evangelists aren't armed and dangerous. Jack Sebade tried to give ... Read More
Defending Gay Marriage Against Conservative, Religious Attacks & Bigotry
Saturday December 12, 2009
Dignity & LoveAnti-Prop 8 Protest in PittsburghPhoto © Bonnie Cline, 2008
On November 15, 2008, people in major cities all over America marched in protest of the passage of Proposition 8 ... Read More
Asheville Bigots: Christians Seek to Bar Atheist from City Council Seat
Friday December 11, 2009
The Supreme Court invalided laws and constitutional provisions baring atheists from public office all the way back in 1961 (Torcaso v Watkins). Any individual laws had to be stricken from ... Read More
Pentecostalism & Anxiety: Does Pentecostal Christianity Increase Anxiety?
Friday December 11, 2009
Religion is sometimes presented as an important means by which people can cope with the problems they face in life, but religion can also add or magnify problems. People aren't ... Read More
10 Things You Don't Know About Jehovah's Witnesses
Thursday December 10, 2009
Some atheists enjoy debating religion and have a lot of experience with traditional Christian doctrines, but they may find themselves unprepared for that Jehovah's Witness who comes knocking at their ... Read More
Religious Standards vs. Scientific Standards
Thursday December 10, 2009
In attempts to contrast religion against science, one matter which should probably receive more attention is the extreme difference in standards. Religion is frequently portrayed as a system for inculcating ... Read More
Weekly Poll: Should Joseph Ratzinger Have Been Elected Pope Benedict XVI?
Thursday December 10, 2009
Myth: All Atheists are Bigoted Against Christians, Hate Christianity
Wednesday December 9, 2009
This myth is similar to the claim that atheists are anti-Christian because of the time they spend on critiquing Christianity; it is, however, a more general assertion and merits being ... Read More
Archbishop Apuron: Muslim Execution of Gays Shows Homosexuality Must Be Wrong
Wednesday December 9, 2009
Extremists of various religions can sometimes have more in common with each other than with more moderate adherents of the same religion. This is especially true when it comes to ... Read More
Forum Discussion: Responding to Religious Sympathy
Wednesday December 9, 2009
It's hardly surprising for one religious believer to offer religious sympathies to another religious believer in the event of some tragedy. But how should an atheist respond to this? Atheists ... Read More
Backlash Against Religious Tax Exemption Laws
Tuesday December 8, 2009
It is a fact of law that charitable organizations, including churches, which have tax-exempt status are not allowed to participate in political campaigns on behalf of political candidates. A focus ... Read More
Psychiatric Disorders, Dopamine, and Time Perception
Tuesday December 8, 2009
If the human mind really is a product of an immaterial, supernatural soul, why do we always find material, biological causes for mental problems and events? These discoveries need to ... Read More
Comment of the Week: Religion & Indoctrination
Tuesday December 8, 2009
Although there is interesting evidence that children are born prepared to adopt a variety of supernatural beliefs, the fact is children aren't born already believing in any gods and they ... Read More
Irish Catholic Church Admits Sex Abuse Cover Up, Apologizes
Monday December 7, 2009
An inquiry released several months ago by the Irish government revealed that sexual abuse was "endemic" in schools, orphanages, and hospitals run by the Catholic Church. It also described how ... Read More
Book of the Week: Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land: A History of Church and State in America
Monday December 7, 2009
Image courtesyPriceGrabber.com
The principle that church and state are both best served when they remain separated has long been a guiding principle in American public and political life -- or has ... Read More
What Would it Take for Atheists to Believe in God? What Would Make You Believe?
Sunday December 6, 2009
Atheists are frequently asked what it would take for them to finally believe in the existence of some god. That's a difficult question to answer because "god" can mean so ... Read More
Democracy & Ethnic Cleansing
Sunday December 6, 2009
Mass murder for political or religious reasons is nothing new, but "ethnic cleansing" seems to have become more common at the same time that western-style democracies have expanded their reach. ... Read More
Mailbag: Atheism and Homosexuality
Sunday December 6, 2009
From: "Mike"
Subject: Gay Stuff
WHAT ON EARTH IS ALL THIS GAY_GAY_GAY STUFF.?????..Just because we refuse to be the victims of the hucksters of religious fantasy doesn't mean we think homosexuality is ... Read More
What is Atheism? How is Atheism Defined?
Saturday December 5, 2009
The more common understanding of atheism among atheists is "not believing in any gods." No claims or denials are made -- an atheist is a person who is not a ... Read More
Julia Child, Conservative?
Saturday December 5, 2009
With people like Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh serving as the very public face of American conservatism today, it's understandable that conservatism would develop a bad reputation -- but we ... Read More
Bible Commentary: Jesus Commissions the Eleven & Ascends (Mark 16:14-20)
Saturday December 5, 2009
Jesus' commissioning of his remaining eleven disciples describes the post-resurrection ministry in a manner completely unlikely anything found elsewhere in the gospels. It draws upon a number of other gospel ... Read More
Who Are the Atheists? What Does Being an Atheist Mean?
Friday December 4, 2009
There are a lot of misunderstandings about who atheists are, what they believe, and what they don't believe. People become atheists for many different reasons. Being an atheist isn't a ... Read More
Executing Gays: American Evangelical Christians Behind Uganda Evil
Friday December 4, 2009
Homosexuality is already a crime in Uganda, with punishments going up to life in prison, but politicians in Uganda are looking to making life even worse for gays. Under newly ... Read More
Mike Huckabee: Ten Commandments are the Basis for American Law
Friday December 4, 2009
Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee
Conservative Political Action Conference, 2/9/08
Photo: Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images
A key issue for the Christian Right is installing Ten Commandments monuments and displays in public buildings. The purpose is ... Read More
Philosophy Profile - Aesthetics: The Philosophy of Art, Beauty and Perception
Thursday December 3, 2009
Aesthetics is the study of beauty and taste, whether in the form of the comic, the tragic or the sublime. The word derives from the Greek aisthetikos, meaning 'of sense ... Read More
Brian Del Turco: Public Education Requires God, Christianity
Thursday December 3, 2009
Can you get a good education without being Christian? Can you be a moral person without being a Christian? These should be ridiculous questions that couldn't possibly be answered in ... Read More
Weekly Poll: How Do You Define Atheism?
Thursday December 3, 2009
Myth: Atheism is Just a Phase You're Going Through, Atheism for the Immature
Wednesday December 2, 2009
This sort of question is asked much more often of young atheists than of adults, perhaps because young people do go through a number of 'phases' during which they explore ... Read More
Conscious Brain Activity Observed, Physical Location Identified
Wednesday December 2, 2009
If our "consciousness" is the mystery which theists proclaim, explainable only through the supernatural and the existence of a "spirit" rather than through purely material processes, then it doesn't seem ... Read More
Forum Discussion: Obsessing Over Arguments
Wednesday December 2, 2009
Many atheists end up in frequent discussions, debates, and arguments with theists over religion, gods, and related issues. Regardless of how the arguments go -- and even if they go ... Read More
Religious Tax Exemptions vs. Government Policies
Tuesday December 1, 2009
Most people are aware that a church or religious organization can lose their tax exempt status for engaging in partisan political activity, like endorsing a political candidate. What many aren't ... Read More
Criticism of Religion is not Anti-Religion
Tuesday December 1, 2009
The complaint that atheist critics of religion are "militant" or "fundamentalist" is sometimes accompanied by the claim that atheists are anti-religion in a way that's hostile to religious believers. It's ... Read More
Comment of the Week: Should Children Pledge Allegiance?
Tuesday December 1, 2009
Atheists frequently discuss the appropriateness and legality of having the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, but it's also worth discussing whether we should have any sort of ... Read More