Atheism Basics: Belief and Choice
Tuesday January 31, 2012
Is belief really just a matter of choice? A lot of arguments from Christians seem to assume that it is - they tell atheists that they have "chosen" not to ... Read More
Jake Russel Wants You to Hate Atheists
Tuesday January 31, 2012
Do you hate atheists? If so, then OSU football player Jake Russell (#21, punter) might just want to be your friend. He recently posted to Twitter: "my roommate xxx xxx ... Read More
Comment of the Week: Blasphemy & Slander
Tuesday January 31, 2012
Some religious believers think that they can use accusations of "blasphemy" to silence critics of their religion. One essential problem with making a legal case out of that, though, is ... Read More
Muslim Raped Women for Being Out Late
Monday January 30, 2012
In London, a man named Sunny Islam has been jailed for sexually assaulting at least four women over the course of several months, all because he wanted to "teach them ... Read More
Book of the Week: Bad Faith: The Danger of Religious Extremism
Monday January 30, 2012
Image courtesyPriceGrabber.com
Anyone studying religion is immediately and unavoidably faced with a difficult dilemma: believers report that their religion is a source for morality and values in their lives - and ... Read More
Baalbek: Temple of Jupiter Baal: Site of Worship of Canaanite God Baal
Sunday January 29, 2012
Image Source:Library of Congress
Ancient records have nothing at all to say about Baalbek, it seems, though human habitation there is quite old. Archaeological digs reveal evidence of human habitation at ... Read More
Newt Gingrich: There is a War on Religion
Sunday January 29, 2012
During a recent appearance on Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network, Newt Gingrich explained why he thinks he's getting more popular among evangelical voters despite being a Catholic, a serial adulterer, ... Read More
Mailbag: Insidiousness Nature of the Cult of Atheism
Sunday January 29, 2012
From: Brooks A.
Subject: Nothing
I'm not so sophomoric as to point out that the suffix "ism" by definition entails "indicating a belief or principal" (or am I?). I will instead point ... Read More
Gay Marriage vs. Interracial Marriage: Why is One a Threat & the Other a Right?
Saturday January 28, 2012
Gay Marriage & Interracial MarriageAnti-Prop 8 Protest in PittsburghPhoto © Bonnie Cline, 2008
A lot of people oppose the legalization of gay marriages because they believe that it poses a serious ... Read More
Juliane Collins: Atheism is Cult-Like
Saturday January 28, 2012
It's pretty common to find religious theists accusing atheists of having a religion, but it's a bit less common to see the label "cult" used. Juliane Collins thought it was ... Read More
How Can We Get More Accurate Numbers of Atheists in America?
Saturday January 28, 2012
Getting accurate surveys about atheists and even just the numbers of atheists is difficult given how much animus there is towards atheists and atheism. What information we do have, however, ... Read More
Manal Abul Hassan: Undignified for Women to March for Woman's Rights
Friday January 27, 2012
According to Manal Abul Hassan, a female leader in Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), it is an "affront" to women's "dignity" when women march in defense of ... Read More
Joshua & Genocide - Book of Joshua as a Manual for Genocide
Friday January 27, 2012
The Book of Joshua depicts a genocidal campaign against the people of Canaan. These Canaanites never attacked any Israelites, never enslaved any Israelites, and aren't shown ever doing anything to ... Read More
Religious Privilege & Anti-Atheist Bigotry are Two Sides of the Same Coin
Thursday January 26, 2012
Bigotry isn't just a matter of treating one group as inferior, but also of treating another group as superior. Anti-atheist bigotry can be expressed by telling atheists that they aren't ... Read More
Spiritualism vs. Christianity
Thursday January 26, 2012
Both spiritualism and traditional Christianity share the belief that there exists an eternal soul which moves on to a spiritual realm after physical death. Technically, though, they are not strictly ... Read More
Weekly Poll: Study of Religion and Religious History
Thursday January 26, 2012
Christians: We Aren't Perfect, We're Just Better than You
Wednesday January 25, 2012
Photo © istockphoto/Dan WiltonPoster © Austin Cline
Have you ever seen Christian bumper stickers that says something like "not perfect, just saved"? I suppose the owner imagines that this is an ... Read More
Homo Sapiens, the Uneasy Species
Wednesday January 25, 2012
Humans seem to be the only species that is "uneasy" with it's situation. Every species encounters hardships, but only humans seem to be actively anxious and upset about their hardships, ... Read More
Forum Discussion: The 10 Guidelines of Atheism
Wednesday January 25, 2012
If atheists are "dogmatic" then what are they being dogmatic about? If atheists are "fundamentalist" then what are they being fundamentalist about? It's tough for anti-atheist activists to construct substantive ... Read More
Does God Exist? Argument from Scriptures
Tuesday January 24, 2012
Some popular apologists argue that their particular holy books qualify as evidence supporting their claims that their god(s) exist. One method might be to point to the supernatural events recorded ... Read More
Is the Lord's Prayer a Christian Prayer?
Tuesday January 24, 2012
As bizarre as it might sound, Christians are actually trying to argue that "The Lord's Prayer" isn't really a Christian prayer. It's part of a lawsuit in Sussex County, Delaware, ... Read More
Comment of the Week: Easter & Christianity
Tuesday January 24, 2012
For several years now Christians have been making a big deal about the so-called "War on Christmas" as part of their effort to assume control or ownership of the holiday. ... Read More
Florists Refuse to Deliver Flowers to Jessica Ahlquist
Monday January 23, 2012
You may have heard that Jessica Ahlquist won her case to get a prayer banner removed from her high school. As you might expect, she's experiencing a lot of "love" ... Read More
Book of the Week: Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever
Monday January 23, 2012
Image courtesyPriceGrabber.com
The popularity of books by atheists about atheism will, hopefully, create more interest in older works about atheism. There is a lot out there for people who are interested ... Read More
Civil Marriage & Civil Law: Gay Marriage Determines the Future of Civil Law
Sunday January 22, 2012
Civil Marriage & Civil LawAnti-Prop 8 Protest in PittsburghPhoto © Bonnie Cline, 2008
The debate over gay marriage is about more than just the status of gay couples. It's also about ... Read More
America Founded as a Scientific Nation
Sunday January 22, 2012
Many conservative Christians insist that America was founded as a Christian Nation, despite the absence of any evidence that would support this. In contrast, there is some evidence for the ... Read More
Mailbag: Shattered Visage
Sunday January 22, 2012
From: "hiltop"
Subject: I was wondering...
Have you ever read the book 'A Shattered Visage'? It has challenged atheism to the core such that many are flocking out left and right; namely ... Read More
Readers' Choice Awards - Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Blog of 2011
Sunday January 22, 2012
It wouldn't be the internet anymore if we didn't have blogs, would it? There are a lot of great atheist and agnostic blogs out there exploring all facets of religion, ... Read More
Roman Heliopolis & Temple Site at Baalbek in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley
Saturday January 21, 2012
Image Source:Library of Congress
Located in Lebanon's Beqaa valley, 86 km northeast of Beirut and 60 km from the Mediterranean coast, Baalbek is one of the best least-known Roman sites in ... Read More
Getting Conservative Christians To Accept Scientific Reality
Saturday January 21, 2012
The resistance of conservative Christians to basic science and scientific facts is well documented by this point. So the question becomes: how do you get conservative Christians to accept reality? ... Read More
Are You an Atheist or Agnostic Who Feels Deeply Spiritual?
Saturday January 21, 2012
A significant percentage of atheists and agnostics in America report in surveys that they are deeply spiritual. Do you consider yourself to be one of the 25% of atheists and ... Read More
Catholic Bishop: UNESCO Conspiring to Make Half the World Gay
Friday January 20, 2012
In Spain, Bishop Demetrio Fernández of Córdoba has alleged that UNESCO is trying to make half the world gay. Remember, this isn't some fringe political or religious figure; no, this ... Read More
Agnosticism & Philosophy - Philosophical Foundations for Agnosticism
Friday January 20, 2012
Agnosticism is not itself a philosophy, but a relevant and respectable agnosticism will be founded upon two philosophical principles: one epistemological and one ethical. A person's agnosticism should thus be ... Read More
Malicious Claims About Atheists: A Sign of Just How Despised Atheists Are?
Thursday January 19, 2012
There is some debate over just how despised and hated atheists really are in America. Surveys reveal more distrust and animus towards atheists than towards almost any other group, but ... Read More
Readers' Choice Awards - Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Podcast of 2011
Thursday January 19, 2012
There's a lot of great information being passed around on podcasts today and it's a shame that there isn't enough time to listen to them all! So help out your ... Read More
Ongoing Human Evolution
Thursday January 19, 2012
Humans like us have existed for around 200,000 years -- moving from hunter-gathers to early settlements to the large-scale civilization we know today. And how much evolution has occurred in ... Read More
Weekly Poll: Is Religion Necessary for Morality and Ethics?
Thursday January 19, 2012
Religious Authority: Blasphemy as Spiritual Conflict
Wednesday January 18, 2012
Whereas apostasy and heresy involve directly conflicts between social groups, whether within religious communities or between religious communities, blasphemy is conceived as a conflict between humans and the divine. Specifically, ... Read More
California University of Pennsylvania Favoring Religious Believers
Wednesday January 18, 2012
The California University of Pennsylvania thinks it is legal and reasonable to offer special discounts to members of churches. Why? No one is saying -- apparently this program for privileging ... Read More
Forum Discussion: Convincing Theists Atheists Are Okay
Wednesday January 18, 2012
Christians attacking atheism and atheists is a pretty common phenomenon, but how easy is it to convince such Christians that atheism is not inherently immoral? How easy is it to ... Read More
Christians & Gay Marriage: Faith-Based Bigotry Against Gay Marriage & Equality
Tuesday January 17, 2012
Christians for Gay MarriageAnti-Prop 8 Protest in PittsburghPhoto © Bonnie Cline, 2008
I think that the real reason why most (if not all) conservative believers oppose gay rights and gay marriage ... Read More
Frank Borzellieri Fired for Racism from Catholic School
Tuesday January 17, 2012
Frank Borzellieri was principal at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in the Bronx. He also has ties to white supremacists and has written that blacks -- who make up ... Read More
Comment of the Week: Religious Violence vs. Perceived Injustice
Tuesday January 17, 2012
Whenever you see people using religion to justify violence, they are also typically using some alleged injustice to justify their violence. This is how those committing violent acts are most ... Read More
Fetus Love: Christian Right's Abortion Politics Furthers Patriarchy
Monday January 16, 2012
Image CourtesyPricegrabber.com
Conservative Christians in America can exhibit a strange obsession with fetuses. They appear to be willing to sacrifice any level of women's personal autonomy and civil rights in the ... Read More
Women Barred from Addressing Gynecology Conference in Israel
Monday January 16, 2012
A conference on "Innovations in Gynecology/Obstetrics and Halacha [Jewish law]" was held in Jerusalem and it covered important developments in medical treatments for women. Obviously there are plenty of women ... Read More
Book of the Week: American Theocracy: Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, Borrowed Money
Monday January 16, 2012
Image courtesyPriceGrabber.com
The power and influence of America's Christian Right is an important story, but it's not the whole explanation for the political success of the Republican Party - nor is ... Read More
Godless Ethics, Morality, and Values: Do Godless Morals & Values Exist?
Sunday January 15, 2012
It's common for religious theists to claim that their religious morality is far superior to secular, atheistic, and godless morality. Of course everyone prefers their own religious morality and the ... Read More
Christian Terrorists Continue to Attack America
Sunday January 15, 2012
Bobby Joe Rogers has been charged by police in Florida with firebombing a family planning clinic. If Rogers had been a Muslim who firebombed a synagogue, he'd be immediately branded ... Read More
Mailbag: Why Are You An Atheist?
Sunday January 15, 2012
From: "Joel"
Subject: None
I am wondering: why do you believe what you believe? Who or what or what event caused you to embrace atheism and secular humanism? I've had many wonderful ... Read More
Sidon: Why Sidon Was More Important than Tyre for a Time
Saturday January 14, 2012
Image Source:Jupiter Images
Sidon's advantages over other Phoenicians cities like Tyre seems to have rested with its access to the fertile Beqa and north-south overland trade routes. Sidonian forces are even ... Read More
Buncombe Schools May Change Policy Rather Than Allow Pagan Spell Books
Saturday January 14, 2012
When Ginger Strivelli's son brought home a Gideon Bible from school she called to complain. Principal Jackie Byerly defended herself by saying that the Gideons simply dropped the books off ... Read More
Atheists Who Believe in Gods? Agnostics Who Are Certain About Gods?
Saturday January 14, 2012
Are there good reasons why a person might describe themselves as an atheist yet also say that they believe in God? Are there good reasons why a person might describe ... Read More
Why Should Atheists Learn Philosophy? How Can Atheists Learn From Philosophy?
Friday January 13, 2012
Each branch of philosophy has some relevance to atheism, atheists, and the critiques which irreligious atheists use to challenge religion, religious beliefs, and theism. Some branches are more relevant than ... Read More
Catholic Bishop Resigns Over Secret Children
Friday January 13, 2012
The Catholic Church has invested heavily over the years to hide child predators in the priesthood, moving them around so they can rape more and more children in new parishes. ... Read More
Believers in an Active God Believe in an Inactive Government
Friday January 13, 2012
A Gallup survey found a strong correlation between belief in an active God which has a plan for individuals and believing that the government shouldn't be too active in helping ... Read More
Liberation Movements: Atheology as an Instrument of Liberation in Society
Thursday January 12, 2012
Criticism of religion is a prerequisite of liberation because religion helps preserve, defend, or justify oppressive systems. Even believers who support liberation must engage and critique traditional forms of their ... Read More
Orthodox Jewish View of Women
Thursday January 12, 2012
When confronted with faith-based extremism and hate, religious apologists frequently insist that that isn't "real" religion and that extremists are taking things out of context. In the case of the ... Read More
Weekly Poll: Do Atheists Support Teaching Intelligent Design?
Thursday January 12, 2012
Modernized, Rationalized Bonds of Office: Rational, Legal, and Professional Authority
Wednesday January 11, 2012
Aspects of rationalized or legal authority can be found throughout human history, but it has achieved the most widespread acceptance in the modern industrialized era. Probably the most pure form ... Read More
Nature, Not Gods, Makes Humans and Human Life Possible
Wednesday January 11, 2012
Worship of nature may not seem to make any more sense than worship of alleged gods, but nature has something over gods: we can verify and know that nature is ... Read More
Forum Discussion: Atheists, Theists, and Children
Wednesday January 11, 2012
Have you ever noticed that religious families tend to have a lot of children whereas atheist families have fewer or even no children? It's an interesting trend, but what if ... Read More
Coming Out to Coworkers & Employers: Should You Reveal Your Atheism at Work?
Tuesday January 10, 2012
Revealing atheism to anyone can lead to problems, but revealing atheism to employers or coworkers comes with unique problems not associated with revealing atheism to family or friends. People at ... Read More
Acknowledging Variety in Religions & Religious Traditions
Tuesday January 10, 2012
Both atheists and theists have an unfortunate tendency to treat religions as if they were monolithic -- as if there were just one thing labeled "Christianity" or "Islam". This is ... Read More
Comment of the Week: Religious Education & Atheism
Tuesday January 10, 2012
The religious differences between Europe and America are quite stark -- atheism is more common in Europe but among atheists a more assertive form of atheism is more common in ... Read More
Why Should Atheists Be More Skeptical? Why is Skepticism Relevant to Atheism?
Monday January 9, 2012
Atheism is only the absence of belief in gods, so there is nothing self-contradictory if atheists believe in astrology, alien abductions, Bigfoot, psychic powers, and a host of other mystical, ... Read More
Threatened Masculinity and Threatened Christianity
Monday January 9, 2012
There is evidence that when a man's masculinity is threatened or just perceived as threatened, then that man will overcompensate in order to reassert his masculinity and perhaps even reassert ... Read More
Book of the Week: God, the Devil, and Darwin: A Critique of Intelligent Design Theory
Monday January 9, 2012
Image courtesyPriceGrabber.com
Intelligent Design may simply be another and newer form of age-old creationism, but it's been one of the more popular and successful forms of creationism. It has managed to ... Read More
Godless Morality & Ethics: Being Good Without Gods or Religion is Possible
Sunday January 8, 2012
Can there be a godless morality? Can we assert a superiority for a godless morality over traditional, theistic, and religious morality? Yes, I think that this is possible. Unfortunately, few ... Read More
America Needs Religious Political Parties?
Sunday January 8, 2012
Evangelical Christians have been engaged in a concerted effort to take over the Republican Party for a number of years. They haven't entirely succeeded yet, but they are getting closer ... Read More
Mailbag: God Created Us
Sunday January 8, 2012
From: "Jessica"
Subject: I am not happy with ur site
I see ur a ahiest and do not know God our Lord. Well I hope u can find him soon for the ... Read More
Defending Gay Marriage Against Conservative, Religious Attacks & Bigotry
Saturday January 7, 2012
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
Netanyahu Finally Orders Action Against Jewish Extremists
Saturday January 7, 2012
I've written many times about the growing problem of radical extremism among some groups of Orthodox Jews in Israel. The problem has also received increased attention in Israel as well, ... Read More
Why Do Atheists and Agnostics Tend to be Liberal in America?
Saturday January 7, 2012
Should more atheists be more conservative? It's possible that in another society and in another set of circumstances, atheism could be more strongly associated with political, cultural, and even religious ... Read More
Theology vs. Atheology: Systematic Engagement with Religion & Theism
Friday January 6, 2012
Theology and atheology are systematic ways of thinking and talking about god-concepts, religious symbols, religious beliefs, religious traditions, and how they relate to human society. Whereas theology begins by taking ... Read More
Priests Brawling in the Church of the Nativity... Again
Friday January 6, 2012
Clergy for that "religion of peace," Christianity, got into a massive brawl in Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, built at the spot where Christians believe that the "Prince of Peace," ... Read More
Belief in Elves vs. Belief in Gods - Is One More Reasonable or More Rational?
Friday January 6, 2012
Comparing belief in elves or fairies to belief in gods is something a lot of atheists do as part of arguing why belief in gods is unreasonable or as an ... Read More
Social Darwinism: Darwinism is an Atheist Lie, Except in Politics
Thursday January 5, 2012
Photo © istockphoto/ruchosPoster © Austin Cline
A common argument used by conservative Christians against evolutionary theory is the idea that it reduces humanity to mere physical beings and morality to "survival ... Read More
Oldest Cells Found?
Thursday January 5, 2012
Scientists are gradually discovering more and more about the earliest forms of life on our planet. In Western Australia, Geologists have found fossils of what they think may be the ... Read More
Weekly Poll: The Seven Deadly Sins - Which Is Your Favorite?
Thursday January 5, 2012
Saint John the Apostle: Did St. John Write Revelations, the Gospel of John, and Three Epistles?
Wednesday January 4, 2012
Image Source:Jupiter Images
John, the son of Zebedee, was called along with this brother James ("the Great") to be one of Jesus' twelve apostles who would accompany him on his ministry. ... Read More
Weak Theism Today Leads to More Atheism Tomorrow
Wednesday January 4, 2012
Why has theistic religion weakened in Europe while it's remained strong (if not grown stronger) in America? In a word: threats. Following World War II, European countries became safer and ... Read More
Forum Discussion: One Book for Christmas
Wednesday January 4, 2012
Perhaps it's just a coincidence created by culture, but in my experience atheists in modern West seem to be especially interested in reading -- possibly more interested than the average ... Read More
Why Should Atheists Care About Establishment Clause Cases?
Tuesday January 3, 2012
The First Amendment to the Constitution reads "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." the phrase "respecting an establishment of religion" ... Read More
Justice, Rationality, and Bias
Tuesday January 3, 2012
The rationality and objectivity of our decision-making process is something that we should always hold open to question. Even those who are trained to make decisions in as neutral and ... Read More
Comment of the Week: Christians Don't Own Christmas
Tuesday January 3, 2012
Some Christians get really upset when confronted with the fact that they don't 'own' Christmas -- that Christmas is a holiday which has been secularized and which is enjoyed by ... Read More
Violence & Justice: Religious Violence as a Means for Achieving Justice
Monday January 2, 2012
It's often said that violence doesn't achieve anything, but if that's true why do so many people use violence in order to achieve various goals? To be more specific, it ... Read More
Religious Martyrdom & Sanctified Suicide
Monday January 2, 2012
Suicide in pursuit of a religious agenda is usually associated with Islam or Christianity, but religious martyrdom can be found in most if not all religions -- including even Buddhism. ... Read More
Book of the Week: Presumed Guilty: How the Jews Were Blamed for the Death of Jesus
Monday January 2, 2012
Image courtesyPriceGrabber.com
The relationship between Christianity and Judaism looms large in the background of both religions. This relationship has undeniably been horrible and caused incalculable suffering for the Jews. An important ... Read More
Debating Jehovah's Witnesses Unique Resurrection Doctrine & Afterlife Beliefs
Sunday January 1, 2012
Millions of Christians look forward to an afterlife where they will be rewarded with a heavenly resurrection while the spirits of the wicked are punished in Hell. Jehovah's Witnesses, in ... Read More
Chimpanzee Technology & Human Evolution
Sunday January 1, 2012
For a long time, it was a popular conceit that humans alone could produce tools and technology -- it was once regarded as something that defined humanity. Jane Goodall's research ... Read More
Mailbag: Atheists Writing About Religion
Sunday January 1, 2012
From: Purdy
Subject: Just An Opinion
I've never seen anything more silly than a site expecting the reader to take seriously an article written about denominations and religion....WRITTEN BY A SECULAR HUMANIST ... Read More