Articles Index

Myth: Militant Atheists are Atheist Fundamentalists, a New Atheism
There seems to be an increasing number of people responding to atheist critiques of religion or theism by labeling the person a "fundamentalist" atheist. The label is problematic because there are no essential or "fundamental" beliefs for an atheist to be "fundamentalist" about. So why do people use the label? Why do so many people feel that the label is appropriate? This seems to be mostly due to misunderstandings about and prejudice against fundamentalism.

How to Be an Atheist: Simple and Easy Procedure to Become an Atheist
So, do you want to be an atheist? Do you really want to be able to call yourself an atheist instead of a theist? If so, then this is the place to come: here you can learn the simple and easy procedure for becoming an atheist. If you read this advice, you'll learn what it takes to be an atheist and thus perhaps if you also have what it takes to be an atheist. Few people seem to understand what being an atheist is all about and thus what becoming an atheist entails. It isn't that hard, though.

Naked Public Square
One common complaint raised about the way strict separationists read the First Amendment is that it leaves the public square 'naked,' by which it is meant that the public square is now 'bare' of religious speech. This, in turn, is believed to foster and encourage public hostility towards religion, something which is actually forbidden by the First Amendment.

Myth: Atheists Believe In Nothing: Don't Atheists Care About Anything?
This question is based upon a misunderstanding of what atheism is. Many theists think that atheists don't believe in anything at all; evidently, we have no goals, no ideals, and no beliefs whatsoever. Such theists cannot understand how it could be otherwise because their beliefs in and about their god often constitute the most important parts of their lives and are especially important when it comes to their goals, ideals, morality, etc. Without their god, then, those things can't exist.

Freedom as Self-Determination, Democracy as Independence from Religion
What does it mean to be 'free' in a liberal democracy? At the very least, it must mean that people are able to form opinions and pursue goals relating to the direction of their life with a minimum of interference from the state. If people are prevented from developing their own ideas about what constitutes a good and moral life, they simply become tools of the state. This is especially true when the state promotes the ideology of any one religion as defining what is good and moral.

Pope John Paul II Biography
John Paul II was the second pope to choose two names, following his predecessor. The reason was to both honor John Paul I and to indicate that he would not make any major policy shifts. Wojtyla was also the first non-Italian to be chosen for this office in over 400 years (the previous was Hadrian VI in 1563, a Dutchman), and reports indicate that the election of a non-Italian pope was pushed by the growing influence of Catholics outside of Europe. Thus, Pope John Paul II was elected.

Myth: A Lack of Belief is Still a Belief, so Atheism is a Belief in No God
When religious theists are informed that atheism is not 'belief that God does not exist,' as they previously assumed, but rather that atheism is really defined as the 'lack of belief in the existence of any gods' or simply 'disbelief in gods,' many get defensive. Perhaps they cannot accept being mistaken about something, or perhaps they realize how many of their assumptions and arguments about atheism and atheists fall apart in light of the real definition. Either way, be prepared for a fight.

Myth: Atheism is a Crutch, Opiate of the Egotistical, Prepackaged Worldview
It's not uncommon for atheists to argue that religion and theism are a sort of crutch that makes it easier for people to deal with problems in life, so perhaps it's not a surprise that some might try to turn this around and argue that atheism is actually the crutch. How, though, can mere disbelief in gods act like a crutch in any manner - no matter how metaphorical? The problem lies in misrepresenting atheism as if it were a belief system.

God Exists
It might seem odd to list "existence" as an attribute of God, but that's not actually the point here. Of course believers think that their god exists - what is at issue is how God exists. According to philosophical theism, God exists in a very special and unique way: God's existence is necessary rather than contingent.

2008 Presidential Election Guide for Atheists: Issues & Candidates in 2008
Atheists are basically like most other Americans when it comes to most of the political and social issues which matter most to them, but there are also issues and perspectives which are more relevant to atheists than to most other Americans. Godless liberals and the secular left, insofar as they exist, have little to no influence and no real power, but that is something which atheists might be able to change if they work at it. How can or should atheists vote in the 2008 presidential election?

Theocrats and the Separation of Church and State
The most extreme position opposed to separationism in all of its forms is held by those who can be called 'theocrats,' these are people who wish to create a theocratic government in the United States. To state it plainly, the theocrats consider even the most conservative Christians in the Religious Right to not be 'godly' enough.

Dissent in Theory & Practice: Mass Democracy Works Against Dissent, Individuals
Alexis de Tocqueville's writings about early American social and political life are popular in America, but his criticisms are ignored. One problem which Tocqueville saw and which which atheists should be able to relate to is how dissenters are silenced through a culture of fear. Tocqueville focused on political dissent, but what he wrote is true about religious dissent, too. Popular religion in America even today demands deference and submission, making dissent and criticism difficult.

Religious Populism & Democracy: Should Democrats Appeal to Religious Populism?
Populism is defined as a concern with the interests of the common people; democracy is a political system in which the people rule. So, populism and democracy should go well together, right? Perhaps not — perhaps the two can actually conflict, which raises interesting questions for American politics. This is especially problematic when the populism takes the form of religious populism instead of traditional economic populism. Religious populism can be a mask for religious privilege.

Afflicting the Comfortable: Importance of Undermining the Status Quo
Which is better for the political and social health of a community: to tell people what they want to hear and reinforce their prejudices about themselves, or to dissent from common prejudices and reveal uncomfortable truths? Many seem to prefer the former, saying that dissenters and critics are traitors; ultimately, however, dissent is critical and necessary. One of the reasons why atheists are so unpopular is, perhaps, because they are not afraid to tell uncomfortable truths about religion.

Reproductive Rights Resources: Abortion, Contraception, and Sex Education
Abortion gets the most attention, but all areas of reproductive rights are a major battleground in the Christian Right's 'culture war' on modernity, Enlightenment, and liberty. Christian Right activists, politicians, and religious leaders seek to limit or criminalize abortion, contraception, emergency contraception, sex education, and other means by which people exercise control over their sexuality. It's not just a matter of privacy, but of personal autonomy and liberty in a secular society.

Abortion & Contraception: What if They Really Were Private? What Would Happen?
Both abortion and contraception take place in a semi-public manner because they must be procured in public. Even contraception, which is used in the privacy of one's own home, must be purchased in public and is advertised in public. The public aspects cause the involvement of others in a public manner, making control and even restrictions easier. What if this could all change? Abortion and contraception are defended on the basis of privacy, so what if they really were completely private?

John McCain on White, Male, Christian Power: How Privileged is John McCain?
We may talk about male privilege, white privilege, or Christian privilege in isolation, but in practice one form of privilege is consistently used to buttress the others. One cannot be eliminated without at least weakening the others, and one cannot be challenged without implicitly challenging the others. This means that anyone promoting one is implicitly promoting the other; sometimes, though, all get promoted together and explicitly and it appears that John McCain believe in them.

John McCain on Secular Atheists: Is John McCain Bigoted Against Atheists?
Atheists are the most despised minority in America; this is demonstrated most clearly by the fact that more people would be willing to vote for any other minority - Muslim, gay, female - than vote for an atheist for president. This discrimination is fueled by bigoted prejudices about atheists' values and morality, and you can tell a lot about a person's character based on whether they promote or oppose this bigotry. Sadly, John McCain is on record as supporting anti-atheist bigotry.

John McCain on Secularism: John McCain Says America is a Christian Nation
John McCain is widely regarded as a "sensible" Republican who is "independent" of many traditional Republican constituencies. Neither view is correct: John McCain is not sensible when it comes to questions of church/state separation and, at least when it comes to the radical Christian Right, he isn't the least bit independent. McCain gladly repeats traditional Christian Nationalist lies about America being a "Christian Nation" and appears more than happy to abandon secular government.

Hillary Clinton on the Pledge of Allegiance: Clinton's Anti-Atheist Bigotry
The Pledge of Allegiance tells us whether a politician truly believes in political equality for all or if they only believe in equality for those who believe in God like they do. We won't have a national politician oppose the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance any time soon because anti-atheist bigotry is so strong, but the degree to which a politician defends it says a lot about how bigoted they are. Hillary Clinton seems to be very, very bigoted against atheists.

Hillary Clinton on America as a Christian Nation: America for Christians Only?
The idea that America is a 'Christian Nation' is important for the Christian Right. They need people to believe this in order to sell their agenda to enshrine their form of Christianity over law, politics, and culture. It would be nice if liberal Christians consistently opposed this rhetoric, but not all do. Hillary Clinton, for example, doesn't go quite so far as to use the phrase herself but she has been more than willing to support the idea that America is a nation for 'people of faith.'

Hillary Clinton on Secular Atheists: Does Clinton Support Atheists' Equality?
Given how important devoutly religious people regard their faith in their god not only to their lives, but also to matters like morality, it would be a surprise if it weren't difficult for them to regard as fully equal those who reject their religion, their theism, and even that religion and theism are necessary or reasonable. Since how Hillary Clinton consistently insists that her religion is very important to her life, atheists should wonder what she really thinks about atheists and atheism.

Hillary Clinton's Religious Background & Beliefs: What Does Clinton Believe?
Hillary Clinton grew up in a Methodist household, she taught Methodist Sunday school like her mother, is a member of a Senate prayer group, and regularly attends the Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington. Hillary Clinton can be placed in the moderate to liberal wing of American Christianity, but she appears to share a number of attitudes with more conservative American Christians. Clinton's liberalism is a relative matter

Barack Obama's Religious Beliefs & Background: What Does Barack Obama Believe?
Barack Obama's religious background is more diverse than that of most prominent politicians, but it may prove to be representative of future generations of Americans who grow up in an increasingly diverse America. His mother was raised by non-practicing Christians; his father was raised a Muslim but was an atheist by the time he had married Obama's mother. Neither Obama nor his mother were ever atheists, but she raised him in a relatively secular household where he learned about religion.

Barack Obama on the Nature of Religious Faith: A Force for Good or Evil?
Debates about the role of religion in government and culture invariably require debates about the nature of religion itself. Both conservative and liberal religious believers who want to see more of their own religion involved in public policies invariably make the argument that only their religion is 'legitimate' and 'true' while the others are following some sort of 'false' or 'hijacked' religious faith. Barack Obama is, sadly, no exception.