Updated Articles and Resources

By Austin Cline, About.com Guide since 1998

Is Marriage About Love & Happiness or Children & Ownership? Created: Sunday, May 19, 2013 Updated: Sunday, May 19, 2013
Opponents of marriage equality have one secular argument against extending marriage to gay couples: marriage exists for reproduction and children, not for love and happiness. This may have been an ...
Poisoning the Well Fallacy - Fallacy of Preemptively Making a Person Look Bad Created: Sunday, May 19, 2013 Updated: Sunday, May 19, 2013
Poisoning the well is a fallacy that occurs whenever a person tries to undermine confidence in a person's arguments before the arguments are made by casting doubt on the morality of the people maki...
Over Half of Republicans Want Christianity as the Official Religion in States Created: Sunday, May 19, 2013 Updated: Sunday, May 19, 2013
A 2013 poll reveals that just over a third of all Americans and just over a half of all Republicans support making Christianity and official religion of their state. Support for a Christian theocra...
Nearly Half of Republicans Want Christianity as America's Official Religion Created: Sunday, May 19, 2013 Updated: Sunday, May 19, 2013
A 2013 poll reveals that just under one third of all Americans and just under one half of all Republicans support making Christianity the official national religion of the United States. Support fo...
Anthropic Principle Created: Thursday, August 05, 2004 Updated: Thursday, May 09, 2013
Anthropic Principle - Refutations of a particular part of design arguments - namely, that there are too many "anthropic coincidences" for there not to be a god.
Saving Private Ryan - Agnosticism / Atheism - 09/30/98 Created: Thursday, August 05, 2004 Updated: Thursday, May 09, 2013
Saving Private Ryan, the recent movie from Stephen Spielberg, has some very strong humanist themes. From your About.com. Guide
Affirming Humanism Created: Thursday, August 05, 2004 Updated: Thursday, May 09, 2013
What is humanism and what is it all about? How does it compare to religion? Some ideas from your About.com Guide
Living the Good Live Created: Thursday, August 05, 2004 Updated: Thursday, May 09, 2013
Living the Good Life: report about a recent conference and seminar at the Council for Secular Humanism, from your About.com Guide
Secular Humanism: A Question of Morals Created: Thursday, August 05, 2004 Updated: Thursday, May 09, 2013
Is Secular Humanism a moral system? Is it something which a theist can subscribe to? From your About.com Guide
Technology as Religion: Introduction Created: Thursday, August 05, 2004 Updated: Thursday, May 09, 2013
Some think that technology and religion are ultimately incompatible. But it can be argued that promoting technology is often caused by religious impulses.
Profiles in Courage: Copernicus - Agnosticism/Atheism - 10/14/98 Created: Thursday, August 05, 2004 Updated: Thursday, May 09, 2013
Copernicus started a revolution in astronomy which touched many areas of human thought - read about how he dealt with religious opposition from your Mining Co. Guide
The Marriage of Sense and Soul (book review) - Agnosticism / Atheism - 09/16/98 Created: Thursday, August 05, 2004 Updated: Thursday, May 09, 2013
Can science and religion be reconciled, much less integrated? Ken Wilbur thinks so, and we'll examine his attempt; from your About.com Guide
Profiles in Courage: Galileo Created: Thursday, August 05, 2004 Updated: Thursday, May 09, 2013
Galileo is a seminal figure in the history of science. What sorts of religious opposition did he face in order to promote his revolutionary ideas? From your About.com Guide
Jesus' Ethics? Created: Thursday, August 05, 2004 Updated: Thursday, May 09, 2013
new location, ethics, jesus
Primitive Atheism & Skepticism - Atheism & Skepticism in Primitive Cultures Created: Sunday, June 13, 2010 Updated: Thursday, May 09, 2013
Almost as popular as belief in gods and religions is the belief that theism and religion are 'universal' - that theism and religion can be found in every culture that's ever been studied. The appar...
Explaining How a Snake Could Talk in the Garden of Eden Created: Sunday, January 13, 2013 Updated: Tuesday, April 30, 2013
The Bible says that a talking snake tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, but talking animals only exist in fables and fairy tales. It's absurd to think that a talking snake would really exist bu...
Does Religion Have Too Much or Too Little Influence on Politics? Created: Sunday, April 28, 2013 Updated: Sunday, April 28, 2013
Americans as a whole are equally divided on whether religion has too much, too little, or the right amount of influence on politics. There are, however, large divisions between people with differen...
Does Scientific Skepticism Exclude Atheism Because God Cannot be Tested? Created: Sunday, April 28, 2013 Updated: Sunday, April 28, 2013
Many claim that skepticism and atheism have to be separate because 'God' is not something that can be tested in a scientific, skeptical way. For some definitions of 'God' that may be true, but it's...
Fewer Atheists & Agnostics Say that a Single Marriage Partner is Important Created: Saturday, March 23, 2013 Updated: Friday, April 26, 2013
Atheists and agnostics are far less likely than the national average to say that it's important to them to have just one marriage partner in life. This is curious, given the fact that atheists have...
Myth: Religious Neutrality is Hostility toward Religion & Religious Beliefs Created: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 Updated: Friday, April 26, 2013
A common mantra from Christian Nationalists is that secular society is hostile to religion whenever strict neutrality is observed. People imagine that if government officials are prevented from end...
God as the Sex Police: Using Sexual Purity to Divide Insiders from Outsiders Created: Saturday, April 20, 2013 Updated: Sunday, April 21, 2013
Why do evangelical Christians in America focus on sexual sins rather than poverty, hunger, or corruption? First, it's an easy way to feel superior to others. Second, proclaiming sexual purity for y...
The Seventh Commandment and American Law Created: Saturday, April 20, 2013 Updated: Saturday, April 20, 2013
If the Ten Commandments are the foundation of American law or government, where in the Constitution is the Seventh Commandment to be found? Where in the Constitution or indeed anywhere in modern U....
Knowing and Discriminating Against Atheists Created: Saturday, April 20, 2013 Updated: Saturday, April 20, 2013
Almost half of all Americans know at least one atheist and more than half agree that atheists can be moral. Nevertheless, a majority of every demographic would refuse to vote for a political candid...
Evolution vs. Young Earth Creationism in America Created: Saturday, April 20, 2013 Updated: Saturday, April 20, 2013
About half of all Americans are Young Earth Creationists who believe that humans were created in their present form within the last 10,000 years. More Americans believe this than even 'theistic' ev...
Should Atheists Challenge Ten Commandments Displays & Monuments? Created: Saturday, April 20, 2013 Updated: Saturday, April 20, 2013
Ten Commandments monuments exist in a lot of American communities and conservative politicians want to create a lot more. Atheists have mounted frequent legal challenges to these monuments, but sho...
Audacity of Godlessness: How and Why Being Godless in America Requires Audacity Created: Saturday, April 20, 2013 Updated: Saturday, April 20, 2013
Unless you're going to hide what you are and stay in the closet, being godless in many countries will require a great deal of audacity on your part. This is because godlessness requires setting asi...
Why is One Marriage Partner in Life Less Important to Atheists & Agnostics? Created: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 Updated: Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Why would atheists and agnostics be less likely than the national average to consider having just one marriage partner in life to be very important? Do atheists and agnostics not value marriage as ...
Why Do Americans Believe God Plays Favorites in Sports or with Athletes? Created: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 Updated: Wednesday, March 27, 2013
A large number of Americans believe God intervenes in sports: 53% believe God rewards athletes with success for their faith and 27% believe God personally intervenes in sports matches. But why? Why...
Why Does Belief in God Decline with Education in America? Created: Sunday, January 20, 2013 Updated: Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Surveys consistently show that the less education an American has the more likely they are to believe in God while the more education they have the less likely they are to believe in God. What is t...
Why is Belief in God Highest in the American South? Created: Sunday, January 20, 2013 Updated: Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Surveys consistently show that belief in God in America is highest in the South, well-known as the Bible Belt. Belief in God is lowest in the Northeast and Northwest. Why have these differences dev...
Christianity and Contraception: History and Development of Christian Perspective Created: Monday, January 09, 2006 Updated: Sunday, March 24, 2013
Christianity has a complicated relationship with contraception. Like most religions with roots in the ancient world, Christianity has a generally pro-natalist position, which means that fertility a...
Contraception & Birth Control: How the Christian Right Undermines Birth Control Created: Monday, January 09, 2006 Updated: Sunday, March 24, 2013
Opposition to birth control is increasing in evangelical circles which are, curiously, relying heavily on Catholic teachings. While Catholic teaching officially rejects the use of contraceptives, y...

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