Atheist // Current

Religion divides people

I am an atheist and for a reason. Do you see any religion that is accepting and... more

bhumikag
added this
18 days ago
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137 comments

Atheistic billboards send ripples of dissent across God-fearing America

From Tampa in Florida, to Cincinnati, Ohio, and all the way across to Sacramento in... more

bansheewail
added this
24 days ago
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1 comment

My Favorite Christian Is An Atheist!! [video]

"I just found out that my favorite YouTuber for Christ is actually a godless... more

GrrlScientist
added this
1 month ago
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0 comments

Shirt Design: Mortality: We're All Gonna Die!

Realizing that death is immanent can allow one to be more liberated and kind. Small... more

asherp
added this
1 month ago
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1 comment

Can Atheists Learn From Christianity?

Exhausted by capitalism and endless jingoistic violence, a few non-believing... more

Monkey_Films
added this
2 months ago
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7 comments

Atheism Was one of the Year's Hottest Topics, and Greta Christina Caught the Wave as Well as Anyone

Attacks on Christianity were very popular this last year, to paraphrase.

Monkey_Films
added this
3 months ago
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0 comments

God & Science: Don't Stop Believing!

A lot of atheists don’t believe in atheism right now. That is, they view with a certain embarrassment the louder arguments that have lately filled the best-seller lists. The feeling comes less from disagreement with those arguments than from the fear of a kind of Gradgrindism of the heart. Just as the dumber anti-scientism writers treat science as mere product rather than as spiritual adventure, the louder atheists often treat spiritual yearning as mere product, too, reducible to nice buildings or fine music.

The aesthetic sense and the religious sense are permanently joined, however. We go to
Italy or India in wonder and we cannot wish away the religious basis of the icons and images we see any more than the religious can wish away obvious, humane progress as mere technology...[continuing on at the link, I'm jumping to a new paragraph]

For all the stormy arguments, I still think, as Darwin did, that a decent pluralism is possible. It is a pluralism rooted neither in mysticism nor in Stephen Jay Gould’s separate “magisteria” but in plain social fact. Whether we ought to find something unbridgeable between science and faith, the first fact is that we haven’t...[ etc. good stuffs ]

The fact-value distinction that is so much a part of the modern philosophy of science—the rule that our values are not naturally determined but chosen—is not intended to deprecate the role of values; it is intended to diminish the tyranny of facts. It is a way of saying not that physical truths imply no morality, but that morality is made in the face of mere physical truth.

Religion may be no guarantee of humane conduct; but nor is it a barrier to it. Atheism is no guarantee of humane conduct, either. As Darwin knew, nothing is any guarantee of humane conduct—except an insistence on it."

Many thanks to Mr. Gopnik for his thoughts.

--Adam Gopnik has been a writer for the New Yorker since 1986. He has written numerous books, including Paris To the Moon and his latest, Angels and Ages, a joint biography of Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. He has won National Magazine Awards three times, as well as the George Polk Award for Magazine Reporting. His work has also been anthologized repeatedly in the Best American series. He lives in New York with his wife and their two children.A lot of atheists don’t believe in atheism right now. That is, they view with a... more

echoz
added this
3 months ago
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0 comments

A North Carolina Councilman May Get Thrown Out Of Office For His Atheism

Asheville City Councilman Cecil Bothwell (r) doesn’t believe in God, and his opponents say that’s a sin making him unworthy of public office. They want to take him to court, even tough the North Carolina’s requirement that officeholders believe in God is in violation of the US Constitution.

Bothwell ran this fall on a platform that also included limiting the height of downtown buildings and saving trees in the city’s core, views that appealed to voters in the liberal-leaning community at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains. When Bothwell was sworn into office on Monday, he used an alternative oath that doesn’t require officials to swear on a Bible or reference “Almighty God.”

That has riled conservative activists, who cite a little-noticed quirk in North Carolina’s Constitution that disqualifies officeholders “who shall deny the being of Almighty God.” The provision was included when the document was drafted in 1868 and wasn’t revised when North Carolina amended its constitution in 1971. One foe, H.K. Edgerton, is threatening to file a lawsuit in state court against the city to challenge Bothwell’s appointment.

“My father was a Baptist minister. I’m a Christian man. I have problems with people who don’t believe in God,” said Edgerton, a former local NAACP president and founder of Southern Heritage 411, an organization that promotes the interests of black southerners.

The head of a conservative weekly newspaper says city officials shirked their duty to uphold the state’s laws by swearing in Bothwell. David Morgan, editor of the Asheville Tribune, said he’s tired of seeing his state Constitution “trashed.”

The Supreme Court ruled in 1961 that there can be no religious test for public office. But groups like the American Family Association insist that this should apply only to federal offices, and that states should have the right to insist on a believe in God for public officeholders.

“...but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” {United States Constitution, Article VI}Asheville City Councilman Cecil Bothwell (r) doesn’t believe in God, and his... more

Future_America
added this
3 months ago
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4 comments

Atheists at Christmas

"Christmas is a tough time of year for an atheist.

"All the planned activities at this time of year revolve around the church," said O'Neill, a retiree and an atheist for decades.

O'Neill sought an escape this week, joining a group of her fellow nonbelievers for a weekly "Atheist Happy Hour" at a suburban Mexican restaurant. The group, Atheists for Human Rights, is active year-round but takes it up a notch this time of year with a Winter Solstice party, a charity drive and good attendance for the weekly gathering at Ol' Mexico.

For one thing, it's a chance to share coping techniques during this most religious time of year. They range from the simple, like warning about certain stores that blare religious Christmas songs, to tougher tasks like how to avoid certain topics with certain family members. These atheists describe adjusting some customs to make them their own, like Nancy Ruhland, a pharmacist who sends out Christmas cards to friends and loved ones — but makes sure to find ones without a Christian message or subtext.

A number of the atheists who have issues with Christmas said their feelings come in part from years of discrimination.

Larsen, a mechanic, said his ex-wife suggested his atheism was a character flaw in court filings during a contentious divorce with the custody of their children in dispute (he lost custody). Another man at the Atheist Happy Hour declined to reveal his last name, saying his employer is a conservative Catholic who would not tolerate a committed atheist on the payroll.

Still, most participate to some degree in Christmas celebrations, particularly those from Christian families. Larsen said he and Woelfel would join dozens of his relatives for a Christmas brunch at his parents' house on Dec. 24. But he would likely stay behind when most head to church afterward.

"It's the biggest family event of the year, and for me it's about seeing the family," said Larsen, an auto mechanic. "It's about taking the good and leaving the bad."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i7tADnxuR79MJPcf7h0C8jxGSMGQD9CG23P80"Christmas is a tough time of year for an atheist. "All the planned... more

DeliaTheArtist
added this
3 months ago
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58 comments

Life Inside the International Headquarters of Scientology Known as "Gold Base"

"Wikinews interviewed author Marc Headley about his new book Blown for Good, and... more

ninthstate
added this
3 months ago
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1 comment

Why I Want to Turn Religious People Into Atheists | | AlterNet

People say you can't compare Obama to Hitler but every day either He or someone... more

Monkey_Films
added this
4 months ago
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18 comments

Atheist Billboard Stirs God Debate

It is the Central Florida billboard condemned by Christians. Now it is pulling people... more

unimatrix0
added this
4 months ago
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115 comments

Controvercial Atheist Billboard goes up in San Diego

,0,912957.story The San Diego Coalition of Reason has been working on adding a... more

pedromiguel
added this
4 months ago
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0 comments

Six great religious truths

1. Muslims do not recognize Jews as God's chosen people. 2. Jews do not... more

SleepDirt
added this
4 months ago
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51 comments

Atheist Christopher Hitchens Apologizes for Mother Teresa Insult

Catholic League president Bill Donohue says that he and Christopher Hitchens have... more

vincius
added this
4 months ago
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28 comments

A 'Collision' Of Beliefs: Atheist Vs. Theologian

Last fall, journalist, literary critic and proud atheist Christopher Hitchens went on... more

atomiclegion
added this
5 months ago
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1 comment

A bitter rift divides Atheists! We are all is the midst of a massive SCHISM!!! (apparently!)

Last month, atheists marked Blasphemy Day at gatherings around the world, and... more

atomiclegion
added this
5 months ago
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25 comments

Something vs. Nothing

“It is very rare that a physical scientist is truly an atheist. Why is this... more

oakdigity
added this
5 months ago
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1 comment

Bill O'Reilly debates Atheist Richard Dawkins

Should teachers turn to creationism to explain the gaps in evolution? Bill... more

Future_America
added this
5 months ago
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1 comment

Christians Prefer Paul/Atheists Prefer John

Who is/was your favorite Beatle? I prefer John and I do not go to church ...... more

JImmyjumpnjive
added this
6 months ago
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2 comments

TAGS

tagged w/ Atheist

Religion divides people

Atheistic billboards send ripples of dissent across God-fearing America

My Favorite Christian Is An Atheist!! [video]

Shirt Design: Mortality: We're All Gonna Die!

Can Atheists Learn From Christianity?

Atheism Was one of the Year's Hottest Topics, and Greta Christina Caught the Wave as Well as Anyone

God & Science: Don't Stop Believing!

A North Carolina Councilman May Get Thrown Out Of Office For His Atheism

Atheists at Christmas

Life Inside the International Headquarters of Scientology Known as "Gold Base"

Why I Want to Turn Religious People Into Atheists | | AlterNet

Atheist Billboard Stirs God Debate

Controvercial Atheist Billboard goes up in San Diego

Six great religious truths

Atheist Christopher Hitchens Apologizes for Mother Teresa Insult

A 'Collision' Of Beliefs: Atheist Vs. Theologian

A bitter rift divides Atheists! We are all is the midst of a massive SCHISM!!! (apparently!)

Something vs. Nothing

Bill O'Reilly debates Atheist Richard Dawkins

Christians Prefer Paul/Atheists Prefer John

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