The San Diego Coalition of Reason has been working on adding a local billboard advertising non-religious organizations in the area. This is the same advertising campaign that has been going on recently in cities like New York and Philadelphia.
Non-religious people can often feel isolated, alone or without a community. Sometimes they are even ostricised by their family, friends and co-workers. This is a positive step toward letting them know that they are not alone.,0,912957.story
The San Diego Coalition of Reason has been working on adding a... more
Catholic League president Bill Donohue says that he and Christopher Hitchens have settled their recent dispute:
On November 2, I criticized Christopher Hitchens for saying that Mother Teresa was “a fanatic and a fundamentalist and a fraud, and millions of people are much worse off because of her life, and it’s a shame there is no hell for your bitch to go to.”
At the end of the news release, we published his e-mail address, and he was roundly condemned, sometimes maliciously, by angry Catholics (he forwarded some of the e-mails to me). I subsequently e-mailed him, saying, “Seems like you’ve heard from the faithful.” I also took the opportunity to invite him for drinks the next time he is in New York. Why? Although we’ve had it out several times in the past—in person and on TV—and although I strongly disagree with him, the man is no phony, and that means a great deal to me. Unlike most of those whom I do battle with, Hitchens is intellectually honest.
Christopher wrote back to me today, saying, “The first thing to say is that I felt remorse for employing the word ‘bitch’ as soon as it was out of my mouth.” Forgiven. As I have always said, when someone apologizes, Christians have no choice but to accept it. Besides, anyone who fights for a cause, myself included, occasionally lets his emotions get the best of him. The difference is, Christopher admits it.
A few years back, Christopher wrote a piece in Vanity Fair on abortion that was so fair that it moved me to write a letter in praise of it; it was published. In other words, this is not the first time we have broken bread. But who needs the bread? Christopher and I have some serious drinking to do.http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/news-atheist-christopher-hitchens-apologizes-for-mother-teresa-insult-r-1257529283Catholic League president Bill Donohue says that he and Christopher Hitchens have... more
Last fall, journalist, literary critic and proud atheist Christopher Hitchens went on a debating tour with Pastor Douglas Wilson. The topic: "Is Christianity good for the world?"
The argument started with the release of Hitchens' book, God Is Not Great. Instead of a regular publicity tour, Hitchens wanted to debate the thesis of his book with anyone willing to take on the challenge. Wilson answered the call.
They filmed their debates, and then edited them for a new documentary called Collision.Last fall, journalist, literary critic and proud atheist Christopher Hitchens went on... more
Last month, atheists marked Blasphemy Day at gatherings around the world, and celebrated the freedom to denigrate and insult religion.
Some offered to trade pornography for Bibles. Others de-baptized people with hair dryers. And in Washington, D.C., an art exhibit opened that shows, among other paintings, one entitled Divine Wine, where Jesus, on the cross, has blood flowing from his wound into a wine bottle.
Another, Jesus Paints His Nails, shows an effeminate Jesus after the crucifixion, applying polish to the nails that attach his hands to the cross.
"I wouldn't want this on my wall," says Stuart Jordan, an atheist who advises the evidence-based group Center for Inquiry on policy issues. The Center for Inquiry hosted the art show.
Jordan says the exhibit created a firestorm from offended believers, and he can understand why. But, he says, the controversy over this exhibit goes way beyond Blasphemy Day. It's about the future of the atheist movement — and whether to adopt the "new atheist" approach — a more aggressive, often belittling posture toward religious believers.
Some call it a schism.
"It's really a national debate among people with a secular orientation about how far do we want to go in promoting a secular society through emphasizing the 'new atheism,' " Jordan says. "And some are very much for it, and some are opposed to it on the grounds that they feel this is largely a religious country, and if it's pushed the wrong way, this is going to insult many of the religious people who should be shown respect even if we don't agree with them on all issues."
Jordan believes the new approach will backfireLast month, atheists marked Blasphemy Day at gatherings around the world, and... more
“It is very rare that a physical scientist is truly an atheist. Why is this true? Freeman Dyson, a Princeton faculty member, has said, ‘Nature has been kinder to us than we had any right to expect.’
Against overwhelming logic, some atheists continue to claim that the universe and human life were created by chance. A reply to this argument has been developed by the philosopher, William Lane Craig. The atheist’s argument states that since we’re here, we know this must have all happened by material forces. Craig’s counter-argument states:
'Suppose a dozen sharp-shooters are sent to execute a prisoner by firing squad. They all shoot a number of rounds in that direction, but the prisoner escapes unharmed. The prisoner could conclude, since he is alive, that all the sharp-shooters missed by some extremely unlikely chance. He may wish to attribute his survival to some remarkable piece of good luck. But he would be far more rational to conclude that the guns were loaded with blanks or that the sharp-shooters had deliberately missed. Not only is life itself overwhelmingly improbable, but its appearance, almost immediately, perhaps in as short a period as 10 million years following the solidification and cooling of our once molten planet, defies explanation by conventional physical and chemical laws.'
-And as the quote goes 'Where science ends, God begins.' Go ahead and marinate on that."“It is very rare that a physical scientist is truly an atheist. Why is this true?... more
Should teachers turn to creationism to explain the gaps in evolution? Bill O'Reilly thinks so. Unsurprisingly, prominent atheist Richard Dawkins disagrees. "If a particular scientific theory doesn't work, do some better science," Dawkins said. O'Reilly also said that only teaching evolution in public schools is "fascism"Should teachers turn to creationism to explain the gaps in evolution? Bill O'Reilly... more
Who is/was your favorite Beatle? I prefer John and I do not go to church ... coincidence? I think not!Who is/was your favorite Beatle? I prefer John and I do not go to church ...... more
Tv Report -German atheist convert to Islam -English Subtitle
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May I suggest to the seeker of truth do the following NINE STEPS for purification of the mind:
Clean their mind, their heart and their soul real good.
Clear away all the prejudices and biases.
Read a good translation of the meaning of the Holy Quran in a language that they can understand best.
Take some time.
Read and reflect.
Think and pray.
And keep on asking the One who created you in the first place, to guide you to the truth.
Keep this up for a few months. And be regular in it.
Above all, do not let others who are poisoned in their thinking influence you while your are in this state of "rebirth of the soul."
The rest is between you and the Almighty Lord of the Universe. If you truly love Him, then He already knows it and He will deal with each of us according to our hearts.
Peace to you and Guidance from Allah the One Almighty God, Creator and Sustainer of all that exists.
thank you
abdullah basprenTv Report -German atheist convert to Islam -English Subtitle... more
I always wanted to "see the light." To unearth the secret of piety and understand religion. But no matter how hard I've tried and closed my eyes to see God, when I open them again nothing is different. Someone once said to me, "God's light shines on you." Oh, if it were only true. I'd love to feel the warmth if it were so. But so often I feel cold and alone. These are not my eyes in the photo--but another young woman's. Maybe she is looking into the light of God. I hope so. I wish I could see this magic so many people believe.
To Read On Visit www.oneof365.com and leave a comment about your thoughts and feelings about this compelling issue.I always wanted to "see the light." To unearth the secret of piety and understand... more
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Here is the development of many common questions about Islam and Muslims and their beliefs, customs and morals, and a lot of things different
Join this group to find many answers to your questions .
A study by OkCupid, an online dating site in the US, has shown that atheists have more success in online dating.
It seems those who included the word 'atheist' in their messages on the site received 10% more replies than average.
Self-effacing men were also more likely to get replies and people who used the words "good taste" or "you mention" in messages busted response rates close to 50%.
On the other hand, using 'textspeak' like "ur" and "luv" was a major turn off.A study by OkCupid, an online dating site in the US, has shown that atheists have more... more
"The complex and abstract nature of Science makes the subject difficult to understand. But complexity is not the only barrier to our understanding Science. The subject is made much more difficult by the presence of numerous misleading "Science Myths" which circulate in the popular culture, which are handed down from parents to children, and which have become so common and widespread that they appear widely in science textbooks and are taught as facts in grade school."
This article/website made me wonder something -
How do atheist's shape their worldview (come to conclude for themselves, there is no God)? Through facts in textbooks and other books? What if those are wrong?
An atheist could ask me in return, "What if the Holy Bible is wrong...what if it contains erroneous facts, information and urban legends/myths?"
To which I would reply, "What are the potential consequences for me, as a Christian, if at the end of my life, Atheism turns out to be right and God really does NOT exist? Are these potential consequences more positive or negative for me than those you may potentially face, if it turns out that yes, The Judeo-Christian God does exist?"
Feel free to share your thoughts, Christian or Atheist. We can all strive to talk about this in a dignified manner (I think...At least I will try but I can't speak for everyone)."The complex and abstract nature of Science makes the subject difficult to understand.... more
"I don't think anyone really knows. You'll either find out or not when you get there, until then there's no point thinking about it.""I don't think anyone really knows. You'll either find out or not when you get there,... more
Atheism does not require science. Atheism does not require science – repetition was in order to get it into your head. There is no need for science whatsoever. Not believing in god is very easy and natural. It is part of our psyche; otherwise, we would have six billion people on this planet believing in Zeus, Thor or any other mythical god. You don’t believe in them, do you?Atheism does not require science. Atheism does not require science – repetition was... more
Most atheists I know don't care for religion, obviously, but aren't angry about it. Not so the True Unbelievers – the Dawkinses and their followers – who prove that you don't have to be religious to be a fundamentalist.
Unfortunately, militant atheism in power has repeated all the crimes of religious regimes and, absent ethical restraints, made them vastly worse. Though their ideologies despised Christianity, both the communists and the Nazis justified their own monstrosities as "scientific." While religion's atrocities cannot be denied, today's atheist campaigners blindly refuse to accept that atheism's savage legacy is no accident.Most atheists I know don't care for religion, obviously, but aren't angry about it.... more
The Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers ran an incredibly offensive ad on city buses in De Moines featuring naked lesbians masturbating with Bibles.
No, wait, that wasn't it. It was an ad announcing that god hated Christians and they were all going to burn in hell.
No, I don't think that was it. It was an ad offering free bacon to anyone willing to deny the Holy Spirit, and the Iowa vegans were outraged.
Nah, don't think so. Actually, the horrible, awful, evil ad they were running was this one:
"Don't believe in God? You aren't alone"
That's the ad that some people found offensive? So offensive that the ad was promptly yanked from city buses, and Governor Chet Culver announced that he was "disturbed, personally" by them?
Look, it's a clear case. There was absolutely nothing offensive about those ads, nothing that would make the horses skittish or frighten the children. Somewhere down the line, a few intolerant ignoramuses freaked out and started phoning the bus company, and a coward or a zealot somewhere in the chain of command saw an excuse to shut down a harmless advertisement. It's bigotry, plain and simple.The Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers ran an incredibly offensive ad on city buses in De... more
This is just more controversy caused by some atheist ads. I think the atheists of the Des Moines area need to get creative. They should try to band together to aggressively boost atheist ridership for DART, and use that as leverage to try and persuade them to return the rightly paid for ads. It's understandable that they simply need to protect their businesses profits.
What the local atheists their don't need to do is lash out in anger about this. These are typical and understandable reactions from people who are feeling like the foundation of their belief system is being threatened. It does not matter how rational their reactions may or may not be. We all know how emotions can get the better of us. Just keep pushing forward with a smile on your face knowing that you have every right to do what you are doing. We are simply reaching out to each other. It's important to keep up the momentum.This is just more controversy caused by some atheist ads. I think the atheists of the... more
"Up until last summer, Jennifer Gray of Columbus, Ohio, considered herself "a weak Christian" whose baptism at age 11 in a Kentucky church came to mean less and less to her as she gradually lost faith in God.
Then the 32-year-old medical transcriptionist took a decisive step, one that previously hadn't been available. She got "de-baptized."
In a type of mock ceremony that's now been performed in at least four states, a robed "priest" used a hairdryer marked "reason" in an apparent bid to blow away the waters of baptism once and for all. Several dozen participants then fed on a "de-sacrament" (crackers with peanut butter) and received certificates assuring they had "freely renounced a previous mistake, and accepted Reason over Superstition."
For Gray, the lighthearted spirit of last summer's Atheist Coming Out Party and De-Baptism Bash in suburban Westerville, Ohio, served a higher purpose than merely spoofing a Christian rite.
"It was very therapeutic," Gray said in an interview. "It was a chance to laugh at the silly things I used to believe as a child. It helped me admit that it was OK to think the way I think and to not have any religious beliefs.""Up until last summer, Jennifer Gray of Columbus, Ohio, considered herself "a weak... more
Physicist and Nobel laureate Arno Penzias, contemplating our enigmatic universe, observes:
"Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe that was created out of nothing and delicately balanced to provide exactly the conditions required to support life. In the absence of an absurdly improbable accident, the observations of modern science seem to suggest an underlying, one might say, supernatural plan."
Albert Einstein was struck by the wondrous orderliness of the world:
"You find it strange that I consider the comprehensibility of the world (to the extent that we are authorized to speak of such a comprehensibility) as a miracle or as an eternal mystery..."
Astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle argued in The Nature of the Universe:
"Such properties seem to run through the fabric of the natural world like a thread of happy coincidences. But there are so many odd coincidences essential to life that some explanation seems required to account for them...The scientific community is prepared to consider the idea that God created the universe a more respectable hypothesis today than at any time in the last 100 years."
Needs Statement for a Habitat Place in the Suitable Universe for Complex, Conscious Life:
An abbreviated, but illustrative, list of additional requirements must be specified for a place of habitation in this universe. First, we need a star that is located in a relatively "quiet" region of the universe (e.g., not too many neighbors that are producing high intensity, sterilizing radiation). This star needs to have its highest intensity of radiation in the range that is suitable to drive the chemical reactions essential to life without destroying the products of these reactions. Furthermore, this star needs to have a very special satellite within its solar system. A partial list of the requirements this satellite must meet include:
-a planet or moon that is terrestrial--or, solid rather than gaseous;
-a temperature range suitable to maintain the universal solvent as a liquid rather than a solid or gas;
-just the right concentration of heavy (radioactive) elements to heat the core of the planet and provide the necessary energy to drive plate tectonics, to build up land mass in what would otherwise be a smooth, round planet completely covered with solvent;
-just the right amount of solvent (carefully coupled to the plate tectonics activity) to provide a planet with similar proportions of its surfaces as oceans and land mass;
-just the right protection from the destructive forces in nature such as radiation and asteroids over a reasonable amount of time; and
-just the right stabilized axis tilt and angular velocity to give moderate, regular, and
-predictable seasons and moderate temperature fluctuations from day to night.
While one is tempted to think that these requirements are easily met, given the large number of stars, it should be noted that ***there are few places in the universe sufficiently free of sterilizing radiation to provide a suitable solar system.*** The number of candidate "neighborhoods" is further reduced by the requirements of a sun with the right amount of mass to give the right electromagnetic radiation spectrum. Furthermore, the occurrence of a suitable satellite in conjunction with such a star is even more problematic.
******Only the earth in our solar system of sixty-two satellites meets the above requirements for a "home" (earth) in safe "neighborhood" like our sun and solar system, which are well placed in a quiet place in a suitable universe as described above.******Physicist and Nobel laureate Arno Penzias, contemplating our enigmatic universe,... more
