By Jim Earl After reading umpteen letters written by both local and distant writers of apparently deep faith about the tragedy of Virginia Tech, I decided it was time for a view from one without this mysterious faith. I am dumbstruck by some of the statements from these people of deep faith. According to almost all of these writers, faith is the best thing anyone could ever possess, because it's just so much better than common sense or logic. Whatever life has to offer, including tragedies beyond measure, these writers want all of us to believe that without faith we don't have anything to help us cope. Well, let me assure you that faith is not a requirement to cope with tragedy. Millions of human beings live full and fruitful lives without any religious faith. I happen to count myself among those millions. I live my life with logic and reason, and I assure you, as one who has lived on both sides of the "god" debate, life is indeed good on this side. Of course, this tr...

Jonathan Miller Reveals the Hidden Story of Atheism Three-Part Series Premiers May 4 on Public Television "... the history of the growing conviction that God doesn't exist." — Jonathan Miller The debate over belief-disbelief-atheism intensifies with the national airing of A Brief History of Disbelief on public television stations, premiering May 4. Hosted by Jonathan Miller, the three-part series comes in the midst of the recent release of two provocative books on atheism: Christopher Hitchens’ " God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything " and Joan Konner’s " The Atheist’s Bible ." Jonathan Miller will be interviewed along with clips from the series on the May 4th Bill Moyers Journal seen on PBS. You can watch the promotional trailers by going here. A Brief History of Disbelief is not being aired exclusively by PBS, and it is not being carried on a national feed. Your local public television station may be airing the show on a different ...

A short video discussing the ethical conundrum presented by the religious teaching of hell. To monitor comments posted to this topic, use .

By Dano I don't care what anyone believes as long as it doesn't affect the health, wealth, and welfare of their neighbors. (Meaning me) Christians feel threatened by unbelievers because they don't validate the thing, that is supposed to insure their immortality. They see every apostate as another leak in the dam that they have built, to ward off death. If we don't believe like they do, it weakens their faith, that they will never die. The point being, that it "DOES MATTER" what you believe. Your fundamentalist belief can keep you aloof from me, and keep you from responding to my gestures of friendship. It can poison your perception of who I am. If you are my brother or sister, your fundamentalist Christian beliefs can divide our family. You can live your whole life, letting silly irrational concepts like Satan, and original sin, keep you from visiting me, because your religious instruction book teaches you, that my lack of belief in your mythology, is evil....

Last night FOX News commentator Bill O'Reilly broadcast a five-minute interview with British ethologist, evolutionary biologist, popular science writer and advocate of atheism Richard Dawkins . To monitor comments posted to this topic, use .

By Dano I don't know about anyone else but I like the fact that I am related to the monkeys. It takes the pressure off, by having a sensible, believable, alternative, to accepting, that my ancestors were made out of dirt, 5 thousand years ago, by Bible God, and each succeeding generation of us men have not lived up to his expectations. It is a source of comfort to me to know that the Neanderthals (A species of man that we coexisted with) are not mentioned anywhere, to have been sent to hell for not believing in Jesus. There is much evidence on file to suggest that they certainly had brains as large as ours if not larger, and they were no less worth "saving" than we are. Of course I am aware of the fact, that the Christian Bible has the earth, and everything in it, being invented by Bible God about 4 thousand years before he came up with the idea that he needed to have a son, a half God, half mortal, so to speak, that he could arrange to have murdered as a sacrifice to ...

By Joe B My exit from xianity did not remove me from space or time. Consequently, I remain in contact with some, if not many, of the people with whom I formerly associated. Among these are young people, mostly my children and their friends. I am divorced, but visit with my children regularly and spend time with them and their friends. As I do so, I am continually moved by the stories of abuse that they discuss. I won't rehash all the forms of abuse. Testimonies and comments on this site frequently provide similar accounts of mental and emotional abuse. In broad terms all these kids have been fed the notion that god is watching their thoughts; that they are evil and disobedient and deserve terrible suffering and punishment, and unless they toe the line with god, they are going to get what they deserve. They don't question that notion. Those that go along are comforted by their acceptance into the cult and belief that their parents are god's agents in helping them esca...

A child evangelist who turned ex-Christian as he reached adulthood explains and shows how people are easily duped and deceived by religious charlatans. This YouTube video was prepared by a Christian who, apparently, is pointing out errors in one version of Christianity in favor, I suppose, of his own particular version. Regardless, the bald admissions by the ex-Christian concerning his former occupation are interesting. More on his childhood "ministry": To monitor comments posted to this topic, use .

by Amanda, a.k.a. newly not So I'm in a bit of a dilemma here being newly not. I was in the car the other day with my Christian friend - whom, to her knowledge, still thinks I'm a Christian, too - when she did the unthinkable - she sneezed. I sat there in silence, scrambling to come up with how I would react. Do I betray myself and go all hypocritical by saying "bless you"? I'd rather not. How about subtly turning it into an atheist thing by "accidentally" pronouncing it wrong? (WTF is a "blesh"?!). Nah, that phrase is too close for comfort in conforming to Christian culture. I could say "excuse you", but some would consider that even ruder than remaining mum. "Gesundheit"? Changing the language is not changing the origins. I could always say nothing...as in, sorry I'm not acknowledging your biological, involuntary functions! I chose to do the latter. Gosh, that isn't very polite now, is it? To counter, I thoug...

by mapantsula Reposted from: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/4/19/18451/0971 I am an atheist and a professor at Virginia Tech. Dinesh D’Souza says that I don’t exist, that I have nothing to say, that I am nowhere to be found. But I am here. Dinesh D'Souza writes: Notice something interesting about the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings? Atheists are nowhere to be found. Every time there is a public gathering there is talk of God and divine mercy and spiritual healing. Even secular people like the poet Nikki Giovanni use language that is heavily drenched with religious symbolism and meaning. The atheist writer Richard Dawkins has observed that according to the findings of modern science, the universe has all the properties of a system that is utterly devoid of meaning. The main characteristic of the universe is pitiless indifference. Dawkins further argues that we human beings are simply agglomerations of molecules, assembled into functional units over millennia of natural ...

By Brian B Something I've noticed a lot lately is the contradictory attitude towards "God's creation" in many Christians. All the time, I hear about how we are supposed to have reverence and awe for the beauty and majesty of His creation. What's funny though, is how very selective Christians are in what they'll have "reverence" and "awe" for, even though it's all supposed to be designed by God. I live in the dorms at a Christian university, and being an atheist, needless to say I get myself into some pretty interesting conversations. I can remember one conversation I had with a few guys, where the subject matter turned to, oh, let's say matters of the flesh. Specifically, we were talking about the chemistry and inner workings of the female vagina. Well, of course, one of the guys got offended and left. I asked him about it later, and he said it wasn't "edifying" to talk about such things. Although earlier, for so...

Less than 24 hours after the horrific tragedy at Virginia Tech, Ken Ham , the brilliant non-scientist who has opened the latest in a string of retarded Creationism museums , posted an article to his blog basically attributing the shootings to — believe it or not — evolutionary science. We live in an era when public high schools and colleges have all but banned God from science classes. In these classrooms, students are taught that the whole universe, including plants and animals—and humans—arose by natural processes. Naturalism (in essence, atheism) has become the religion of the day and has become the foundation of the education system (and Western culture as a whole). The more such a philosophy permeates the culture, the more we would expect to see a sense of purposelessness and hopelessness that pervades people’s thinking. In fact, the more a culture allows the killing of the unborn, the more we will see people treating life in general as “cheap.” (link) With ole' Ken...

In search of an identity other than that which was instilled upon him at birth, Hemant Mehta became an atheist. The 24-year-old University of Illinois at Chicago alumnus (Mathematics, Biology '04) has been involved in atheist advocacy work since his years at UIC, and has just published a book recounting his experiences doing something seemingly contradictory: going to church. Departing ways Mehta was raised in Jainism, a primarily Indian religion that advocates nonviolence and compassion for all life as well as non-possessiveness and self-control. However, Jainism is a faith that also believes in the ideas of heaven and hell, karma and reincarnation. Mehta became an atheist at the age of 14. The idea that the world always existed was backed by his studies in biology and math; core principles of Jainism contradicted that of his passions and what he believed to be true. "When I started thinking about that stuff, it didn't make logical sense," he said. "One night in...

Sent in by Marlene Winell City Hall Steps, San Francisco, March 9th, 2007. Battlecry is a fundamentalist youth organization that is gaining strength and was recently in San Francisco. (see: http://battlecry.com /) Prior to their demonstration about moral values there was a press conference of people addressing the threat of the Christian right. The San Francisco chronicle had this story: http://www.sfgate.com Marlene Winell contributed the following speech: Good afternoon. I’d like to say a few words about them, and a few words about us and consider how far apart we really are. My area of study is psychology and I’m also a former fundamentalist Christian. The book I wrote, Leaving the Fold, is a self-help book but it began with my effort to understand my own recovery. Since then I have spent many years working with people struggling to heal from the devastating effects of dogmatic religion, and especially Christian fundamentalism. I’ve learned a lot about why it works so well, the reas...

By atheist wager I have been an atheist since I was twelve years old. Most of my friends are atheists too, so sometimes I forget that most people have a belief in God. I’m not much for political correctness and rarely censor myself, but I don’t go around provoking religious people. There is very little to be gained by arguing with those who have faith. Their beliefs cannot be proven and they are not going to believe me regardless of my arguments against faith. I don’t usually have the time and energy for a senseless disagreement where neither side gains anything but annoyance with each other. On a beautiful summer day, I found myself at a party talking to a friend. I had mentioned how some Mormon missionaries were out in my neighborhood and said something about wanting to convert “them”. At this point, a girl who had been eavesdropping turned to me and asked, “But what would you offer them?” “I don’t have anything to offer. Maybe some more free time on Sunday.” To which she replied, “...

Posted by Pshychicevolution Craig Christ....OMG...LMAO!!!! At first I thought this was a church/worship video...I couldn't have been more wrong! ;) I think I might start my own ex-christian church, worshiping Craig the Messiah! 8) To monitor comments posted to this topic, use .

By DagoodS Prove It! In our excursions across the world of debate on theism we often here the battle cry, “But you have the burden of proof!” Apparently this odious burden weighs heavily on the combatants, and merely by designating a certain person as having this 800-pound gorilla causes the other to trip merrily through the tulips. As if, after all the weapons of words have been slung back and forth, we will end up standing over the grave of the loser, dabbing at our tears, attempting to offer solace, “If only they didn’t have the burden of proof. They would still be with us today. Tragic and sad. Once diagnosed with ‘the burden of proof’ they were doomed. Doomed, I say!” It is downright funny as to why this is so important, but to understand that, first we must discuss something that I find much more relevant and yet it is talked about far less—almost not at all. That is: the Standard of Proof. Since I think in legalese, I will be using these terms as they are used in the lega...

What do you make of the so-called miracles of Garabandal? Never heard of it? Well, you're in for a treat: From Answers.Com : San Sebastian de Garabandal is a village in Spain, located 90 kilometers from Santander, where beginning in 1961 four young girls claimed to see apparitions of the Virgin Mary. In July 1961 Maria Cruz Gonzalez, Jacinta Gonzalez, Mari Loli Mazon, and Maria Conception (known as Conchita) Gonzales, ages 11 and 12, astonished villagers by declaring that an angel had appeared to them, followed by an apparition of the virgin. These visions came several times in a week, when the girls went into trance, oblivious to the crowds surrounding them. Afterward they said they were talking to the Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary. In the course of time, their trances were witnessed and recorded by priests and psychologists, even filmed. When the girls were pricked with pins and bright lights flashed in their faces they did not respond. In October 1961 the message from the Virg...

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By John Fraysse It really bothers me when I run into Christians, Jews or Muslims who don’t have a clue why they believe what they do. I feel the same way about Atheists, Ex-Christians, Ex-Jews or Ex-Muslims. In my opinion, whether a believer or not, we all should be able to “give a succinct account” of why we think or believe as we do. Crafting a brief “Tenets of Your Belief /UnBelief” might be a useful exercise, especially if it can be stated in a minute or two. Now, I know a statement like, “All Religion is BS”, is very brief and has good summary impact but it’s a bit shallow, even if true, and there must be a few good reasons to support this point of view, so why not delineate them. The following is a notional ex-Christian statement of unbelief. I encourage you to try your hand at it. Believers are welcome to comment, too. ------------------------------------------------ The Nature of the Biblical god appears very "Man-Like", that is, capable of both Good and Evil but...