By Bob P I grow weary listening to the 'true believers' attempting to define atheism. Comments like "Atheism is just another belief system" or "Atheism is a cult" clearly reveal the believers attempt to drag atheism down to the level of irrational belief. Less inane comments frequently stated: " Agnosticism is the admission of not knowing but atheism cannot prove it's claim". Clearly, atheism is a unique word. To the Christian, it means non belief in THEIR one and only GOD, while to the atheist it also includes all the many thousands of long forgotten gods the Christians conveniently ignore. There is no word for the non belief of unicorns or 7 headed Hydra or Ganesh, with his elephant head. Stephen Henry Roberts, historian (1901-1971), probably makes the point most eloquently: I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand w...

By fjell Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it. --George Bernard Shaw Luckily most of us here are veterans of Christianity. As former Christians, we know exactly how we once viewed atheism. This small but explosive fact is regularly ignored by scores of the Christians who post here in hopes of "witnessing" to us. They often wonder why we're "angry". Amongst countless other affronts, could it be because they often post as though we've never heard the "Gospel", and not as though we used to be the ones trying to preach it? We used to be on their side. They simply can't grasp this. They have to explain it away, marginalize it. Cap it. Shut it up. Pretend it isn't true. Overlook it at least. I myself can remember viewing atheists as horribly antagonistic and depraved. I wonder if the Christians who post here can conceive of the fact that I used to view atheism as the greatest of all crimes! Completely void of an...

Minnesota Atheists notes a new policy at Borders Books — they've put up a small display section dedicated to books about atheism. If you've ever been frustrated in a search for books on nonbelief in your local bookstore or annoyed by their inclusion in the comparative religion section, Borders Books has remedied the situation. "Atheism and Agnosticism" has been added as a new section for the works of Richard Dawkins , Sam Harris , Christopher Hitchens , and many others. We hope other bookstores will follow this example, and encourage our members to suggest they do. A reader actually sent me a photo of this miracle . Of course, compare the size of that to the " New Age ," or " Religion" section of your typical bookstore, and you can see we've got a ways to go yet. I'm going to have to insist that everyone go out and buy these books. After you've finished reading them, I expect you to write a book of your own, so we can fill up a wide ...

By MG (Monk) I once had a question and answer session with a devout Church of Christ member. This was a few years ago, and I couldn't possibly tell you how much of this was/is my thought and how much came from other sources as I was deep into my de-conversion studies at the time. I do not wish to steal ideas (or otherwise plagiarize) but to promote independence, inquiry, and rational thought. With that prelude, the following is derived from a piece I jotted down after our debate: To Christians: Religion is the greatest menace the world has ever known. As long as religion exists, we will never see a unified world, a world at peace. You might ask, "Without religion, why bother with a unified world? What would be the point?" I say for the betterment of man, a LASTING betterment -- to take care of the carnal vessels that have sustained us this far: our bodies, the planet, each other. No one is coming back to save you or your children. If you don't save yourself, nothing e...

By Eris D I have been lurking on this site for a long time. Sometimes I comment on the occasional testimonial. I just want to say that I am constantly amazed at the warped views that the majority of people in America have about atheists. First, many think that we have no morals because we do not believe that the Bible is the infallible word of God and/or we don't believe in a god. Consequently, they think they make negative assumptions about our integrity and honesty in many ways. Unfortunately, I live in a part of the country where the majority of the people strongly believe in a mythical god and my husband and I hear those code words ''Have a BLESSED Day" almost every day. We know that we must conceal our atheism in order to keep ourselves and our kids safe against retribution from those who will do ANYTHING in the name of their mythical god(s), like defacing our property, harrassing our kids or getting us fired from our jobs. Last year I pulled up to the driv...

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By Bill J The problem with Christians is that they are not taught to look at the Bible critically. They are taught to believe it without doubt, usually from an early age. To most of them, it is inerrant and inspired by the Holy Spirit, so it has to be correct. When I took bible classes in Bible College we always looked at the difficult passages with faith. The kind of faith that believes there is an explanation for why something seemed contrary. The professors always gave some reason for why God had the Israelites kill children or commit genocide. They would explain why God doesn't answer every prayer, even when we follow the Bible literally, like bringing the elders of the church to pray for the sick. Aren't the sick supposed to be healed if the elders pray for them? Only if they are true elders, right, whatever. Their explanations seemed plausible to us because we believed the Bible came from God and God must have had a good reason, right? Weren't we taught that God¡¦s w...

by J.C. Samuelson Chris Hedges comes across as a decent guy. He laments the intolerant demagoguery of some prominent Christians and their Evangelical followers as well as the violence displayed by radical Islamists. He appears concerned about the forces that continue to divide us, and his persona is very nearly that of a journalistic Rodney King saying, "Can't we all just get along?" It seems almost cruel to offer criticisms of such an apparently forthright, earnest, compassionate, and likeable person's ideas concerning religion. In fact, it would be quite easy to find points on which we might agree. Yet it would be irresponsible not to offer a critical analysis of some of his ideas, most recently expressed in abridged form in an article titled, " The Hitch in Hitchens' Thinking " (see also here ). High on Hedges' list of irksome issues is the proliferation of atheist polemics addressing religion. He has debated both Sam Harris and Chris Hitchens on ...

Posted by John W. Loftus Source: The Nation [from the June 25, 2007 issue] "We commonly hear that only a tiny percentage of Americans don't believe in God and that, as a Newsweek poll claimed this spring, 91 percent do. In fact, this is not true. How many unbelievers are there? The question is difficult to assess accurately because of the challenges of constructing survey questions that do not tap into the prevailing biases about religion." "According to the American Religious Identification Survey, which interviewed more than 50,000 people, more than 29 million adults--one in seven Americans--declare themselves to be without religion. The more recent Baylor Religion Survey ("American Piety in the 21st Century") of more than 1,700 people, which bills itself as "the most extensive and sensitive study of religion ever conducted," calls for adjusting this number downward to exclude those who believe in a God but do not belong to a religion." ...

One of the most popular Christian arguments in defense of the belief in a perfectly good omnipotent God in the face of intense suffering is that the atheist does not have an objective or ultimate moral standard from which to press this argument against the theist. I have tried and tried to explain why these are two separate problems. In my latest attempt I said this: On the one hand is the problem of suffering for you who believe in a perfectly good omnipotent God. On the other hand there is the problem of objective morality for those of us who do not believe in God. If you press the second problem on me as an answer to your problem, then you are skirting the issue of your problem. It's that simple. You cannot respond to your problem by saying, "yeah, well you have one too," and I cannot respond to my problem by saying, "yeah, well you have one too." I have dealt with my problem here . When will Christians deal with their problem? Their problem arises from withi...

By John John Fraysse This letter was inspired by a comment posted in response to a Testimonial by perianwalsh (Wanting Heaven and Escaping Hell) on July 23, 2007. The comment by Kara , presumably a fundamentalist Christian, suggested that leaving Christianity might help one enjoy life and even help others do the same. However, after these admittedly positive benefits, it was suggested that ultimately Hell was waiting for us all if we don't choose the "Narrow Road". ------------------------------- Dear Kara: My reason for writing is not to de-convert you, but rather to help you understand just a few of the reasons (and there are many more) why millions have rejected Christianity. I assume it is the "God of the Bible" that you worship and serve and also his Eternal Hell that you fear. Of course you know that your god has a "Love Me or Burn Forever" kind of love. If you have children or one day hope to have them, would you consider them "your en...

by J.C. Samuelson Just over two weeks ago, I wrote an article briefly discussing the controversy that exists, even among secularists, concerning the revitalization of atheism in relation to expressions of cultural or political bias against non-believers. The goal of that article was to show that a bias does exist, and that it does manifest itself in the public arena. Yet that article was woefully inadequate to the topic, particularly in terms of examining the public relations aspect of the issue, what relationship that might have to the persistence of bias, or how far secularism has come, where it might be going, and what, if anything remains to be done. For the record, I do not think of myself as a member of a downtrodden minority. Nor do I think non-theists should adopt that sort of attitude. In spite of its religious heritage, America functions as a pluralistic and largely secular society, not a theocracy. The instruments of government prohibit the establishment of a state religion...

By Bob P For a god to exist, He (She, it?) must possess intelligence. I believe the faithful would agree. Let's take a look... Again, as usual, Occams Razor is the standard. Intelligence, as we know it, exists in (most) humans, and perhaps in some animals. Intelligence here will be defined generally as awareness, observation, understanding, acceptance/reconsidering, and a memory. There are additionally four basic conditions for intelligence to exist as we know it. Anything beyond these conditions can only be in the imagination of someone desiring it. 1: Location: Intelligence has only been observed on the earth. At no time or place has any intelligence been observed, elsewhere. Intelligent life may and probably does exist elsewhere in the universe, but we have yet to observe it. 2: Matter: Intelligence requires matter. There has never been any intelligence observed except in matter. There is no observation of intelligence in a vacuum. 3: Life: Intelligence requires life....

By Micah Cowan I have recently subscribed to Answers magazine, produced by Answers In Genesis , famous for their recent opening of the Creation Museum . I received my first issue a couple months ago. The chief reason I subscribed was that I wanted to keep abreast of anti-evolutionary arguments, and Creationist reactions to recent scientific discoveries as they occurred. The issue I first received was almost entirely dedicated to the stories of the global flood and Noah’s Ark. I was rather disappointed to discover that there was actually rather little in the magazine for me to actually evaluate, as most of the writing offered no references to back up their claims and assertions; thus, there was nothing for me to reason about—only rhetoric. I have just received the next issue, which I have not yet opened; I’m hoping there will be more interesting arguments in that one, and hopefully some references to back up a few of the claims. However, I was struck by this very brief snippet of ...

By Chad M This is the time of change. This is the time of wonder. Religion does not bring change. Religion destroys the sense of wonder. Religion is not courageous. It is fearful and cringing. Religion is not loving. It is tyrannical and abusive. Religion is not the truth, the way and the light. It is lies, misdirection and darkness. A cross on the wall and a nail in the coffin. Both are resounding and final. Both are found at the end of life. I choose Life and Wonder over Fear and Regret. Religion calls the brave man a coward and the wise man foolish. Religion acts with self loathing and hatred towards itself. Religion denies the nature of the universe and kills all hope. Religion is man dreaming of his God. Religion is man creating his creator. Religion is the man made controller of man. God is Dead as myths must die to make way for the dawn of reason and the limitless sky of curiosity . The blood of a human god does not spill easily and without cost. The free gift of redemption from...

By Chad M This is the time of change. This is the time of wonder. Religion does not bring change. Religion destroys the sense of wonder. Religion is not courageous. It is fearful and cringing. Religion is not loving. It is tyrannical and abusive. Religion is not the truth, the way and the light. It is lies, misdirection and darkness. A cross on the wall and a nail in the coffin. Both are resounding and final. Both are found at the end of life. I choose Life and Wonder over Fear and Regret. Religion calls the brave man a coward and the wise man foolish. Religion acts with self loathing and hatred towards itself. Religion denies the nature of the universe and kills all hope. Religion is man dreaming of his God. Religion is man creating his creator. Religion is the man made controller of man. God is Dead as myths must die to make way for the dawn of reason and the limitless sky of curiosity . The blood of a human god does not spill easily and without cost. The free gift of redemption from...

If you haven't seen this film already, rent, borrow or buy this movie as soon as you can. This is an absolute MUST SEE -- WM From Wikipedia : Deliver Us from Evil (2006) is an Academy Award-nominated documentary film directed by Amy Berg which tells the true story of the pedophile Catholic priest Oliver O'Grady , who sexually abused potentially hundreds of children between the late 1970s and early 1990s. The film won the Best Documentary Award at the 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival. The title refers to a line in the Lord's Prayer, "Our Father." The film chronicles O'Grady's years as a priest in Northern California, where he committed his crimes. After being convicted and serving seven years in prison, O'Grady was deported to Ireland, where Amy Berg interviewed him in 2005. O'Grady speaks candidly about his crimes. Additionally, the film presents trial documents, videotaped depositions, and interviews with activists, theologians, psychologists and...

By Tuskin R It could be simply stated that I have a brain, and a heart. Each of these organs are much more valuable than a soul, in my opinion. I was raised in a strict pentecostal household for twenty years, terrified and spiritually repressed into believing that some "guy in the sky" was going to burn my six-year-old body to cinders if I didn't sacrifice my happiness for him. My father told me once that he loved me, but that he loved GOD more. Good for him, I guess. I liked my imaginary friend a lot, too -- when I was three. That was the beginning of my fall from grace, I guess. Eventually, a series of irreconcilable paradoxes I'd found within the religion (both ethically and factually) helped me decide that Christianity was an utter lie built to control and destroy everything "human" that exists within the upright walking amazing animals. Here are some key things that may help you to turn away from Yahweh: 1. Christians tend to pick and choose w...

Sent in by MothandRust Has the universe always been here in some form, or did something create it at some point? Consider the Andromeda Galaxy - it looks a lot like our own, I'm told - not that I've ever stepped back far enough to check out the similarities - but there are many many more like it to show that our galaxy is just one collection of spinning matter in what is an immeasurable expanse of space and 'stuff'. The interesting thing about our Milky Way galaxy (named after the famous chocolate bar) is that it's not actually big... it seems big because we're so small, it's relative, it is not huge, it is not immense and it may or may not be infinite. The incredible amount of galaxies that make up what we can see of our universe may in fact be just one cloud amongst many universes . These steller bodies are moving, colliding and collapsing all over the shop and there's evidence to suggest that the universe has been doing so for billions and billions of...

By George D I sat yesterday in traffic in front of the Third Baptist Church waiting for the interminably omniscient red light to grant mercy by letting me free from yet another delay. I was running way behind schedule. Seemed like every "Sunday driver" was out in force, conspiring with slow moving construction vehicles and endless red lights to make my day typical of one in hell -- if such a place exists. The sign read, "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." I couldn't figure out if the church secretary, who no doubt posted the sign, was thinking of the red traffic light, encouraging motorists to pray for a light change and experience first hand the power of freedom through prayer, or if the words, taken from the lips of Jesus allegedly 2,000 years ago, were to be applied only to more esoteric matters, like taking that one-way drive through Hades and its countless red lights. I was hoping it was the former, not the latter. As a former fundamentali...