Hallowed Ground?
“I avoid diarists like itiswelljournal because they are trolls, for the most part – but their latest entry was about the site of the WTC attacks being ‘hallowed ground.’ I pointed out that thousands of people dying in one place does not make it holy, and their note was that with all the thousands of [...]
Atheists On Nightline
Atheists Break Out New Ritual Tool: The Blow-Dryer (Dan Harris, Eric Johnson, and Mary Flynn/ABC News Nightline; July 16)
Nonbelievers Adopt Provocative Ceremony to Make a Point About Baptism
Wielding a blow-dryer, a leading atheist conducted a mass “de-baptism” of fellow non-believers and symbolically dried up the offending waters that were sprinkled on [...]
Does Intelligence Matter?
In my last two entries I’ve been discussing intelligence and how it seems to manifest itself differently among atheists and theists.
Although it might be tempting for us atheists to look at the data and boil it all down to “Theists are stupid and atheists aren’t!” I think that would be a mistake.
Does intelligence really matter?
Yes, [...]
Dr. Susan Biali Revisited
Many thanks to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts and reactions to Dr. Biali’s essay.
Here now are a few thoughts of my own…
As you might recall, Dr. Biali began her essay by saying this:
“First, this isn’t about slamming atheists, as I believe that every human being has a right to believe (or [...]
The Optimistic Psychologist
Why Atheism Will Replace Religion (Nigel Barber/The Human Beast blog/Psychology Today; May 18)
Atheists are heavily concentrated in economically developed countries, particularly the social democracies of Europe. In underdeveloped countries, there are virtually no atheists. Atheism is thus a peculiarly modern phenomenon. Why do modern conditions produce atheism?
First, as to the distribution of atheism in the [...]
Preachers Who Aren’t Believers
Regular readers might recall the entries I’ve posted over the years about devout theists who have drastically revised their beliefs for the better in the face of logic and evidence. (Dan Barker, Bart Ehrman, and William Lobdell are just some of the examples who may immediately come to mind. You can learn about many others [...]
A Tale Of Two Funerals
“Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon.” – Susan Ertz
Ordinarily I’d let an essay like the following pass by without comment. As much as I might disagree with its perspective and conclusions, I would shrug it off. Critiquing someone else’s heart-felt personal beliefs while [...]
Where I’ve Been
Hi again.
I’m still here.
I’ve just been spending the last month or so dealing with the illness and death of a close member of my family.
I won’t burden you with the gory details. Suffice it to say that it was the sort of departure from this life that I wouldn’t wish on the most rabid hound [...]
Austin Cline & Liam Fox Speak Out!
Do you agree or disagree with what they have to say?
Myth Of Religious Coexistence (Austin Cline; March 25)
There are a lot of people who dream hopefully of a future of peaceful coexistence among all religions. They hope for a time when adherents of various religions cease persecuting each other and fighting one another in [...]
Atheist Barbie
All dolls are atheists, of course.
At long last, one has apparently come out of the closet and admitted it.
Atheist Barbie (Jen McCreight/Blag Hag; April 8)
http://www.anatheist.net