Reading Time: 3 minutes Atheists generally believe we have a good sense of the degree to which our group is subject to discrimination based on our rejection of supernaturalism, but that understanding is primarily anecdotal. We hear each other’s stories, we see how we’re spoken about in the culture, and we form an idea of just how low that stained-glass ceiling really is for us (wow, that metaphor sounds familiar).
Paul Fidalgo
Posted inGeneral
Thousands of Years of Religious Slaughter in One Cartoon
Reading Time: < 1 minute A trailer for Nina Paley’s (possible) next film
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Dana Milbank Belittles the Atheist Movement and Edwina Rogers
Reading Time: 2 minutes Yesterday, the Secular Coalition for America (of which I am a former employee) held a Capitol Hill briefing, something that’s actually kind of gutsy considering the toxicity with which atheism is regarded within the Beltway. It featured a handful of big names from our movement, including Harvard’s Greg Epstein, David Niose (most recently notable for […]
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President Obama to United Nations: “We Do Not Ban Blasphemy”
Reading Time: 2 minutes President Obama has disappointed nonbelievers and those who take seriously the concept of church-state separation many times. In his participation in the National Prayer Breakfast, in his continuation and expansion of the Bush-spawned “faith-based initiatives,” and his general pandering to religious figures, such has his inclusion of the risible Rick Warren at his inauguration. But […]
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Rick Perry Doubles Down on His Fear of Satan
Reading Time: < 1 minute Rick Perry, a.k.a. “Governor Oops,” made news recently when he ascribed the concept of church-state separation to the machinations of Satan. No really, he did. And in case you thought that maybe he was being hyperbolic, perhaps talking in the heat of some spiritual passion, well… Here’s the governor on stage for a sit-down interview […]
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Global Coalition Goes Way Too Far in Respect for ‘All Religions’
Reading Time: 3 minutes Yesterday, in response to the violence and protests around the Muslim world, a coalition of the world’s regional international organizations released a joint statement (PDF) that they called a message of “peace and tolerance.” The statement, released by the European Union, the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League, and the African Union expressed “anguish” […]
Posted inPolitics, Science
The Presidential Candidates Respond to Science Questions, Weirdly Appear to Take Them Seriously
Reading Time: 5 minutes Though you won’t see the two major party nominees donning lab coats behind their podiums (podia?) hurling beakers at each other, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney participated in a “debate” on science-related issues. Well, more like their campaigns submitted written responses on science policy questions to the ScienceDebates.org organization, which were recently posted on their […]
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Obama and Romney Get Warm and Fuzzy over Faith
Reading Time: 3 minutes Here’s something you probably didn’t know: The Washington National Cathedral has its own magazine. And here’s something you probably did know: Both of the presidential candidates really, really like faith. Cathedral Age has just published a dual Q&A (PDF) with President Obama and Mitt Romney, asking each the same set of questions about their faith […]
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The Petty Vindictiveness of Blasphemy Laws
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Times of India reports that an 11-year-old girl, Rimsha Masih, has been arrested for blasphemy, for alleged Koran desecration in Pakistan. In case you were one of the last people on Earth who was under the illusion that these blasphemy laws were somehow about protecting religious feelings or preventing religiously inspired violence, this should […]
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An Apology and a Pledge: An Open Letter to Alexander Aan
Reading Time: 5 minutes This letter will be sent to Alexander Aan via the Atheist Alliance International. Dear Alexander, Since we know you’re at least somewhat aware of some of the efforts being made on your behalf around the world by folks in the secular movement, I think I can safely assume you’ve been informed of the petition my […]