Reading Time: 3 minutes A number of atheists groups (as well as religious ones) have sent a letter to five Republican members of Congress after they denigrated individuals and groups for their dubious or non-existent ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. We may not support government endorsement of religion but we also don’t believe a person’s faith should disqualify them […]
Center for Inquiry
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Center For Inquiry's Statement About the Colorado Tragedy
Reading Time: < 1 minute Earlier today, I criticized a statement from an atheist speaking about the Colorado tragedy, not on behalf of his organization (though it seemed that way from the article), but on his own. The Center For Inquiry’s Ron Lindsay put out a statement today on behalf of the entire organization. It’s brief, but it’s exactly the […]
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Atheist Groups: Don't Do This in the Wake of a Tragedy
Reading Time: 2 minutes President Obama, in his remarks about the Colorado shootings, said this: “I’m sure many of you are parents who had the same reaction I did when we heard the news… My daughters go to the movies. What if Malia and Sasha had been at the theater as so many kids do each day?” “I hope […]
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Alexander Aan: Our Plea to the President, My Plea to You
Reading Time: 2 minutes I’ll begin with the lede: There is a critical petition launched by the Center for Inquiry on behalf of Alexander Aan, the jailed Indonesian atheist (I promise this won’t be the only thing I write about here, but this is very important). We want the White House to speak out on his behalf, but I […]
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CFI-DC Will be Hosting Salman Rushdie As He Discusses His New Memoir
Reading Time: < 1 minute Salman Rushdie‘s forthcoming book — Joseph Anton: A Memoir — about when he went into hiding during the fatwa against him will be published in September and the Center for Inquiry-DC will be hosting one of his touring events: Salman Rushdie, the Booker Prize-winning former president of American PEN shares the extraordinary story of how […]
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Alexander Aan: Both a Symbol and a Real Person in Need
Reading Time: 3 minutes Many of the bigger secular and civil rights organizations have been making noise about the case of Alexander Aan, the 30-something civil servant of West Sumatra, Indonesia, who was beaten by an angry mob and then arrested and convicted… all for stating his atheism on Facebook. At the Center for Inquiry (where I work), Aan’s […]
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Edwina Rogers' Speech at the Women in Secularism Conference
Reading Time: < 1 minute At the Center for Inquiry’s 2012 Women in Secularism Conference, the Secular Coalition for America‘s new Executive Director Edwina Rogers spoke about the group’s mission, key issues, and how “Religiously Motivated Legislation Particularly Harms Women”: Because of prior obligations (and as a last-second addition to the conference), Rogers was unable to do a Q&A during […]
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The Intersection of Non-Theism and Feminism
Reading Time: < 1 minute At the Center for Inquiry’s 2012 Women in Secularism Conference, FFRF’s Annie Laurie Gaylor moderated a panel discussion on “The Intersection of Non-Theism and Feminism” featuring Sikivu Hutchinson, Rebecca Watson, Ophelia Benson, and Jennifer McCreight. I haven’t had a chance to watch the full discussion yet, but if any particular parts stand out for you, […]
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Susan Jacoby Speaks About the Dearth of Women in the Secular Movement
Reading Time: < 1 minute At the Center for Inquiry’s 2012 Women in Secularism Conference, Susan Jacoby (author of the books The Age of American Unreason and Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism) spoke about “The Dearth of Women in the Secular Movement“: I haven’t had a chance to watch the full speech yet, but if any particular parts stand […]
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Playing a North Dakota-Size Religion Card
Reading Time: 3 minutes Over at the Center for Inquiry, we’re trying to get a little more attention for a very troubling development in North Dakota, and I’m hoping against hope that the Friendly Atheist readership in the Roughrider State is huge. For the sake of my sanity, I will presume this to be the case. Listen: There is […]