Blog Profile / Friendly Atheist
| URL : | http://friendlyatheist.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Religion / Atheism | |
| Posts on Regator: | 10694 | |
| Posts / Week: | 39.2 | |
| Archived Since: | February 23, 2008 | |
Blog Post Archive
About the School Prayer That Caused Students to Miss Class…
Yesterday, I posted about Lumpkin County High School (Georgia) and how 50 students there prayed together (with an adult coach) for two hours at the beginning of the school day, causing them to miss class. Superintendent Dewey Moye decided...Show More Summary
Shades of Black Atheism #15: Raised in Affluence, Traci-Lynne Harden
Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Traci-Lynne Harden grew up in the affluent black community of Cascade Heights in southwest Atlanta. Her parents and family were educators and business owners. As a baby, Traci-Lynne was baptized in...Show More Summary
Are We Really Still Debating This?
(In response to this post)
Two Religious Schools in New Jersey May Receive More Than $11,000,000 in Taxpayer Money
Governor Chris Christie's administration in New Jersey recently proposed how to spend more than $1,300,000,000 in "construction projects at colleges and universities." What's not up for debate is the amount of money -- the voters approved...Show More Summary
St. Paul Saints Minor League Baseball Team Will Once Again Become the Mr. Paul Aints for Atheist Promotion
Last fall, the Minnesota Atheists and American Atheists teamed up to sponsor a minor league baseball team for a day. Seemed like the worst promotion ever, given that it's a team not even affiliated with Major League Baseball, but the beauty came from the name-change.
For one evening, the St. Paul Saints became the Mr. Paul Aints :)
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Jessica Ahlquist to Receive Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award
Last year, young science advocate and activist Zack Kopplin was honored with one of four "Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment" awards (named after the Playboy founder) and accepted it at the famed mansion...
This year's winner, like Zack, is well known to the atheist community and also very deserving of the honor. So congratulations to Jessica Ahlquist :)
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Christians Are Not a ‘Hated Minority’
CNN's John Blake has a controversial article up about the strange idea that Christians may constitute a "hated minority." It's a strange idea because Christians (as a whole) aren't hated and they're in no way a minority. What's Blake's...Show More Summary
Elizabeth Smart and the Case Against Christian Abstinence Education
Elizabeth Smart, who was kidnapped and raped for nearly a year when she was 14, never thought about running away from her captor despite having opportunities to do it, and part of the reason had to do with her religious upbringing. The 25-year-old said as much as at a recent forum about human trafficking at Johns Hopkins University:
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50 High School Students Ditch Class and Get Away With It… Because of Jesus
Even atheists will tell you they have no legal problem with students and teachers who pray during school. As long as its on their own time, it's not disruptive, and there's no coercion from adults involved, it's usually not an issueShow More Summary
Utah Company Refuses to Print Shirts for Atheist Group
The Atheists of Utah (unofficial motto: Yes, we exist!) wanted to get t-shirts printed for the upcoming Pride Parade -- the theme is "Gotta Be Real" -- but the Christian owners of TIKI Printing refused to do business with them after seeing the atheists' back-of-the-shirt message: "Gotta Be Real Cuz God Ain’t!"
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Even the Student Athlete Punished for His ‘Gesture to God’ Now Says His Religious Freedom Wasn’t Violated
A few days ago, I posted about Columbus High School athlete Derrick Hayes, who ran the anchor leg for his track team's 4 x 100-meter relay. His relay team's time would have qualified them for the state tournament... but then something...Show More Summary
Are Religions Unfair to Women? Yes, but This Debate is Still Worth Watching
The Big Questions is a BBC show that tackles you-know-what. The most recent episode asked "Are religions unfair to women?" You can watch the show below: One highlight: Orthodox Jewish Rabbi Shmuel Arkush, who refuses to shake the hand...Show More Summary
In 2004, Psychic Sylvia Browne Told Amanda Berry’s Mom Her Daughter Was Dead
You may have seen the news tonight that Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight -- women who went missing over a decade ago and were presumed dead -- were found to be alive. Two quick things: 1) The man who inadvertently helped rescue them, Charles Ramsey, just gave the greatest press conference of all time (highlight at 2:25): [Click headline for more...]
Atheist Community of Austin Now Owns Its Own Building
You could pretty much count on one hand (with fingers missing) the number of local atheist groups that have their own building.
But the Atheist Community of Austin just joined that elite group with their new stand-alone Freethought Library:
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Catholic School President Fired After Being Falsely Accused of Homosexuality
Regis Catholic Schools (in Eau Claire, Wisconsin) has been searching for a new president. But it won’t be Tim Nelson, as the parochial-school organization originally announced; they’ve withdrawn their announcement from early April that...Show More Summary
Eugenie Scott, Longtime Advocate for Science Education, Will Retire
Eugenie Scott, the tireless Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education, has announced her retirement after 26 years with the organization:
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Ask Richard: Atheist Sons and Their Mothers Part 1 of 3: The Muslim Apostate
In recognition of upcoming Mother’s Day, this is the first of a trio of letters I received from three different young men who come from Muslim, Jewish, and Hindu backgrounds respectively. Note: Letter writers’ names are changed to protect their privacy. Dear Richard, I am 22 years old, and I have deeply religious Muslim parents [...]
How Evangelical Christians’ Stance Against Homosexuality Has Hurt Their Own Cause
One of the complaints Christians (especially younger ones) often have with atheists is that we tend to lump them all together. It may be easy to separate evangelicals from more liberal Christians... but we don't make much of an effort...Show More Summary
In Response to Atheist Literature Distribution, One Christian Student Poured Water on Pamphlets
Last week, atheists distributed books and pamphlets at 11 high schools in Orange County, Florida in response to a similar distribution by Christian groups earlier in the year. I'm hoping to have more information on how that went soon,...Show More Summary
Is It Okay for Christians to Support Marriage Equality Long After the Rest of Us?
Christian blogger Tony Jones was asked what he thinks about prominent Christians (like Rob Bell and Jim Wallis) who are now, finally, coming around to support marriage equality: Jones says what's on everybody's mind -- It's relatively...Show More Summary