By David Gushee. Religion can do a great job helping believers discern right from wrong and helping them relate kindly and justly to other people. And it can stiffen their will when they face unjust suffering for their faith. I was taught these things when I studied Christian ethics; they continue to motivate me in…
By Tyson Gill. Do you have one of those wacky friends? The ones with a deep, sincere, heartfelt conviction that Elvis still lives. That he is actually in seclusion preparing for his epic comeback? Busy rehearsing for the ultimate Elvis concert that will transform the world? Your friend undoubtedly has an articulate rebuttal for every…
By Deanna Cantrell. With all of the recent threat in the U.S. Legislative branch of another government shutdown, Congress is looking for ways to bring the budget into the black. Republicans are inciting that defunding Planned Parenthood is a stellar way to do this. Why? Planned Parenthood is against their ideology. They provide birth control,…
By Ken Bronstein. Societal change takes time and effort. We sometimes forget that the NAACP, one of the early movements to improve the lot of African Americans, has been going for more than 100 years. For Atheists, separation of church and state has become the important cause to defend as our nation has moved relentlessly…
By Tyson Gill. Have no doubt: Atheism is a movement. It is every bit as much a movement as the Gay Rights Movement, the Feminist Movement, and the Civil Rights movement. It involves a large number of people working to advance an idea; the idea that religion and magical beliefs are not only unnecessary but…
By Ken Bronstein. Now we’re talking—and doing, too! I asked for help, ideas, and energy, and you produced them. I’m proud of the membership for pitching in, and excited about where that will take us. Of course you’ve noticed Edwin Vazquez’s brilliant design of our newsletter; what a difference it makes! And you can read…
By Ken Bronstein. President Obama is not mincing words: At his White House press conference following the massacre of nine students in Oregon, he stated “Our thoughts and prayers are not enough! For those who want to see tighter gun laws, we must become ‘single-issue voters.” The president predicted there would be little action in…
By Tyson Gill. I am really, really frustrated by the spineless unwillingness of my fellow atheists to just say simply, clearly, and without qualification that god does not exist. Period. End of story. Not worth debating. Drop the mic. Instead, most are Agnostic Atheists who have followed the misguided lead of Richard Dawkins. Like him,…
We have our work cut out for us: with the 2016 presidential election and its crowded, combative field full of Religious Rightists dedicated to ending the Separation of Church and State, it’s time for us fight back—hard. We need to be at the table when decisions are made by our elected officials. We need strategies,…
As reported on December 2, 2014 in the Religious News Service (RNS): Should clergy divorce themselves from civil marriage? In a survey of 2,000 American adults, the Nashville-based Christian research company (LifeWay Research) found that 36 percent of them said that clergy should no longer be involved in the stateʼs licensing of marriage. LifeWay also…