Atheist Revolution Religious belief is a destructive force that causes far more harm than good. Atheist Revolution is a blog dedicated to breaking free from irrational belief and opposing Christian extremism in America. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 1 0 114 8598

Articles from Atheist Revolution

What Voters Need To Know About Mitt Romney 2008-01-01 19:01:00 Regardless of what you think of Romney's Mormon faith or whether you were in any way reassured by his speech on religion, there is something about him you need to know before you vote. Unfortunately, this happens to be something that Romney, the Mormon church, and evidently the mainstream media do not want you to know. Like all Mormons, Romney made a secret oath when he entered the church as an adult in which he swore to use everything his god gives him to build up the Mormon church.There has been extensive media coverage suggesting that many voters are reluctant to vote for Romney because they do not fully understand his Mormon faith or how it might influence him in office. In fact, his well publicized speech was delivered primarily to reassure voters that his religious beliefs did not make him unfit for the Presidency.Let me assure you that no authorities of my church, or of any other church for that matter, will ever exert influence on presidential decisions. Their authority is the ...

Happy New Year, Atheists! 2008-01-01 11:16:00 Staying up late to party or simply to ring in the New Year can be a blast. Staying up late because your Christian neighbors are so inconsiderate of everyone else in the neighborhood that they are playing with fireworks until 1:00 am pisses me off. Oh well. Happy New Year, atheists!Tags: atheist, New Year, Christian, fireworks ...

2007 Ends With Possible Christian Terrorism 2007-12-31 22:50:00 Even if it wasn't necessarily "the year of the atheist," 2007 was a good year for American atheism. Of course, this does not mean that we can afford to rest anytime soon. Many American Christians are determined to return us to the Dark Ages by undoing the Enlightenment values that weaken their religion. A small but politically influential group of them even seek to promote the extinction of our species to fulfill their end-times theology! As if to remind us that now is not the time for complacency, we have news of what may be more acts of Christian terrorism on American soil.Planned Parenthood clinics are under attack in Albuquerque, NM. The motives for the attacks is still not clear. While Christian terrorism cannot yet be ruled out, KRQE News (NM) reports that the motive for at least one of the attacks may have something to do with one of the perpetrator's girlfriend planning to have an abortion at the clinic.H/T to Dispatches From the Culture WarsTags: New Mexico, abortion, terror ...

Lessons Learned in Florida 2007-12-31 07:03:00 I'm back now (obviously), and although I can't say my trip was restful, that was never really the goal. I explored areas of Florida which I had not previously visited, mostly around Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island, and Naples, and found it to be a birding paradise. I won't bore you with the details except to say that I was able to see many species I had never seen before. Instead, I'll focus on some observations related to religion and a few lessons learned that I want to share.Here in Mississippi, one thing which can be counted on every year is that the entire state seems to shut down on Christmas day. That we are supposed to have more churches per capita than any other state suggests that part of the reason for this is to be found in an unusually high level of religious belief. In any case, I typically take advantage of it by going birding because I tend to be more successful the fewer people are around.Florida presented an unexpected contrast, for little shut down other than th ...

Ron Paul Does Not Accept Evolution 2007-12-30 11:02:00 As we head toward the 2008 election, Ron Paul is probably the most popular Republican candidate if one focuses on grassroots support on the Internet. This is quite an accomplishment, even if the mainstream media continues to ignore him (and Dennis Kucinich). Unfortunately, it appears that Ron Paul does not accept evolution, raising serious questions about the effects a Paul presidency would have on America's scientific prowess. This is a serious problem of which Paul supporters should be aware.H/Ts to Deep Thoughts and The Information ParadoxTags: Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, election 2008, 2008 election, politics, evolution, science, education, America, Republican, media ... Ron Paul

Carnival of the Godless #81 2007-12-30 10:23:00 The 81st Carnival of the Godless is up at Unscrewing the Inscrutable. Man, I'm away from the computer for a few days and I feel like I've missed out on so much great godless blogging that it will take me a week to catch up! This looks like an ideal place to start.Tags: godless, blog, blogging, blog carnival, atheist, secular ...

Huckabee's Biblical Worldview 2007-12-29 07:00:00 The atheist blogosphere really lit up over Romney's anti-atheist bigotry, but I think most of us would agree that Huckabee poses a far more serious threat. The AIDS story is getting attention in the mainstream media, but the blogosphere is already moving well beyond that to examine other evidence of Huckabee's theocratic striving. Before we leave the AIDS story behind, however, I want to highlight one point that has not been made often enough.As a quick refresher, here is what Huckabee said in 1992:If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague.It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health cri ...

On Vacation 2007-12-22 14:14:00 I'm going out of town for the next few days, and I'm doubtful that I'll have Internet access and an opportunity to post. I'm taking a road trip into Florida where I hope to take in some scenery, do some birding, and explore a wildlife area or two. I expect to be back around December 27. For those of you celebrating anything and those not celebrating a damn thing, I wish you the best.To get your fix of godless blogging while I'm away, visit the sites listed in my blogroll or explore some of the newest members of the Atheist Blogroll. ...

Know Them By Their Deeds: Pittsburgh Diaper Fest 2007-12-22 13:04:00 A reader sent me this bizarre story out of Pittsburgh that fits perfectly with my ongoing "know them by their deeds series" when one considers how eager many Christians are to play morality police. It seems that a local Christian youth group has been putting on skits in which teenage boys exchange their clothes for adult diapers, bibs, and bonnets. Have we learned nothing from the Catholic Church?According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, such a skit occurred during the Nov. 29 meeting of the Mt. Lebanon Young Life club, directed by youth minister O.J. Wandrisco. The mother of one 14-year-old boy contacted the Mt. Lebanon Police Department and the principal of the local school with her concerns, after which she and her son filed a formal complaint.Ms. Metz said at the Nov. 29 Young Life meeting, after her son and two other boys were selected to take part in the skit, they were taken to a rest room by an older teen and given adult diapers, bibs and bonnets and directed to take their clot ...

Foxhole Atheists Stand Up For Religious Freedom 2007-12-22 05:45:00 There is some evidence that religious believers are somewhat underrepresented in America's armed forces relative to their numbers in the general population, but it appears that Christian extremist groups are seeking to infiltrate the military to spread their mind virus. Now the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and Spc. Jeremy Hall and are suing Maj. Freddy Welborn and SECDEF Gates for violating religious freedom.According to the Associated Press, the atheists are "alleging widespread violations of religious freedom" and indicating that they plan to offer "evidence showing soldiers are under pressure to adopt fundamentalist Christian beliefs."We are not talking about a general pressure to believe in any sort of higher power or a general "god and country" sort of philosophy, but fundamentalist Christianity and all it entails. The military police battalion where Hall is stationed bears the following Ann Coulter quote: "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and conver ...

I Value Truth 2007-12-21 15:39:00 When I say that I value the truth, I don't use the capital "T" that many Christians would prefer. Instead, what I'm talking about is the value I place upon natural reality as opposed to fantasy or to the supernatural entities of myth. I've already stated that I believe in an awe-inspiring natural world, but this post is about something different. Simply put, I value the use of reason, evidence, and science to evaluate the veracity of claims.An extremely popular myth which pervades right-wing political and Christian extremist groups involves a once great American nation which has fallen into moral decline. Reasons for this decline vary. Sometimes homosexuality or government regulations are emphasized. Other times, increased incivility and media crassness are the culprits. But the underlying cause is nearly always the same: the creeping threat of secularism. This is a useful myth for energizing the conservative base, but it is nevertheless a myth.As Steven Conn, a professor of history ...

The Social and Emotional Benefits of Religious Belief 2007-12-21 10:45:00 There was a thought-provoking opinion piece written by an atheist in a recent New York Times dealing with religion and politics. I found the part about the social and emotional benefits of religious belief to be one of those intriguing topics to which I have devoted insufficient attention here. I need to think about this more, but I did want to share some initial thoughts while it is fresh in my mind.From the article:Belief certainly provides benefits regardless of whether God exists — not least social acceptance among other believers and the comfort of a promised heaven. It must be awkward to be an atheist in Mecca or Jerusalem — or Iowa.I see little to disagree with here. Although the author does go on to shoot down Pascal's Wager and say that he feels the cost of belief outweighs any potential gain, this statement about social acceptance and comfort stood out for me.Even though we atheists have a reputation for being more comfortable with the isolation many of us experience as ...

Does Hoping For An End To Religion Make Me Intolerant? 2007-12-21 07:28:00 I value religious believers and nonbelievers alike. I recognize that religious belief (or non-belief) does not make someone a good or bad person by itself. I support religious freedom, and I believe that one should have the right to practice one's religion in the privacy of one's home or place of worship as long as one does so in accordance with the law and does not inflict harm on others. I also recognize that true freedom of religion is not possible unless it is accompanied by freedom from religion. At the same time, I would welcome a gradual erosion of religion's political influence to the point where it was considered a private matter that did not intrude into the public sphere. Does this make me intolerant?As long as nobody is harmed and no valid laws are broken, people should be free to practice their religion (or lack thereof). Religious belief is supposed to be between the believer and his or her god(s). There should be no state interference in such matters, be they positive ...

Civil Rights Group Recognizes Atheists' Struggle 2007-12-20 13:26:00 Big news for all secular Americans came out yesterday. The Secular Coalition for America has joined the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), the oldest and most respected civil rights organization in America. This marks the first time atheists will be represented in the civil rights movement. According to Secular Coalition Director, Lori Lipman Brown, it also says a great deal about the LCCR that they are willing to include us.You can find the full press release issued by the Secular Coalition for America here. This is a historic moment and one which I hope will someday mark the beginning of the end of anti-atheist bigotry in America.Recognition that the nontheistic minority must be included in the struggle for civil rights marks a milestone. There are several religious groups within LCCR’s coalition, but the Secular Coalition for America is the first nontheist (atheists, humanists, and other Americans without a god belief) advocacy group to be included. Both organizations a ...

Atheists, Put HR. 847 In Perspective 2007-12-20 07:04:00 When I first heard about Congress passing H. Res. 847 for the purpose of "Recognizing the Importance of Christmas and the Christian Faith," I nearly crapped myself. Yes, I admit it. My initial impulse was to fly off the handle and begin ranting about this as being one more step toward theocracy. Instead, I took the time to learn something about the context in which this resolution occurred and discovered that it does not actually change anything. I am still upset, but I'm not going to the mattresses over this one.You can read the full text of H. Res. 847 here, and I will be the first to admit that it sounds pretty awful. It refers to Christianity as "great," lends credence to the idea that America was somehow rooted in Christianity, and fosters the myth of widespread persecution of Christians (in the United States of all places).But, it is important to realize that this is merely one of hundreds of similar resolutions the House approves every year, largely for ceremonial purposes. Ex ...