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: 0 0 54 8842

Articles from Atheist Revolution

Sectarian Prayer In Indiana Senate 2007-11-29 05:16:00 According to The Indianapolis Star, the Indiana Senate plans to open its session on Tuesday with a prayer to Jesus Christ. Never mind that a U.S. District Court ruled in 2005 that sectarian prayers violated the separation of church and state because this ruling was overturned last month by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on a technicality. Fortunately, the ACLU again rises to the challenge of enforcing the U.S. Constitution when few others seem interested in doing so.Knowing that it was once declared illegal and that it is sure to bring controversy, why would the Indiana Senate feel the need to go down this road again? According toSenate President Pro Tempore David Long,We had made it clear in the Senate that we totally and strongly disagreed with Judge Hamilton's original decision. That suit has been tossed out, it's no longer valid and we can -- in my opinion, without question -- say our prayers as we choose.In other words, they intend to violate the Constitution for as long ...

A Church Of Atheism? 2007-11-28 05:46:00 Have you heard of the First Church of Atheism? The author of Secular Planet is the latest in a series of atheist bloggers who have decided to get ordained as ministers by this new church. Is having such a church a good idea, or does it simply reinforce common misconceptions about atheism?A Church of Atheism?Given that atheism is nothing more than the lack of theistic belief, atheism is not a belief system or worldview and has no doctrine whatsoever. Thus, it is clear that atheism is not a religion.But is it not possible to imagine a church without religion? Although I could imagine a church as an association of like-minded individuals who congregate for secular purposes, I would have little reason to call such a group a church.Benefits of an Atheist ChurchBut perhaps there is a good reason to want atheist churches. According to the First Church of Atheism's website:The First Church of Atheism was born out of necessity. Created by Paul and Jacki McMaster, the FCA is the first society ...

Jerry Springer: The Opera 2007-11-27 05:44:00 No, I'm not making this one up. In this story out of London, it appears that there really is a musical titled, "Jerry Springer - The Opera" being screened by the BBC. What makes this story relevant here, besides the sheer entertainment value, is that Christians are up in arms over how the production mocks their cherished mythical figures.According to Reuters, a Christian activist is attempting to have a BBC executive prosecuted on "blasphemy laws" because it is offensive to Christians. Among the many offenses, "Jerry Springer - The Opera" is described as referring to Jesus as "the perv" and "a little bit gay." The horror!Civil liberties group Liberty, allowed to make a written submission in the case, called Britain's blasphemy law "outdated" and "ripe for repeal," and argued that the offence of blasphemy violated the European Convention on Human Rights.Blasphemy laws are outdated? Surely you jest! Nobody can be permitted to make fun of someone's religion. Criticism is a form of diss ...

Know Them By Their Deeds: Campus Evangelicals Go Too Far 2007-11-26 06:08:00 You are a 22-year-old conservatively-dressed female college student, strolling across campus on your way to class. Suddenly, a street preacher who has harassed you previously charges you, cocking his fist, and swinging it to stop inches from your face. He then calls you a whore.Such is the case described by Amy Mariani in The Oracle, the University of South Florida's school paper. The student described in this incident has filed assault charges against preacher, John M. Kranert, a regular fixture on campus.As vile as this incident sounds, it appears to be nothing new for Kranert.She [the student] said Kranert demeaned her on prior occasions by saying, "I can tell you've been with every man on campus by the way you stand," and asking if she got her name from Black Entertainment Television because of her caramel complexion. He didn't know her name, nor did he ask, suggesting the question was purely racist at its roots, according to the Oracle.Is Kranert merely exercising his right to ...

Atheist To Debate Creationist in Alabama 2007-11-25 09:58:00 Atheists living in the American South do not have many opportunities to attend rallies, engage in atheist activism, or show support for their fellow southern atheists. A religion vs. atheism debate will be held in Dothan, Alabama in the Dothan Opera House on Tuesday, November 27, 2007, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Admission is free, and Alabama atheists are hoping to get the word out to encourage area atheists to attend.Here is the full announcement I received yesterday via e-mail:Atheists - We Need Your HelpAtlanta, Montgomery, Birmingham, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Pensacola and everywhere in between...A religion vs. atheism debate will be held in the Dothan Opera House on Tuesday, November 27, 2007 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, in Dothan, Alabama. A special questions and answers session with audience members will take place during the final 30 minutes of the debate. Admission is free.The debate will be between Dr. Robert Carter, a lecturer with Creation Ministries, and Rick Pierson, a local athei ...

Mayor Brainwashed By Satanists 2007-11-25 08:39:00 Okay, so this story from Florida's wftv.com is not as entertaining as it sounds. Still, you have to love the title, "Mayor Claims He Was Abducted By Satanists." I think the people of Centerton, Arkansas, should probably be relieved that this guy resigned.Anybody else fondly remember the hysteria over Satanic cults that swept America in the 1980s? As if fundamentalist Christians needed anything else to make them appear crazy!Tags: Arkansas, brainwashing, mayor, Satanists, Satanic cults, America, hysteria, fundamentalist ...

Atheist Sunday School 2007-11-24 15:17:00 Good news atheist parents - now you don't have to be Christian to have your children tortured on Sunday mornings! Okay, maybe I was the only one who despised Sunday school. But are atheist parents really clamoring for a secular version of Sunday school for their children? Evidently, some are.This article in Time describes an atheist Sunday school program held at the Humanist Community Center in Palo Alto, CA. Okay, first things first - I want a humanist community center! Shrill whining out of the way, just what goes on at atheist Sunday school?The children learn about secular values and how to deal with the god-delusional majority, receive support for their disbelief, have their secular values reinforced, and gain a sense of community from spending time with like-minded people. Intellectual curiosity and critical thinking are fostered.It sounds like this could be the beginning of a trend which might spread to other communities.The pioneering Palo Alto program began three years ago, an ...

California Atheists Rally To Protect Church-State Separation 2007-11-24 08:32:00 The California chapter of American Atheists, along with other atheist and humanist groups in the area are calling for the removal of religious references in both the pledge of allegiance and on American currency. It baffles me that such battles need to continue because such references were not removed long ago. I am glad to see that defenders of our secular Constitution continue their efforts to remedy the situation.American Atheists CaliforniaRALLY FOR REMOVAL OF RELIGIOUS REFERENCES IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND ON NATIONAL CURRENCYTuesday, December 4, 2007San Francisco Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals BuildingAmerican Atheists California, in conjunction with Bay Area Atheist and Humanist groups, will rally in front of the San Francisco Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals building on Tuesday, December 4, to support the idea of removing religious references and slogans in the Pledge of Allegiance and on national currency.In 2004, when Michael Newdow argued before the Supreme Court for remo ...

Words of Wisdom: Aristotle 2007-11-23 15:28:00 A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider God-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, wrongly believing that he has the Gods on his side.–Aristotle, Politica bk v (ca. 340 BCE)H/T to Harper'sTags: Aristotle, religion, politics ...

Christian Reactions To My Bible Commentary 2007-11-23 05:35:00 Just because I have received precisely the reaction I expected on my first and second bible commentary posts from Christian readers does not mean that I'm not still disappointed. Maybe it was merely a case of expecting the worst while hoping I'd be pleasantly surprised. What I am talking about is the accusation, no matter how subtle it may be phrased, that I'm attacking a straw man.Many Christians are fond of criticizing atheists for rejecting their religion because we do not fully understand it. When faced with an atheist who is actually reading their bible and still rejects it, the argument becomes one of interpreting things too literally. "You're missing the point. Christians don't read their bibles literally like you are doing." In other words, I am attacking a straw man by unfairly criticizing Christians for believing things they don't actually believe.As I have many times before, I will remind anyone tempted by this line of criticism that the majority of Americans do in fac ...

Thanksgiving Dinner Table Conversation 2007-11-22 06:38:00 Many people are desperate to convince us that Thanksgiving is a Christian holiday, and some members of the neo-con fringe are going so far as to whine about a war on Thanksgiving. I suppose we should not be surprised. After all, where ignorance lives, intolerance will thrive. Perhaps we'd all be better off if we learned the historical truth about Thanksgiving to replace the drivel many of us were fed in elementary school. Now this ought to make for some stimulating conversation around the dinner table!H/T to The Rogues GalleryTags: Thanksgiving, religion, Christianity ...

Special Edition of Carnival of the Liberals 2007-11-21 14:52:00 Carnival of the Liberals #52 is now up at Yikes! This one is extra special, and not just because it is the first CotL in which I have had a contribution. No, this one is special because it honors the 60th anniversary of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. So check out CotL #52 and join me in wishing a happy anniversary to AU. I hope that they will not be necessary for another 60 years (we Americans have to come to our senses eventually, right?), but I also hope that they will be there if they do remain necessary.Finally, if you don't already have it, pick up a copy of Piety & Politics: The Right-Wing Assault on Religious Freedom by AU's Rev. Barry Lynn. Not only is it a great read, but it demonstrates that one need not be an atheist to value church-state separation.Tags: blog carnival, Carnival of the Liberals, Americans United for Separation of Church and State ...

DefCon Blog Closing 2007-11-21 10:47:00 I'm still really hoping that this is some sort of cruel prank, but it looks like DefCon Blog is shutting down, at least temporarily, due to lack of funds. This is a massive loss to the online atheist community. DefCon Blog was one of the first atheist blogs I started reading regularly and has remained in the list of RSS feeds I still check at least weekly. They excelled at the sort of brief but highly informative posts that conveyed vital information in few words. They were also the first place I would learn of many important action alerts. Of course, I probably don't have to tell you how important they were - looking at the hundreds of comments they receive on most posts, it is likely that you are already familiar with them. I hope they will return. Until then, I expect this loss to reverberate throughout the atheist blogosphere.Tags: blog, atheism, atheist, secular ...

Content But Not Thankful 2007-11-21 08:31:00 I just re-read my Thanksgiving post from last year, and I must say that little has changed about my attitude toward the holiday. Well, that isn't completely true. Over the past year, I have become increasingly adamant about the need to defend reason from the constant assaults from the religiously inclined. This has undoubtedly led to a shift in my attitudes about many topics. In this post, I will again examine Thanksgiving, focusing more on my present attitudes than last year's post which emphasized Thanksgivings past.I am generally content this year, and I take ownership for my role in this outcome. That is, my present contentment has far more to do with my hard work and my general state of mind than it does with any supernatural entity or even any other person. Granted, there are many people to whom I could extend a word of thanks simply because my contact with them has enriched my life. And yet, these are generally folks with whom I have some sort of reciprocal relationship. We ha ...

Richard Dawkins And The Mainstreaming Of Atheism 2007-11-20 05:39:00 Simon Owens at Bloggasm has written a thorough and insightful post, "The Dawkins Effect: How The God Delusion Mainstreamed Atheism." I was happy to be interviewed for this article and to see myself mentioned along with PZ Myers (Pharyngula), John W. Loftus (Debunking Christianity), and Kelly (Rational Response Squad). Talk about some impressive company in which to find oneself!Owens does a fantastic job of exploring the current state of the atheist movement - covering without disparaging - something corporate media cannot seem to do. It is a must read.Tags: atheism, Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, Pharyngula, Rational Response Squad, Debunking Christianity ...