The most insidious thing about religion is how it conditions our minds to believe that what we see in the world, what is right in front of us, is not real. Instead there are invisible forces manipulating what we think is reality. Reality is behind the curtain. You must believe it.

-98% of climate scientists are wrong

-evolution is a hoax

-does anyone remember when plate tectonics was a hoax? I learned that in the 70's. Don't hear that anymore though.

-we can pay…

(For the American members)

Instead of protesting or arguing against the pledge’s -“one nation under god” or the “in god we trust” on our US currency, or the “so help me god” in our oath… … we should allow it. We should allow it under one circumstance.

That the word “god” be clarified. “god” is vague. Which “god”? Out of the thousands of gods that have existed…. To which god are we referring to? If we cannot specify which one – then the clause must be removed.…

There have been two major stories emerging from the terror, and these are some of questions I have to answer almost daily from non-Norwegians (apart from "WTF dude?!"):

Why are you so lenient against the bastard? He should have been shot at the spot! -Because we don't like suffering. We hate it.

What the…

hello again! thanks for stopping in to see what i've collected for you guys this week. and, hey, do me a favor and tweet the link or post it on Facebook or to Google+. i'm sure like you, most people are too busy to keep up with this stuff throughout the week and they'd find value in Sunday School too! thanks!

so you know i'm going to tell you about the show we have lined up for you tonight on the Think Atheist Radio Show. tonight we have…

First up from the God Machine this week is a look at an unexpected religious coalition that’s trying to influence the outcome of the debt-ceiling fight on Capitol Hill. This coalition, made up of several different Christian denominations, has an important goal: looking out for those likely to be hurt the most by the Republican crisis.

 …

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/07/27/russian_official_calls_kyl_and_kirk_monsters_of_the_cold_war

Russian…

I am an atheist. Let me be clear. I don’t believe in any gods or goddesses. I don’t believe in ghosts or ESP. I don’t believe in anything you might associate with the supernatural. Period.

Yet, there is a move often made by theists. It goes a little something like this:

Theist: Can you prove that (my) God does not exist?

Atheist: Not absolutely, no.

Theist: Then you should really call yourself an agnostic.

Many of us then go into…

  Here in the Islamic wacky land of Indonesia the devout are everywhere. Running too and fro  humming, mumbling, beating drums, reciting, and handing coins to beggars for everyone to see. Obsessing over Islamic rules first stated in popular hearsay manuals like Bhukari's hadith, all the while turning a blind eye to the playing out of such social taboos as homosexuality, kissing, drinking and basically any western "too free society" influence on TV daily, or on the streets of Jakarta…

Let there be no doubt this is a brutal, painful, humiliating and completely unnecessary procedure performed only because of tradition. This is done to millions of women every year usually without proper anesthetic, sterilization, equipment or training. The World Health Organization points out these important facts (here):

• The procedure has no health benefits for girls and women.
• Procedures can cause…

It is now two days away from Ramadan and the Islamic world is gearing up for another month of ritual starvation aimed at helping the devout empathize with the poor by eating like pigs before going hungry till 6pm when they eat like pigs again!

 Funny thing is if you ask most Muslims why they starve themselves they won't know. they will only tell you that it is what they are supposed to do. No surprise, at least not here in Indonesia as the average Muslim is a blathering…

not an exit: your faith is not an exit as there are others around you who still have to endure living with you until you are dead & until that day when you finally go you have to live with the rest of us you cannot simply relinquish your responsibilities & walk towards the light because news flash: the light is not there, no, there is no big red sign over a door that specifically allows you & you alone to run from your troubles you can pump your veins full of everything…

I see a lot of Christians hating on Muslims. I see a lot of Muslims hating on Christians via mainstream media.  I do not personally know many Muslims.  I also see many Atheists hating on Christians, but not really so much with Muslims.  Are we bashing our greatest perceived enemies?

Is this a window to our fears?  On a completely human and emotional level, do we make the barriers to protect ourselves from the destruction of our beliefs?  I feel that is why so many people…

I have been an atheist for about a year now and it has taken until till this week to truly understand what a huge false comfort believing in a God provides.

I of course thought it through back then and came to the realisation that we are 'alone' in this world - alone in terms of no supernatural being to look out for us. It took till yesterday, however, to really appreciate what a huge comfort it is that you're giving up in coming to that conclusion.

My mother…

I was watching CBS last night and this really bothered me.

A reporter did a story on a member of the Army, Major Jim Crawford, who is stationed in Afghanistan, and how he has adapted to the culture through customs and clothing in an effort to become more accepted.

During the story the reporter was walking with Major Crawford down a public street wearing a full covering and because you could not see that she was a white reporter, it was assumed an Afghan women…

I often read crap on the internet about atheists. I find the disinformation extremely amusing. I was curious why atheist are so often referred to as “self-proclaimed atheist”? I have a lot seen videos in which atheists participate in debates or interviews and are introduced as “a self-proclaimed atheist”. What does this mean really? Why do they say it? Is there a verification process I am ignorant to? Yes, that last question is sarcastic. Do they not believe us? I just don’t get it.

Dear members of TA,

I have found some in this excellent website belong to another type of church: I call it "The Al Gore Church of Irate Gaia".

Well, guess what: I bring good tidings for the Gaia Atheists like me: peer-reviewed study which shows, based on a NASA new satellite data, that the amount of heat let off by the atmosphere into space is greater than the one assumed for all the fatalistic models which Al Gore (et al) shoved down our…

In an article in the Wall Street Journal by the Associated Press, the argument is made that the cross being erected at the 9/11 memorial is unconstituational because

The museum is a public institution and should not reflect a specific religion, said the American Atheists, a nonprofit group aimed at safeguarding separation of church and state that filed the civil lawsuit in Manhattan State Supreme Court.

 

In another recent fight over secularism…