Today, I went into town, to get some bits and bobs and some cat food. I was waiting in the queue to get processed at the till, there were two muslim men in front of me. I minded my own business, but what got upset, churned up, was when the chap stated to his mate, that he does not wish to stand near a woman-man thing, and pushed his way against the metal railing at far side of the cashier to get to the end where the items get deposited into plastic bags. This upset me, and I did not respond…

Just spent an hour or so reviewing the legislative proposals/bills for the past year submitted by our esteemed elected politicians here in Arkansas. The state senator from my area is a real PITA. She managed to spearhead changing the abortion law to 4 months max after which it is a crime unless incest or rape is involved. Not happy with that she then submitted a bill to limit and severely control the application of morning after type chemical substances. Fortunately it…

A friend of mine asked me a while ago what I thought about homosexuality in light of evolution. I thought about it for a while and googled it a bit, but I'm not sure I've found a satisfactory answer.

I currently believe that humans (and every other animal on the planet) are basically bags of animated DNA whose ultimate goal is to survive long enough to procreate in order to continue the particular DNA that each is created from. This is largely unconscious, but we all fight for…

My journey from the faith I grew up in to my current state of doubt had a clear beginning point: Nov. 5, 2010. I wrote part one of my story here, of how my questions about faith were easy to push to the side until I got to college. 

During and after college, I took a couple trips that changed my view on life in profound ways. I could fill a book, or a blog series, on my experiences…

JAMES HAMBLIN SEP 13 2013, 9:01 AM ET

Earlier this year, while no one was looking, Gage Pulliam took a photo of a plaque that listed the Ten Commandments, as it hung on the wall of his Oklahoma high school's biology classroom.

Pulliam emailed the photo,…

Morality is a human construct, by and for humans. If not, we'd have to get it from a natural source . . . or a supernatural one. I'm an atheist, so a supernatural source isn't a serious alternative to me. That leaves one alternative: Nature. But I can't detect the slightest whiff of morality in nature. Mother nature is red in tooth and claw. She is indifferent to violence,…

Well, it has been a year since I last visited. During the course of that year I've had a chance to reflect upon 'religion' and it's effects personally. It has been a trying year of tough decisions, health issues and familial concerns.

After studying the 'atheist, humanist, free thinker' scene (on-line via Facebook and other social media) I made somewhat of a retreat back into the world of traditional religion. A relapse as it were. I don't know what it was but 'organized' religion had…

It has been three years now since I began my journey into atheism.

Unlike some people, I can point to one particular time and place that was an official ‘beginning’ of my deconversion. Of course, this wasn’t the true start of my doubts. But I can point to November 5 and 6, 2010, as the days I began to take my doubts seriously for the first time.

To write exactly how I got to this point would take a book. But I’d like to share a few of the highlights, if anyone is interested to…

We're an atheist podcast from Michigan. Facts Before Faith asks you to get the facts before putting your faith in ideas, institutions or individuals.



The show started out a in 2011 as a way for me to document my departure from religion. It was rather cathartic. Now I have co-hosts and the show is a lot more informative and entertaining. We talk religion, politics…

does it surprise anyone

that this king of hicks

amidst his brood of hicks

said something that just might be

homophobic?

does it surprise anyone that this

zz-top, harley riding, camo-wearing-

all-the-goddamned-time,

honky-tonk…

Not too long ago Diana Nyad, the Olympic swimmer, was being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey and happened to mention she was an atheist.  Oprah made the comment that she didn’t see how atheists could possibly have that sense of awe that people who believed in god had.  Now don’t get me wrong, I do not dislike Oprah, but how fucking arrogant is that?  I feel a sense of awe every morning when I go out and gaze up at the starts and see the big dipper.  I couldn’t…

TAMPA, Fla. (CBS Tampa) – A 5th grade student won first place after he gave a speech about the history of people using religion to justify murder, but was stripped of his title the same day by a school official.

Zachary Golob-Drake gave the speech to his class at the Patel Partnership School in hopes that he would be chosen to represent the school at the regional 4-H Tropicana Public Speech Contest, WFLA-TV reports. He was to deliver the speech Thursday morning to the…

Its been a while since I've posted anything in my blog on Think Atheist. But I just received this terrible news from All Out by email on my iPhone. I simply had to post something to get this off my chest.



I have to say I am very surprised by this. I thought India was coming to a revolutionary point of moving forward for human equality. But I…

I grew up being taught to respect people of races, colors, sexualities, and creeds. I was raised a Roman Catholic, but respect of creeds is ingrained in most Americans.  Why?

We hear it over and over again. But are we not perpetuating intolerance with faux-tolerance of others?  Institutionalizing injustice towards homosexuals out of respect to other people’s creeds. Right. And who can forget taking away women’s reproductive rights away.

“The person who is certain, and…

Merrill Newman was finally released by the North Korean government after being detained for nearly a month. This 85 year old was a military veteran of the Korean War. 

"A statement published by KCNA last week said that during a recent visit to the country, Newman attempted to meet with surviving soldiers he had trained during the Korean War to fight North Korea, admitted he was "a criminal" who was involved in the killing of civilians during the 1950-53 Korean War, and carried…

John Zande wrote a fantastic post about why atheists care about religion. In it, he addressed the idea that a comfortable lie should take precedence over potentially uncomfortable truths.  I've written…

Day in and day out life seems to be becoming mundane with no intellectual stimulation unless you actually go LOOKING for it. 

I had a nice surprise the other day when I discovered a new friend of mine was capable of having a philosophical debate. Yes! I am not alone! I can finally have someone in my life who doesn't want to talk small talk! I hate small talk. It's repetitive and mind numbingly useless. So I get all excited and think that I can FINALLY discuss all the things I've been…

So I have this friend who keeps talking about how awesome her church is every time I see her...which is weird. I get it, you love your church. I'm sad that you're wrapped up in the lies of a religion, but relieved that you're not part of a particularly evil sect...and if you're happy, I'm happy for you. Can we not talk about this for a sixth time? I think she has this fantasy where I'm supossed to say, "Oh yea, they don't hate gays at your Church? The music is modern!? Your husband doesn't…