Until October 30 of last year there was an option to omit the words "so help me God" from the enlistment oath required by recruits/re-enlisting veterans of the USAF. Now they have dropped this option and made it statutory to pay homage to a god during enlistment/re-enlistment.

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/9/5/atheist-airforceoath.html

Two steps forward, one step…

On having a Bible Club at our High School.



"We've got all kinds of religions that want a bible club! We're very diverse! We've got Methodists, Pentecostals, Baptists, Catholics... and more I am probably missing! You'll find all those religions in the club."

 That was the argument supporting the club against anyone who might think we're only serving one religion. The thing that get's my goat was that he didn't say that as an excuse or alternate way to see diversity, the guy…

The tale of the Twelve Officers by Mark Vuletik:

It was, of course, sad to hear that Ms. K had been slowly raped and murdered by a common thug over the course of one hour and fifty-five minutes; but when I found out that the ordeal had taken place in plain sight of twelve fully-armed off-duty police officers, who ignored her terrified cries for help, and instead just watched…

A recent discussion here made me think of something I learned from American Atheist president David Silverman a few months ago.  At the beginning of a discussion in a Church, with a veteran Christian apologist (I wish I could find a link) he ask the mostly Christian crowd to think about something.  He asked them to think about what it would take for them to change their mind and decide there was no God.  This was Dave's ace in the hole.

A little later in the discussion, Dave asked the…

I'd like to share a little more about my history, to elucidate some of the reasons why I remain a closet atheist, besides the financial and familial reasons I've already described on this blog.

I was raised Lutheran, but my parents were not very regular church-goers.  I went through Confirmation, and was a regular church attender and choir member as a teenager.  Then I went to college, and immediately stopped attending church.  So when I got out on my own in my early 20s, I continued…

GENESIS

01:01   Adam & Eve   In the Big Inning

04:01   Cain & Abel   Don't bring God fruits…

I was at the library the other day, and decided to check out a book that I had skimmed through several years ago: Carl Sagan's The Varieties of Scientific Experience. The book, published a decade after Sagan's death in 1996, are taken from a series of lectures he gave in 1985, the Gifford Lectures in Natural Theology at the University of Glasgow.  For any theists who accuse atheists of being unable to speak eloquently about matters of "spirituality," I would challenge them to read…

Upon reviewing some of my old content posted on Yahoo! News. I came upon an article I read some time ago about a restaurant who chickened out of the Bring your Own…

Actor Robin Williams found dead

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-28749702

US actor Robin Williams has been found dead, aged 63, in an apparent suicide, California police say.

Marin County Police said he was pronounced dead at his home shortly after officials responded to an emergency call around noon local…

For anyone who hasn't read my blog posts, I am still a "closet atheist": I don't publicly identify as an atheist, and in fact, part of my income comes from church music.  I am Director of Music at a small Methodist church in Nashville, TN.  That's right...the buckle of the Bible belt!  I honestly can't see myself admitting my atheism to anyone in the near future, as my family's harmony and financial security rely partly on my keeping my church job.

Being honest with myself, however, I…

Trinity College Library, Ireland





 

 

 

Bristol Central Library, England







An unique combination of architectural styles (Tudor, Modern and Classic...)





Bibliothéque Nationale de France







On the famous Rue de Richelieu





El Escorial, Spain







The vaulted ceilings were painted with gorgeous frescoes, each…

This is a title of an etching by Francisco Goya. “The Sleep of Reason brings forth Monsters” Christopher Hitchens has the picture on the inside cover of his book “God is not Great”. I only discovered this recently as I have only ever known the book as an audio book. It was a serendipitous discovery for me as I have had those same Spanish words…

My son's birthday is today. It makes me smile and cry at the same time. Watching him grow and change has been the biggest gift and privilege of my life. I remember exactly 3 years ago I sat at the very table that I am sitting at now, vigorously researching the best schools that I could possibly send him to when he started kindergarten. I was deeply torn between sending him to a Christian school, and sending him to a bilingual school...I reasoned that I could teach him about God at…

You know, sometimes I feel like I am pretty vain in my blog posts here. Other authors on thinkatheist post such awesome studies they've come across, or causes they support. Me? I talk about the stuff in my life. I justify it by telling myself that maybe it will help someone out there like me realize they aren't alone.

I just finished spending three weeks with my parents. I attended mass, I had passionate discussions about the nature of god with my mother, I helped her with her rosary…

I don’t know what it is I would never understand people.

They don’t know it is people would never understand me.

Forever the alien, the unspeakable, the freak.

The hermaphrodite, the abnormality, the disorder, the etc.

Rejection, banning, discrimination and taunting, 

In synch with the pains of my monthly periods

The hypocrisy, the jealousy the lack of love and intimacy.

Makes no sense, and increases the insanity.

Violence, war, hate, anger, distress,…

Recently read a news article about a 1500 year old bible found in Turkey. It's supposed to be the oldest bible to date. It is written in Syriac - a dialect of the native language of Jesus. The article mentions that the bible states Jesus was never crucified, he went to heaven alive, it calls Paul an impostor, it's supposed to be similar to Islam and it refers to Jesus as a prophet and not as the son of god. 

Thoughts? Comments? 

The relic was ‘rediscovered’ in the depositum of…

I am going to label myself. I am a gay atheist. Yes, it is a label. I like having this label. And I do not mind if others have labels. I actually want to see those labels. What would happen if we didn't have them? And yet many refuse to accept them or want them.

I want to know if people are of the same ilk as myself. Personally, I don't want to be groping around in a dark room, full of people without labels, in fear that I would grab something that I did not want to grab or grope.…

Dan Courtney of Hamlin became the first atheist to deliver a secular opening invocation before the Greece (New York) Town Board.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2014/07/14/town-greece-dan-courtney-prayer-athiest/12650143/

Imagine that there passed an international law that illegalized the ownership of private cars, and enforce people to use only public transport.

This will be very strange law, it’s good for our environment and to reduce pollutions and reduce consume of oil energy, but in our frame of time it’s impossible to pass such a law. Maybe in the other frame of time in future owning private car will be illegal.

People who wrote religious books, they are constrained by…