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…

Delusional beliefs are false beliefs which are strongly held despite evidence to the contrary

But these Delusional beliefs are not considered delusional if they are consistent with cultural beliefs.

After I have read and convinced about evolution of human, and that modern human was in earth about 200,000 ago, I can still convenes myself that Adam and Eve, are not the first human but they are just chosen by god among other human that exist with them at same time.

I didn't…

Yesterday, while seated, I began to reach down for my backpack when a fly landed on my knee.  My reach was instantly interrupted as my hand froze beside me just slightly higher than my thigh. All my intention became focussed on swatting that fly, and my hand began to move ever so slowly and evenly towards the fly on my knee, maintaining a perfectly consistent distance above my thigh of about three inches.

As my hand slowly glided forward I realized that…

The Theological Triple Jump

A while ago I was having an interesting discussion with a friend who is also a very devoted Xtian and who sometimes decides that I, as a rather dedicated atheist, need to be shown the error of my ways and be saved by learning to love his Lord like he does.

Our "debates" are usually fairly short and not too confrontational as we are each quite convinced we are right in our respective views of religion…

This story has been all over the online tabloids in seems. There is a bakery in Northern Ireland who have point black refused to bake a cake for an LGBT rights organisation advocating for marriage equality. The indended cake would have had a picture of Bert and Earnie from Sesemy Street with the slogan…

The signature submission deadline is over for legislative initiatives to be included in the fall ballot and the results:

1. Statewide sell of alcoholic beverages: well over the required 63,000 signatures were obtained.

2. Increase of mandatory minimum wage: same as 1. Arkansas is only one of four states that has a minimum wage below federal level and this legislation would increase it to a paltry $8.50/hr. Last raise was 8 years ago.

3. Medical marijuana initiative only…