Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the Think Inc conference in Melbourne Australia, the inaugural event, and one that showed much promise with a line-up of speakers which included Professor Tim Flannery, YouTube sensation Christina Rad, activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali (appearing via Skype), poet Shane Koyczan, Professor Neil Degrasse Tyseon, Professor Michael Shermer and political commentator Christopher Hitchens (also intended to appear via Skype).

Unfortunately Christopher Hitchens…

"If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way." - Bertrand…

I've had a few people ask me lately "Why don't you pick on other religions apart from Christianity and Islam? After all, there are thousands you could choose from." Well the answer is pretty simple, but threefold.



Firstly, I live in Australia, which is a predominantly Christian nation. Upwards of 60% of Australians identify themselves as Christians (according to the 2006 census). Most of the first westerners to arrive here were Christian, and that tradition has been carried on…

Hey everyone, this is my first post and I thought this would be a good topic to bring up.

So, I actually can't stand the word/label of atheist meaning "without god". I mostly don't like it because it describes a group of people as something that "most" people are not. I dont think that anyone should be described in such a way. What if we started calling black people say, non-whites. or If the majority group of people were actually atheist and we started calling people of…

Staying with my religious right-wing aunt has been a wonderful exercise in self-control and bottling up emotions, let me tell you. But my education is worth it.

However, since she is also a nurse, she is technically also a biologist, as she works in the lab, and while I would usually trust her with scientific information, sometimes it has the feel of a lecture regarding how God fits into the picture.

She's given me a book now, called "The Language of God" by…

Ardent Atheists Emery Emery and Heather Henderson talk with comedians, actors and friends about atheism, deism and the effects of religion on us all. Guests of the show are a mix of atheists, agnostics, deists, scientists, humanists and the occasional god-loving, scripture-quoting crusader. Discussions are deeply impassioned, mostly respectful and always funny.

Ep 027 - Carlos Alazraqui Lost His Wife When Fred Stoller And Brought John Over.…

I've recently entered college, and my college of choice was fortunate enough to be 20 miles down the road from my aunt, who has agreed to let me stay with her for free. Upon the conditions that allow me to stay here are doing chores around the house, taking care of her autistic son with her (he's my cousin, it's not like I was going to say no...) and attending church with the family on Sundays.

Does this make me a "bad" atheist? I mean, singing and pretending I believe in the…

I've been pretty interested in perception lately, and how our brains decipher the world around us. I've written on Pareidolia (Part 1, Part 2,…

I originally posted this at my blog Martin S Pribble, and it was subsequently picked up as an "Article" at RDFRS, which made me quite happy. It has caused quite a discussion at both sites, so I thought it would be good to share with you lot also.

 Religion is running scared from advances in science, particularly brain science such as neurology. Why? Because the brain is the final frontier in uncovering the reasons for belief in superstitions, religion and a higher…

"In what has become one of the greatest deceptions of our day, radical environmentalism…

My brother, an atheist like me, posed to me this humorous thought experiment, and I thought it was worth playing the game and posting it here:

God - the bearded white guy who looks a lot like me (he wears more robes than I do) - turns up on Earth, having decided to prove his omnipotence once and for all.

He turns up everywhere you go, in all your recent photos, and in all the morning…