Look around the world and notice the pressure put on people to just put faith into whatever the local belief system happens to be. This is especially true (currently) in Middle-East Muslim culture, so I'm most interested in hearing back from them, in particular.

It's not just Muslims who put peer pressure on their own society to practice faith, as almost all religions are a product of local peer pressure. So my question still applies (to various degrees) to every religion.

I…

Continue

If you've read my earlier blog posts, you know that I don't believe in god, but one of my current jobs is directing music at a small Methodist church.  It's so interesting just how your perspective on a church service changes once you remove belief in god: things that previously seemed quite ordinary now seem absolutely ludicrous.  I mean, there are the obvious things: the Lord's Prayer, prayer in general, the scripture readings (yesterday, no joke, we actually read aloud Psalm 14, which…

Continue

one big topic that comes up in theist vs atheist debates is who does the responsibility of proof fall to?

does it fall to the creationists to prove that god DOES exist?

Or

does it fall upon those who do believe that god does NOT exist?

AND, can you give your reason(s) why?

I personally think that it is the creationists responsibility to prove god's existance BECAUSE: throughout the entire history of science, science has only ever proven the existance of…

Continue

Of course, science is not the enemy of religious faith. Sanity is. (ichbindaswortistich)

Over the ages, all religious pretensions, regardless of the respective faith of which they may have originated, have been disproved beyond any reasonable doubt. The earth is not flat but a sphere. The earth revolves about the sun, not vice versa. The earth is not the centre of the universe but a tiny planet in only one of myriads…

Continue

I've had a relatively good life. I was never abused, impoverished or homeless. I was born with loving parents, who raised me in a Baptist household. They were missionaries for years and I was a child, impressionable and naive. I was raised on a diet of the usual well-minded christian brainwashing. But my story only becomes applicable 2009.

 

Till I was 15, I coasted. Sure I prayed occasionally, went to church with my parents, believed in Jesus as the lord and all that, but I…

Continue

 Previously, I discussed the idea that we can now definitively show that there was no single couple from which all of humanity descended, and discussed a few points made by ProfMTH, namely that Paul references Adam in same way he references Jesus. To me, this seemed a clear and inescapable contradiction to a foundational principle of Christianity, since Paul is obviously wrong in referencing Adam. Now this assertion faced…

Continue

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.…

Continue

Good afternoon everyone! I hope you’re all having a great day. Despite a rather shaky start to the day, everything is now going well and I just read a great article inThe Vancouver Sun, titled …

Continue

To paraphrase Michael Specter in a TED talk, "You are entitled to your own truths, but you aren't entitled to your own facts." This is a poignant message and one that deserves further exploration.



(Edit: the actual quote, as pointed out in comments on my blog was “...And listen, everyone’s entitled to their… Continue

My wife, like me, is an atheist (thank god!).  When her dad was dying the last thing he asked her was to accept jesus and go back to church.  She told him she couldn't do that (my wife is a stickler for the truth).  My reaction was to say: you should have just agreed, it would have pleased him, comforted him, made him happy, and done no harm, since when he was dead he'd never know anyway.  She said that if she had done that she'd feel guilty, and would feel compelled to at least try, though…

Continue

Growing up I never had the same longing for a higher power. I was forced by my parents to follow a particular religious rituals and they would bore me. I would go through the motions of doing the religious rituals. In my late teenage years in the college when I ran through the tough times I found solace in praying for higher power. It was very comforting to pray for a higher power and have all my trouble transfered, one who would help me get through the college and…

Continue

This is a chapter from my new book…

Continue

The following is an excerpt that I transcribed from a debate between Robert M. Price and a Christian apologist about the resurrection of Christ. His words really spoke to me so I wanted to share them with the community. I have also posted a link below to the entire debate (video).



Continue

Nature is, as Alfred Lord Tennyson said, “red in tooth and claw”. It has no morals. Morality is a human construct that usually reflects our social norms. As such, morality is formed by an amalgam of influences from family, religion, culture, evolution and the arts. This amalgam of influences varies from person to person and is relative to our exposure to, and experience with, these influences.



Almost half the human race subscribes to a religion that claims morality is objective… Continue

As I will argue, below, if a prerequisite of “true” Christianity is to follow Jesus, then nobody is a true Christian. The very reason for this also reveals our tacit acknowledgement that religious morality is subordinated to our innate human morality.

Nobody in their right mind, Christian or not, would fully obey Jesus. Do you know any Christians who abandon their worldly goods and rely on God to feed, clothe and shelter them? Of course not! But that's what Jesus…

Continue

I braved a torrential Texas downpour on Saturday night to see this movie. Fortunately, it was well worth the drenched clothing and sodden sneakers.



This movie is brilliant in its dual criticism of both blind faith and strict realism. While the satire of religious belief is rather blatant, the film employs a subtler condemnation toward strict adherence to a singular reality. Prior to Mark telling the first lie, the world was completely… Continue

Hey guys, since school has died down a little bit I have been able to do a little more thinking about how I became atheist. I would like to share my critical thinking moment with the rest of you so you can get to know me a bit more. Please feel free to share your own critical thinking moment that turned the tide or turned a light on for you.



I believe I was a junior in high school, and I was sitting in the psychology class with a teacher… Continue

Rationalism- the practice and promotion of reason above all else;

rejection of religion on the grounds that it is illogical.

All over the world, people are seen chanting prayers, whispering pleas, joining their hands and staring up at the sky. They are stoically against the realization of the futility of this act, of the actual waste of time. In all, an average god-fearing man probably wastes half his life just murmuring prayers. To turn to an illusion and live your life deluded is no… Continue