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This week on Think Atheist Radio we're thrilled to be able to bring you our interview with Philosopher of Religion Dr. Stephen Maitzen. Stephen Maitzen is the W.G. Clark Professor of Philosophy at Acadia University. Focusing on morality and the arguments for and against the existence of God, he's employed a powerful technique to criticize theistic arguments: assume for the sake of argument that the theist's claims are true and then show how what follows isn't at all something that theists should be or are comfortable with accepting. Dr. Maitzen's body of work contains some fascinating and thought provoking papers that can be put to good use immediately in your conversations with theists. Best of all, most of them are readable at a popular level and are available as pdf's on his Acadia University homepage. Indeed, do check out those papers because while we asked him to join us to sketch his work in broadstrokes, he goes into much more detail in his actual papers. Divine Hiddenness and the responses to it, skeptical theism, why is there something rather than nothing, non-theistic meaning and responses to William Lane Craig... Don't miss this one!

Neuroscience is booming. But why? And what is it? Here's your guide.

Catholic priests in Ireland are opposing a proposed new law making it a matter of legal necessity to report pedophilia. Protect the church. Never mind the children. More of the same. Meanwhile. An Ireland Cardinal says he won't resign after it's come out that he had the names and contact information for numerous people that were abused by priests and other church staff and did nothing with the information.

Sam Harris caused a stir when he posted to his blog to defend the profiling of Muslims and anyone who looked Muslims in the airport screening process. Reaction followed. Hemant Mehta. PZ was appalled. John Shook offered the best reply of the bunch. Chris Stedman asked Harris to go with him to a mosque. Kazim at the Atheist Experience blog came at it from a data mining standpoint and makes some good points. Greg Laden began by saying "Sure, profile away" but then showed how the practical reality presents problems. Harris clarified with an addendum to his original post (and at the same link) prompting PZ to follow up with some thoughts.

Are these cases of anti-atheist discrimination or private businesses doing what they want?

The back and forth between Richard Carrier and others continued this week as Carrier posted the second part of his response to Ehrman's critiques of Carrier's review of Ehrman's new book. Confused? Don't be. Just read. Christian apologist Tim McGrew claimed to be able to use Bayes's Theorem– the tool Carrier applies to the question of an historical Jesus to conclude Jesus didn't exist– to show that Richard Carrier doesn't exist, saying that if it can do this, surely it can't do what Carrier says it can when it comes to Jesus.

Australia's blurred separation between church and state.

A new study adds to the evidence that homophobia and homosexuality are linked; homophobes might actually be homosexuals themselves.

Why does religion always get a free ride?

New study shows that highly religious believers are less motivated by compassion than non-believers.

Funny and sad at the same time. The Onion describes NASA's new mission... putting a man on a bus to Cleveland.

Last week I linked to PZ Myers's post addressing a silly Salon.com piece that purported to describe scientific evidence for the veracity of Near Death Experiences. Salon and the author of the piece in question promised a response to Myers was forthcoming. This week Myers addressed that response.

US college students advance little intellectually in their first 2 years of school.

Bloggers are doing a better job of defending science against alt med bullshit than are scientists.

"Amid [this tree's] leaves and branches, an animal, a plant and a fungus conspire to create a nightmarish trap where trespassers become meals, robbers get the death penalty, and assassins are assassinated."

A best selling book on a chid's trip to heaven was this week used as an excuse to diss science.

The last argument of climate denialists. Clouds.

Mormonism is the fastest growing faith in the US.

Last Sunday a North Carolina pastor gave a sermon in which he said that if your son exhibits homosexual behaviors that you should hit him. He quickly tried to walk it back by saying he was joking. The audio stands on its own however.

Dark matter mystery: why are 400 stars moving as if nothing's there?Alright. Fair enough. Two papers are out that claim to call into question the existence of dark matter. But is cosmology really in shambles?

Is there life on Europa, Io, or Ganymede? A newly approved mission aims to find out.

PZ Myers slammed Jon Stewart over the host's interview with wingnut pseudo-historian revisionist David Barton.

Why are physicists hating on philosophy?

Victor Stenger wrote on the value of and differences between science and spirituality.

The downright dangerous wasteful stupidity of funding alternative medicine research.

New poll says that one in seven persons believes the end of the world is imminent.

The Secular Coalition for America has named a new Executive Director.... a former Republican Party operative under George Bush. While in that capacity, it's hard to imagine that she didn't actively work against our interests. Reaction followed. PZ Myers. Dan Finke. Stephanie Zvan, Jen McCreight.

President Obama has failed to keep his promise to reform the office of faith-based initiatives.

In an epic bit of douchebaggery, the Heartland Institute put up billboards around Chicago comparing climate scientists and advocates to the Unabomber, Charles Manson, and Fidel Castro. 

The 30 supernova per second in the observable universe are both the bringers and takers of life. 

Do the fetal cells that make it into the mother's body cause her harm or help her?

Scientists's posthumously published paper puts peppered moths back on the board as an icon of evolution.

Natural selection is still a factor in human evolution.

Human societies resemble ant colonies?

The New York Times asked people to send in their essays arguing that eating meat is ethical. A panel of judges picked the winner after pairing it down to 3 finalists. John Wilkins posted the submission he made to his blog.