According to a 1999 Gallop poll, half of the electorate automatically would vote against a political candidate if he was an atheist. That's roughly the same percentage of people in 1958 who would have voted against a black candidate. There's obviously a great deal of mistrust, hate, and bigotry going on here. It's so carefully masked and seemingly invisible most people don't think about it. Still, one has t ...

There's an interesting article here which argues there is, in fact, no Religious Right. The arguments are convincing; it does sound at first glance there has been an over simplification on whether or not a discernable movement is actually present. It would seem illogical to assume there are secret clandestine meetings involving hundreds of pastors and clergymen, all agreeing on the best course of action to ...

Here's an interesting article in the New York Times about how religion seems to help people have more self control. Normally, I would try and tear apart these kinds of articles, but in this case I don't necessarily disagree with the findings. Intuitively, it seems right to me; I don't know many people who could fight off the impulse of sex in favor of a relationship with God (I'm talking about Nuns and Cath ...

In the past, I've been critical of a number of atheists who have discouraged me from participating and expanding a broader secular movement. These 'naysayers' now have a name, according to Austin Cline. These are 'Uncle Tom Atheists', and they are, apparently, a big problem. I'd like to start by pointing out how terribly insulting that phrase is. I'm not black, but I have many friends who are, and this moni ...

Vampires have been part of human folklore in almost every culture and civilization. Creatures who suck life blood, energy, or souls have a long history of being cautionary tales against trusting strangers, against eating the dead, or simply an excuse to fear the dark. Although some cultures have very different ideas about how vampires operate, the modern Nosferatu legend is almost exclusively based on 18th ...

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how bigotry, homophobia, and racism are often hidden in plain sight, often under the guise of religious faith. This video should galvanize any American to take the issue of Prop.8 very seriously, and how religion is attempting to usurp the rights of others in order to fulfill their dogmatic convictions. ...

There's a stealthy new form of racism these days. It's often so invisible that to the untrained eye, it goes completely unnoticed. This bigotry often mascarades as politeness and false concern, and I believe we've been letting people get away with it for far too long. Take for example, the recent news story about Alex Sanchez, a gay author whose address to students at Charlotte County high school was cancel ...

REVISION: I'd like to start off by saying I was entirely wrong about the intent of this flyer when I originally wrote this article. I first thought this (a flyer which appeared in George Washington University) was just another example of anti-Muslim propaganda, and failed to notice its over the top nature screamed satire. The problem, I have now come to realize, is such a flyer is entirely within the realm ...