Here's a depressing fact: a new Gallup poll released on the eve of Charles Darwin's 200th birthday showed only 39% of the population believes in evolution. What is so frustrating is roughly 36% of the respondent cited they had no opinion. Not having an opinion about evolution is the equivalent of not really caring if the Earth revolves around the sun. I'm sure it doesn't affect your daily life, but this is ...

Remember this guy? He keeps appearing all over the place, trying to pimp his book, The Atlas of Creation. It's really just a glorified picture book with a shitload of inaccuracies, lies, and just plain old ignorance. I normally try and ignore the words and pronunciations of unmitigated fools and liars, but the amount of bullshit coming out of this Adnan Oktar is simply too much to bear. Here is one of his i ...

When you read this phrase, undoubtedly, like me, the first thing that comes to mind is "why would you hold a public hearing on evolution? And why would you do this in Texas of all places?". I personally loath these joke hearings meant to ask the public what they want taught in their schools. It's not really up to them. Strange as that may seem to some, education standards are not decided by the general publ ...

If you live in Mississippi and you care whether or not your kids grow up to be smart and well educated, you should be outraged by House Bill 25, which aims to introduce this disclaimer on all biology textbooks: The word "theory" has many meanings, including: systematically organized knowledge; abstract reasoning; a speculative idea or plan; or a systematic statement of principles. Scientific theories are ba ...

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 ...

As many of you know, I'm a staunch supporter of the science of evolution. Although it's a powerful yet simple idea, for many religious people, it's simply the most damning and damaging idea ever conceived. Despite the fact even the Papacy has finally and reluctantly agreed it does indeed exist, it doesn't stop people who have zero idea about how evolution works to deny it. I've read many articles and blogs ...

I'm beginning to understand intellectually debating religion is a giant waste of time. The blog Atheist Revolution has an interesting article on the types of 'religious trolls' who frequently comment in atheist's sites and the tactics they use. However, there's something important here that is not being mentioned: what exactly is their motivation? It's easy to dismiss trolls as simple troublemakers who want ...

I mentioned before that many individuals believe in religion because of what they perceive to be logical reasons, and it is often based on the illusion of design, both here on earth, and in the cosmos in general. The universe, as far as we can observe, seems to be both extremely complex and mysterious at first glance. Here on earth, the complexity of life is staggering; in a handful of dirt, there are milli ...

Ggnothi seauton (Greek): It means know thyself, and it's something I've always taken to heart. I'm not always the most positive and easy going guy around. I've been known to kick some dust in the faces of my opposition. When you're in a fight, particularly one for the hearts and minds of your fellow human beings, you can sometimes lose sight of how the conflict changes you. When you have a website devoted t ...

A few weeks ago, Penguin Publishing sent me an email offering a free copy of Andre Comte-Sponville's The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality. Not being one to turn down anything free (I'm poor, what can I say?), I gladly accepted. When it was finally delivered, I was anxious to see if this book would provide new insights on the subject of atheism. I've read all the works of the four horsemen of the atheist ...