It's almost uncomfortable to watch these people trying in vain to answer the question "If abortion was illegal, what should be done about women who violate this law?". One woman simply wanted women who have had abortions to feel bad about. Well, I'm not aware of any woman who has exercised this option who did not at least wrestle with the decision. Many women I know are still upset by the decision. One girl ...

Simon was one of the first people to write to me with his story, and was one of the inspirations behind this whole 'atheist life' section. I wanted to understand what it was like growing up in Northern Ireland. Here's his story: For 18 years of my life, I lived in Northern Ireland. Most people don't even know that Northern Ireland is a wholly different country to Ireland. For a seemingly small piece of land ...

As some of you may know, I decided to invite all of you to share your stories about being an atheist. I hate to admit it, but my own story is just not that interesting. Atheist parents and their wisdom to let me chose for myself what I would believe made me the man I am today. But not every atheist life is as plain. I think there are compelling stories that have yet to be told, and this new section is inten ...

I want to send out a clear message today about the Catholic Church. I know many Catholics are feeling persecuted, brow beaten, and tired of all of the bad press they've been getting recently. It doesn't help matters when your Pope quotes a Byzantine Emperor who claimed that Islam was spread by holy war. If you think that's bad, you need to sit down to hear this staggeringly horrible piece of news: Pope Bene ...

This video, from Crooks and Liars, sums up nicely what kind of man Rick Warren is. At first you might be outraged that he is inspired by Nazi Germany to get his followers to be as dedicated as they were. He defends this statement only by saying Hitler is the personification of evil, and to him, it's enough. No further discussion needed. What Rick doesn't realize, and what most people seem to forget, is the ...

Believe it or not, there is a science to cuteness. Sure, when you see a small panda bear, there is a part of you that is compelled to nurture it. The characteristics of animals that we consider cute typically resemble human infants. Konrad Lorenz, a Nobel Prize winning zoologist and animal psychologist, described the phenomenon as a natural instinct that developed in order to allow human beings to develop a ...

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 ...

Penn Jillette said something I liked; he said he doesn't respect anyone who isn't proselytizing. He feels there is something genuinely good about it, and I generally agree: if you have an idea you think is great, tell people about it. There is, however, a limit to how much preaching is acceptable. You should not, like this man, do it to coworkers trying to get their jobs done without you bothering them ever ...

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 ...

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 ...