Tentative Conclusions (as of April) on the 2016 US Presidential RaceBy Ed BucknerMy take (and only mine: I emphatically disown any notion that I can or do speak here for any organization, any other atheists, any other Democrats, any other Georgians, any other extremely good-looking guys, etc.) on the 2016 presidential election, as of 5 April 2016 (but before the Wisconsin primary results were known):I think Bernie Sanders is slightly imperfect as a potential Democratic candidate or … [Read more...]
The Psychology of Religious Nonsense
April 4, 2016 by Leave a Comment
On its face, religion is nonsense (an omnipotent God who is forced to sacrifice Himself, to Himself, to save humanity from His own wrath), full of contradictions (one god versus the trinity), mystery and miracles, and I think that is deliberate to train followers that they can't rely on their own reason, and must instead accept on faith whatever religious authorities tell them.However one can find a reasonable explanation of religion that makes sense, if they don't take religion's claims at … [Read more...]
Did Jesus Exist? The Debate Continues
March 29, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Thinking FRANK-ly About Jesus (Chapter 8) Debating Historicity of Jesus: Frank Zindler’s blog dedicated to the proposition that Jesus of Nazareth never existed.Mark your calendars! The Price-Ehrman debate is actually going to take place! Dr. Robert M. Price and Dr. Bart D. Ehrman are going to duke it out over the question, “Did Jesus Exist?” Sponsored by Mythicist Milwaukee, the debate will take place on Friday, October 21, 2016, from 6-9 pm in Turner Hall, 1034 N 4th St., Milwaukee, WI 5320 … [Read more...]
Trump’s Twitter account goes fully misogynistic (to the surprise of no one).
March 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment
If you aren’t appalled by the misogynistic Twitter war between Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, you either aren’t paying attention or you agree with Trump’s apparent position that a woman’s value is exclusively in her looks. He’s pretty much said it throughout his freak show campaign and now he has visually endorsed it.I will not link to the Trump retweet that sparked this missive but the gist of it is that someone posted an unflattering picture of Cruz’s wife Hei … [Read more...]
Democrats in an Iowa County vote to protect non-religion.
March 22, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Guest post by Amanda Knief, American Atheists' National Legal and Public Policy Director.My family lives in Iowa, where the presidential election either invigorates you or enervates you. For my mom, this year the process has gotten her involved in ways she has not been in many years. She caucused with the Democrats and volunteered to be a delegate at the Black Hawk County convention that was held on Saturday, March 12.Now, my mom is religious but she is also an atheist ally. Those of … [Read more...]
“Is the Atheist My Neighbor?”: A Review by Ed Buckner
March 20, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Is the Atheist My Neighbor? Rethinking Christian Attitudes toward Atheismby Randal Rauser (103 pp., incl. bibliography; Cascade Books, 2015)A Review by Ed BucknerI’ve read quite a few books by Christians on atheism or related matters, but I don’t seek out such books any longer—they’re generally too predictable about Christianity and too maliciously misguided about atheism. When Jeff Lowder, a well-known atheist activist, writer, and debater, recommended Is the Atheist My Neighbo … [Read more...]
Texas floods, fakes, and falsehoods..
March 18, 2016 by Leave a Comment
This is a picture of fossilized oyster shells which are among thousands of similar shells located in a fossil bed in central Texas which is obviously a long way from any current coastline:This picture was not taken at fossil dig; it was taken in my own central Texas backyard.As any school child can tell you, assuming they weren’t educated at one of the many scientifically inferior school systems in Texas, these fossils were deposited when the area now known as Texas was covered by a … [Read more...]
The Brewing Texas (Education) Apocalypse
March 13, 2016 by Leave a Comment
(Editor's Comment: This photo is proof that harmless looking people can be incredibly dangerous.)Republican voters in Texas are on the verge of electing a woman to the school board who believes school shootings are caused by the absence of overt Christian prayers and the 10 commandments, that climate change is a hoax, and that teaching evolution supports the “atheist religion”.This is a potential disaster, not just for Texas, but for every educational system in the country due to the lar … [Read more...]
Nothing Fails Like Prayer
March 9, 2016 by Leave a Comment
A bit more than a week ago, two good people were killed in a horrific accident. These people were community pillars, well known in the community as being incredibly generous and in their tragic passing, they leave behind a young child and friends and family who loved them.The leading response from the community that loved them is to “pray” for them and their families and friends.A few days ago, another good person was involved in a serious accident, from which he luckily escaped with jus … [Read more...]
Paradigm Shift: There Is No Jesus (and There Never Was)
March 4, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Editor's comment: This is the 7th part in Dr. Frank Zindler's excellent series about the lack of historical evidence for the existence of Jesus as a real person. Please seek out the previous episodes of this compelling and intriguing series here on this blog.Speaking FRANK-ly About Jesus, part 7: Paradigm Shifts and the Parable of the CaveFrank Zindler’s blog dedicated to the thesis that Jesus of Nazareth never existed.Ever since the publication in 1962 of The Structure of Sc … [Read more...]
Follow Patheos
Atheist: