Giving Comfort through Public Atheism

Some months ago I blogged about the Atheist Bus-Ads and other proclamations of the faithless in public. I asserted that these efforts brought a certain kind of comfort to those among us who do not buy-in to any sort of organized religion–nor ascribe to miracle-making deities generally. This article in the New York Times seems [...]

This Whole Susan Boyle Thing

I really don’t like “talent”-type TV shows… but that has changed. If you don’t know why or you haven’t seen this clip from Britain’s Got Talent, then you should watch it immediately.
Now if the fame and attention causes Susan’s life to spiral out of control and she end’s up hooked on pain-killers, used-up, and dead [...]

F^%$&@# Idiot

What Open-Mindedness Is and Is Not

A couple folks have sent me a link this video recently… so i thought I’d re-post it here… and, yeah, this dude is spot on…

Oh the Cognitive Dissonance!

Father Raniero Cantalamessa, officially Preacher of the Papal Household (Tyson lifts left eyebrow, scratches head), thinks the atheist bus ads released last year have helped to serve God’s cause.”
Ok, that’s cool, I can see how something of the sort might cause a backlash and energize the faithful–makes sense to me. But then he says this:
Suffering is [...]

“New Atheists’” Bad Rap

/OpenRant
The “New Atheists” are frequently disparaged as shrill, abrasive, and counter-productive — but when I read them what I see are wrters:

who are dumbfounded that >50% of Americans don’t “believe” in evolution,
who watch awestruck when Catholic and Muslim leaders tell millions of people not [...]

In Rocks and Mud

For some folks, pondering our origins in rock and mud leaves them cold — gazing at celestial bodies arouses only emptiness. 
And yet through science, I have come to feel a sense of transcendence — through science I have come to know beauty (even comfort) in rocks, mud, and celestial bodies. By understanding the vast and wonderful [...]

Encouraging Results

Religious moderation is prevalent (and seemingly becoming more so). Here are some interesting pointers toward moderation found in the Pew Forum’s U.S. Religious Landscape Survey for 2008:

And while I have certain gripes with religious moderates as well, it sure beats the every-present Evangelism of the Bush-years!