atheism
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Freedom From Religion Foundation
T he nonprofit Freedom From Religion Foundation works to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism, and to promote the constitutional principle of separation between church and state.It is a little-known but undisputed historical fact that Johannes Gutenberg did not invent the printing press. Though the Gutenberg Bible was certainly the first mass produced printed work, it was hardly the first printed book — nor was it even the first made using movable type. Chinese and Korean inventors had been producing printed books for centuries before Gutenberg was born. One of the truisms of Western history is that a German guy named Gutenberg invented the printing press, changing the course of civilization forever. There is no doubt that Gutenberg's printing press was a novel technology. But to say that he invented the printing press is like saying Steve Jobs or Bill Gates invented the computer.
Printed books existed nearly 600 years before Gutenberg's Bible
hristopher Hitchens is, of all the atheists I admire, the one I admire the most. I want him to live forever. But as that is impossible–for any of us–it’s his voice I will miss the most. He is a journalist, a polemicist, a bad boy.
The Big Idea: « The New Oxonian
Salman Rushdie and Martin Amis among those at Cooper Union to celebrate life and work of 'pioneer at the frontier' "Little Keith" called him a suffering auto-contrarian and likened him to Houdini; Graydon Carter said he was a "bit of a scallywag" but an editor's dream; and the doctor who treated him for the cancer of the oesophagus that killed him said he was a "pioneer at the frontier". Unsurprisingly, though, it was Christopher Hitchens who had the funniest and the most apposite words with which to describe himself at his own memorial in New York on Friday. He was, he said of himself in posthumous film clips and readings, a "radical freelance scribbler" who had devoted his life to curiosity, irony, debunking, disputation, drinking, love and hate (though of all those things, it was hate that got him out of bed in the morning).
Christopher Hitchens' wit and warmth remembered as New York pays tribute | Books | guardian.co.uk
For many, faith in God rises with age
The data comes from 30 countries in which surveys about belief in God have been taken at least twice, in some cases, since 1991. Researchers asked questions to determine people’s range of beliefs, from atheism to strong belief in God; their changing beliefs over their lifetime; and their attitude toward the notion that God is concerned with individuals. (Credit: iStockphoto ) U. CHICAGO (US) — Belief in God increases with age, even in countries that are largely atheist, according to new research. International surveys about the depth of people’s belief in God show vast differences among nations, ranging from 94 percent of people in the Philippines who say they always believed in God, to only 13 percent of people in the former East Germany.
What the “nones” believe
Lutheran sociologist Peter Berger discusses the phenomena of the “nones,” the growing demographic–currently 19% of the American population– that is unaffiliated with any religion. Some say this group represents the secular elite, a wave of atheism, the sexually-liberated young people reacting against the sexual restrictions of religion. But, says Berger, the evidence suggests otherwise: The “nones” are most strongly represented among people with an income under $30,000, with high school graduation or less, who are married but (interestingly) without children.I n devout Catholic circles 50 years ago, Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824), a German mystic and stigmatic, was a well-known and revered figure. She was later all but forgotten by most people until last fall, when Mel Gibson mentioned in an interview that her book on Christ’s Passion had influenced him and his new film, “The Passion of the Christ.” Gibson thus turned the spotlight on her again, which helped bring to light the news that she will probably be beatified early next year. According to her biographer, as a child Catherine received visitations from Jesus and John the Baptist, who appeared to her as children like herself.
America Magazine - A Movie, a Mystic, a Spiritual Tradition
A professor at the University of Vermont, Nicholas Gotelli , got an invitation to debate one of the clowns at the Discovery Institute. Here's what they wrote. Dear Professor Gotelli, I saw your op-ed in the Burlington Free Press and appreciated your support of free speech at UVM.
How to respond to requests to debate creationists : Pharyngula
My high school students know that I rely very little on our textbooks. I hand them out at the beginning of the school year because I have to, but other than as a last-resort reference, most of my classes use them minimally throughout the year.
Friendly Atheist | by Hemant Mehta
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See the website, Friggatriskaidekaphobia.com: The Freethought Society’s (FS) next Anti-Superstition Bash will be held on Friday, May 13, 2011 from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM in the beautiful Corinthian Yacht Club. The Club is located at 300 West 2nd Street, Essington, PA 19029.
Margaret Downey
JREF
In my last post for this blog I discussed the fact that individual scientific studies are insufficient to establish a claim or phenomenon, and yet people often cite a single study as if it offers proof of their position. In order to really understand the status of a scientific claim, rather, you need to have some sense of the totality of relevant scientific research - the so-called scientific "literature."Shermer
Dr.Think about your own worldview to decide if it is free of supernatural or mystical deities, forces, and entities.
The Brights
Daniel C. Dennett, the author of Breaking the Spell (Viking, 2006), Freedom Evolves (Viking Penguin, 2003) and Darwin's Dangerous Idea (Simon &Schuster, 1995), is University Professor and Austin B.