On Nihilism and Satanism

May 13th, 2008
I’d like to write today about two stereotypes of atheism that are common among some quarters of religious apologists: that we are moral nihilists, recognizing no such concepts as right and wrong; and that we are Satanists who worship, or at least admire, the adversary power of monotheism. The atheists who advocate these concepts, rare [...]

?I want millions? cartoon dubbed a ?hate crime?

May 13th, 2008
This cartoon, published in April by the Chronicle Herald in Canada, has been reported to police as a “hate crime” by the director of the Centre for Islamic Development (CID). It depicts Cheryfa MacAulay Jamal, whose husband Qayyum Abdul Jamal was held for 17 months on suspicion of terrorism. On his release without charge, she stated [...]

Einstein: religion is “childish superstition”

May 13th, 2008
Sometimes Einstein is put forward as an example of an eminent scientist who was also a religious believer. What he did or did not believe has literally been the subject of books (Max Jammer, Einstein and Religion) , as well as websites and magazine articles. What he actually believed is complex and changed over time, [...]

Does Morality Come From the Bible?

May 13th, 2008

Blogging Tip #1: Collecting Traffic Data

May 13th, 2008

Selling Transplant Organs Part II: Options

May 12th, 2008

For Your Reading Pleasure

May 12th, 2008
For your consideration: • The 91st Carnival of the Godless at State of Protest • The 64th Carnival of the Liberals at Sir Robin Rides Away • The 69th Philosophers’ Carnival at Possibly Philosophy • The 86th Skeptics’ Circle at The Skepbitch • And, last but certainly not least, the 19th Humanist Symposium at Letters from a Broad!

Death-wish anchorman reprimanded by Ofcom

May 12th, 2008
Ofcom’s latest report (PDF download) tells of how an anchorman’s prayer led to his station being reprimanded for breaching Rule 2.3 of the Broadcasting Code (broadcasters must ensure that material which may cause offence must be justified by the context). The Pakistan-based Geo TV were unable to justify the words of their presenter, Dr Aamer Liaquat [...]

MPs set to allow hybrid embryo research

May 12th, 2008
It looks like it will be a victory for humanist ethics in parliament over scientific research on embryos, according to a survey of MPs conducted by The Guardian. The Catholic Church has been mounting a campaign to pressure Catholic MPs to reject the Human Embryology and Fertilisation bill - despite the fact that they are [...]

Two Atheist Blog Carnivals

May 12th, 2008

Genesis 1:26-1:27, Creation of Humans in Near Eastern Myths And The Paleolithic Era

May 12th, 2008

Selling Organs for Transplant

May 11th, 2008

Churchgoing Declining in Britain

May 11th, 2008

Little-Known Bible Verses IX: Better Miracles than Jesus

May 11th, 2008
To Christian believers, Jesus of Nazareth was God incarnate and therefore possessed of omnipotent power. According to the Bible, he backed up this claim by doing many miracles while on earth - casting out demons, healing the sick and the crippled, calming storms, walking on water, producing food, and raising the dead. It would seem [...]