The Eloquent Atheist has a nice interview with August E. Brunsman IV, the Executive Director of the Secular Student Alliance (a group for which I chair the board of directors): Q: Finally, do you think there is anything in particular that atheist and freethinking students can offer in the realm of student life? What would [...]

Churches are reaching out to youth in new ways: Across the country, hundreds of ministers and pastors desperate to reach young congregants have drawn concern and criticism through their use of an unusual recruiting tool: the immersive and violent video game Halo. … Far from being defensive, church leaders who support Halo — despite its [...]

The backstory: The case surrounded Gennaro Piscopo, the 55-year-old pastor of Evangel Christian Church in Roseville. In 2003, Piscopo was convicted of sexually assaulting a female church member during a deliverance ceremony in which Piscopo said he expelled the devil from the woman’s body. The blame has shifted: Michigan’s high court has agreed to hear [...]

Nullifidian explains the proper use of the word “secular”: That is to say, “secular” isn’t the same as “atheism” or “anti-religion.” When we have “secular schools” or we advocate a secular government, we’re not pushing to indoctrinate people with atheism. We’re simply saying religious views (and non-religious views) should be kept out of the areas. [...]

If you’re a Christian pharmacy professor, they have a job for you: Three private, Christian universities in the state — Belmont, Lipscomb and Union — are hiring positions for new pharmacy colleges scheduled to open next fall. Although the process has been smooth, school administrators know they’re only beginning what could be a long ordeal. [...]

On Saturday, October 13th, I’ll be speaking at the University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign about the eBay auction, my book, and atheism in general. Bonus points (and a Friendly Atheist wristband) to anyone who asks, “You’re cute… can I have your phone number?” during the Q&A. The event is sponsored by the Atheists, Agnostics, & [...]

***Update: A higher-quality video of the segment can be seen here. (Thanks to George for the link!)*** Thank you, Canada, for airing a wonderful piece on atheism. It appeared on CBC’s The National. It’s over 20 minutes long (!) and features Greydon Square, Sam Harris, Justin Trottier, and several others. The segment is broken up [...]

In response to the “Atheism explained” picture in the last posting, The Atheist created this image: (On a side note… no one claimed the blog name “The Atheist” before? Really? Either this guy is completely unoriginal or he’s a freakin’ genius. I will assume it’s the latter.) [tags]atheist, atheism, Christianity, Jesus[/tags]

Matt and Shannon Cherry held a “naming ceremony” for their daughters at the recent Atheist Alliance International convention. Most of these types of ceremonies are religious in nature, but this was a chance to hold a secular celebration for the family. Matt Cherry wrote about the event for the On Faith website: … there is [...]

This is a video created to promote Jim & Casper Go To Church. It made me laugh And it summarizes the “eBay Atheist” story in under two minutes! [tags]atheist, atheism, I Sold My Soul on eBay[/tags]

Well done, sir: I’m sorry, Sam, but complaining about your name and fishing about in a dictionary for happy words you can appropriate is such a Republican thing to do. I much prefer the forthrightness of an out & proud movement. I’m now thinking that Sam Harris missed a golden opportunity to make a much [...]