- 9 years ago Sticky: Rules Discussion
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+15 +1
The Kalam Cosmological Argument
There are a handful of famous arguments for the existence of a god. Some have been around for centuries, and new arguments are popping up every day. One such argument is the kalam cosmological argument. A classic which has recently been re-polished and re-popularized, it has withstood the test of time in its field.
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+2 +1
Conservative columnist argues it's time for an atheist in the White House
President Donald Trump’s personal religious views mostly appear to an afterthought — his primary belief is in his own greatness. But as president and as the leader of the Republican Party, he has embraced and has been embraced by the evangelical Christian community, and he professes to deeply hold a belief in God.
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+14 +1
It’s time for us to have an unapologetic atheist in the Oval Office
Among the 21 candidates seeking the Democratic nomination, virtually every ethnic, religious and sexual identity is represented. There’s a gay man, six women, three African Americans, a Chinese American, multiple Catholics and Protestants, even a Hindu. (Hindus are 0.7 percent of the population.) But there is one conspicuous absence: Not a single candidate publicly identifies as an atheist. That’s not to say they are all religious believers. But if they aren’t, they are keeping it to themselves.
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+33 +1
Study finds that children raised without religion show more empathy and kindness
A study conducted by the University of Chicago has found that children raised in non-religious households are kinder and more altruistic than those raised with religion. The study which was published in the journal Current Biology looked at 1170 children between the ages of 5 and 12 years in six countries (Canada, China, Jordan, Turkey, USA, and South Africa) and examined “the religiousness of their household, and parent-reported child empathy and sensitivity to justice.”
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+25 +1
Sister Act Oh Happy Day again
Whenever I feel down, this one lifts me up. Nuthin' to do with religion, everything that makes me feel good.
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+3 +1
God Exists for British Columbians, But Few Attend Religious Services
Most residents of British Columbia believe or tend to believe that God is real, but significantly fewer actively participate in religious ceremonies, a new Research Co. poll has found. In the online survey of a representative provincial sample, 39% of British Columbians are “convinced” that God exists, while 22% “tend to believe” that God exists. Conversely, 16% of residents are “convinced” that God does not exist, and 13% “tend to believe” that God does not exist.
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+35 +1
Religion is tanking: New poll finds church membership is down to 50% among Americans
According to a new Gallup poll, people who belong to a church or some other religious institution has dropped 20 percentage points over the last 20 years, hitting a low of 50 percent last year. In 1999, church membership was at 70 percent but has fallen ever since. In regards to the percentage of adults in the U.S. who claim no religious affiliation, that number has jumped from 8 percent to 19 percent.
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+28 +1
Survey: There are now as many Americans who claim no religion as there are evangelicals and Catholics
For the first time "No Religion" has topped a survey of Americans' religious identity, according to a new analysis by a political scientist. The non-religious edged out Catholics and evangelicals in the long-running General Social Survey. Ryan Burge, a political scientist at Eastern Illinois University and a Baptist pastor, found that 23.1% of Americans now claim no religion.
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+4 +1
Secretly seduced by science, Hasidic atheists lead a double life
The moment Solomon lost his faith, he was standing on the D train, swaying back and forth with its movement as if in prayer. But it wasn’t a prayer book that the young law student was reading – he had already been to synagogue, where he had wrapped himself in the leather thongs that bound him to Orthodox Judaism, laying phylacteries and reciting the prayers three times daily.
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+16 +1
What Is the Best Argument for the Existence of God?
There are a number of common arguments for the existence of God. But most of these arguments are not as effective as many Christians would like to think.
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+12 +1
Atheists are more Intelligent than Theists
Science and Religion are considered as antonyms of each other, generally. In your brain also, science and religion are ‘fighting‘ with each other. Not only in metaphorical sense, but in a real, physical altercation. These results are found by researchers from Case Western Reserve University (Ohio) and Babson College (Massachusetts). The researchers found that theists are more likely to be involved in religious practices and their faith often suppress their brain to think analytical thinking. The religious people, instead, engage the empathetic network.
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+7 +1
A Great Myth about Atheism: Hitler/Stalin/Pol Pot = Atheism = Atrocity
Yes, here it is again, the ubiquitous claim that atheism = Stalin/Pol Pot = moral atrocities. This is a complex one, so hang around. It is commonly claimed by Christians, and I had a debate about this on the Unbelievable forum on Facebook recently with many who did, that secular atheism was responsible for the atrocities of the twentieth century perpetrated by the likes of Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot (Mao Zedong is often thrown in for good measure).
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+10 +1
Religious unaffiliation is growing in the US. Why isn’t it in Congress?
This fall, voters in the Midwest elected two Muslim women to the U.S. House of Representatives, the first female members of their faith to enter Congress. The same day, Arizona elected Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who, while not the first of her kind, is even rarer: Sinema is the only person serving in Congress to identify as religiously unaffiliated — putting her in a caucus of less than 0.2 percent of the lawmaking body.
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Atheist summits aim to find community, and power, in networking nonbelievers
In early March, more than 30 atheist, humanist and secular leaders gathered at a residence overlooking Southern Californian vineyards to discuss politics, social issues and how to draw in more people at a first-ever SoCal Secular Leadership Summit.
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+8 +1
Translators aim to bring Richard Dawkins’s books on atheism and evolution to a Muslim audience
In the introduction to his 2006 book “The God Delusion,” author Richard Dawkins boldly declares his goal: “If this book works as I intend, religious readers who open it will be atheists when they put it down.” It is a goal that has meant Dawkins’s books have courted controversy ever since. Now, a group of translators wants to get Dawkins’s books in front of a new group of religious readers: Muslim readers, in Muslim-majority countries where atheism is rare.
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+15 +1
China Is Treating Islam Like a Mental Illness. What’s Your Opinion?
While Western world is crazy about so called “religious rights”, China uses quite straightforward methods to fight Islam. One million Muslims are being held right now in Chinese internment camps, according to estimates cited by the UN and U.S. officials. Former inmates — most of whom are Uighurs, a largely Muslim ethnic minority — have told reporters that over the course of several months, they were forced to renounce Islam, criticize their own Islamic beliefs and those of fellow inmates, eat pork and drink alcohol.
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+15 +1
Why I Chose the Atheist Label
Back in 2014 when I finally came to grips with the fact that I was no longer a Christian—and in fact, an atheist—I made the decision to “come out.” A number of reasons supported this decision, even though I knew by doing so I’d be causing pain and anger and risking rejection and disapproval from family, friends, co-workers, and even possibly future employers. (I was both right and wrong, by the way. While a number of people did react just as I feared, more people than I expected reacted with love and inclusiveness and support.)
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+28 +1
Why Social Justice Is Killing Synagogues and Churches
If you go into a Reform or Conservative temple, it’s likely that you will notice two things: The congregation is becoming smaller and older. Across the United States and Europe, Jewish congregations are aging at a rapid rate, a phenomenon increasingly common for mainstream religions across the high-income world.
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+9 +1
Portland Bans Discrimination Against Atheists And Agnostics
The Portland, Oregon, City Council has approved a measure extending civil rights protections to atheist, agnostic and other nonreligious residents. The council’s unanimous vote on Wednesday ensures that nonreligious people are explicitly protected from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodation. “By passing this ordinance, we’re sending a message that we value nonbelievers and affirm that protections of our civil rights code extends to them,” Commissioner Amanda Fritz said during the council meeting.
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+14 +1
So-Called ‘Atheist’ Doesn’t Even Barge Into Churches Screaming ‘You’re All Brainwashed Fools’
Casting serious doubt over his commitment, self-professed atheist Edward Horvath came under intense scrutiny Monday after sources revealed that despite ample opportunities, he has never once barged into local churches screaming that the parishioners are all “brainwashed fools.” “This guy fancies himself some kind of true non-believer, but I’d bet my imaginary soul he’s never snatched a Bible out of a stranger’s hands and ripped out the pages one by one,” said roommate Dan Taylor...