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Atheism Basics: Definition of Atheism from Theologians

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Although misunderstandings about the definition of atheism have tended to come from theists, it is also true that many theists have recognized that atheism has a broader sense than simply ...

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Imitation as a Source of Human Cultural Tradition

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:00:22 +0000

Culture is usually defined as some set of traditions that has to be learned as novel behaviors (rather than instinctual behaviors) that must then be transmitted to young members of a group or lost. At one time we thought humans were the only creatures capable of culture, but something similar has been observed not just among primates but also birds, meerkats, and even fish.

What's remarkable is that this isn't more common. If an animal can learn, why aren't they all learning new things then transmitting that information? Why do we do it so much more?

It seems that there is something unusual about humans when it comes to our drive to imitate: we mimic what we see to a much greater degree than other animals. There is some reason to think that this has also played an important role in the development of religion and why it religion is able to retain so many ancient elements, no matter how counter-productive they may be.

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Imitation as a Source of Human Cultural Tradition originally appeared on About.com Agnosticism / Atheism on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 at 12:00:22.

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Forum Discussion: Ban Contraceptives for Catholics

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:00:24 +0000

There's a growing conflict in America over Catholic objections to contraception. The Catholic Church is free to condemn contraception all it wants, but that condemnation is affecting many people's ability to access contraception. Well, maybe there is a solution: use the law to enforce the Catholic Church's prohibition on contraceptives, but only on Catholics.

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Forum Discussion: Ban Contraceptives for Catholics originally appeared on About.com Agnosticism / Atheism on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 at 08:00:24.

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Readers' Choice Awards - Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Book of 2011

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:53 +0000

Every year the number of really good books for atheist, agnostic, and skeptical readers seems to be growing. That may be because the audience for such books is growing, too! So which of the books published in 2011 do you think was best?

Readers nominated a lot of different books and now we have the five finalists for you to vote on.

To be eligible, a book had to be first published in 2011, had to be written by someone who identifies as an atheist, agnostic, skeptic, or freethinker, and the subject must be atheism, agnosticism, freethought, religious critique, etc.

Here are links to more information about each of the books that are finalists for the Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Book of 2011:

The Magic of Reality, by Richard Dawkins
Letters To Christian Leaders - Hollow Be Thy Claims, by Jake Farr-Wharton
The Atheist's Guide To Reality, by Alex Rosenberg
The End of Christianity, by John W. Loftus
The Fallacy of Fine-Tuning: Why the Universe Is Not Designed for Us, by Victor J. Stenger

Readers Choice Awards - All Voting Pages

Previous Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Book Winner:

Best Atheist Book, 2010

Note: Readers are only allowed to vote once a day during the voting period, February 22 - March 21. That's why voting requires that you be logged in here to About.com, be logged in with Facebook, or that you provide an email address. A per About.com's privacy policy, your email address won't be shared with anyone. You won't even be signed up for newsletters - it's just needed to prevent fraud.

Readers' Choice Awards - Favorite Agnostic / Atheist to Follow on Twitter of 2011

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:45 +0000

Twitter is an awfully busy place with lots of real gems and lots of.... well, not gems. Twitter is so busy, in fact, that it's hard to figure out which people are worth following and which aren't. Which atheists do you think are the best ones to follow?

Readers nominated a lot of different people on Twitter and now we have the five finalists for you to vote on.

Any person who identifies as an atheist, agnostic, skeptic, or freethinker is eligible if they tweet regularly, were tweeting regularly through most of 2011, and write consistently on issues pertaining to atheism, agnosticism, freethought, church/state separation, etc.

Here are links each of the Twitter accounts that are finalists for the Favorite Agnostic / Atheist to Follow on Twitter of 2011:

Readers Choice Awards - All Voting Pages

Previous Favorite Agnostic / Atheist to Follow on Twitter Winners:

Best Atheist to Follow on Twitter, 2010

Readers' Choice Awards - Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Website of 2011

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:43 +0000

Some atheist websites are narrowly focused on just one thing, like a blog or a forum. Others, though, strive to provide a lot of different things to visitors in order to create a better overall experience. Which do you think is the best overall atheist website out there?

Readers nominated a lot of different atheist websites and now we have the five finalists for you to vote on.

To be eligible here, the site can't be just a blog, just a forum, just a social networking site, etc. Instead, the website must be of a more general nature, possibly hosting multiple such features. This very website is a good example, though of course it can't be eligible.

Here are links to each of the websites that are finalists for the Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Website of 2011:

Readers Choice Awards - All Voting Pages

Previous Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Website Winners:

Best Atheist Web Site, 2010

Readers' Choice Awards - Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Podcast of 2011

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:30 +0000

There's a lot of great information being passed around on podcasts today and it's a shame that there isn't enough time to listen to them all! So help out your fellow atheists, agnostics, and skeptics by nominating your favorite podcasts to encourage others to listen. Which podcasts do you listen to regularly and recommend to others?

Readers nominated a lot of different podcasts and now we have the five finalists for you to vote on.

To be eligible, a podcast had to involve at least some people who identify as atheists or agnostics who are doing the speaking and writing, it had to have been active for most of 2011, and the topics must generally be issues pertaining to atheism, agnosticism, freethought, church/state separation, etc.

Here are links to more information about each of the podcasts that are finalists for the Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Podcast of 2011:

Readers Choice Awards - All Voting Pages

Previous Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Podcast Winners:

Best Atheist Podcast, 2010

Readers' Choice Awards - Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Blog of 2011

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:22 +0000

It wouldn't be the internet anymore if we didn't have blogs, would it? There are a lot of great atheist and agnostic blogs out there exploring all facets of religion, belief, and living without gods. Which blogs do you read the most and recommend the most?

Readers nominated a lot of different blogs and now we have the five finalists for you to vote on.

To be eligible, the blog has to have been around for most of 2011, the blogger must post regularly, the blogger must identify as an atheist, agnostic, skeptic, or freethinker, and the topics of the blog posts must be issues pertaining to atheism, agnosticism, freethought, church/state separation, religious critique, etc.

Here are links each of the blogs that are finalists for the Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Blog of 2011:

Readers Choice Awards - All Voting Pages

Previous Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Blog Winners:

Best Atheist Blog, 2010

Readers' Choice Awards - Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Facebook Page of 2011

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:22 +0000

It seems that everyone uses Facebook these days, doesn't it? You can't get away from it, but some people have done a nice job using Facebook to promote their causes, ideas, or organizations. Atheists are no exception, so there are lots of atheists on Facebook and lots of Facebook fan pages. Which do you like the best?

Readers nominated a lot of different Facebook pages and now we have the five finalists for you to vote on.

Any Facebook fan page or group is eligible so long as it is run by atheists, agnostics, skeptics, and freethinkers and is about atheism, agnosticism, freethought, church/state separation, etc.

Here are links to each of the Facebook pages that are finalists for the Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Facebook Page of 2011:

Readers Choice Awards - All Voting Pages

Previous Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Facebook Page Winners:

Best Atheist Facebook Page, 2010

Readers' Choice Awards - Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Ad of 2011

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:15 +0000

Yes, atheist ads are still in the news and they are still getting a lot of attention. I think they might also be getting better, too, as more organizations are getting involved and people are getting more creative. Whatever you think of them, they definitely create conversation. But which one was your favorite atheist ad last year?

Readers nominated a lot of different atheist ads and now we have the five finalists for you to vote on.

Any print ad that appeared in 2011 is eligible so long as it's possible for readers to see the ad online when it comes time to vote for the winner (and preferably a large image, too, so it's easier to see).

Here are links to more information about each of the ads that are finalists for the Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Advertisement of 2011:

"Don't believe in God? Join the club" from the United Coalition of Reason
"Reason's Greetings - Solstice Tribute" from the Freedom From Religion Foundation
"You don't need God-to hope, to care, to love, to live" from the Center for Inquiry
"I see beauty in the universe without God, - Ashley Paramore" from the Freedom From Religion Foundation

Readers Choice Awards - All Voting Pages

Previous Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Ad Winner:

Best Atheist Ad, 2010

Readers' Choice Awards - Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Community of 2011

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:14 +0000

One of the best things about the internet is the ability to create virtual communities made up from people all around this world. This is especially valuable for atheists who often don't know other atheists around them or can't afford to reveal their atheism. Which online community do you think is best for atheists?

Readers nominated a lot of different atheist communities and now we have the five finalists for you to vote on.

To be eligible, a site must have been active for most of 2011, still be active now, and be focused on providing a community for atheists, agnostics, skeptics, freethinkers, etc. It can include just about any sort of forum or social networking site. It can't simply be a blog with comments.

Here are links to each of the atheist communities that are finalists for the Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Community of 2011:

Readers Choice Awards - All Voting Pages

Previous Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Community Winners:

Why You Really Believe in God: Real Reasons Behind Religion, Theism

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:00:23 +0000

Some religious theists think it is appropriate to presume to inform atheists about why they really don't believe in any gods rather than simply listen to atheists in order to learn something. Perhaps atheists should instruct theists why they actually believe in gods. Theists offer all sorts of reasons for why they believe in a god but the only respectable reason is one which, if proven false, would at the very least cause them to seriously reconsider their belief and perhaps drop it entirely. I've never seen a religious theist do this, perhaps because the reasons below are more true than they would like to admit.

Read Article: Why You Really Believe in God: Real Reasons Behind Religion, Theism

Impact of Neuroscience on Morality & Responsibility

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:00:26 +0000

Can our traditional intuitions about morality and responsibility survive in the face of knowledge gained through modern neuroscience? That's an open question right now because there is still a lot we have to learn, but what we've learned so far may have far-reaching consequences for how we assign moral responsibility.

Some of this may be good in that we develop a better understanding of how our brains work, but some of this may be quite bad.

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Impact of Neuroscience on Morality & Responsibility originally appeared on About.com Agnosticism / Atheism on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 at 12:00:26.

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Comment of the Week: Belief vs. Behavior; Orthodoxy vs. Orthopraxy

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:00:28 +0000

Belief and behavior are inseparable because what you believe determines how you behave. Nevertheless, there are significant differences between ideologies that emphasize "right beliefs" (orthodoxy) and those that emphasize "right behavior" (orthopraxy). That's especially true when it comes to religions. Why do you suppose that is?

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Comment of the Week: Belief vs. Behavior; Orthodoxy vs. Orthopraxy originally appeared on About.com Agnosticism / Atheism on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 at 08:00:28.

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Anti-Lent: Test Drive a Bad Habit, New Sin or Guilty Pleasure for a Few Weeks

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:00:02 +0000

Lent is the penitential period of 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter when Christians fast and do penance in preparation for Easter and to spiritually "join" Jesus with the ...

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Fruits of Anti-Science Ideology in the 20th Century

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:00:09 +0000

The impact of anti-science ideology on conservative American politics is unavoidable and many wonder what sort of impact it may have on American society over the coming decades. Well, some lessons can be had from the history of other countries where anti-scientific thinking on behalf of some political ideology has come to control national politics.

Not a single one of those situations turned out well for anyone involved.

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Fruits of Anti-Science Ideology in the 20th Century originally appeared on About.com Agnosticism / Atheism on Monday, February 20th, 2012 at 12:00:09.

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Book of the Week: The Vatican Exposed: Money, Murder, and the Mafia

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

_{Image courtesy
PriceGrabber.com}

There is no disputing the fact that the Vatican, the clerical bureaucracy which controls and leads the Roman Catholic Church, is a very powerful and secretive organization. There is also little disputing the fact that great power and great secrecy typically help an organization to become corrupt. Has the same occurred with the Vatican? Many believe so and there is quite a bit of evidence through the centuries of corruption at the Vatican which would rival that in any government or corporation.

Book of the Week: The Vatican Exposed: Money, Murder, and the Mafia

Skepticism & Astrology: Is There a Mechanism for Astrology?

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000

One of the problems with astrology is the general lack of a sound mechanism by which celestial objects might exert an "influence" over our lives. This is particularly important because, ...

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Variation Creates Life

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:00:30 +0000

It is said that variety is the spice of life, but as it turns out variety may be the foundation of life -- that is to say, the foundation that allowed life to develop at all. It was variations in the structure and temperature of the universe during its earliest phase which allowed for the development of matter, then stars, then finally life itself.

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Variation Creates Life originally appeared on About.com Agnosticism / Atheism on Sunday, February 19th, 2012 at 12:00:30.

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Mailbag: Meaning and Purpose in Life, Part 1

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0000

From: "Mike"
Subject: a question

Just wondering: if you don't believe in God, what do you believe in? Lights out? Reincarnation? Just curious.

I believe lots of things, but I take it that Mike is looking specifically for what I think when it comes to death. Personally, I don't believe anything happens to us after we die because who "we" are as people is a function of our memories and our personalities - but both of them are dependent upon our physical brains. Once our brains die, our memories and personalities are gone. Once they are gone, there is no "us."

I don't believe this "as an atheist" because there is no "atheist position" on death. Some atheists believe as I do. Some atheists believe in reincarnation. Some atheists believe in ghosts, so one would have to conclude that they believe in some sort of life after death. My position isn't an atheist position - it's simply a position based on what I know regarding the science of the brain.

If who "we" are just vanishes in a poof, what do you have to live for? What's the point?

What's the point of living? Because life can be enjoyable and worth living here and now. Does one ask "what's the point" about watching a movie you know is going to end? About eating a meal that is going to end? The question seems to assume that nothing has a point unless it is eternal, but that premise not only isn't obviously true, but is in fact arguably false. It seems to me that things can only be meaningful if they are temporary and will pass along. If they are there forever, one can easily take them for granted, become bored with them, etc.

Comparison of the temporal nature and enjoyment of a good movie or a fine meal to our lives here and now is, I think, not an apt one, in terms of relative value. To me, they're not quite on the same plane.

A life is more important than a meal, but the point of the analogy remains: the mere fact that something is not eternal does not, therefore, mean that it cannot have purpose or meaning. Such an argument is simply a non sequitur. There is no logical connection between "temporal" or "fleeting" and "meaningless" or "pointless." If someone is to claim that a non-eternal life cannot have meaning and purpose, they have to introduce more into their argument.

Go on to read the Second Part of this conversation.

More selections from the Agnosticism / Atheism Mailbag...

Emergency Contraception & Conscience: Christian Right Attacks on Contraceptives

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0000

There is a growing movement of pharmacists who want the right to refuse to fill prescriptions for birth control pills, especially for the purpose of emergency contraception (also known as ...

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Attractiveness of Apocalyptic Beliefs

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 12:00:32 +0000

We might normally associate apocalyptic beliefs with religion, but the fact is that apocalyptic beliefs are not the exclusive domain of religion. There are plenty of secular apocalyptic beliefs as well. But why are they so common? Why are they so attractive? In fact there are good reasons for why apocalyptic beliefs are attractive to us; understanding why helps us understand ourselves better.

It also helps us understand religion better because while such beliefs don't require religion, they occur far more often with religion than without.

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Attractiveness of Apocalyptic Beliefs originally appeared on About.com Agnosticism / Atheism on Saturday, February 18th, 2012 at 12:00:32.

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Introduction to the Books of Kings

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 08:00:34 +0000

In the Old Testament, the Books of Kings pick up where the Books of Samuel ended and describe the descent of the kings of Israel and Judah into apostasy and idolatry. The Books of Kings were written from the perspective of religious zealots living in Judah and they condemn everything done by the kings of the northern kingdom of Israel. Those zealots especially hated how people were allowed a measure of religious freedom.

Read Article: Introduction to the Books of Kings

Atheist Activism in Opposing Solicitations to Religious Charities at Work

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:00:19 +0000

It's not unusual in America for people to solicit colleagues at work for money for charities. Sometimes this takes the form of fund raisers (like Girl Scout cookies) and sometimes it takes the form of outright donations. The pressure to give is enough of a problem regardless of the context, but this becomes worse if you are pressured to donate to a religious charity. There are risks to taking a stand, but opposing this kind of behavior can be important and provide a basis for activism.

Read Article: Atheist Activism in Opposing Solicitations to Religious Charities at Work

Fighting Evolution Denial & Climate Change Denial

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:00:36 +0000

The National Center for Science Education is usually involved with combating Evolution Denial in America's classrooms, but now it's turning to help teachers deal with Climate Change Denial as well. And why not? Both proceed from simliar theological and political ideologies. Both depend upon similar forms of pseudo-skepticism. Both are attempts to deny reality in favor of preserving one's favored ideology.

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Fighting Evolution Denial & Climate Change Denial originally appeared on About.com Agnosticism / Atheism on Friday, February 17th, 2012 at 12:00:36.

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