The New Atheism: Taking A Stand For Science And Reason

In this new book, Victor J. Stenger, whose God: The Failed Hypothesis was on the New York Times bestseller list in 2007, reviews and expands upon the principles of New Atheism and answers many of its critics. He demonstrates in detail that naturalism--the view that all of reality is reducible to matter and nothing else--is sufficient to explain everything we observe in the universe, from the most distant galaxies to the inner workings of the brain that result in the phenomenon of mind.

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Secular Coalition For America 2009 Briefing

2009 has been a banner legislative year for the Secular Coalition for America.

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Kepler Planet-Hunting Mission Finds 5 New Lightweight Worlds

WASHINGTON -- The list of known exoplanets in the galaxy just got bigger, thanks to the first observations of NASA's Kepler space telescope, which found five new lightweight worlds orbiting distant stars.

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In All the Universe, Just 10 Percent of Solar Systems Are Like Ours

Hubble Reaches 'Undiscovered Country' of Most Distant Primeval Galaxies

Hubble peers back 13.2 billion years, finds 'primordial' galaxies

Wired Science News for Your Neurons Top Scientific Breakthroughs of 2009

Burial Cloth Found In Jerusalem Cave Casts Doubt On Authenticity Of Turin Shroud

Archaeologists have discovered the first known burial shroud in Jerusalem from the time of Christ's crucifixion - and say it casts serious doubt on the claimed authenticity of the Turin Shroud.

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Sumerians Look On In Confusion As God Creates World (Humor)

Members of the earth's earliest known civilization, the Sumerians, looked on in shock and confusion some 6,000 years ago as God, the Lord Almighty, created Heaven and Earth.

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Biblical Scholar's Date For Rapture: May 21, 2011

Camping, 88, has scrutinized the Bible for almost 70 years and says he has developed a mathematical system to interpret prophecies hidden within the Good Book. One night a few years ago, Camping, a civil engineer by trade, crunched the numbers and was stunned at what he'd found: The world will end May 21, 2011.

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'Jesus Christ' Reports For Jury Duty In Alabama

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Jesus Christ was called for jury duty this week in Jefferson County, but was sent home for being disruptive.

--snip--

Efforts to reach Christ were unsuccessful.

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Spiritual Spud? Crosses In Potatoes Appear To Online Sellers

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Move over, Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese. Step aside, Fish Stick Jesus.

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Woman sees Jesus Her Bruise

Scientology Sees Historic Growth

In a tumultuous year in which most religious groups scraped by or tried to hold their own, the Church of Scientology reported its biggest expansion in history in 2009.

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Lawsuit Calls Yoga Chain A Cult

Lee, a South Korean businessman, is the founder of a national chain of yoga and wellness centers called Dahn Yoga. The company teaches that its physical exercises "can restore the vibrations of the body and brain to their original, healthy frequencies," according to a video introduction on its Web site.

But Dahn Yoga is now defending itself from allegations by former employees that it is "a totalistic, high-demand cult group" that demands large sums of money from its followers and enshrines Lee as an "absolute spiritual and temporal leader."

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Americans United Warns Louisiana Education Board Not To Adopt Review Policy That Favors Creationism

A new policy under consideration by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is slanted to favor creationism and should be revised, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

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Louisiana Activist Barbara Forrest Counters Religious Right Attacks On Public School Science Classes

South Windsor, Under Pressure, Moves Graduation Out Of Cathedral

SOUTH WINDSOR -- The board of education has sidestepped a legal fight over the separation of church and state by changing the location of South Windsor High School's 2010 graduation.

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Faith-Based Victory: Florida Court Greenlights Case Challenging Religion Subsidies

A Florida appellate court ruled yesterday that public funding of a "faith-based" prison program may violate the state's constitution.

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Baptist Agency To Take Funding Case To Supreme Court

A Kentucky Baptist children's home says it will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, challenging a lower court affirmed ruling giving a green light to a taxpayer challenge of state funding to the faith-based agency.

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Americans United Urges Army Officials To Alter 'Church Retreat' Program At Missouri Base

U.S. military officials should make further changes at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri to ensure that soldiers are not subjected to unwanted religious proselytism, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

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In Defense Of Foxhole Atheists

It's no secret that conservative Christians dominate the U.S. military, but when higher-ups start talking about conversion missions, it's time to worry. The author meets a group of soldiers who aren't having it.

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Professors, Students Bring Lawsuit Against Religious Proselytism By Southern California Community College Officials

Mathematics professor Karla Westphal has seen enough.

After years of protesting invocations at numerous events at Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo, Calif., this fall the faculty member witnessed the school's most offensive behavior yet.

At the August 2009 Chancellor's Opening Session, officials included a presentation of slides accompanied by the song "God Bless the USA." The last two slides concluded the presentation with images of uniformed service members carrying a flag-draped coffin.

The superimposed text read: "Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you. Jesus Christ and the American G.I. One died for your soul, the other died for your freedom."

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Delaware Government: Critic Questions Official Prayers

Wilmington man challenges long tradition at public meetings.

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FFRF Asks Tampa Council To Stop Sectarian Prayers

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has sent a letter to the mayor and City Council in Tampa, Fla., to object to the long-term practice of opening council meetings with prayers, and particularly prayers that are geared to Christians only.

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Nonprofit group protests religious invocations at Tampa City Council

Court: FFRF Can Sue Over S.C. School Religious Education

A U.S. District Court in South Carolina has ruled that a Freedom From Religion Foundation lawsuit against the Spartanburg County School District may proceed to the discovery process and to trial.

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Judge: Michigan County Can Ban Median Manger

Charleston Brouhaha Over FFRF's Lighted Cross, Nativity Complaint