You may remember seeing a billboard on Charlotte's Billy Graham Parkway a few years ago that read: "One Nation. Indivisible." Conspicuously missing was the phrase "Under God." The group behind that campaign is holding a convention in Charlotte this weekend, designed for what organizers call a growing community of atheists and agnostics in the region. WFAE's Mark Rumsey spoke with Jennifer Lovejoy, acting president of the Carolinas Secular Association.
MORE: http://wfae.org/post/atheists-and-agnostics-gather-charlotte (Audio)
See also...
'Godless' conference begins today in Charlotte
http://goqnotes.com/25259/godless-conference-begins-today-in-charlotte/
Non-believers hold coming out party in Charlotte
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/10/05/4367361/non-believes-hold-coming-out-party.html#.UlIjZxC7lLr
The billboards cost $10,000 and were funded by the United Coalition of Reason, a group that has now placed signs in 34 states in addition to the District of Columbia.
MORE: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/10/15/atheist-billboards-go-up-in-connecticut/
See also...
Godless billboards, convention in CT this weekend
http://www.rifuture.org/godless-billboards-convention-in-ct-this-weekend.html
SANE's coming to CT
http://hot-dogma.com/2013/10/15/sanes-coming-to-ct/
Godless Billboards in Connecticut Herald Secular Convention (Press Release)
http://unitedcor.org/national/news/godless-billboards-connecticut-herald-secular-convention
This kind of overwhelming response and press coverage is indicative of the potential power the nontheist voting bloc might be able to yield. Having a say as to who represents them in public office is a critical step toward reaching their potential. Explicitly nonreligious candidates now actually have a chance at winning office despite their lack of reliance on an intervening higher power (which would have been an instant campaign killer in the past) because of the growing size of the nontheist movement.
Take for instance the rise in the number of self-identified "nones," or those who do not belong to any religious organization or tradition. While a few decades ago almost every American identified with a particular religion, the number of those who choose not to affiliate has risen to 20 percent. When it was time for Rep. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona to describe her religion earlier this year, she was the first to list "none." And while those who identify as "atheist" candidates for public office still face bigotry, more than 54 percent of Americans would now vote for an atheist candidate for president, much higher than the 18 percent that would have done so back in 1958.
MORE: http://www.patheos.com/Atheist/Rise-Nontheist-Voting-Roy-Speckhardt-09-27-2013.html
Meet the "Nominals" -- people who claim a religious identity but may live it in name only.
They're proud -- but not practicing -- Catholics. They're Protestants who don't think Jesus is essential to their salvation.
And they're Jews who say they belong to the tribe by way of ancestry or culture, not religion.
MORE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/05/religious-nominals-judaism-christianity_n_4032592.html?utm_hp_ref=religion
A new survey of U.S. Jews has confirmed some of the community's worst fears: One in five American Jews say they have no religion, and their ranks appear to be growing.
--snip--
The findings track closely with a 2012 Pew report that found about 20 percent of Americans in general said they had no religious affiliation, an increase from 15 percent in the last five years.
MORE: http://www.telegram.com/article/20131001/APA/310019951
See also...
Changing Identity of Jewish Americans -- Implications for Social and Political Engagement
http://www.pewforum.org/2013/10/10/event-transcript-changing-identity-of-jewish-americans-implications-for-social-and-political-engagement/
The share of Hispanics living in the U.S. who say they are atheist, agnostic or have no religious affiliation has reached 12 percent, according to the 2013 Hispanic Values Survey conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute. That is double the rate reported in 1990 by the American Religious Identification Survey.
MORE: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/hispanics-increasingly-identify-as-nones/2013/10/17/c4b1015c-3751-11e3-89db-8002ba99b894_story.html
Nonbelievers in America, whether they identify themselves as atheists, agnostics, humanists, or just freethinkers, are people who live their lives without expecting gods to ever intervene in any way. It's obvious that their numbers are quickly growing. In fact, nonbelievers now make up nearly 20 percent of the American public, and since young people tend to find themselves in this demographic more than their parents, it's extremely likely that this growth will continue by leaps and bounds in the near future.
MORE: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roy-speckhardt/is-it-unethical-to-hide-y_b_4101309.html
On her show "Super Soul Sunday" this past weekend, Oprah Winfrey interviewed marathon swimmer Diana Nyad about everything from her incredible endurance to her spiritual beliefs.
The part that struck a chord with me -- and many other atheists -- was Winfrey’s dismissal of Nyad's non-religious label. Nyad explained that she called herself an atheist but that didn't take anything away from the awe she felt about the world and all of its inhabitants. To her, "God" was humanity.
MORE: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-faith/wp/2013/10/17/what-oprah-doesnt-get-about-atheists/
See also...
Why Oprah's Anti-Atheist Bias Hurts So Much
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/our-humanity-naturally/201310/why-oprahs-anti-atheist-bias-hurts-so-much
Chris Stedman Goes on CNN to Explain Why Oprah Winfrey Got it Wrong
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/10/20/chris-stedman-goes-on-cnn-to-explain-why-oprah-winfrey-got-it-wrong/
What Oprah gets wrong about atheism
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/16/what-oprah-gets-wrong-about-atheism/
Atheist group demands Oprah apologize
http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2013/10/20/exp-chris-stedman.cnn.html
Oprah Winfrey Angers Atheists With Comment From Interview; Says 'Awe' Cannot Exist Without God
http://www.kpopstarz.com/articles/45548/20131016/oprah-winfrey-atheists.htm
Atheists Want an Apology from Oprah Over Her On-Air 'Revelation' About Non-Believers
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/10/17/atheists-want-an-apology-from-oprah-over-her-on-air-revelation-about-non-believers/
Who needs religion?
That's the question being raised by a group of secular activists that has put up billboards in Michigan containing photos of smiling people that read: "Millions of Americans are living happily without religion."
MORE: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/17/billboards-no-religion-no-problem/3005881/
See also...
'Millions of Americans Are Living Happily Without Religion,' Declares New Atheist Ad Campaign
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/09/30/millions-of-americans-are-living-happily-without-religion-declares-new-atheist-ad-campaign/
Atheist group says Utah billboard companies fear Mormon church
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/57007310-78/atheists-convention-mormon-billboard.html.csp
And...
Holy billboard war: Creationists post anti-atheist advert in Times Square in response to atheist's Christmas message encouraging people to 'Dump the Myth'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2451587/Anti-atheist-billboard-posted-Times-Square-creationists.html#ixzz2iMwDmxM7
A 30-year-old federal law created to protect the right of Christian students to gather now is being used to protect the rights of students with opposite beliefs.
MORE: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/30/atheist-students-use-federal-law-to-pursue-same-ri/#ixzz2iNuQ6Wok
"There is simply no doubt at all that evolution is true," said Dawkins in response to a question regarding the proof of evolution. "The evidence for evolution is about as strong as anything we know." He compared the level of scientific certainty about evolution to that of the Earth orbiting the sun.
MORE: https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/lobbyists-for-a-day-dawkins-and-pinker-stand-up-for-science-secular
This week the Secular Student Alliance is holding a fundraising event to donate money to the Cleveland Animal Protective League.
MORE: http://www.buchtelite.com/students-give-hugs-to-raise-money-for-animal-protection/
When you factor in how Chaplains in both Congress and the military do not currently cater to non-religious people -- remember: atheists are currently banned from taking on the role -- and how the Senate Chaplain has almost always been a Bible-believing Christian (with the exception of a couple of Unitarians, both of whom were still believers), it's just another government benefit for Christians.
MORE: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/10/15/do-we-really-need-chaplains-in-congress/
Scalia said the Devil has gotten "wilier" and convinced people that he and God don't exist. The justice added that he doesn't think that atheists are Satan's minions, but that disbelief in God "certainly favors the devil's desires."
MORE: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/07/scalia-says-satan-is-a-real-person/
After an unattended toddler drowned in a baptismal font at an Indianapolis church's day care in 2012, an Indianapolis Star investigation showed how easily faith-based operations were able to skirt child care regulations in Indiana.
MORE: http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131015/EDITORIAL/131019783
Backed by the Catholic Church, Troy University, Alabama's third-largest public university, has decided to build a faith-based residence hall called the Newman Center. The university is happy because it adds another 376 beds for students, and the construction and maintenance are privately funded, meaning the university can kill both its student population and funding problems with one stone. And yet, in striking this deal, Troy University has run afoul of the thin line that separates church and state.
MORE: http://www.highlandernews.org/10805/troy-universitys-funding-blurs-lines-between-church-and-state/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=troy-universitys-funding-blurs-lines-between-church-and-state
See also...
Divine Dormitories? 'Faith-Based' College Housing Raises Constitutional Alarm
https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/divine-dormitories-faith-based-college-housing-raises-constitutional-alarm
An atheist organization is threatening to sue the city of Montgomery if it doesn't put an end to Operation Good Shepherd, a police program that uses city funding to train pastors to go to crime scenes.
MORE: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20131010/NEWS01/310100031/Atheist-group-may-sue-Montgomery-over-faith-based-police-program?nclick_check=1
See also...
Cops For Christ?: New Ala. Program Seeks To Fight Crime With Police-Backed Evangelical Proselytism
https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/cops-for-christ-new-ala-program-seeks-to-fight-crime-with-police-backed
And...
Course Conniption: Ala. Residents Throw Fit Over Arabic Language Classes In Local High School
https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/course-conniption-ala-residents-throw-fit-over-arabic-language-classes-in
The Hamilton County Board of Education in Tennessee will retrain its teachers on the separation of church and state after a local pastor gave a speech on Sept. 11 at a Sale Creek public school.
Rechoboth Baptist Church Pastor Alan Stewart mentioned God six times and one Bible verse in his speech, hoping to inspire students in remembrance of that horrific day, a local television station reported.
MORE: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/10/tenn-school-board-retrains-church-state-separation/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS#ixzz2iMvrqgTu
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