Religion

By Herb Silverman Here’s a confession from an atheist: I would not want school children to recite the Pledge of Allegiance daily if the words “under God” were removed. Why? Because those two controversial words at least motivate some people to examine the Pledge and reflect on what it represents. My atheist friends should not …

By Dan Arel The Richard Dawkins Foundation posted an email from their inbox today on Facebook. The email read: I have a 1 1/2 year old little girl, and me and my wife are atheists. But the local school is amazing yet a church school and requires us to attend church to get our daughter in …

By Jerry Coyne   As ISIS slaughters its way though Syria and Iraq, it became inevitable that we’d hear from apologists who claim that ISIS is not in fact “true Islam,” and that its depredations are due to something other than religious motivation. Those motivations, say the apologists, are political (usually Western colonialism that engenders resentment), cultural …

By John Long Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, first published in 1859, offered a bold new explanation for how animals and plants diversified and still serves as the foundation underpinning all medical and biological research today. But the theory remains under attack by creationists in various parts of the world, particularly the US, Turkey, Indonesia and the Middle …

The Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins said today that the separation of church and state in the United States has contributed to the rise of Islamic extremist groups like ISIS, arguing in his radio commentary that ISIS has “filled the void left by secularism.” According to Perkins, American ISIS militants wouldn’t have left the country …

By British Humanist Association   Humanists have spoken out against blasphemy or offence laws at a meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. These laws, typically used to protect religious sensitivities, but consistently denounced as inconsistent with international human rights law, are increasingly being used to silence debate and to curtail the activities of …

By Sarah Jones A new VICE documentary reveals that publicly funded, religiously motivated crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) represent a growing national problem. Hosted by Fazeelat Aslam, Misconception tackles the misleading advertising tactics used by many, if not most, CPCs to disguise their true intentions: To dissuade women from accessing legal abortion, and to proselytize anyone who comes through the …

By Sarah Jones   In Modesto, Calif., public school students are learning about religion in class – but it’s probably not what you think. The geography and world religion course, which is required for all high school students, is described as an objective overview of the world’s belief systems, and according to a recent article in the …

By Patsy McGarry   Evangelical Alliance Ireland (EAI) has called for a secular educational system in Irish schools, as proposed by Atheist Ireland. Commenting on debate prompted by calls from Dr Ali Selim of Dublin’s Islamic Cultural Centre for “a revolution of inclusivity” in Irish schools , EAI has said its position was closer to that of Atheist Ireland. Responding to …

By Kaitlynn Riely The phrase ‘‘In God We Trust’’ will not be displayed within the Allegheny County Courthouse, Downtown. Members of county council voted down the proposal Tuesday night, with some members saying they believed church must be kept separate from state. “Whenever we start mixing them, there’s going to be some problems,” said councilman …

By Stephen Losey An atheist airman who must take a reenlistment oath concluding “so help me God” or end his Air Force career would have better luck enlisting in the Army, Navy or Marine Corps, which allow soldiers, sailors and Marines to omit the phrase. Air Force officials have said “so help me God” is …

By Clint Davis The Internet has long been a safe place for religious devotees to discuss the doubts that sometimes accompany their faith. Now, hundreds of pastors, ministers and church leaders have found one website to be a sanctuary when doubt turns into disbelief. Since 2011, ClergyProject.org has offered a “safe haven” for active and former religious …