Kiosk

We're faced today--not with a good German shepherd--but with a German tank, "Der Panzer Kardinal." The tank, Pope Benedict XVI, is equipped with the two symbols of papal authority as well as with the old palavers: the same previous ideology of a medieval, anti-Reformation, antimodern paradigm of the papacy.

A long journey from Christian fundamentalism to Orthodox Judaism to Agnosticism results in a rather unique perspective on what it means to be born anew.

Pope John Paul II, who had just died, was being touted as a champion of human rights. Countless eulogies elevated him to near sainthood, with only an occasional mention of his "controversial" stands on issues related to "sexual morality." This, it seems, is the category under which the news reporters at least classified humanity's all-too-obvious need to control the destructive global population rate explosions, and the basic rights of people who happened to need love from others of the same gender.

Having visited the Vatican on the eve of the conclave to choose a new pope, Pope Leo I is appalled by the demise of the true faith.

Advocates of intelligent cosmological design often rely heavily on the embattled fine-tuning argument to prop up their theistic beliefs. But, even if the argument were to come up trumps, there would still be a gaping chasm between so-called fine-tuning and a Christian God.

Not only is God not mentioned in the Constitution, there is no mention of the Bible, Moses or the Ten Commandments. If the Ten Commandments are the basis for American law, it is peculiar that they bear no mention in the most important founding legal document of our nation.

Although belief in astrology seems to prevail universally, a major difference between the astrological practices of other religions and Hinduism is that astrology gained religious sanctification in Hinduism. Nowhere has reliance on astrology gone so deep as in Hindu society.

A scathing indictment of Oxford theology professor Alister McGrath's (mis)understanding of atheism.

The failure to distinguish between marriage as a civil institution, and marriage as a religious institution continues to cloud the issue of civil marriage equality for gays. Lawmakers who fail to recognize this distinction appeal to the "sanctity" of marriage in their efforts to ban same-sex marriage. Secularists should call attention to this important distinction between the civil and the religious in order to promote civil liberties and equality.

When a belief system is justified with life having a greater moral value than death, life will be encouraged. When a belief system is justified by death having a greater moral value than life, death will be encouraged. Humankind's destiny should not be the end of its collective existence.

"Christianity and theism disproved via the Lee Strobel logic methodology."

Galvanized by a tsunami that wrought incalculable devastation to villages, homes, and resorts, and claimed more than 160,000 lives when it swamped the coastlands of southern Asia, a multinational consortium of renegade theists has filed a class-action lawsuit against God.

"As an atheist I sometimes feel like an astronaut on an alien planet, surrounded by creatures with strange customs and beliefs. There the theist is--perfectly human in a biological sense--but psychologically alien. Given that atheists are in a tiny minority, given that theism is normal on this planet, it is atheists who should see themselves as the aliens. Instead of demonizing the theist, the atheist needs to think like a character in a realistic science-fiction novel: the atheist needs to stretch her mind to appreciate the theist's alien thought-patterns."

"Here, a few thoughts about children who have helped me to see more clearly that the concept of God is what it has always been to me: a myth!"

"Homosexuals, God bless 'em, keep shooting themselves in the foot politically. They seem bound and determined to wipe out any chance of getting what they want out of 'marriage' because they are hung up on the word 'marriage,' with all its attached religious and legal implications."

A poem that asks: Why still His Love, the masses seek?

I don't understand. I want to understand. Why do human beings require gods and prophets as explanations for their existence?

God didn't make a mistake. He is the mistake.

His wraith having appeared at a National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., Thomas Jefferson descants on George W. Bush's enunciated religious beliefs and occupation of Iraq.

What better to teach, in a science class, than the science of "intelligent" design? What better way is there to expose the fraud of ID than to begin by enlightening our children to its factual emptiness? What educator would not relish this opportunity to inform?

The ideas are as old as the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill of Rights: a free Nation, of, by and for the People; a nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all. When the Nation begins to veer from the intent of these Documents, the Citizen has the right--nay, the responsibility--to protest against those who abrogate their duty to uphold the Spirit of Freedom ensured under the umbrella of protection these documents offer.

"I discovered HumanLight, the Christmas for Humanists. And laughed. Do we need HumanLight? This Humanist says not."

"'Atheist.' You can almost hear the thunder rolling in the background. Just in the last few days, I've seen 'atheist' written in ways that indicate that the word represents a menacing entity--or even something supernatural. This seems to tell me that 'atheist' and 'atheism' are not only terms commonly misunderstood, but also words outside normal, acceptable, rational speech."

In a recent article in The Leaf Chronicle, Jim Monday, with the help of the Barna Research Group, manages to paint a surreal picture of the State and Church separation issue that is a sad reflection of the overall misconceptions often found on the far right.

A simple explanation of the difference between religion and freethought is that religion is based on faith, while reason serves as the ground for freethought. These two life-stances can create vastly different attitudes on some issues. The issue of birth control serves as a vivid example.

Antony Flew is one of the most renowned atheists of the 20th century. He is now considering the possibility that there might be a God--sort of. What's going on? Carrier has had direct contact with Flew and tells us what's going on; it's certainly not, at least not yet, what some theists would like to think.

Misogyny in the Bible, "the stillborn child of a 2000-year-old flesh-mongering creed."

Every time the Book of Mormon has met a true challenge, the result has been nothing short of colossal failure.

Coming to a theatre near you: a little reminder of the effects of faith.

In a rare personal interview, Jesus reveals his position on various contemporary political issues.