Teach Evolution, Not Creationism

The British Humanist Association is behind a new campaign called “Teach Evolution, Not Creationism“. Of course any reasonable person is going to support the campaign. No-one wants creationism taught to children as fact in science lessons. But there are a couple of subtleties that should probably be explained in detail. Firstly, I’ve seen this as… Continue reading Teach Evolution, Not Creationism

Ticking Religious Boxes

In a few month’s time, everyone living in the UK will be expected to fill in the census return so that the government can get its once-a-decade look at the population of the country. As was the case in previous census in 2001, one of the questions will be “what is your religion?” It’s really… Continue reading Ticking Religious Boxes

The War Against Christmas

Does the pope read the Daily Mail? It seems possible given some of the contents of his speech at Westminster Hall today: There are those who argue that the public celebration of festivals such as Christmas should be discouraged, in the questionable belief that it might somehow offend those of other religions or none. There’s… Continue reading The War Against Christmas

Sobering Lessons

In his first speech after arriving in the UK, the pope said: As we reflect on the sobering lessons of the atheist extremism of the twentieth century, let us never forget how the exclusion of God, religion and virtue from public life leads ultimately to a truncated vision of man and of society and thus… Continue reading Sobering Lessons

Third World Country

The BBC are reporting that Walter Kasper, one of the pope’s senior advisers has pulled out of the papal visit to the UK after saying in a magazine interview that the UK is a “third world country” marked by a “new and aggressive atheism”. Of course, atheists are used to being called aggressive because we… Continue reading Third World Country

Please Don’t Label Me

Last night I was discussing my opinions of religion with some friends. I made it clear that, contrary to what it might appear from what I write, I don’t actually want religion banned. I believe that people should be free to believe whatever nonsense they like. There are, however, three conditions that need to be… Continue reading Please Don’t Label Me

Updates from Jesusistan

Time for a couple of snippets of news from those lovable nutters on the American religious right. Firstly, take a look at this. The artist has created a “work of art” which sums up his view of contemporary America. And it’s a pretty weird view. Well, perhaps it’s not so weird if you’re looking through… Continue reading Updates from Jesusistan

Does God Exist?

If you’ve travelled much on London Transport over the last few weeks, you’ll have seen the new Alpha Course poster pictured on the left. If you’re anything like me, you’ll have experienced an almost irresistible urge to fill in the survey by ticking the ‘no’ box. It appears that doing so might be a somewhat… Continue reading Does God Exist?

The Atheist’s Guide to Christmas

I’m usually a big fan of keeping christmas in December, but I’m quite happy to make exceptions for a good cause. And this is a really good cause. Remember, the Atheist Bus Campaign? Well the people behind that campaign haven’t stopped campaigning and their book The Atheist’s Guide to Christmas is published this week. Ariane… Continue reading The Atheist’s Guide to Christmas

Creation

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, a new film about Charles Darwin has failed to find a distribution deal in the US. The article suggests that this is because Darwin’s work is still a rather contentious subject in the US. They quote the christian film review site MovieGuide describing Darwin as “a racist, a bigot… Continue reading Creation