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California Atheists Snap Up Nativity Spaces

Christians get just 2 of 21 spaces in Santa Monica park

(Newser) - Santa Monica's Christians are crying foul over a lottery system that has left 18 of the 21 park spaces that usually hold Nativity scenes in the hands of atheists. A Jewish group snagged another spot, leaving the California city's church with just two spaces and only enough room... More »

Believers Find Atheists as Untrustworthy as Rapists

And many would discriminate against them in hiring: study

(Newser) - Atheism might just be the most reviled (un)belief system out there, according to a new study from the University of British Columbia, which found that believers think atheists are roughly as trustworthy as rapists. In one of the study’s six parts, researchers described an untrustworthy “archetypal freerider” performing... More »

Black Atheists Dare to 'Come Out'

But face ostracism in highly religious community

(Newser) - African American atheism is not exactly a time-worn tradition. It's so rare, in fact, that black atheists risk losing friends and family, and having a much smaller pool of potential life partners, if they dare speak up, the New York Times reports. Washington resident Ronnelle Adams first told his... More »

Atheists to Military: Recognize Us

Handful apply to be humanist leaders, thus far without success

(Newser) - The nonreligious may make up just a fraction of the military, but they say their beliefs are as valid as those of their religious counterparts—and the military should recognize them. Some dozen troops are currently applying to become humanist lay leaders—joining the lay Christians, Muslims, and Jews who... More »

Scott Walker Rechristens 'Holiday Tree' a 'Christmas Tree'

Wisconsin atheists not happy with the switch

(Newser) - Scott Walker, never one to shy away from controversy, inflamed atheists on Monday by re-naming Wisconsin’s Capitol Rotunda “holiday tree” a “Christmas tree.” That’s what the tree was called from 1916 to 1985, but for the last quarter-century, lawmakers have called it by the more... More »

Godless on the Rise

Religion in politics a sign of fear and dwindling numbers, not strength, says expert

(Newser) - Evangelicals might appear to be everywhere in American politics, but the number of believers is falling, according to studies. Agnostics and atheists are among the fastest-growing segment in the US, reports the Guardian . The number of secular Americans has likely doubled in the last three decades, and has grown especially... More »

Atheist Group to Rip Out 'Immoral' Bible Pages

To point out 'immoral' sections

(Newser) - An outspoken California atheist group is taking a page out of Terry Jones’ book, and more than one page out of the Good Book. Backyard Skeptics will hold a demonstration on Huntington Beach tomorrow in which they rip pages out of the bible that they say depict immoral teachings, the... More »

Fort Bragg Will Host Atheist Concert

Military agrees to give it same support it gave to Christian event

(Newser) - Last fall a Christian-themed concert was held at Fort Bragg; next spring, an atheism-themed one will be staged there—and the Army will provide equal support. Rock Beyond Belief, an event organized by atheist, agnostic, and non-theist soldiers, was originally planned for this year, but organizers complained that leaders at... More »

Atheists Sue Over 9/11 Cross

Group wants cross removed from Ground Zero memorial

(Newser) - The famous World Trade Center cross doesn't belong at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, according to American Atheists. The group has filed suit to yank the planned cross, a 17-foot T-joint found upright in the rubble of 9/11, arguing that it violates the Constitution by promoting Christianity... More »

Group Sues to Stop Perry's Prayer Day

Texas governor shouldn't have endorsed event, group argues

(Newser) - The amusingly named Freedom from Religion Foundation isn't happy with Texas Gov. Rick Perry, and it's filed a lawsuit claiming that he's violated the First Amendment ban on government-endorsed religion. Perry organized and promoted a Christian prayer event that the group of atheists and agnostics now wants... More »

I'm an Atheist ... and I'm Still a Better Christian Than You

Ricky Gervais: So few Christians follow Jesus's teachings

(Newser) - Ricky Gervais may be an atheist, but he still believes he's a "good Christian." No, he doesn't believe "Jesus was half man, half God," but he still manages to best many actual Christians when it comes to behavior, he explains in the Wall Street ... More »

Bill O'Reilly on Science: You Can't Explain the Tides

O'Reilly flubs science in debate with man behind atheist billboards

(Newser) - Apparently, Bill O’Reilly has never heard of the moon. In a debate Tuesday with Dave Silverman, head of the American Atheist group behind this , the Fox host tried to prove the existence of God by citing the unknowable mysteries of the tides. “I’ll tell you why [religion... More »

Today's Leading Atheists Are Way Too Smug

S.E. Cupp thinks her fellow non-believers need some humility

(Newser) - Some of the leading voices of modern atheism—the likes of Christopher Hitchens, Bill Maher, and Sam Harris—tend to view people of faith as closed-minded fools, writes fellow atheist S.E. Cupp in the Daily News . But with their smug condescension, she thinks they're the ones guilty of the... More »

Atheists Know the Most About Religion: Study

Average member of the faithful has big knowledge gap

(Newser) - The people who know the most about religion are the people who don’t have one. In a recent Pew survey, atheists and agnostics knew more, on average, about religion than followers of any of the major faiths, the LA Times reports. The faithful displayed startling gaps in knowledge—a... More »

Hitchens Skipping His Prayer Day

Still, it's a nice gesture—except those praying for him to go to hell

(Newser) - Today is “Everybody Pray for Hitchens Day,” but Christopher Hitchens himself “shall not be participating,” he tells the AP . The well-known atheist, diagnosed with esophageal cancer in June, has already eschewed the idea of a deathbed conversion, but the prayer idea went viral anyway. “I... More »

Hitchens: Don't Bother Praying For Me

Atheist says he's not into deathbed conversions

(Newser) - Ever since being diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus, Christopher Hitchens has been hearing it from religious people—from those who are praying for his soul, to those who think the cancer is a punishment sent from God. He scoffs at the latter. “Why not a thunderbolt for yours... More »

Thinking About God Stresses Out Atheists

But for believers, it's a source of peace

(Newser) - Thinking about God activates a part of the brain that relieves stress, but only for believers—atheists experience heightened stress when exposed to God-related ideas. A study by Canadian researchers found that when those with religious beliefs were primed to think about God, it decreased activity in the anterior cingulate... More »

Add Kagan, and High Court Won't Have Any Protestants

Court rarely reflects country's faith mix well

(Newser) - If Elena Kagan is confirmed, the Supreme Court will have six Catholics, three Jews, and, for the first time in history, not a single Protestant. That might not seem as important as it used to, but Ed Kilgore of FiveThirtyEight decided to take a quick look at the court's historic... More »

Put an Atheist on Supreme Court

(Newser) - President Obama should "absolutely" take into account the religious views of his next nominee for the Supreme Court, but not for the usual reasons, Marc Cooper says. "Clearly, the next person to take the bench should be an atheist," he writes for the Los Angeles Times . Having... More »

2,500 Atheists Gather in Melbourne

Global Atheist Convention thought to be largest meeting of godless ever

(Newser) - If ever there was a group unafraid of a vengeful lightning bolt, it's the 2,500 atheists converging on Melbourne—likely the largest concentration of godless thinkers ever. The Global Atheist Convention says it doesn't intend to proselytize, and in fact discourages any “missionary zeal." Still, the convention... More »

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