agnostic

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Workers Who Called Prayer Meetings 'Cultlike' to Get $50K

2 ex-employees settle in religious discrimination suit against North Carolina home-repair company

(Newser) - A North Carolina home-repair business fired two employees after they refused to continue participating in the company's mandatory prayer sessions—and now, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says the firm will pay out $50,000 over the incident. Per a Wednesday EEOC release , the settlement with Aurora Pro Services...

The 'Nones' Are the 'Small but Mighty' Group Voting for Dems

Per AP VoteCast, voters with no religious affiliation supported Dem candidates, by a lot, in midterms

(Newser) - When members of the small Pennsylvania chapter of Secular Democrats of America log on for their monthly meetings, they're not there for a virtual happy hour. "We don't sit around at our meetings patting ourselves on the back for not believing in God together," said founder...

No Longer a US Majority: Protestants
 No Longer 
 a US Majority: 
 Protestants 
study says

No Longer a US Majority: Protestants

One-fifth of US doesn't identify with any traditional religion

(Newser) - The US population is no longer dominated by Protestants, a Pew study finds: They account for just 48% of us. And while 79% of the US remains affiliated with a traditional religious group, nearly a fifth of American adults—and a third of those under 30—don't identify with...

19% of Americans Have No Religion

 19% of 
 Americans 
 Have No 
 Religion 
SURVEY SAYS

19% of Americans Have No Religion

Proportion of 'Nones' has tripled since 1990

(Newser) - America is slowly losing its religion, according to the latest Pew Center survey. Reported membership of major religious denominations (from Baptists to Catholics to Lutherans) is flat or inching downward, while the proportion of those who list their religious affiliations as "None" has reached 19%, up from just 6%...

Godless on the Rise
 Godless on the Rise 
studies find

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...

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...

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...

Atheist Ads Hit California
 Atheist Ads Hit California 

Atheist Ads Hit California

Ad campaign for nonbelievers reaches coast to coast

(Newser) - Got God? You're not alone if you don't, and a new California ad campaign wants you to know that's OK. The agnostic/atheist organization United Coalition of Reason 's ads reassure nonbelievers that millions share their position, and has now officially reached more than a dozen cities coast-to-coast from Manhattan and...

Facebook: Defining Religion in 100 Characters

From agnostics to Jedis, users wonder how to sum up views

(Newser) - It could be a quick question: What's your religion? But Facebook’s request for that information has led many to review and revise their beliefs to fit into a 100-character space, the Washington Post reports. Answers range from Christian, Facebook’s most popular belief system, to a professed belief in...

US Atheists Step 'Out of Closet'

Growing movement seeks acceptance, not members

(Newser) - Atheists across the country are turning up the volume, gathering openly and advertising their lack of faith, the New York Times reports. Their goal isn’t to win others over—“The most important thing is coming out of the closet,” said one activist—and win acceptance for their...

UK Group Raises $80K for Atheist Bus Ads

Fundraising target far surpassed, campaign may expand nationwide

(Newser) - A campaign to plaster London buses with agnostic advertising has far exceeded its fundraising goal, the Guardian reports. The ads, aimed to counter what one writer sees as overbearing Christian messages, will say, “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” Organizers have raised...

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