For those on Fox News trying to convince us that the idea of separation of church and state is a recent invention, yeah not so much.

As you can see there is no date on the comic to tell us when it was printed, however a quick Google search of the cartoonist Watson Heston tells us that he died in 1905.

So that should provide insight into how long this debate has been raging.

Especially considering the fact that it was not until 1870 that all of the states at that time even had public schools.

If we are to continue to provide our students with a well rounded education job one should be keeping religion as far away from our schools as humanly possible.

It's time for reason and science. Actually, in my opinion, it's well past time.

This courtesy of the You Tube page:  

The methods and values of scientific thinking have expanded our knowledge of life and our place in the universe. This modern knowledge—based on experience and evidence—has brought enormous benefit to humanity, yet many people still choose to rely on ancient texts and beliefs to guide their lives and their nations. 

The Center for Inquiry exists to change this situation. We are here to promote the scientific outlook—to expand the methods and values of science into all areas of human endeavor. 

We invite you to learn more about the ways we are using research, outreach, and activism to advance reason and human values around the world. Then, if these values are as important to you as they are to us, we ask you to join CFI.

This video is about five years old but I thought it did a pretty good job of explaining the secular viewpoint, and  why it is so important to spread the message of freethinkers.

And with the new Freethought Equality Fund PAC having been recently established now seems like the right time to start reaching out to let others to let them know that Atheists and Humanists are not immoral anti-religious zealots but rather reasonable individuals who just think it is time to embrace the benefits of reason and science.

You can learn more about CFI here.

Atheist group puts up monument in response to Ten Commandments monument.

Courtesy of Yahoo News: 

A group of atheists unveiled a monument to their nonbelief in God on Saturday to sit alongside a granite slab that lists the Ten Commandments in front of the Bradford County courthouse. 

As a small group of protesters blasted Christian country music and waved "Honk for Jesus" signs, the atheists celebrated what they believe is the first atheist monument allowed on government property in the United States. 

"When you look at this monument, the first thing you will notice is that it has a function. Atheists are about the real and the physical, so we selected to place this monument in the form of a bench," said David Silverman, president of American Atheists. 

It also serves another function — a counter to the religious monument that the New Jersey-based group wanted removed. It's a case of if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. 

American Atheists sued to try to have the stone slab with the Ten Commandments taken away from the courthouse lawn in this rural, conservative north Florida town best known for the prison that confines death row inmates. The Community Men's Fellowship erected the monument in what's described as a free speech zone. During mediation on the case, the atheist group was told it could have its own monument, too. David Silverman, president of American Atheists, stands on a Ten Commandments and says why he thinks … 

"We're not going to let them do it without a counterpoint," Silverman said. "If we do it without a counterpoint, it's going to appear very strongly that the government actually endorses one religion over another, or — I should say — religion in general over non-religion."

Let me just go on record as saying that the idea of Atheists putting up a monument to rational thought seems a little ridiculous to me. It is kind of like  putting up a statue commemorating breathing.

Shouldn't be necessary.

However I do understand the desire to have a counterpoint to this.

I mean that is just obnoxious.

Besides there is not ONE Christian living today who follows those ten commandments. Not one.

Oh well at lest the Atheists made their point which I ma sure was welcomed by the goodhearted. loving Christians in the area. Right?

About 200 people attended the unveiling. Most were supportive, though there were protesters, including a group from Florida League of the South that had signs that said "Yankees Go Home." 

At one point someone in a car driving by tossed a toilet seat and a roll of toilet paper at the crowd. Neither struck anyone. At another point, Eric Hovind, 35, of Pensacola jumped atop the peak of the monument and shouted his thanks to the atheists for giving him a platform to declare Jesus is real.

Oh yeah, what was I thinking?

You know every time I see another monument to the Ten Commandments or a saint go up, or see another church or temple being built, I just remember this.

The monuments and statues may indeed endure, but the reasons behind them, and the Gods they were meant to worship, will someday be lost in the fog of history.

I have little doubt that someday our children's children will study about Jesus Christ in Edith Hamilton's new and revised book on Mythology, right along with other great religious icons such as Ra, Zeus, and Thor.

If only we all thought like this.

I am always irritated when those on the Right claim Paine as one of their own.

In truth he could not be further removed from the ideology embraced by the modern Republican party.

In fact if they were to be MORE like Thomas Paine this country would be functioning a hell of a lot better.

(Source,)

You know maybe I will have to move to Canada.

Ad campaign in Canada.

Courtesy of Global News:

While the largest faith in Canada remains Christianity, nearly one-quarter of Canada’s population has no religious affiliation, according to the 2011 National Household Survey released Wednesday. 

That’s roughly 7.8 million people who don’t identify with a religion, up from 16.5 per cent of the population a decade earlier.

Free health care (Correction, universal health care.), no constant warring with other nations, and now a dramatic increase in freethinkers.

Oh Canada, I think you're trying to seduce me.

Imagine there's no heaven 

It's easy if you try 

No hell below us 

Above us only sky 

 Imagine all the people 

Living for today... 

Imagine there's no countries 

It isn't hard to do 

Nothing to kill or die for 

And no religion too 

Imagine all the people 

Living life in peace...

Someday John. someday.

Final thought of the day.

It is truly frightening how often the latter is true.

Don't you think?

Non-believers taking college campuses by storm. Uh oh! Fundamentalist Christian heads to explode in 3..2..1

Courtesy of Salon:  

This month at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a select group of students will show their humanitarian spirit by participating in the Bleedin’ Heathens Blood Drive. On February 12, they will eat cake to celebrate Darwin Day, and earlier this year, they performed “de-baptism” ceremonies to celebrate Blasphemy Day, attended a War on Christmas Party, and set up Hug An Atheist and Ask An Atheist booths in the campus quad. 

These activities and more are organized by the Illini Secular Student Alliance (ISSA), one of 394 student groups that are affiliated with the national Secular Student Alliance (SSA). “We brand ourselves as a safe place and community for students who are not religious,” says Derek Miller, a junior at Illini and president of the ISSA. 

Secular groups on college campuses are proliferating. The Ohio-based Secular Student Alliance, which a USA Today writer once called a “Godless Campus Crusade for Christ,” incorporated as a nonprofit in 2001. By 2007, 80 campus groups had affiliated with them, 100 by 2008, 174 by 2009, and today there are 394 SSA student groups on campuses across the country. “We have been seeing rapid growth in the past couple of years, and it shows no sign of slowing down,” says Jesse Galef, communications director at SSA. “It used to be that we would go to campuses and encourage students to pass out flyers. Now, the students are coming to us almost faster than we can keep up with.” 

Damn where were these groups when I was in college?

Once again, of course, I see this as incredibly good news for the future of the country and certainly hope that this indicates that there will soon come a day when as a nation we throw of the shackles of religiosity and start running this nation in a forward thinking, progressive, secular manner.

Hey I guess Rick Santorum was right:

"You know the statistic that at least I was familiar with from a few years ago — I don’t know if it still holds true but I suspect it may even be worse – that 62 percent of kids who enter college with some sort of faith commitment leave without it."

Except now it sounds as if many students are actually showing up in college with the idea of searching for information that reinforces their secular points of view and searching for like minded organizations to join. And to my mind discovering knowledge that challenges preconceived notions of the reality that was taught to you as a child is kind of what a higher education is all about.

Final thought of the day from the brilliant Sam Harris.

Sam Harris of course is a famous freethinker and the author of one of my favorite books, The End of Faith.

Apparently there was a commercial for Atheism during the Superbowl, but only in certain markets. Did you see it? Update!

Wow! Do I like that!

I thought it was very inoffensive too. Does anybody disagree with that?

Damn, it is such an exciting time to be a freethinker!

Update: Interestingly enough it turns out that the reason we did not see this ad is because it never aired nationally. And also because it was originally a Scientology ad, that was broadcast ONLY in local markets on Superbowl day.

Here is the original ad, though I have to say that it works MUCH better as an ad for Atheism. How anybody can assign the title "seekers of knowledge" and use words like "logic" to describe believers in Scientology is beyond me. Scientology makes Mormonism seem rational.

Oh well I guess an ad during the Superbowl in 2013 was just TOO good to be true.

But that's okay.

It's coming.

My life in a nutshell.

It's okay though, the tide is turning.

The "Nones." Perhaps soon to be the most powerful, and barely recognized, new political demographic in the country.

Courtesy of NPR:  

The big demographic story out of the 2012 presidential election may have been President Obama's domination of the Hispanic vote, and rightfully so. 

But as we close the book on the election, it bears noting that another less obvious bloc of key swing state voters helped the president win a second term. 

They're the "nones" — that's the Pew Research Center's shorthand for the growing number of American voters who don't have a specific religious affiliation. Some are agnostic, some atheist, but more than half define themselves as either "religious" or "spiritual but not religious," Pew found in a recent survey. 

They are typically younger, more socially liberal than their forebears, vote Democratic, and now make up nearly 20 percent of the country's population. Exit polls suggest that 12 percent of voters on Election Day were counted as "religiously unaffiliated." 

"This really is a striking development in American politics," says Gregory Smith of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. "There's no question that the religiously unaffiliated are a very important, politically consequential group."

To me the interesting thing about this group, of which apparently I am a part, is that they will be almost impossible for the political parties to woo.

These would not be one issue voters by an stretch of the imagination, and would have numerous and probably conflicting opinions on any number of political issues.

Even the label of "Nones" is problematic as it really does not define anything except that they are either skeptics, non-joiners, or both.

However I would feel comfortable in saying that they are very likely a group that responds better to a candidate who is intelligent, articulate, and contemplative while approaching difficulty decisions. In other words somebody just like President Obama.

Having said that I am quite thrilled that this group is growing and having a positive impact on the world of politics.

What is this "War on Christmas" you speak of?

Hey I just have to say that I am one atheist who LOVES Christmas. Always have.

It was always a very special holiday in my house growing up, and my mom went all out to celebrate it. Still does to this day in fact.

I just wish the Christians had not watered down the Saturnalia celebration quite so much. For instance we could bring this part of the early Christmas festivities back: 

The earliest Christmas holidays were celebrated by drinking, sexual indulgence, singing naked in the streets.

Though I have to say that living in Alaska would keep much of that naked singing to a minimum.