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An atheist student in Oklahoma has faced a backlash after contacting the Freedom From Religion Foundation about Ten Commandments displays posted in his high school’s classrooms.
Gage Pulliam of Muldrow told Patheos on Saturday that he wanted to remain anonymous, but decided to reveal his identity after other students were blamed for alerting the organization. He said his younger sister had faced verbal harassment over the issue and some students had threatened violence against him.
“I want people to know this isn’t me trying to attack religion,” he explained. “This is me trying to create an environment for kids where they can feel equal.”
After contacting the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the organization send a letter to Muldrow High School administrators warning that religious displays in public schools violated the U.S. Constitution.
“If the facts are as presented to us, and the Ten Commandments are on display throughout Muldrow Public Schools, the displays must be removed immediately,” FFRF attorney Patrick Elliott said.
Lawrence Krauss and Richard Dawkins discuss religion in the modern world and debate science in their new film “The Unbelievers”
Stupid/brainwashed reporter alert….
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World-renowned Turkish pianist Fazil Say has been given a suspended 10-month jail sentence for insulting Muslim values.
An Istanbul court found Say guilty over a series of posts on the social networking site Twitter.
(Say came under fire after declaring on Twitter that he does not believe in God.
“I am an atheist and proud to have said it loud and clear,” Say insists. )
Say was not in court for the sentencing. But he denied the charges, saying they were politically motivated.
The case renewed concern about the influence of religion on politics in Turkey.
Pointing to the prosecution of several artists and intellectuals for voicing their views, critics have accused the governing AK Party of undermining Turkey’s secular values and pandering to Islamists.
Prosecutors had brought the charges against Mr Say last June. He could have faced a maximum sentence of 18 months in prison Read more
Professor Richard Dawkins in conversation with Dr Stephen Law, senior lecturer at Heythrop College, University of London, discussing the major issues of importance to humanists and atheists at a time when opposition to rationalist thought appears to be on the rise. Filmed at the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, on Friday 15th February 2013.
“Nearly one in five Americans now identify themselves as being religiously unaffiliated — a figure that’s been on the rise for the past two decades. But as atheists and non-religious folk increasingly step out of the closet, many still feel marginalized — and even a bit threatened — by a larger religious society wary of their growing presence. The required next step, says Todd Stiefel, is to make atheism a civil rights issue. And he’s putting his money where his mouth is.”
I’m(P.W. Swivel) tired of hearing about Atheists as a group. Its not a religion, a set of beliefs, or a moral identifier. Its an understanding about the absurd default position of religion. That’s all. Everyone is different.
