It has long puzzled me that Easter seems to be so much less important to Christians than Christmas. Everyone who's ever lived was born. Celebrating someone else's birth has never made much sense. I haven't bothered to celebrate my own since I was a child. But a resurrection? That seems pretty special! Shouldn't Christmas pale in comparison to Easter? I went to the grocery store this morning. It was open. The same store is never open on Christmas. But I'm not sure if I would have given this a second thought if I hadn't noticed something else on my way home. Copyright © 2005-2024 Atheist R ..read more

I wrote a post on Medium recently called "Taking Responsibility for Your Church" in which I considered a question I've had for some time. If your church is not accepting of people like you, why would you keep going back? It isn't like Christians don't have plenty of church options. Most of those living in the United States are surrounded by churches. If the bigotry at Church A is a problem, why not try Church B? Wouldn't that make more sense than sticking with Church A while complaining about it? After writing it, I recognized a problem. We don't do this when it comes to our political partie ..read more

In the United States, we like to talk about our rights. We rarely have much to say about the many responsibilities that go along with these rights. But we sure do love to discuss our rights! And so help anybody who threatens to restrict them. One of these rights is the right to vote. Our low voter turnout suggests that too few of our neighbors exercise this right. They'll offer many reasons for this, and some seem more valid than others. Atheists and other non-Christians should have among the highest voter turnout of all. Why? Because of how much we stand to lose when Christian extremists gai ..read more

What if I was vegan? What if I was vegan and you weren't? Let's imagine that both of these things are true for a moment. Not only are you not vegan, but you enjoy all the foods vegans don't eat. You are happy with the status quo and have no desire to change your diet. I show up one day and demand that you become vegan. Why? Because of my religious beliefs. Based on these beliefs, I've decided that everybody should be vegan. Copyright © 2005-2023 Atheist Revolution ..read more

We've all heard of people who identify themselves as "spiritual, but not religious." Who are they? What do they believe? We should have many opportunities to find out in the coming years. After all, a recent Gallup poll shows that 33% of Americans describe themselves this way. Some atheists will celebrate this. They'll consider it more evidence of the declining influence of organized religion. Others will question whether this reflects progress. They'll argue that "spiritual, but not religious" is replacing one type of woo with another. Who's right? Copyright © 2005-2023 Atheist Revolution ..read more

In the United States, we have a controversy raging around gender-affirming health care. Some conservatives would like to charge physicians who provide it with crimes. Many of those who wouldn't go that far still hope to discourage this care. In other parts of the world, we see a different controversy involving physicians and the care they provide. What role, if any, should doctors have in church-sanctioned exorcisms? Copyright © 2005-2023 Atheist Revolution ..read more

There's a common argument that one can expect to hear from some on the political left in the United States. The two major political parties are so similar, they say, that there's little reason to support one over the other. I can understand why someone might say this. I find it to be inaccurate in the best of times and harmful in the worst of times. This argument is an expression of dissatisfaction with today's Democratic Party. I can understand it because I share this sentiment. The Democrats seem to have lost their way and often appear ineffective or even hapless. But more to the point, the ..read more

I have seen some speculation about why Christians are disliked. I've noticed that many of those speculating do identify themselves as Christians. I wouldn't mind sharing my thoughts on the topic, but it seems like there's a question we'd want to address first. Are Christians disliked? Most of the speculation I've seen has come from Christians living in the United States. Are Christians in the United States disliked? And if so, who dislikes them? Are we to imagine that most non-Christians dislike them? I haven't seen much evidence that leads me to think this is true. Copyright © 2005-2023 At ..read more

"Why are you an atheist?" I open my mouth as if to begin my answer, an answer I've given countless times before. But the words don't materialize this time. And now I suspect I've made a mistake by answering the question all those times. I don't mean to suggest that there isn't an answer. I know why I'm an atheist. What I mean is that I am beginning to suspect that giving an answer is unwise. In fact, I'm wondering if it is worse than unwise. Copyright © 2005-2023 Atheist Revolution ..read more

We've all seen signs encouraging people to wash their hands in restaurant restrooms. Many of us appreciate these prompts. We don't like to think about the people who are preparing our food disregarding this advice. The idea of such a reminder hanging on the wall of a public school restroom doesn't seem like a bad idea. These are high-traffic areas, and illness spreads quickly. One sick kid leads to many sick kids, and they bring whatever they catch home with them. It seems like another good place to encourage hand washing. What don't picture is a sign like the one here. It says, "Wash your HA ..read more