Daylight Atheism » The Loft

The Contributions of Freethinkers: Wole Soyinka

Ebonmuse — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:49:05 +0000

I wasn't familiar with Wole Soyinka, the first African author ever to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, until I got a Google alert for his name the other day. You can probably guess why - it turns out he's an atheist, as I learned from this article in the Nigerian Tribune grousing about it:

Although I might not be able to quote him verbatim, Professor Soyinka had replied thus. ... [visit site to read more]

The Duty of External Obedience

Ebonmuse — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:51:38 +0000

While I was doing research for "The Ordinary and Universal Magisterium", I came across some amazing passages in the New Advent Catholic encyclopedia's article on infallibility. Since it can be safely assumed that these still represent the Catholic church's viewpoint, I thought it was worth calling some wider attention to them.

The article ... [visit site to read more]

The Watchtower's Apocalyptic Pratfalls

Ebonmuse — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:49:35 +0000

Since we all had a hearty laugh at the antics of Harold Camping earlier this summer, I thought you might appreciate a little more light comedy. Presented here for your approval are some excerpts from Millions Now Living Will Never Die, a famous the-end-is-near book published in 1920. You can download the entire book in PDF form, or read some more background about it, from this link.

The emphatic announcement that ... [visit site to read more]

Dispatches from Future America: Nation Ratifies Reproductive Rights Amendment

Ebonmuse — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:42:11 +0000

[Editor's Note: The last dispatch I received in this ongoing series was particularly bleak. As if on cue, I got another message the other day, this one apparently originating from a very different, and much rosier, future. I get the strong impression that these two possible worlds are, in some manner, competing against each other.]

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI (August 6, 2037) — The Thirty-fifth ... [visit site to read more]

The Natural Law Argument Against Procreation

Ebonmuse — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 10:57:13 +0000

"Nobody has the right to harm others. Yet, homosexuality is a harmful behavior. It is obviously harmful to its practitioners — the clinical evidence for all manner of psychological and physical problems created by acting on homosexual impulses is well established. Homosexuality is destructive to self because it uses the human body in ways that it simple [sic] was not intended to be used by nature and nature's God."

In the visit site to read more]

A Not At All Relevant to Elevatorgate Post

Ebonmuse — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 10:34:55 +0000

I first saw this on Google+ and, given the flame wars that have roiled atheism lately, I thought it was worth sharing. Who knows but that it may help some people to see these issues presented in a different context.

You may have heard of Wil Wheaton (and if you don't, and you consider yourself a geek, you have some explaining to do). Well, the other day, he posted this:

When I was ... [visit site to read more]

An Atheist's Confession

Ebonmuse — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:55:59 +0000

By Sarah Jane Braasch-Joy

In loving memory of my baby brother, Jacob Michael Braasch (01/28/86 – 02/02/10)

My beloved baby brother, Jacob, hung himself last year in my parents' basement. I wouldn't wish my pain on my worst enemy. It's been a year and a half, and, sometimes, I still can't get out of bed or stop crying. I'll be in public, and I'll inexplicably, to anyone else, burst into sobbing, jagged tears. I blame a lot of people for his death, especially my parents. ... [visit site to read more]

Dispatches from Future America: Government Increases Budget for Christiancare Program

Ebonmuse — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:40:01 +0000

[Editor's Note: After the two strange messages I received earlier this year, I thought the wormhole, or whatever it was, had closed forever. Evidently not. This past week, as fighting over the debt limit reached a fever pitch, I found a new e-mail from the future in my inbox. Elaborate hoax? Frightening warning of what lies ahead? You be the judge...]

NEW YORK CITY (July 24, 2037) — Mayor Harold Ford Jr., along with a group of civic dignitaries, was on hand for the gala ... [visit site to read more]

The Harm Psychics Do, Continued

Ebonmuse — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:05:34 +0000

You know, I was going to write about the Pastafarian who won the right to wear a metal colander on his head for his driver's license photo - but by the time I got home from work yesterday, half a dozen other atheist bloggers had already posted about it, so never mind. Here's something a little heavier instead.

I wrote a post in ... [visit site to read more]

The Last Thing I'll Ever Say About Elevatorgate

Ebonmuse — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:15:25 +0000

Or rather, the last thing I'll quote, because there were two comments on Friendly Atheist that sum up the matter perfectly:

First:

Misogyny shows not because of a guy being unaware that the circumstances in which he is asking people out are creepy. But the misogyny shows when people quickly jump into trying to make it look like doing that is fine. The correct non-misogynist reaction ... [visit site to read more]

The Evangelist's Funnel

Ebonmuse — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:51:48 +0000

Through some odd stroke of coincidence, when I was in San Francisco earlier this year, I encountered more than the usual amount of religious nuttiness. I've already written about the woman who gets divine communications in God's actual handwriting. There were also Scientologists handing out pamphlets on a street corner, advertising something called the "Purification Rundown":

visit site to read more]

You Call That Religion?

LeahAdmin — Sat, 28 May 2011 14:56:34 +0000

This is a guest post by Leah of Unequally Yoked. Adam is on vacation.

Spoiler Alert: the post below discusses the final number of the musical The Book of Mormon.

The Associated Press, in a review titled "Zany Musical 'The Book of Mormon' Will Convert You" said despite the sacrilege you might expect from a show imagined by the creators of South Park, the ... [visit site to read more]