18 April Religion and Atheism News Digest

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arizona, atheism, attorney general, belief, bible, clergy, dean saxton, death, end times, freedom, gay, japan, jews, jihad, law, literature, luke, mark, matthew, michele bachmann, muslims, obama, oklahoma, pastor, qur'an, rape, religious freedom, religious groups, scholars, schools, scientologists, scripture, sunday assembly, survey, ted cruz, UK, wales, washington post, women

An Atheist Reads The Bible: None Of This Makes Any Sense

Even after I lost my faith, I still presumed that the Bible a collection of stories that were created to teach lessons and that there was always a moral to the story (like children’s TV).

Inerrant Scripture Changing

So many people believe that religion cannot change – most especially the sacred scripture of their religion.

Survey: UK is One of the Least Religious Countries in the World

Only 30% of Britons told the survey that they were religious, with 53% reporting that they were not religious, and 13% describing themselves as atheists.

Future of Our Religions

Depending on who you ask, the US is becoming more Christian (with all Republican presidential hopefuls denying climate change on religious grounds) or more agnostic (with a huge backlash against Indiana’s discrimination against gays).

Muslims Expected to Surpass Jews As Second-Largest U.S. Religious Group

Judaism will no longer be the largest non-Christian religion in the country and, by 2050, Muslims are projected to be more numerous in the U.S. than people who identify as Jewish on the basis of religion.

Failures of Atheism: Does Atheism Do Less for People than Theism, Religion?

Theists who cannot defend theism or criticize atheism through logic or evidence are left attacking the alleged implications of atheism.

Arizona Hate Preacher Who Tells Women They Deserve Rape Is Harassing Mosque-Goers

Dean Saxton rips pages from the Quran and throws them onto the ground, stomping on them in protest.

Atheist Group Faces Questions Over Donations Raised, Spent

We Are Atheism, co-founded four years ago by then-University of Kansas student Amanda Brown and her husband, Adam Brown, is facing questions about mismanaged donations and misrepresentation of its tax-exempt status.

Okla. Attorney General Wants Private Citizens to Distribute Religious Literature in Schools

After a series of challenges to the distribution of Gideon Bibles in the state’s school districts, Oklahoma’s attorney general stepped in to defend the practice.

Why Does Washington Post Label One Religious Freedom Law ‘Controversial’ and Another ‘Historic?’

In a story this week, the Post goes behind the scenes of the legislative compromise in Mormon-dominated Utah.

Ultraviolet Light Reveals Hidden Text in Ancient Book of Arthurian Stories

Scholars in Wales have discovered that parts of one of the most important books in Welsh history was erased and some of the texts on its animal-skin pages overwritten.

Did Luke Know and Use Matthew? The Parable of the Talents/Pounds as a Test Case

In addition to the material Matthew and Luke copied from Mark, we often find material shared in common between Matthew and Luke that is absent from Mark.

Why the Sunday Assembly Event Did Not Launch in Japan

Yutaka Osakabe and Isaac Gagné explore what we can learn from the absence of the Sunday Assembly [SA] in Japan, despite some interest in setting it up.

Freedom Of — And From — Religion

After all, the very First Amendment in the Bill of Rights says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” But I was wrong.

Secrets of the Scientologists: Why People Do Horrible Things for Belief

“Going Clear” gives a glimpse into how indoctrination really works. A 20th-century tragedy reveals even more.

Bachmann: End Times Are Here, Thanks Obama

Former Rep. Michele Bachmann suggested in an interview this weekend that President Obama’s “anti-Israel” and “pro-the goals of Islamic jihad” policies have brought the world into the biblical End Times.

Pastor Condemns Fellow Clergyman For Not Supporting Death By Stoning For Gays

David Berzins also urged Christians not to be afraid to defy LGBT people or to fear their reprisals.

Ted Cruz: Gay Community Waging ‘Jihad’ Against Religious Freedom

During a presidential candidate forum hosted by an Iowa homeschool grou, Ted Cruz lashed out at the gay community for waging a “jihad” against so-called religious freedom laws in states such as Arkansas and Indiana.