Monday Religion and Freethought Report 11/17

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atheist, bill maher, campus, catholic, children, christianity, christians, christmas, church of england, CNN, critics, dawkins, extremism, faith, freedom, hell, islam, jihad, karen armstrong, kirk cameron, london, michael guglielmucci, mormons, planetshakers, polygamy, prayer, religion, schools, sex, sex abuse, SOCAS, universe, values, vatican, veterans, wars

Critics Think Internet is Killing Religion

Atheists and others are practically giddy at a new data analysis that shows a correlation between an increase in Internet use and a decrease in religious affiliation. [Read more]

The Christian Coward

When you pretend to pray you are really covering up and hiding in humiliation and coming to terms with your hatred towards yourself and your animosity towards me because I have beaten you. [Read more]

No, Religion Does Not Cause All Wars – A Conversation With Karen Armstrong

Religious scholar Karen Armstrong has written books on religious topics ranging from Muhammad, to the Buddha to the History of God. [Read more]

The Problem with Faith Schools

Why do they even exist? What good do they do, except to inculcate fairly tales in children and prevent them from intermingling with those of other backgrounds—something that is desirable in a democracy. [Read more]

Maher Bashes Mormon Founder for Polygamy: His Religion Is ‘Based on a Sex Cult!’

Bill Maher was stunned with the Mormon Church’s recent revelation that its founder Joseph Smith married no less than 40 women, some as young as 14 years old. [Read more]

Victims of Historic Child Sex Abuse Speak Out, After Catholic Church Refuses to Accept “Liability” for the Crimes of Their Priests

The Catholic Church is refusing to accept “liability” for long-term sex abuse that went on at the Mirfield Junior Seminary, despite paying out £120,000 to eleven victims of child sex abuse. [Read more]

Hollywood Actor Kirk Cameron’s Message to Atheist Critics Who Bashed Him — and the Christmas Myths He’s Trying to Dispel

Actor Kirk Cameron is hoping to spread some holiday cheer in the coming weeks with the release of his new feature film “Saving Christmas” — a movie that aims to be doing exactly what its title says. [Read more]

I Slam Islam

The first principle of teaching World Religions is to try to represent the religion, each religion, from the inside, as (you imagine) it seems to its adherents. [Read more]

Freedom from Religion: Healthy Separation or Intrusion Upon Faith?

According to many faith-based and secular organizations, there has been a decline in the number of people who are willing to identify themselves as adhering to a religion or believing that religion has a large impact on their lives. [Read more]

American Jews Especially Thankful This Thanksgiving

Last month, as Jews around the world have done for more than 2,500 years, members of Temple Beth El celebrated the Jewish festival of Sukkot, the last of the three biblical pilgrimage festivals described in the Bible. [Read more]

Promotion of ‘British Values’ Undermines Christian Teaching, says Church of England: NSS Responds

The Church has said the “Christian commandment” to “love your neighbour” should be included in the “British values” taught to schoolchildren. [Read more]

Deep-End Dawkins

Dawkins can defend the use of generalization by saying that while science needs to be specific because it deals with facts, theology is one big gasbag with no facts in it, so better to call it what it is. [Read more]

My Toaster Created the Universe

My neighbor told me that his toaster created the universe. He was very adamant about it. He claimed that his toaster was the first cause that sparked the beginning of all things. [Read more]

In Defense of Christians, Christianity

Given the media attention that’s granted to groups like Westboro and the cross-carrying Klan, the mis-judgers in their Biblical ignorance and religious disinclination, know only of the ugly people. [Read more]

“Learning Jihad”: New Report on Campus Extremism Has Launch Event Cancelled by the University of West London

A new report from Sharia Watch UK (SWUK) has revealed the shocking reach of Islamist speakers on UK university campuses. [Read more]

CNN Offers Readers an Atheist Veteran, Smiling Down from Heaven After His Suffering Ends

Put yourself in the position of an atheist reader who reaches the end of this piece – once again, which focuses on a valid news topic and has been placed in the U.S. news section of a major news website. [Read more]

Hell Conversation

In my Christian days, I certainly held the position that hell was the destination of everyone who did not pray a prayer of commitment. [Read more]

Faking It

Michael Guglielmucci, youth pastor of Planetshakers City Church, had a long history of faking ailments and injuries and then receiving miraculous divine “healing” for them.

[Read more]