Tuesday Religion and Atheist News (03/03)

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The Religious States of America in Maps: How the Country’s Spiritual Landscape is Changing as Protestants Lose Majority Status for First Time in History

Protestants are no longer America’s religious majority. New figures reveal that for the first time ever just 47 per cent of the United States identifies with the denomination. And more than one in five citizens are religiously unaffiliated.

Is There Any Case for Religion? Christianity, Islam, Atheism and My Search for Balance and Truth

What’s good about religion? Does it lead to violence? Are atheists right? Looking to history for real answers.

New Helpline for People Wrestling with Religion, Suffering from Loss of Faith

1-84-I-DOUBT-IT is believed to be the country’s first helpline for people wrestling with religion, suffering from a loss of faith, or confused about why their son or wife seems to have suddenly embraced atheism.

Beyoncé as Gateway to Satan? The Long, Strange History of Conservative Christian Panic Over Satanism

From yoga and Smurfs to Heavy Metal, fears of Satan are a map to the shifting class and gender anxieties beneath the culture wars.

City Forced to Allow ‘Reason Station’ Alongside ‘Prayer Station’

A Detroit suburb that allows a “prayer station” set up in city hall must also permit an atheist to set up a “reason station,” a federal judge ordered. Warren, Michigan must also pay a $100,000 fine.

Ordain Women’s Kate Kelly Loses Last Appeal; Husband to Resign from Mormon Church

The activist received word Saturday from her former lay leader in Virginia that the faith’s governing First Presidency had rejected the appeal of her June 2014 excommunication from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

UK Christians Take Part in Nonviolent Blockade of Atomic Weapons Establishment

Members of Pax Christi, the international Catholic movement for peace, were among hundreds of others who have taken part in a nonviolent blockade of Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Burghfield in Reading, England.

The Christian Church Was Once Accused of Atheism

The problem for them was that they lived in a culture that worshiped many deities, all with a physical form (idols) and a visible act or worship (sacrifices and grand ceremonies).

New Mexico Museum Scuttles Darwin Events After Creationists Demand ‘Intelligent Design’ Coverage

The New Mexico Museum of Natural History canceled a series of events honoring scientist Charles Darwin after two local retired engineers lobbied for discussions on “intelligent design” to be included.

Scott Walker’s Church is as Interesting an American Story as Walker Himself

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, 47, is facing new scrutiny as the flavor of the month in Republican presidential politics.

Raif Badawi, the Saudi Arabian Blogger Sentenced to 1,000 Lashes, May Now Face Death Penalty

Raif Badawi, the Saudi Arabian blogger whose punishment of 1,000 lashes has prompted international condemnation, may now face the death penalty.

Any Faith Issues Lurking in Firestorm About Netanyahu Speech?

People here in the land of the Beltways are melting down as they argue about Speaker John Boehner’s decision to invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to address Congress.

How Islamic is Islamic State Group? Not Very, Experts Say

An estimated 20,000 have streamed into the territory in Iraq and Syria where the group has proclaimed what it calls a “caliphate” ruled by its often brutal version of Islamic law.

WorldNetDaily Rewrites American History

Creationists insist on not only their peculiar fantasy version of science, they also imagine a fantasy version of history.

New England Houses of Worship Hurting Financially During a Tough Winter

Religious leaders in snowbound New England are beginning to ask themselves how on Earth their houses of worship will make ends meet after all these acts of God.

Gays Are Oppressing Christian Florists, and Other Dishonest Arguments

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler spoke directly about honesty. “Christians,” he said, “cannot dodge socially difficult questions for the sake of political expediency.”

Religion’s New Atheist Scapegoat: Why the Chapel Hill Shootings Weren’t About Islamophobia

The killing earlier this month of three young Muslims by an atheist was horrible — but it wasn’t a hate crime

Metaphysics and (Lack of) Grounding

My first exposure to it was during my three years of philosophy in high school, where the bulk of our exposure to metaphysics came down to the medieval Scholastics.

America’s Forgotten Images of Islam

Popular early U.S. tales depicted Muslims as menacing figures in faraway lands or cardboard moral paragons.

Guru Convinced 400 Men to Castrate Themselves to Be Closer to God

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, known as “The Guru in Bling,” is accused of coercing hundreds of followers to undergo the procedure at a hospital run by his spiritual organization.

Rabbi: Did Jesus Actually Exist?

Below is a talk by “countermissionary” and “Jewish apologist” Rabbi Tovia Singer regarding “Jesus mythicism” or the opinion that Jesus Christ is a mythical figure.