Alpha is an organization that offers an opportunity for anyone who wants to explore the Christian faith in sessions.  On their main site they offer a poll to their visitors..

Oops..

Found a very inspiring article on the Black Sun Journal.  Please read. 

This summer, two of my closest college friends and their 12-year-old daughter came for a visit. I hadn’t seen them in a decade. These guys, (at least, prior to the birth of their daughter) were atheists back when I was still unsure of my own stance. Although I called myself agnostic, I leaned toward a mystical world view. At that time I thought they just didn’t “get it”. I could tell they thought the same of me. But, there was enough mutuality in other areas to make humoring one another easy enough. Now, I was stoked because we were finally “on the same page”, and I was eager to talk about it.

Then it dawned on me that with a 12-year-old in tow, we probably wouldn’t be able to get into the political and philosophical implications of the subject, at least not in the length and breadth I had been fantasizing about. After all, young Megan was going to be surrounded by adults for the duration of the several week trip, and the least I could do was have some sensitivity to that. I remember what it was like to be invisible in a room full of adults, and I wasn’t about to put her through that. Little did I know…

This 12-year-old floored me on many levels. Not only did she have a facility with language, there was a sophistication to her thinking I certainly had not anticipated. She jumped into political and philosophical conversations with greater ease and fluency than many adults–even if her knowledge of the subject was at times somewhat spotty–and in need of refinement. She was trying, and in many places she truly held her own.

Still, I wasn’t so sure about broaching the subject of religion. What if my friends modified their views since becoming parents? We all know that happens. How had they oriented their child? Besides, I thought to myself, Megan would probably appreciate it if we just had some fun, and weren’t so heady about everything.

NOT.

Out of the blue, with absolutely no hint of religion in our conversation, Megan started talking about how she had recently been discriminated against at school for being an atheist. My jaw dropped. Here was the one thing I really wanted to talk about with her parents, and she opened the door wider than I had hoped! A 12-year-old speaking out as an atheist? I dove in with questions, and she was more than eager to speak out.

So with no further ado, I give you BSJ’s first young atheist, Megan H.

Morgaine: Welcome Megan! Tell us a little about who you are, how old you are, and your interests.

Megan: Hi! My name is Megan. I’m 12 years old. I like to write, read and play video games. I’m in a gifted and talented program for exceptional learners and, of course, an atheist.

Morgaine: What does atheism mean to you?

Megan: Atheism to me means the disbelief in any and all religious practice and the disbelief in intelligent creation or god. I do not believe in god or any other form of intelligent creation.

Morgaine: Would your mom and dad describe themselves as atheists?

Megan: I believe so. They have talked with me and referred to themselves as atheists.

Morgaine: Lets go back a little. At what age did the idea of religion/god become interesting or relevant for you? Was there a specific event that caused you to wonder about god or religion, or did questions arise spontaneously?

Megan: If I remember correctly, I was about 8 years old. I think I was talking with a girl in my lunch period. I asked why I was the only person who wasn’t invited to her party. She said only people her parents knew from church were asked. That night I asked my dad why we didn’t go to church. He told me that our family didn’t believe in a god and questions took off from there.

Morgaine: Did what your parents said make sense to you? What about it appealed to you?

Megan: They told me that they didn’t know why they should pray to a thing they can’t be sure of. They also said that they don’t think that god could exist and if it does it would be too busy to care if we prayed. I thought this made sense. It seemed very logical.

Morgaine: A few years have past since your first conversations and thoughts on the subject. Are your views the same or different than your parents? If different, how so?

Megan: I think that they are very similar. The only difference may be that we see highly religious people differently, but we agree it does not apply unless the other person wants it to.

Morgaine: Hypothetically, if your views were to change, how do you think your parents would respond? Say, if you told them you wanted to explore going to church, how would they react?

Megan: I don’t believe they would care. We actually talk about this a lot. That if I wanted to go to church, they would get me there, but would not participate any more than that.

Morgaine: Do questions of religion come up between you and your friends?

Megan: Not normally, no.

Morgaine: Do any of your friends share thoughts about religion that are similar to yours?

Megan: Yes, only one and he is my closest friend.

Morgaine: How about this friend’s parents…do they share the same view?

Megan: Yes. My friend’s parents do not believe in god.

Morgaine: Do you feel you are missing out on anything by not having a connection to a religious community?

Megan: Not really, though I do receive some ridicule.

Morgaine: So your views have affected friendships with those who are religious. Do you think the ridicule is a result of misunderstanding what it means to hold an atheist world view?

Megan: Yes. One of my friends refuses to bring the topic up. But most kids either push me away, or their parents do. Many people believe that the word atheist and satanist co-exist.

Morgaine: What would you like to them to know?

Megan: They don’t [co-exist]. I don’t believe in religion in general. I do not worship [god or] the devil.

Morgaine: You told me some stories about how identifying as an atheist caused some difficulties for you specifically at school. Tell us about that, and your response to it.

Megan: Yes. Somehow students discovered my beliefs or lack thereof, and treat me like a freak of nature, or devil. I have lost popularity, and feel that students pick on me in other ways because of the topic. It has caused depression.

Morgaine: I’m sorry to hear that. It’s never easy to hold a minority view especially on such a loaded topic as religion, and especially being so young. I think it’s very courageous. How do you deal with the discrimination and depression you’ve experienced?

Megan: I tell myself that the insults like devil or satan are all words that are used in religion. If I don’t believe them they don’t matter.

Morgaine: Has your school been responsive to kids picking on you? If not, what do you think should change?

Megan: No [they weren't responsive]. I think that ANY BULLYING is wrong and must be dealt with.

Morgaine: Have you had other experiences of discrimination like this at school or elsewhere?

Megan: In 5th grade a girl discovered my atheism and did every thing in her power to hurt me or change me.

Morgaine: Why do you think people lean toward a religious view of life?

Megan: Because it is comforting to think that when you die you will go somewhere and have a purpose. Also if you have been wronged, then maybe that person will be punished.

Morgaine: Religious people often ask how someone can find meaning in life without belief in God…that the wonders of the world aren’t sufficient to satisfy them. What would you say to that? What gives your life meaning?

Megan: The meaning of life can not be decided after death, in my opinion. I think the meaning of life is decided by the person living it–not some being that they don’t know. I push on by knowing that I will finish my book and become a doctor.

Morgaine: Do you see any dangers in religious thinking? Dangers to an individual? Dangers to the world at large? And do you see any benefits?

Megan: I think that religion will cause history to repeat itself. As long as there are different beliefs, people will fight and kill for power.

Morgaine: Some people say you can’t be moral or ethical without religion. What would you say to that?

Megan: No, religious people have started wars over it. If they call mass killing good ethics then I don’t know what to think.

Morgaine: What would you like to say to other young people who may struggling with issues around religion, who may be torn between what their parents say to believe and their own doubts?

Megan: Talk to them. If your parents really don’t want you to believe that way then get on with it. Go to church with them. Think of it as story…a fabulous fairytale. You don’t have to believe it. No one can make you do that.

Morgaine: Any other thoughts on religion, or atheism, that you’d like to share?

Megan: I don’t want any one to feel that they have to change. Just keep these thoughts in mind.

Morgaine: Thank you very much sharing your thoughts and time.

Megan: You’re welcome!

Although Megan is busy with school and her projects, she’d be happy to answer any questions, time permitting of course!

When did you realized you were an atheist?  

 Source: http://www.blacksunjournal.com/psychology/1127_refusing-to-hide-dialogue-with-a-12-year-old-atheist_2007.html

Well, it's certainly been a while since I've stumbled across something that made my brain hurt bad enough to consider shaking my fist at it. Unfortunately, today I have. It also turns out that one can be part of the secular crowd and still be - for lack of a better word - stupid. "How stupid," one may ask. Well, as stupid as getting up in front of a crowd and having another idiot blow dry away your Christianity. This is the sacred ceremony known as debaptism. Please understand me now, celebrating one's freedom is healthly, even fun. But dressing up in a robe and holding rites of passage seems almost exactly what we're all escaping from. Some, like Gary Mueller, have even mailed the certificate to the churches that performed the original baptisms. "I'm friends with so-and-so now and not you!" says the milk-mustached grade schooler.

Truely though, not all of these people are taking him seriously. Those that are merely in it for the parody simply don't understand. Professor Laurence Stookey of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington sets the record straight. De-baptizers misunderstand baptism when they caricature it as an attempt at magic. Baptism is a kind of adoption where you become a child of God, of the church and of the family. You can renounce your physical parents, (the church and God), but they cannot renounce you because you are their child. Anybody who makes fun of baptism probably hasn't gone into it in enough depth to know that."

For the record, I don't exactly agree with baptising children, enlisting them before they have a voice. But it's not like it actually means anything. My baptism still stands and always will, simply because the catholic church wants it to. Though I believed for several tortured years, I've never actually practiced any religion; and I'm not going to start now with a kooky debaptism.

If you'd like to read more on this subject, click here for the source.

Camp Quest

http://camp-quest.org/

"The emphasis on critical thinking is epitomised by a test called the Invisible Unicorn Challenge. Children will be told by camp leaders that the area around their tents is inhabited by two unicorns. The activities of these creatures, of which there will be no physical evidence, will be regularly discussed by organisers, yet the children will be asked to prove that the unicorns do not exist. Anyone who manages to prove this will win a £10 note - which features an image of Charles Darwin, the father of evolutionary theory - signed by Dawkins, a former professor of the public understanding of science at Oxford University.

“The unicorns are not necessarily a metaphor for God, they are to show kids that you can’t prove a negative,” said Saman-tha Stein, who is leading next month’s camp at the Mill on the Brue outdoor activity centre close to Bruton, Somerset."

Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6591231.ece

http://camp-quest.org/

 ??? 

Jedi Knights such as Yoda use the Force to battle the evil Empire

"Eight police officers serving with Scotland's largest force listed their official religion as Jedi in voluntary diversity forms, it has emerged.

Strathclyde Police said the officers and two of its civilian staff claimed to follow the faith, which features in the Star Wars movies.

The details were obtained in a Freedom of Information request by Jane's Police Review.

Strathclyde was the only force in the UK to admit it had Jedi officers.

In the Star Wars films, Jedi Knights such as Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda use the Force to battle the evil Darth Vader, who has strayed to the dark side.

Jane's Police Review editor Chris Herbert, who requested the information, said: "The Force appears to be strong in Strathclyde Police with their Jedi police officers and staff.

"Far from living a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, some members of the noble Jedi order have now chosen Glasgow and its surrounding streets as their home."

Provided voluntarily

A spokeswoman for Strathclyde Police confirmed: "At the time of the request, 10 (eight police officers and two police staff) had recorded their religion as Jedi."

She added that the force monitored "six strands of diversity" - age, disability, gender, race, religion and belief, and sexual orientation.

The force said the information was provided voluntarily and securely stored.

About 390,000 people listed their religion as Jedi in the 2001 Census for England and Wales. In Scotland the figure was a reported 14,000.

The Office for National Statistics did not recognise it as a separate category, and incorporated followers of Jedi with atheists.

Last year, brothers Barney and Daniel Jones founded the UK Church of the Jedi - which offered sermons on the Force, light sabre training, and meditation techniques.

Strathclyde Police employs 8,200 police officers and 2,800 civilian staff."

 Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8003067.stm

Source: http://www.kontraband.co.uk/pics/17433/What-To-Do-If-You-Find-An-Atheist/

Thanks Stevie Mc'Doggle Pants!!!!

Found good article at the Proud Atheist about Hitler and atheism.  Why do Christians identify Hitler with atheism when there is historical proof to the contrary?

Link to article: Why Do Christians Insist That Hitler Was an Atheist

Excerpt:

"Hitler wrote in his book, Mein Kampf: '. . . I am convinced that I am acting as the agent of our Creator. By fighting off the Jews, I am doing the Lord’s work.' He made essentially the same claim in a speech before the Reichstag in 1938."

Craig James has a wonderful blog called The Religious Virus.  Here is one of his entries:

LOL - Conservapedia on Atheism

Don't ask why ('cause I don't know...), but I took a look at the Conservapedia "encyclopedia" entry on Atheism, and was genuinely disappointed by what a joke it is. It's hysterical, but sort of sad, just how many ways the article is blatently biased, inflammatory, or just plain wrong. It would be funnier, but for the fact that this is a high-traffic web site with millions of readers who take it seriously.

(I usually provide links, but refuse in this case – I'm sure you can find it yourself – because I don't want to lend what little search-engine karma my blog has gained to the drivel on Conservapedia.)

I'm of the same philosophy as Arlo Guthrie:

I'd rather have friends who care than friends who agree with me.

• Atheism and Communism
• Atheism and Mass Murder
• Atheism and American Charity (links to: Atheism and Uncharitableness)
• Atheism and Immoral Views
• Atheism and Suicide
• Atheism and Deception
• Decline of Atheism as an Intellectual Position

Moral depravity: The history of the atheist community and various studies regarding the atheist community point to moral depravity being a causal factor for atheism.