Atheism

An atheist group in Minnesota has put up billboards featuring pictures of babies and attacking religion in the Twin Cities and its members say they are inspired by pro-life ads across the country.

"Please don't indoctrinate me with religion. Teach me to think for myself," says an illuminated 14 x 48 foot billboard, installed at 725 Washington Ave. N. in Minneapolis by the Minnesota Atheists, a group affiliated with the national organization American Atheists.

"We are all born without belief in gods. Learn how to be a born-again atheist," reads another ad, which measures 10.5 x 36 foot and has been installed at the corner of University Avenue and Lexington Avenue in St. Paul. The billboards, which went up this week and will remain in place until Feb. 19, carry images of smiling babies. more >>

Atheist Richard Dawkins appears to be leading the charge among non-believers in the U.K. who are appalled that a Swiss philosopher and writer residing in London plans to build a "temple for atheists" in the city's financial center.

Alain de Botton said he wants to counter Dawkins' "aggressive" and "destructive" approach to non-belief by building a 151-foot tower to celebrate a "new atheism," according to news reports out of the U.K.

"Normally a temple is to Jesus, Mary or Buddha, but you can build a temple to anything that's positive and good," said De Botton, according to The Guardian. "That could mean a temple to love, friendship, calm or perspective. Because of Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens atheism has become known as a destructive force. But there are lots of people who don't believe but aren't aggressive towards religions." more >>

Studies reveal that children of atheist parents are more likely to experience depression than Christians and people of faith are happier living in largely religious countries.

A 10-year study of 60 depressed and non-depressed mothers and 151 offspring revealed that children who were raised in their mother's religion were better protected against depression.

The offspring of Protestant or Catholic parents were 76 percent less likely than the offspring of non-religious parents to experience an episode of major depression, The American Journal of Psychiatry revealed. more >>

As a Colorado atheist group purchases space for three billboards in major cities in Colorado, one Christian research fellow refers to their efforts as "bad manners."

"They say their ad is intended to spark dialogue with people of faith on the existence of God, but you don't draw people into conversation by poking fun of the beliefs," Glenn Stanton, director for Family Formation Studies at Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs, told The Christian Post.

Stanton was referring to a billboard sponsored by Boulder Atheists that states, "God is an imaginary friend; Choose reality, it will be better for all of us." more >>

Christian film "Suing the Devil" has met some challenges since its release, having suffered an online atheist "mob attack" and heavy pirating. However, the film's writer/director Tim Chey says the attacks and theft are worth it and that it is all in a day's work for the evangelist.

Chey told The Christian Post that recently the producers of the film received an email from a group called "anonymous Atheists," who said they would "mob attack" the film on IMDb, the largest film site on the Internet.

Within three days, the film's score dropped from seven to four. more >>

Morals aren't begotten from religion, but secular moral philosophy, jurisprudence and dinner table conversation, renowned atheist Richard Dawkins recently argued at the Jaipur Literature Festival in India.

Criticizing ethical systems based on religions like Judaism, Christianity and Islam, The God Delusion author continued to uphold the view that ethics came from secular values and not godly ones.

"We are the 21st century moralists and atheists," Dawkins told listeners Tuesday, according to Indo-Asian News Service. more >>