Atheism

A Christian ice cream shop owner is thankful for being forgiven by atheists whom he had temporarily banned from his store.

In his most recent public response this week, Gelato Mio owner Andy Drennen revealed on Wednesday that it's been "an emotional rollercoaster ride" for him and his family over the last few days but that he has received "positive, forgiving, and understanding responses."

Drennen had received backlash for a sign he posted last weekend, stating, "Skepticon is NOT welcomed to my Christian Business." more >>

Correction Appended

If a country is completely lacking God, the people are less likely to treat others with grace, author Larry Taunton says. He discovered that when he and his wife adopted a Ukranian child, Sasha.

Taunton spoke to The Christian Post about his new book, The Grace Effect: How the Power of One Life Can Reverse the Corruption of Unbelief. In the book, he uses the family’s heartwarming journey through the adoption process as a background for the larger political question of how atheism is now threatening American society. more >>

The clash between Christians and atheists for the soul of Christmas rages on.

The American Humanist Association fired the most recent salvo by unveiling its third annual holiday public awareness campaign Monday. Titled "Bias Against Atheists Is Naughty, Not Nice," the nationwide media blitz runs until Monday and highlights alleged cases of discrimination against atheists and agnostics.

"We want to challenge people who supposedly love their neighbor and apply that to us as well," said Roy Speckhardt, AHA's executive director. "These kinds of incidents are bubbling up more given a larger number of people are talking out loud about their lack of faith. Prejudice against any group limits our potential as a society." more >>

The American Center for Law and Justice is speaking out in support of a veterans memorial cross by urging officials at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base in California to allow it to continue standing on the military base's land.

The cross was erected on top of a hill at the military base as a memorial to four Marines who died while serving the United States in Iraq, but the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers says religious symbols, whether they are memorials or not, are not legally permitted to stand on public land.

The ACLJ responded to MAAF's sentiments by sending a letter to Camp Pendleton's commanding officer, Col. Nicholas F. Marano, to explain why keeping the cross is not a violation of the Constitution's Establishment Clause. more >>

Two prominent atheists argued Tuesday night against a Christian apologist and a rabbi that the world would be a better place without religion during the Intelligence Squared U.S. event at New York University.

British philosopher and professor A.C. Grayling, who is the author of The Good Book: A Secular Bible and more than 20 other books, teamed up with filmmaker Matthew Chapman, the great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin, to argue against religion.

David Wolpe, who is rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles and author of Why Faith Matters, joined Dinesh D’Souza, president of the King’s College in New York City and author of What’s So Great About Christianity, to argue the case for religion. more >>

As the world witnesses a growing amount of persecution, terror and religious violence, one question persists: Would the world be better off without religion?

On Nov. 15, atheists and believers will wrestle over and attempt to answer that controversial question in an upcoming live debate in New York hosted by Slate magazine and Intelligence Squared.

The types of motions that will be discussed, according to Slate, include: “Does religion lead to more evil or more good? Does religion breed intolerance and violence? Or has it primarily been a source for good, imbuing followers with purpose and encouraging moral behavior?” more >>