AOF Online - Freethought News

New Orleans Archdiocese Agrees to $230 Million Settlement in Clergy Sex Abuse Case, Attorneys Say

So what's the going rate for a child's innocence? About $450,000 minus attorney's fees. Probably not enough to cover the life long therapy they deserve but enough to drink or drug themselves to death so the church and condemn them.[…]

Am I crazy or is EVERY apologist argument easily defeated by simply asking "how do you know that tho?"

I'm often surprised at how bad every single argument for theism is (at least the ones I'm familiar with, and I'm familiar with a lot of them). Sometimes theists will pose the question "ok so as an atheist you don't[…]

“Eternal Damnation” more sexual assault allegations against a Texas youth pastor

Another man of god 🙄 How and when will god or Texas governor (as he promised) remove all this from the face of the Earth? The number of innocent children harmed by youth pastors (and regular ones) has to be[…]

Is this statement true? "Atheism is not an assertion that god does not exist. It's simply the absence of a belief in a god."

I was having a heated debate with my brother and he was claiming that one cannot be truly atheist,that atheism doesnt exist and that agnosticism is the only valid stance there is. My mother said i had a flaw in[…]

Paula White (WH spiritual advisor) once had an affair with fellow televangelist Benny Hinn

I’ve not seen this brought up anywhere but I remember when it happened. My grandma was a big Benny Hinn follower and would take me to his crusades when I was a kid. This was the final breaking point that[…]

Orange County Pastor Convicted of Sexually Assaulting Three Underage Girls.

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If God wants to punish me for not believing, fuck him too

Okay so I am from India a very Hinduism majority country. Even though I never worshipped statues and neither ever liked the concept of castes system or hierarchy, fir those who don't know caste hierarchy in India ( It is[…]

3 year old died 4 weeks ago

Im an atheist and my child died a few weeks back. Im not changing my beliefs because of it. However I am going into deeper thoughts on life and the universe. I am curious what books or videos people have[…]

‘Guns & Moses’ Has It All: A Must-See Faith-Based Mystery Masterpiece

(REVIEW) “Guns & Moses” is a rare film that succeeds both as compelling entertainment and as a surprisingly thoughtful exploration of faith. It’s a model that shows how believers can examine all aspects of life through their faith and art[…]

Is The Jerusalem Terror Attack The Start Of A Third Intifada?

(ANALYSIS) For now, it would be premature to declare that that moment has arrived. Yet it would be incautious, too, to ignore the warning signs. The latest terrorism in Jerusalem may not be the turning point. But unless the trajectory[…]

Trump Vows To Defend Religious Liberty Ahead Of Nation’s 250th Birthday

In remarks at the Museum of the Bible during a meeting of his Religious Liberty Commission, President Donald Trump touted his administration’s religious liberty victories, vowed to protect prayer in public schools and announced the donation of his personal Bible[…]

People have asked me how my atheism has "helped" me. This is what I tell them. (In SOOO many words)

My grandma and I were very close. She died in 2024. She was very obese. Throughout her and my shared times together, I remember feeling that food was her "love language", and that to overfeed and indulge the family with[…]

The Enduring Value — And Vanishing Presence — Of America’s Newspapers

(ANALYSIS) Despite some major differences, newspapers and religion share notable similarities in their societal roles, including defining norms, creating a sense of a shared community, while maintaining rituals. These parallels are often rooted in the human need to make sense[…]

Atheists are nicer to Christians than Christians are to atheists, study finds

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After Challenging Wilson, Podcast Confession Shakes Anti-Patriarchy Movement

Days after challenging Pastor Doug Wilson to a public debate, Peter Bell, producer and host of the podcast “Sons of Patriarchy,” made a social media confession that has forced a reckoning within the community he helped build around exposing abuse[…]

Clergy Protest ICE and National Guard Presence Near DC Churches

(ANALYSIS) In Washington, D.C., recent events have pushed some Christian leaders to become vocal against the Trump administration. As clergy argue that federal law enforcement agencies increasingly encroach upon church property and community spaces, the result has been a growing[…]

How Strong is 2nd/3rd Handed Testimony?

From Jack Johnson on Facebook. He studied Biblical academics and counseling at Baptist Bible College, Baptist Bible School of Theology, Trinity Seminary. He says: "All three of these apologists think 2nd and 3rd hand accounts of the life and times[…]

How Amanda Knox Forgave A Prosecutor Who Wrongly Sent Her To Prison

(ANALYSIS) One thing I consider part of my job as a columnist is pointing you to opinions that are better-expressed and more revelatory that what I’d normally produce on my own. That’s the case here.

Not Just Another ‘Murderbot’: How A Screen-Obsessed SecUnit Found Its Moral Core

(ANALYSIS) “Murderbot” has options, but only a few. Kill all the stupid humans and flee, which likely means another SecUnit would stop him and then the company would melt him down as scrap. Or play along, pretending to do the[…]

Carlo Acutis Named First Millennial Saint: An ‘Influencer’ For The Modern Church

(ANALYSIS) History was made on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square. Pope Leo XIV declared Carlo Acutis — the 15-year-old tech prodigy known as “God’s Influencer” — the first Millennial saint. Before 80,000 pilgrims, many of them young families and digital[…]

Is Canada ‘Killing Itself’ With Doctor-Assisted Suicide?

(ANALYSIS) This is a landmark year for what’s variously labeled “medical assistance in dying” (MAID), “doctor-assisted suicide,” death by choice,” “death with dignity,” “the right to die,” “euthanasia” or “mercy killing.” As this is written, Great Britain is on the[…]

Honest Sermons on the Gospel of Mark: Chapter 10

Another mix of flimsy theology and cult propagandaThere are several different topics in this chapter, but the author’s agenda of cult promotion is transparent. Condemning divorce At the outset (verses 2-12), Mark’s holy hero Jesus makes pronouncements about divorce, positioning his decree[…]

The Best Cure for Christianity Is Reading the Bible, Essay No. 4

Matthew 7: A good start, then cult severity and braggingIt might be a good idea to compile a list of the Top Ten Bible Texts that Christians Ignore—and, no surprise, these can be found in the gospels, especially in the Jesus-script.[…]

Round Two Edits On My Paper Concerning Atheist Morality

I received a huge endorsement from Philosopher Jersey Flight on X. What a nice thing to hear! It happened on the same day I finished the first round of edits from my peer reviewed paper on atheist morality. This paper[…]

Oh the Irony: Religion Is Shooting Itself in the Foot

Disbelief and atheism are on the rise A few years ago I had the misfortune of attending a First Communion service at a suburban Rhode Island Catholic Church. The place was packed, parents and relatives eager to see the children going[…]

Heretic on the Hill: Judicial Activism, and the Treaty of Tripoli?

It’s the August recess in Washington and Members of Congress left town faster than a Texas Democrat. So Congress is not threatening to pass any bad legislation at the moment, which is nice. And it’s a good time to meet with Congressional[…]

Richard Carrier, David Kyle Johnson, and I, Oh My!

We three have been invited by Dr. James Sterba to write papers on ethics without God. So far Johnson's and Carrier's papers have both been published. Mine is to come shortwithly. There is a lot of similarity between Johnson's paper[…]

Do Our Souls Require a Gender?

Do you regularly operate a motor vehicle of some kind? If so, is your motor vehicle male or female? This will seem like a nonsensical question to some. Machines don't have a gender! Others might think of their vehicle as[…]

Honest Sermons on the Gospel of Mark: Chapter 9

A sorry mix of superstition, cult bragging, and bad theologyBaptist preacher William Miller predicted that Jesus would return on October 22, 1844. Thousands of people were psyched for this dramatic event, which turned into what became known as The Great[…]

How Does One Become a Christian Today?

Suppose I woke up tomorrow morning and decided that I wanted to be a Christian. I realize that seems unlikely, but that's not the point here. And because it isn't the case that I want to be a Christian, we[…]

The Federal Workforce is now Allowing Proselytizing. Here’s how Secular Groups are Taking a Stand

The Office of Personnel Management, in partnership with the White House Faith Office, has released a memorandum on “Religious Expression in the Federal Workplace.” The memo is filled with policies that support religious coercion and proselytizing in the workplace, which[…]

What Could Convince Reasonable People to Accept the Miracle Stories in the Bible?

This is a segment of my talk at last weekend's BAHA conference in Sarnia, Canada. The conference was fantastic, by the way, with excellent speakers who were experts in several different areas that contained some great content! What you'll see[…]

The Best Cure for Christianity Is Reading the Bible, Essay No. 3

Matthew 6: Yet more deeply flawed Jesus-script In my article here last week, I mentioned that the Sermon on the Mount is treasured by Christians as the pinnacle of wisdom—Jesus at his best. Yet, if we asked churchgoers where we can[…]

Heretic on the Hill: Telling Your Federal Co-worker They’re Going to Hell OK Now

The federal government has about 2.3 million employees, not counting postal workers. It’s difficult to get an exact count because so many have been fired this year and their firings are being appealed in court. 2.3 million is slightly larger[…]

Dying Without Withdrawing From Your Faith Savings Account

Imagine that your parents set up a savings account for you when you were a child. They did so to teach you about money, the importance of savings, and whatever else. Every month, they required you to make a small[…]

The Best Cure for Christianity Is Reading the Bible, Essay No. 2

Matthew 5: Highly prized, but deeply flawed, Jesus-script Christian clergy and theologians—drawn to their profession by devotion to Jesus—are committed to the idea that the gospel accounts of their lord must be true. Hence they have no trouble claiming that the[…]

Some Lessons Learned During My Angry Atheist Phases

I've gone through at least two prolonged "angry atheist" phases in my life so far. I regret one of them. I knew it was counterproductive and hard to justify at the time. This insight wasn't enough to stop me, but[…]

SCA Let’s it be Known: The Johnson Amendment MUST be Enforced

The IRS has officially destroyed the Johnson Amendment as we know it. The creation of the Johnson Amendment happened over seven decades ago because Congress knew religious places of worship should not engage in political activities. As a coalition of[…]

I Live My Life As if Bigfoot Does Not Exist

Do Bigfoot creatures exist? I don't know, but it strikes me as quite unlikely. It would be cool if they did, but that isn't an adequate basis for believing that they do. And yet, it would not occur to me[…]

I Have Known Few Atheists

Living in the United States, it comes as no surprise that most of the people I've met have been Christians. I recently started to wonder how many atheists I've known. This question is much more difficult to answer than it[…]

VICTORY: Court rules grant to out-of-state Catholic Institution violates West Virginia Constitution

“Public dollars should always serve the public good." The post VICTORY: Court rules grant to out-of-state Catholic Institution violates West Virginia Constitution appeared first on American Humanist Association.

Heretic on the Hill: Religion Almost Stays Out of the Big Beautiful Bill, Until the Comments Section

It’s said that Republicans run for office for two reasons: to cut taxes and to increase military spending. The One Big (add your own adjective) Bill signed into law last week certainly does both of those, and a lot more.[…]

The Secular Coalition for America Denounces the IRS Demolishing the Johnson Amendment

The Secular Coalition for America Denounces the IRS Demolishing the Johnson Amendment Washington, D.C. – It’s now official: the Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.) has declared that political endorsements from the pulpit are permissible. Religious leaders may now use their[…]

American Humanists Decry the Death of the Johnson Amendment

"All bets are off" The post American Humanists Decry the Death of the Johnson Amendment appeared first on American Humanist Association.

Is Identifying Oneself as an Atheist a Claim About Reality?

Suppose someone proclaimed that there were no gods or insisted that gods don't exist. They would have made a claim about the world, right? Well, maybe not our world since gods aren't supposed to inhabit our world but to transcend[…]

American Humanist Association Admonishes School Privatization Program, Other Heartless Provisions in Senate Reconciliation Package

"This bill is as un-American as it is un-humanist." The post American Humanist Association Admonishes School Privatization Program, Other Heartless Provisions in Senate Reconciliation Package appeared first on American Humanist Association.

Humanists Incensed By Supreme Court Ruling on Curriculum Opt-Outs

"A betrayal of public school students across the country." The post Humanists Incensed By Supreme Court Ruling on Curriculum Opt-Outs appeared first on American Humanist Association.

Heretic on the Hill: Religious Liberty, Thomas Jefferson, and Dr. Phil

The Religious Liberty Commission met for the first time last week. Established by the President with an executive order, the Commission is technically an arm of the Department of Justice but the hearing was held at the Museum of the Bible here[…]

American Humanists Say “No War With Iran”

"Choose diplomacy over destruction." The post American Humanists Say “No War With Iran” appeared first on American Humanist Association.

The Wheres and Whens of Growing Up Atheist

What's it like to grow up in the United States and realize at some point along the way that one is an atheist? It depends a great deal on where one lives, doesn't it? The influence of religion varies a[…]

Humanists Outraged at SCOTUS Decision on Gender-Affirming Care for Minors

"Gender-affirming care saves lives, period." The post Humanists Outraged at SCOTUS Decision on Gender-Affirming Care for Minors appeared first on American Humanist Association.

SCA Has Questions for the Religious Liberty Commission

The Secular Coalition for America reached out to the Religious Liberty Commission (RLC) ahead of their first official meeting. As an organization, we’re concerned about the establishment of the commission. The RLC says its mission is to “safeguard and promote[…]

When Uncomplicated Grief is a Luxury

"Everybody grieves in different ways." This sentence has been replaying in my head since my mom died a week ago. It reminds me that it is okay to grieve and that I will do it sooner or later. I'll do[…]

Implications of Supreme Court Ruling Could Be Broad and Dangerous, Warn Humanists

"Today’s decision is yet another wake-up call for secular Americans." The post Implications of Supreme Court Ruling Could Be Broad and Dangerous, Warn Humanists appeared first on American Humanist Association.

Talking Points Opposing The Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) in the Senate Reconciliation Bill

View Fullscreen Download PDF The post Talking Points Opposing The Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) in the Senate Reconciliation Bill appeared first on Secular Coalition for America.

ICYMI: Center for Freethought Equality Testifies in Support of Legislation to Protect Oregon Consumers

Read Fish Stark's testimony warning against health care sharing ministries. The post ICYMI: Center for Freethought Equality Testifies in Support of Legislation to Protect Oregon Consumers appeared first on American Humanist Association.

American Humanists Respond to St. Isidore Supreme Court Ruling

"Christian Nationalists failed, and the Supreme Court held the line." The post American Humanists Respond to St. Isidore Supreme Court Ruling appeared first on American Humanist Association.

American Humanist Association Wins First Amendment Case Against City of Ocala

It is never appropriate to use taxpayer dollars to promote religious beliefs. The post American Humanist Association Wins First Amendment Case Against City of Ocala appeared first on American Humanist Association.

SCA and it’s Coalition Members Write Letter Urging Ways and Means Members to Oppose Inclusion of Two Bills

The inclusion of the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) and the Healthcare Sharing Ministry Tax Parity Act would do irrevocable harm to the separation of church and should not be included in the Ways and Means reconciliation package. ECCA[…]

Finding the Balance Between Staying Informed and Sinking Into Despair

If you ask most people why they interact with news sources, you'll hear some version of the same answer. We do it to stay informed. We want to know what's happening, and that's why we interact with the news. This[…]

France Declares Scientology a Fraud, Not Religion

Isn't this a bit link saying the Strawberry ice cream isn't really ice cream? Link: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/france/120202/france-labels-scientology-business-not-church

In Honor of Black History Month: Ex-Slave Tells Ex-Master to "Shove it"

This is brilliant and really needs minimal comment Dayton, Ohio, August 7, 1865 To My Old Master, Colonel P.H. Anderson, Big Spring, Tennessee Sir: I got your letter, and was glad to find that you had not forgotten Jourdon, and[…]

Indiana Slouches Toward Idiocy

As was mentioned in an earlier post, the Indiana state senate was scheduled to vote on allowing school districts to require "creationism", aka religious drivel, to be taught in public schools. They did, and it pasted with 28 out of[…]

Keep your Temples; We Have Greater Things

Alain de Botton, wants to build an Atheist Temple in London. Alain de Botton has announced plans to construct a 150 foot high temple to atheism in the heart to London. He claims that it is a terrible thing that[…]

A Review of "A Universe From Nothing"

From the AVClub: "With an afterward by Richard Dawkins, A Universe From Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing is solidly in the New Atheism camp, a cosmologist’s version of Dawkins’ The Blind Watchmaker. Krauss takes several jabs at[…]

The Myth of Jesus

UCF Professor Tells Ignorant Students What Higher Education is Really About

Charles Negy Charles Negy directly address the impact of students' religious bigotry, small mindedness and irrationality in the college classroom. Anyone who has ever taught a college class, especially in the humanities, knows that every word he wrote is accurate. Negy[…]