Dangerous Ideas

Atheism and Politics get Complicated in Illinois

Submitted by Lyz on Tue, 2008-04-15 07:25.
As a resident of Illinois, eMpirical Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth R.A. Liddell has been paying close attention to the recent controversy surrounding Illinois representative Monique Davis and atheist activist Rob Sherman.  Here, she explains what's been happening and outlines a few things we can all learn.
 
 Rob Sherman, atheist activist
    Rob Sherman, atheist activist    
( categories: Blog | Dangerous Ideas | Events | News )

Secular Student Alliance Board Member Matthew LaClair Challenges High School Textbook

Submitted by MaryEllenSikes on Mon, 2008-04-14 09:50.
UPDATE #1: Matthew LaClair will be presenting at the 2008 Secular Student Alliance conference.  This conference is being held jointly with the conference of the American Humanist Association and the world congress of the International Humanist and Ethical Union.  The Secular Student Alliance is offering travel grants to students who wish to attend the conference.  The deadline for these grants is April 21st.  

Matthew LaClair

UPDATE #2: Secular Student Alliance Board Member Matthew LaClair Published in L.A. Times

Once more, high school senior Matthew LaClair, now beginning a term on the Secular Student Alliance (SSA) board of directors, has attracted the attention of national media by challenging some aspect of his public school education.

LaClair, 18, a student at Kearny High School in New Jersey, was disturbed by the way his Advanced Placement government text American Government presented such topics as global warming and the separation of church and state. He sought and received support from science and legal experts, whose criticisms are being evaluated by publisher Houghton Mifflin.

During his junior year LaClair recorded his history teacher for several days as he proselytized to the class and preached salvation through Jesus. The teacher was eventually disciplined, but LaClair was treated harshly by some community members and fellow students.

"I'm proud that Matthew is on the SSA Board of Directors," said SSA chair Hemant Mehta. "He represents the perfect example of what student activists can accomplish when they have the courage speak up."

( categories: Blog | Dangerous Ideas | News )

Humanist Chaplain Greg Epstein on Speaking of Faith

Submitted by Lyz on Thu, 2008-04-03 23:56.
Greg Epstein, Humanist ChaplainIn the last week of March, American Public Media's program Speaking of Faith featured Harvard University's Humanist Chaplain Greg Epstein and humanism.  The program is available online and was broadcast on public radio stations nationwide.

In a recent Pew poll, 16 percent of Americans identified themselves as "unaffiliated," meaning atheist, agnostic, or - most prominently - "nothing in particular."  Greg Epstein described himself that way until he discovered the tradition of humanism, and is now passionate about sharing an atheist identity driven not by a stance against religion but by positive ethical beliefs and actions.  
( categories: Blog | Dangerous Ideas | Events | News )

Rational Response Squad: Kelly's Blog

Submitted by Lyz on Thu, 2008-04-03 23:12.

RRS KellyKelly of the Rational Response Squad is writing a year-long series to address theist talking heads in the media. Kelly is a Psychology major, co-host of the RRS Radio show, and has been featured on ABC debating Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort.  Here, we reprint select articles with permission.

March 12 - Vox Day - "There is no god. Because I'm an asshole."

( categories: Articles | Blog | Dangerous Ideas | News )

Ellery Schempp Speaks at the University of Texas-Arlington

Submitted by Lyz on Sat, 2008-03-29 09:25.
This article originally appeared in the Feb. 29, 2008 issue of The Shorthorn, and is used by permission. 
Article by Jhericca Johnson, The Shorthorn staff

Ellery Schempp
Dr. Ellery Schempp, Senior Partner for Harvard Consulting Group, speaks about religious prayers in school Thursday at the University Center Red River room. Schempp is known for the 1963 Supreme Court case of Abington School District v. Schempp, in which school prayer was ruled as unconstitutional. (c) The Shorthorn: Rasy Ran
When Ellery Schempp’s high school required students to read ten Bible verses every morning “to learn valuable moral lessons,” he began to wonder if the students of Abington High School had fewer morals than students everywhere else.

Schempp was the main student involved in the 1963 Abington School District v. Schempp Supreme Court case which declared school-sanctioned Bible reading unconstitutional. He spoke Thursday in the University Center Red River Room to tell the campus community about his experience.

At the event, which was sponsored by Freethinkers of UTA, Schempp told students how the event occurred and his thoughts during the case.

In 1956, Schempp was a student in the Abington School District in Abington, Pennsylvania, and was told to read Bible verses every morning. On the Monday after Thanksgiving break, Schempp decided to bring a copy of the Quran to school and read it instead. His said his decision came from reading the First Amendment of the constitution and his own religious choice — Unitarianism.

“There is nothing in the constitution about the Bible, and there is nothing in the Bible about democracy,” he said. “And the word ‘religion’ is only in the constitution twice — in the First Amendment and the Sixth.”

After bringing the Quran to school and reading it quietly to himself, Schempp stayed seated while his classmates said the Lord’s Prayer and stood up for the Pledge of Allegiance. Immediately, his teacher asked him why he was disobeying.

Once he explained his position, Schempp was sent to the school disciplinarian.

“He told me that there were 1,300 other students following the rule and that it was all a matter of respect,” he said. “He said that he felt like I was being disrespectful.”

Read our other coverage of
Ellery Schempp's case!

( categories: Blog | Campus Groups | Dangerous Ideas | Events | News )

Complimentary Conscience

Submitted by august on Wed, 2008-03-12 01:03.
Hello Secular Student Alliance eMpirical Subscribers,

Catholics for Choice is a pro-choice, pro-contraception, pro-sexual rights and pro-separation of church and state nonprofit based in Washington, DC. We at the Secular Student Alliance know that very few readers of the eMpirical are Catholic, and we know that not all readers are pro-choice. We hope you're all pro-contraception, pro-sexual rights and pro-separation of church and state. We also hope that many of you will be interested in getting a free copy of Conscience magazine (www.catholicsforchoice.org/conscience/).

Humanists Promote Science-based Legislation on Darwin's Birthday

Submitted by Lyz on Wed, 2008-02-27 21:27.
On Feb. 12, 2008, the Institute for Humanist Studies (IHS), hosted the first ever Humanist Legislative Advocacy Day.

Humanist activists in New York state came to Albany to persuade their elected representatives to support such issues as: access to emergency contraceptives; same sex marriage legislation; comprehensive sex education in the schools; and expanding therapeutic embryonic stem cell research.

Matt Cherry at Legislative Press Conference"Today, you've made history, the largest minority group never to be counted was heard," said Matt Cherry, at an afternoon press conference in the Legislative Office Building.
( categories: Articles | Blog | Dangerous Ideas | Events | News )

Discovery Institute on Darwin Day

Submitted by Lyz on Fri, 2008-02-22 07:43.
Don't you just love it when other people tell you what you're doing?  

Discovery InstituteJohn West, a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute,  claims that "evolution proponents have launched a movement" with the plans of elevating Charles Darwin and demoting President Abraham Lincoln.  Yes, that's Darwin Day he's talking about.  No, we didn't know anything about Lincoln-bashing, either.
( categories: Articles | Blog | Dangerous Ideas | Events | News )

The Blogging of a Secular Lobbyist

Submitted by Lyz on Fri, 2008-02-22 07:41.
Lori Lipman BrownLori Lipman Brown is Director of the  Secular Coalition for America, where she serves as the first Congressional lobbyist representing atheists.  She is also a speaker on the SSA's Speaker's Bureau.  She writes a weekly blog for The Humanist; we reprint select articles with permission.
( categories: Articles | Blog | Dangerous Ideas | News )

Rational Response Squad: Kelly's Blog

Submitted by Lyz on Sun, 2008-02-17 04:37.

RRS KellyKelly of the Rational Response Squad is writing a year-long series to address theist talking heads in the media. Kelly is a Psychology major, co-host of the RRS Radio show, and has been featured on ABC debating Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort.  Here, we reprint select articles with permission.

February 7 - How to Respond to a Supercilious Christian

( categories: Articles | Blog | Dangerous Ideas | News )
XML feed