Articles

Atheist Students and Leaders Participate in White House Briefing

Submitted by Jesse Galef on Mon, 2010-02-08 02:38.

This story originally appeared on Unreasonable Faith on March 1, 2010. Used here with permission.

By Jesse Galef

The atheist movement made a big step last Friday when the Secular Coalition for America arranged a policy briefing with White House officials. A delegation of about 60 nontheists convened in the nation's capital to engage with the administration. I can't repeat what the administration said – these meetings are held off the record – but I can say that I've never felt more proud and optimistic about the political status of atheists.

( categories: Articles | Blog | Media Coverage | News )

A Polite Response to an Impolite Article

Submitted by Jesse Galef on Fri, 2010-01-29 22:53.

Lucy Gubbins is the president of the Alliance of Happy Atheists, a secular student group at the University of Oregon.  In January, their campus newspaper made the strange decision to reprint an anti-atheist screed which had first been published at Portland State University three months earlier.  Lucy mobilized her group to respond with polite letters to the editor.  Here's the letter she got printed:

Reprinting anti-atheism commentary offensive, lacking balance

Lucy Gubbins, President of the UO Alliance of Happy Atheists

By Lucy Gubbins | President, Alliance of Happy Atheists

( categories: Articles | Blog | News | On Campus )

So Help Us God In The Courthouse

Submitted by Luis on Thu, 2010-01-07 19:04.

by Sarah Silverman

In December, I traveled to Washington, DC, where I stopped at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. On that day, atheist lawyer and physician Dr. Michael Newdow was scheduled to present his oral argument in his appeal of Newdow v. Roberts, a religious liberty case against Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and others responsible for the inauguration ceremony of President Barack Obama. There were 252 additional plaintiffs who joined Newdow in the suit, including myself and my father.

( categories: Articles | News )

Shelley Mountjoy Wins American Atheists Scholarship

Submitted by SSASamantha on Thu, 2009-11-19 16:22.

by Leslie A. Zukor

Congratulations to Shelley Mountjoy, a telecommunications graduate student at George Mason University in Fairfax County, Virginia, the second-place recipient of the 2009 American Atheists scholarship. Each year, American Atheists awards three scholarships to outstanding student activists, including a $2,000 first-place award, a $1,000 second-place prize, and a third $1,000 award for an LGBT atheist student activist. Check out past issues of the eMpirical for our articles on the other 2009 scholarship recipients, Andrew Cederdahl and Jon Adams.

( categories: Articles )

Release: Secular Student Alliance Reports Record Numbers of Atheist, Agnostic Students Organizing on Campus

Submitted by Lyz on Wed, 2009-09-02 21:23.
Secular Student AllianceColumbus, OH - College students who consider themselves non-religious or doubting will return to campus this fall with a better chance than ever of finding or starting groups of like-minded young people, according to the Secular Student Alliance (SSA), the national umbrella organization for the secular student movement. The SSA's Labor Day 2009 count of campus affiliate groups is 159, up from 100 in 2008 and 80 in 2007.

 

“It’s been a challenge to keep up with the demand for services, especially group-starting packets and follow-up,” said Lyz Liddell, senior campus organizer. “That’s a nice problem to have.”
( categories: Articles | Blog | Campus Groups | Events | News )

New Resources for your Secular Student Group

Submitted by Lyz on Fri, 2009-08-21 15:33.
SSA logoThe Secular Student Alliance has been hard at work over the summer, creating new resources to help you run your group! 
 
We're excited to announce our new line of Activity Packets, designed to help you get a snapshot view as well as step-by-step instructions for holding events and activities with your group.  Whether it's organizing activist training, sponsoring a blood drive, bringing in a speaker, or giving your group mohawks, we have a packet for you.  Head over to www.secularstudents.org/activitypackets and see what we can help you with!
( categories: Articles | Blog | For Students | News )

University of Melbourne Secular Society Challenges Prayer in Parliament

Submitted by Lyz on Thu, 2009-08-20 03:41.

This story originally appeared on the University of Melbourne Secular Society website on 7/22/09, and is reprinted with permission.

University of Melbourne Secular Society


Since 1901, Parliamentary Standing Orders have compelled the [Australian] House & Senate to open daily with a recital of this exclusively Christian prayer:

( categories: Articles | Blog | Campus Groups | News )

Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers Leadership Grant Opportunity

Submitted by Lyz on Tue, 2009-08-18 15:15.

$500 educational grant for military & nontheist leadership and activism!

www.maaf.info/leadergrant.html
Applications taken through October 13th, 2009

MAAF logoThe military has always been a source of leaders in the United States. The Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers would like to encourage and support nontheistic military student leaders. MAAF is partnering with the Secular Student Alliance to find up-and-coming leaders. MAAF will award $500 to a student leader who has demonstrated excellence in both military and nontheistic activities. The military includes both current and prior service, all branches, and particularly ROTC and academy cadets. Nontheistic activities include participation in student or non-student organizations with atheist, humanist, agnostic or other nontheistic focuses. In each area, leadership, volunteerism, and awards should be included.

( categories: Articles | Blog | For Students | News )

Secular Student Alliance Creation Museum Trip Highlighted on ABC News

Submitted by august on Sun, 2009-08-02 22:02.

ABC News covered the Secular Student Alliance's Creation Museum Trip.  You can read the story here until we get permission to reprint it on the site.

In the meantime, if you'd like to support the SSA and the work we do, please consider making a donation and help us spread reason and science to students across the country.

Research Opportunity: "Out" Atheists among a Family of Believers

Submitted by Lyz on Fri, 2009-07-10 10:13.
The Process and Experience of Deciding to Live Openly as an Atheist in a Family of Believers:
A Qualitative Study


1.    Are you an atheist?
2.    Did you grow up in a religious household?
3.    Have you fully disclosed your atheism to your family members and live openly as an atheist?


If you answered "yes" to these questions, you may be eligible to be part of a focus group study hoping to learn more about the process of disclosure for atheists who decide to reveal their atheism to family members of faith.

( categories: Articles | Blog | Events | News )
XML feed