American Atheists Flash LineNews of Interest to AtheistsMuslim Group Seeking $250,000 Public Funding For Iowa Youth Camp- September 21, 2006 A Muslim organization that is building a youth camp in Iowa wants partial government funding, including a $250,000 grant from a state program. Should we be forced through use of our tax money to support religious camps (or other activities) of any kind(09-21-2006)http://gazetteonline.com/2006/09/21/Home/News/muslimcampfunding.htm Ancient Skeleton Provides More Insight On Human Development, Evolution- September 20, 2006 The remains of an ape-man like creature over 3.3 millions years old gives scientists more insight on the question of how human beings evolved. This latest fossil discovery raises questions about whether this species of our ancestors walked upright, climbed, and moved through trees easily like an ape. A researcher notes that the discovery provides “a veritable mine of information about a crucial state in human evolutionary history.”(09-20-2006)http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/09/20/human.ancestor.ap/index.html IRS Probes Liberal California Church- September 20, 2006 Since they have a special tax-exemption, churches and other houses of worship are to refrain from endorsing partisan candidates for public office. That hasn’t stopped Republicans and Democrats from wooing religious groups, and turning congregations into faith-based voting blocks. Most offenders violating the IRS code have been right-wing evangelicals. Now, a liberal church is under investigation for possible campaigning.(09-20-2006)http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Religion_IRS.html Report: Prisons Are Breeding Ground For Jihadist Indoctrination, Recruiting- September 20, 2006 “Jailed Islamic extremists with violent interpretations of the Koran are taking advantage of scarce religious monitoring to breed terrorists in U.S. Prisons…” A new report exposes the efforts of Muslim extremists to indoctrinate inmates in Jihadist fanaticism. Sen. Thomas Carper, Delaware Democrat warns that the nation ignores this threat “at our peril.”(09-20-2006)http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/09/20/study_says_prisons_cant_f... Today, You Cannot Admit To Being An Atheist. Orthodox Resurgence Builds In Russia- September 19, 2006 The former Soviet super-state is replacing one form of authoritarianism with another, as the Orthodox Church continues its efforts to control the politics and culture of this sprawling nation. “In the (former) Soviet Union, you could not admit to being a believer. Today, you cannot admit to being an atheist.”(09-19-2006)http://www.mmorning.com/ArticleC.asp?Article=3988&CategoryID=7 Atheists Charge Ford Church Campaign Ad Crossed The Line- September 19, 2006 An atheist civil rights organization on Tuesday charged that a partisan campaign ad filmed in a Tennessee Baptist church sends a “divisive” message and is “religionizing” important public policy issues. The television commercial was filmed on behalf of Democratic candidate Harold Ford, Jr. who is running against Republican Bob Corker.(09-19-2006)http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_93109.asp Scary Movie Children As Foot Soldiers In The American Religious Civil Wars- September 18, 2006 The documentary “Jesus Camp” follows a group of children attending a religious “Kids on Fire” summer program. Youngsters as young as six years-old are hammered into modern-day culture warriors in “God’s Army.” “The film is a first-ever look into an intense training ground that recruits born-again Christian children to become an active part of America’s political future.” See a trailer for this expose of faith-based...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RNfL6IVWCE Sam Harris Warns, Western Civilization Really is At Risk From Muslim Extremists- September 18, 2006 The author of The End of Faith looks at the surge of faith-based terrorism and the growing cult of death in the Islamic Middle East. “The truth is that there is every reason to believe that a terrifying number of the world’s Muslims now view all political and moral questions in terms of their affiliation with Islam.” Discuss this at the NoGod Blog(09-18-2006)http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-harris18sep18,0,1897169.story?coll=la-opinion-ri... Religious Correctness On The Campaign Trail U.S. Senate Candidate Films Ad in Church- September 16, 2006 Have both major political parties dropped even the pretense of defending the separation of government and religion Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. outdoes even the Republican religious right, and films a television ad in a Baptist church in Memphis, Tennessee. Ford is also promoting his efforts to ban gay marriage and fight legal abortion.(09-16-2006)http://www.hendersonvillestarnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060915/NEWS0206/6091504... Oriana Fallaci Jouralist, Novelist, Atheist Dies At 76; Muslim Jihadists Express Relief- September 16, 2006 “Oriana Fallaci, a bold and abrasive journalist who used merciless grilling to make some of the world’s movers and shakers, from Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to Henry Kissinger, lower their guard, has died in her native Florence…&rdsquo; During her half-century career, Falaci was an outspoken Atheist and defender of freedom, Enlightenment and secularism. She was a frequent target of Islamists who have expressed “relief” over her passing.(09-16-2006)http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Culture/9459.htm |