Free Republic

"Are you good without God? Millions are" is the message on 10 new billboards in the Sacramento, CA area. The billboards, which are part of a nationwide campaign that began last year, were put up by the Sacramento Area Coalition of Reason. It's an umbrella organization for a variety of groups including the First Atheist Church of True Science, Humanist Association of the Greater Sacramento Area, Sacramento Area Skeptics, and Atheists and Other Freethinkers. Sponsors of the "good without God" billboards say it's not an attack on theism but, instead, a message directed to their own community. "It's a way...

What’s left of St. Bernadette’s face fits neatly into Father Terry McCloskey’s palm. The Redemptorist Church priest keeps the piece of stone — about a three-pound chunk from the ruined statue — handy at the parish office. It’s a visual aide to the extent of damage done by vandals last weekend to a lovely grotto. At least the broken stone shows some of the physical damage. What McCloskey can’t capture is the hurt his parishioners are feeling. Probably Saturday night, some fool or fools nearly busted off the head of St. Bernadette’s statue on the grounds of Redemptorist Parish of...

Atheists from England to the West Coast of America are stepping up their efforts this year to make a bigger antagonistic splash on the Christmas scene. From London and Washington, D.C., buses to Colorado billboards, skeptics are skewering religions with little respect to the adherents of the religions. At the forefront is a group's government-sanctioned posting of a sign by a Nativity scene in the Capitol of Washington state (and now also in Wisconsin and Illinois): "At this season of THE WINTER SOLSTICE may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is...

His mama's hands have been broken, his pets have been smashed and his birthday crown stolen. But the latest insult against this particular baby Jesus was his recent abduction from the Christmas Creche Committee's nativity scene, on Market Street near 5th, next to the Independence Visitor Center. --snip-- But five attacks of vandalism on those figures in 12 years left the Virgin Mary's broken hands hanging by a thread and the "beautiful little lambs" stolen or smashed to bits, Tayoun said

Bill Maher, on HBO's "Real Time With Bill Maher," frequently refers to the Old Testament of the Bible as the Book of Jewish Fairy Tales. The description might anger the pious and the fundamentalists, but guess what? Maher's close to the truth. A visually stunning two-hour special edition of "Nova" examines decades of archaeological studies that contradict much of what is in the Bible.

The Russian Orthodox Church has come up with an initiative to place the Bible in every hotel room as a gesture of care about religious feelings of travellers. Here emerges the question as to what to do with religious feelings of non-Christian hotel guests?

Atheists applaud Ellison's views on Cheney, Libby, 9/11 "You'll always find this Muslim standing up for your right to be atheists," he told the group.By Mike Kaszuba, Star TribuneLast update: July 08, 2007 – 8:40 PMFreshman Congressman Keith Ellison was among friends Sunday -- in this case, a gathering of atheists -- so his support for a fistful of hot-button opinions, including the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney...On impeaching Cheney, which the Minneapolis DFLer supports: "[It is] beneath his dignity in order for him to answer any questions from the citizens of the United States. That is the very...