Disambiguating Faith: Why Faith Is Unethical (Or “In Defense Of The Ethical Obligation To Always Proportion Belief To Evidence”)

A couple of weeks ago, I argued that there was a real distinction between “lacking a belief in any God or gods” on the one hand and “believing there is no God (or gods)” on the other hand.  Primarily I saw the heart of the distinction as resting with the difference between on the one [...]

Here Be Dragons

A well produced introductory film on how to think critically when sifting through pseudo-scientific pop culture from Brian Dunning, author of Skeptoid: Critical Analysis Of Pop Phenomena and the podcaster and blogger behind Skeptoid.  It’s a terrific, lively, highly informative resource, especially for your less critical and informed friends. (thanks to Ky for the link) Your [...]

Jennifer Michael Hecht On The History Of Doubt And Atheism

Here is Jennifer Michael Hecht, author of Doubt: A History: The Great Doubters and Their Legacy of Innovation from Socrates and Jesus to Thomas Jefferson and Emily Dickinson at Hampshire College in 2007 discussing the the wrote the complicated history of doubt and atheism: Your Thoughts?

Michael Shermer On “The Pattern Behind Self-Deception”

Shermer does TED and explains how two of the brain’s most basic, hard-wired traits, useful for survival, backfire on us: Your Thoughts?

“Skipping Sunday School”: A Documentary On Parenting Without Religion And Growing Up Godless

(via Atheist Nexus) Learn more about the topic and the film here. Your Thoughts?

Daily Hilarity: Dating For Skeptics

(via Podblack) Your Thoughts?

Disambiguating Faith: How A Lack Of Belief In God May Differ From Various Kinds Of Beliefs That Gods Do Not Exist

Yesterday on Friendly Atheist there was a vigorous debate in the comments section about whether there is a real and important difference between claiming one lacks belief in God (or gods) and outright claiming that there is no God (or gods).  Here is a nice formulation of the argument that the distinction is an irrelevant [...]

Derren Brown Investigates Bronnikov’s Claims To Make The Blind See

Even if you do not have time or much interest in watching the entire 5 part exposure of the shameless fraud profiled in this video, at least do yourself a favor and watch part 5 in which he is forced to answer direct face-to-face challenges from Derren Brown.  It is a true treat to watch [...]

Michael Shermer’s “Baloney Detection Kit”

Your Thoughts?

If You Know The Bible, You Know It Is Riddled With Clear Contradictions

NonStampCollector provides a hilariously fun, rapid-paced, guide to biblical contradictions through a cartoon quiz show.  This video is, in short, a great resource which every Christian should take to heart and every atheist should memorize and have available for making the case against biblical credibility as in any way divinely guaranteed: Here’s a handy list [...]

The Logistics Of Noah’s Ark

A really terrific video from DarkMatter2525 which spells out the numerous impossibilities involved in the Genesis flood story: Daniel Florien has helpfully typed up the major points for easy reference here. Your Thoughts?

How To Create A Ghost Illusion

Extremely cool: And for a little bonus, here Brown demonstrates some amazing seance tricks. His skills in the dark are rather astounding. Your Fears?

What Does It Matter If People Who Claim To “Know Jesus” Disagree About What Jesus Thinks—Can’t Some Still Be Right?

Last night (or, more technically, “this morning) I posted a Non-Stamp Collector advertisement and as a bonus threw in a video in which he demonstrates the implausibility of people’s claims to have “personal relationships with Jesus” by making the point that people claiming to “know Jesus” constantly contradict each other about exactly what this Jesus [...]

Skeptical Blog Anthology Seeks More Submissions

Young Australian Skeptics are seeking to print skeptical interweb postings into old fashioned dead tree format.  Click here to nominate your favorite skeptical blog posts from all over the internet (including Camels With Hammers if you think we have one which qualifies, though I’m not a very good judge of that myself). Your Thoughts?

A Scientist On Relative Effects Of Different Toxic Exposures

A really interesting look at important issues and exposing some pseudoscience and overly fearful environmentalism.  Here is the description of the videos from the YouTube information bar: Chemical toxins are a real health risk. So is radiation. But should we be extrapolating the effects of certain toxins at high doses down to a low-level exposure? [...]

Richard Dawkins’s Address To The Atheist Alliance International Convention 2009

From a week ago tomorrow, Richard Dawkins addresses the    Athiest Alliance International.  He reads the final chapter of his newest book, The Greatest Show on Earth which is an exegesis of the last chapter of The Origin of Species.  There are 5 parts so keep watching after the first video below! Your Thoughts?

Chemist Makes His Own Shroud Of Turin Medieval Style

Luigi Garlaschelli shows how the Shroud of Turin effect can be created with means available in the Middle Ages. The Shroud of Turin shows the back and front of a bearded man with long hair, his arms crossed on his chest, while the entire cloth is marked by what appears to be rivulets of blood from [...]

Daily Hilarity: “Mr. Deity and the Skeptic”

Guest appearance by Michael Shermer! Dr. Michael Shermer is the Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, the Executive Director of the Skeptics Society, a monthly columnist for Scientific American, the host of the Skeptics Distinguished Science Lecture Series at Caltech, and Adjunct Professor of Economics at Claremont Graduate University. Dr. Shermer’s latest book is The Mind of the Market, on [...]

Blog Carnivals

Discover some of the most interesting posts from the most interesting skeptical and godless bloggers at their respective carnivals!

Atheist Testimonials In The Detroit Free Press

Mojoey, the founder and curator of the Atheist Blogroll to which we owe great gratitude, points us to a great series running in The Detroit Free Press in which atheists give their testimonials. Here’s the one Mojoey highlighted yesterday: I was at work when someone brought up that I am an atheist.A nearby coworker nearly [...]

Carl Sagan On Charlie Rose

On the needs for scientific education:

Illusionist Derren Brown Explains The Techniques Of Self-Proclaimed Psychics

6 parts, start here:

Should Atheists Raise Their Kids As Atheists

Jen, an atheist blogger, makes an interesting case why not to and what should be done instead: Steve and I were both raised in secular families. Our parents didn’t go to church, didn’t talk about religion, didn’t explicitly teach us anything about God or Christianity, didn’t force some sort of belief system on us. So [...]

Dog Psychics?

A few years ago Harmon Leon did an experiment in which he called four dog psychics to ask them to analyze his dog over the phone—only Leon didn’t actually have a dog.  Below is a transcript of the 1st conversation, all four are hilarious and worth reading in full: I decide to test pet psychic [...]

Debunking Mediums

Thanks, as seemingy always, goes to the indispensable Atheist Media Blog for the find.