THE FOCUS                                                                     

 August  18, 2006                                                                     Volume 2, Issue 33

 Published by the Center For Atheism (CFA)

Editor: Suzy Lanza

Email: THEFOCUS@CENTERFORATHEISM.ORG

   

The Focus will provide links to articles collected from major newspapers & magazines, and will be emailed weekly.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

 

This Week's Featured Articles                                                           

Section #1:  News Articles                                                                

Section #2:  CFA Programs                                                              

Section #3:  Special Notices                                                             

Section #4:  Legislation Alerts                                                          

       

Please email any comments and suggestions to THEFOCUS@CENTERFORATHEISM.ORG

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 THIS WEEK'S FEATURED ARTICLES:

 

Common Misconceptions About Atheists and Atheism - American Chronicle

 Sam Harris: The Language of Ignorance - Truthdig

 Americans less likely to accept evolution than Europeans - MSU Today

Essay:  How to Make Sure Children Are Scientifically Illiterate - NYT

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SECTION ONE: NEWS ARTICLES

(some publications may require that you sign up for membership to view their article) 

ATHEISM
 
Common Misconceptions About Atheists and Atheism - American Chronicle
... Atheists, therefore, do not positively assert that gods do not exist. ... 3. Atheists' lives are meaningless and devoid of hope and purpose. ...
 
Atheists in Foxholes - Beliefnet.com
"There are no atheists in foxholes," the old saw goes. The line, attributed to a WWII chaplain, has since been ...
 
In these murderous times, let's stop protecting religion from criticism.
 
What god wants - Globe and Mail
... married relationship.". As an atheist, I am always astounded by those who assert with such confidence what "god" intends. If there ...
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BOOKS / MOVIES / TV
 
Sam Harris reviews the "Language of God" By Francis Collins
 
"Dodos" debate evolution - Seattle Times
... He's made a documentary, "Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus," not to take on intelligent design — which he clearly thinks is a ...
   
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CREATIONISM / EVOLUTION / I.D.
 
 Americans less likely to accept evolution than Europeans - MSU Today
– Surveys by a Michigan State University researcher find that about one-third of the American population does not believe in evolution, a figure which is ...
 
Snake Threat May Have Spurred Evolution of Primate Eyes - National Geographic
... The study is published in the July issue of the Journal of Human Evolution. Modern mammals first appeared about a hundred million years ago. ...
 
Pope to Dissect Evolution With Former Students - Beliefnet.com
Pope Benedict XVI will conduct a weekend seminar in early September examining Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and its impact on ...
 
Scientists Find Brain Evolution Gene - FOX News
Scientists believe they have found a key gene that helped the human brain evolve ...
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HUMOR
 
 
Chuck Shepherd : News of the Weird - Arizona Daily Star
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SCIENCE
 
Essay:  How to Make Sure Children Are Scientifically Illiterate - NYT
For those interested in improving science education, any celebration about recent events in Kansas should be muted.
 
Some Scientists See Shift in Stem Cell Hopes - NYT
Stem cell research, which scientists say has been slowed by government policy, may yield better drugs before cell therapies are found.
 
Science Haven in Singapore - NYT
Singapore is emerging as a hotbed for stem cell research, thanks to liberal laws in the field and equally liberal government financing.
 
The eyes of evolution - Kansas City Star
... from an experiment conducted at a British college psychology department: Maybe that common element of modern religions was a product of Darwinian evolution. ...
 
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SEPARATION CHURCH / STATE
 
 
Judge: Bush Can Sign Cross Bill, But Will Revisit Issue - Voice of San Diego
... and Paulson have won every related legal contest to date, arguing that the location of the cross violates the separation of church and state provisions of the ...
 
Indiana to use 'In god We Trust' plate - United Press International
... Woody Burton, who authored the plate's legislation. Burton had discounted any concerns relating to separation of church and state, the report said. ...
 
Prayer Warriors Spreading Across Jacksonville - First Coast News
... A lawsuit filed late Friday by American Athiests, Inc., had the event in jeopardy. The group claimed the rally violated the separation of church and state. ...
 
Law schools have been the setting for disputes over whether student groups should have the right to receive institutional funds while restricting membership to those who share their religious beliefs — in violation of anti-bias rules.
 
Drive To Politicize Evangelical Pulpits During Fall Elections Jeopardizes Church Tax Exemptions, Warns AU’S Lynn
 
Churches Inspired by GOP not god May Lose Tax Exemption - BBSNews
... a church-based political machine will jeopardize the tax exemption of participating congregations, warns Americans United for Separation of Church and State. ...
 
 ... the 5th Circuit panel last year to uphold the district court’s finding that the display violated the First Amendment principle of church-state separation. ...
 
 
Ventura County Star: State State rejects plan for tax money to repair missions

America Struggles With Its Own Evangelical Taliban
 
Donors defend school's Jesus - Washington Times
... The school board is fighting a lawsuit filed earlier this summer by Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the ACLU of West Virginia, which ...
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MISC.
  
Christianity is tied to Capitalism - Cayman Net News
... people. Some see it for what it is while others accept it as infallible, therefore we have the Atheists and the Theists. Recently ...
 
Memorizing the Way to Heaven, Verse by Verse - NYT
In Flushing, Queens, and beyond, schools that specialize in memorizing the Koran are emerging as the Muslim American population becomes more established.
 
Voters Not Judges Will Determine Fate of Commandments Monument - WDC Media News
... photos of the monument's removal.) Several members of the City Council said the monument violated the so-called "separation of church and state." Supporters of ...
 
THE FOUR ARE CONSPICUOUS in their plain Sunday best. The two men, both in their 40s, wear black or gray pants, white shirts, and houndstooth-check vests ...
The Territory of Belief. advertisement. Article tools ... need to defend their faith against hostile outsiders or to renounce their own previous beliefs. ...
 
 

SECTION TWO: CFA PROGRAMS

 

The Center for Atheism (CFA) was established by the New York City Atheists as a separate and independent national organization to propose, develop and be a catalyst for new national activities supporting the objectives of atheists, agnostics, humanists, freethinkers, skeptics, secularists and separation-of-church/state advocates.  

 

CFA will accept and review suggestions from individuals and other secular organizations that will foster our goals.   

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SECTION THREE: SPECIAL NOTICES

 

No special notices for this week... 

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                                SECTION FOUR: LEGISLATION ALERTS

 

* Click on bill to read its description

* enter your zip code to find your elected officials

* this will bring you to a message page

* use template to compose message

* send message 

Legislative Action Center

ACTION ALERT!

 

"To require everyone to pay all elected and appointed officials to engage in public prayer"

Click Here

 

OPPOSE S. 1765 and stop the rebuilding of chuches and vouchers

Click Here

 

Stop the Broadband Investment & Consumer Choice Act (also oppose H.R. 3146 and S. 1349)

Click Here

 

Stop the Religious Right from attacking science classes

Click Here

 

Stop Congress from passing the Madrassas Readiness Act

Click Here

 

S. 520 - A bill to limit the jurisdiction of Federal courts in cases involving god(s)

Click Here

 

H.R. 1070 Eliminates jurisdiction of Federal courts in cases involving god

Click Here

 

"Proposing and amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to voluntary school prayer" - another school prayer ammendment

Click Here

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