THE   FOCUS
centerforatheism.org

October 5, 2007 Volume 3, Issue 38-41
Published by the Center For Atheism (CFA)

Editor: Kenneth Bronstein

The Focus provides links to articles collected from major newspapers and magazines, and is emailed weekly.

This Week in Atheism is a cable show that discusses the articles featured below, every Wednesday at 6:30 PM (EST), Manhattan Cable station 57.
Live streaming is available at: http://www.mnn.org.

Comments, suggestions and subscription: focus@centerforatheism.org.

 
         
       Featured Articles
     JAMES EVANS: Why is atheism on rise? - Montgomery Advertiser
       According to a recent article in the Washington Post, atheism is on the rise in
       America. Margaret Downey, president of the Atheist Alliance International, ...
     Supreme Court Turns Down Cases on Religious Separation - New York Times
       The state was improperly seeking to "coerce a church entity to finance private
       conduct that the church teaches is morally wrong," the organizations told the ...
     Atheist, Muslim Candidates Worry Voters - The Associated Press - 
       Yet the survey found two groups, atheists and Muslims, were even less likely to win 
       votes. Sixty-one percent of those questioned said they would be less ...
 
       Faith & values | "In god We Trust" inspires, inflames | Seattle ...
       It's been 50 years since "In god We Trust" first appeared on U.S. paper currency, and
       those four little words have proved to be the source of ...
 
      The Problem with Atheism - Sam Harris - Washington Post
     
      http://www.humaniststudies.org/enews/?id=317&article=1
      Ellen Johnson Responds to "The End of Atheism" From the president of the 
      organization of people formerly known as "Atheists"
      Susan Jacoby - On Faith
      That phenomenon is a near-pathological hatred of both atheism and atheists. I 
      continue to be dismayed, although I am no longer shocked, by the intense and ...

      IHS :: HNN :: Americans Gave $97 Billion to Religion in 2006
 
      Charges in Religious Lawsuit Against Army Detailed
      An Army major who was sued last week for allegedly threatening to retaliate against a
      soldier who convened a meeting of atheists,         

  News Articles
  (Some publications may require that you sign up for membership to view their article.)


 ATHEISM 

 Atheists rally against new laws at Capitol - News 8 Austin
 Several demonstrators called for a more defined line between church and state as 
 they marched outside of the State Capitol Saturday. ...

IHS :: HNN :: The Future of Atheism and Agnosticism

BOOKS, FILM, TV, YOU TUBE

Thank god I'm an atheist. Two Films by Luis Buñuel. - Brooklyn Rail 
It enabled him to remain an atheist all his life, for which, in a typical paradox, he 
thanked god. Two late-career Buñuel films, shot during his period of ...

Prisons to Restore Purged Religious Books - New York Times
Republican lawmakers, liberal Christians and evangelical talk shows all criticized the 
government for creating a list of acceptable religious books.

Flock Of Dodos - DVD Review - Inside Pulse
The Evolution/Creationism debate has been raging for years. Time and time again groups have tried to get Creationism taught in school but separation of ...

Anti-evolution movie is deceptive by design - The Carpetbagger Report
Last week I wrote about actor Ben Stein's new documentary attacking evolution titled "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed."

Atheists Blast Creationists in Copyright Battle - Christian Post
The atheist group's account was recently reinstated and their videos were reposted along with a host of new posts where the squad and supporters denounce ...

Michael Behe on The Edge of Evolution - California Literary Review
His latest book is The Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism. Can you summarize the thesis of your new book?

Cat tells life story of his "best friend" the Pope - Reuters

Chico the cat describes the lifeof his "best friend", Pope Benedict, in an authorised biographyfor children released this week.
 
Divine politics - Salon
In "The Stillborn god," a history of the separation of church and state, Mark Lilla urges the West to remember the religious fanaticism in its past -- or ...



EVOLUTION, CREATIONISM, I.D.

European lawmakers condemn efforts to teach creationism - International Herald         The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe condemned efforts to teach creationism in schools Thursday in a vote that ...

Scientists' Use of Woolly Mammoth DNA May Unlock Evolution of Elephant
Researchers say the DNA will give them valuable information about the evolution of 
elephants and possibly other prehistoric ...

SCIENCE  
A new discovery suggests that a prehistoric division of the world may not have been 
quite so clear-cut.
 
Is ‘Do Unto Others’ Written Into Our Genes? - New York Times
Where do moral rules come from? From reason? From god? Some suggest morality can be found buried deep in evolution.
 
Dinosaur a "Cretaceous weed whacker" - Yahoo! News
Scientists have found in southern Utah a nicely preserved skull with jaws containing 800 teeth, scaly skin impressions and other fossil remains of a new ...

SEPARATION CHURCH / STATE 

Ramadan added to school's holidays - Chicago Tribune
"This thing has gotten so big that the board needs to know the legalities of the separation of church and state and its policies about teaching religion in ...

'Jesus' Stays On Courthouse Wall - Post Chronicle
 Liberal irreligious claim that it "violates the US constitution's separation of church 
 and state." Of course there is no constitutional grounds for the ...

 Hauling a Virgin Mary Statue Violates Church-State Separation, Says AU
 (AU) Americans United for Separation of Church and State has told a New Jersey 
 fire department to stop transporting a nine-foot-tall ...

Federal Appeals Court To Hear Arguments In Key Case Challenging Coach Involvement In School Prayer                                                                                         N.J. Case Will Be Argued Wednesday, Oct. 3, At Federal Courthouse In Philadelphia.

 Appeals court weighs football coach's role in team-led prayer - Newsday
 Legal advocacy groups on both sides of the school-prayer debate, including The
 Rutherford Institute and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, ...

MISCELLANEOUS
  
  Abrupt Homecoming: Hirsi Ali Returns to the Netherlands after ...
  Hirsi Ali Returns to the Netherlands after Losing Body Guards. Former Dutch legislator
  and Islam critic Hirsi Ali has been under state-funded protection ...
 
  An atheist convention in Virginia this weekend united non ... - ABC News 
  T-shirts, bumper stickers and even rap songs proclaim atheists' beliefs. Atheist summer
  camps now exist for children.
 
  Make Fun Of Faith? Sure. Jesus? Uh, No. - Washington Post
  Atheists see a more sinister plotline at work in the network's decision to muzzle Griffin.
  It's not about decency, they say. "It was about protecting belief ...
   
  CONVENTIONS / MEETINGS 
    FFRF Annual Convention - Oct. 12-14, 2007 - Madison, Wisconsin

    CFI NYC - The Secular Society and its Enemies - Nov. 9 - 11, 2007 - New York City
 
             
        CFA Program
 

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-and-state advocates.

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

          Special Notices

         There are no special notices this week.
          Legislation Alerts

There are no legislation alerts this week.
Comments, suggestions, and subscriptions: focus@centerforatheism.org