By George Kane
At the end of April, a 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court once again found that a monument on government land that features a Christian symbol does not constitute endorsement of religion. In the case Salazar v. Buono the Supremes reversed a lower court ruling that the transfer of the land under a metal cross in the Mojave Desert National Preserve to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, specifically to ensure that the cross would not be taken down, was an impermissible government preference for religion. The ruling sent the case back to the Appeals Court with a clear message: Keep the cross standing.
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Read more: News and Notes
By Grant Steves
Reading allows us to escape into sand castles, solve the great murder mystery, connect with the population of the planet Msiehta, or live vicariously through a romantic love story. Summer seems to seduce us into such easy reading. The following reading list does not meet the escapist standard. It is a
list to expand your knowledge, deepen your understanding, and keep your
grey matter alive.
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Read more: Your Summer Reading List
By Eric Jayne
If you were at the Minnesota Twins game this past
Mother’s Day you may have noticed a geeky-looking individual wearing a
purple Minnesota Atheists t-shirt, standing on the main plaza holding a
yellow sign that read “Minnesota Atheists” written in black marker.
That "geek" was me. The purpose of the sign was to alert Minnesota
Atheists members who RSVPed for the Twins group outing where I was so
they could pick up their tickets for the game. The sign also attracted
the attention of several passersby, Twins security, and even the
Minneapolis Police Department. While the extra attention from my sign
truly was unintended, it was not unexpected. My plan was to simply
ignore snide remarks (which I received) and not draw additional
attention by engaging in arguments. My plan worked and it turned out to
be a victorious day for the Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Atheists.
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Read more: Minnesota Atheists at Target Field
By Grant Steves
Atheists may have an intelligence that is above average. We may have more education than most groups, and we might conclude, we are better at communicating ideas. Not true! Education and intelligence do not equal successful communication.
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Read more: Communicating Atheism
By Jeremy Fejfar
Anyone who has seen the pictures sent back by the Hubble space telescope knows that a belief in a god or the supernatural isn't necessary to inspire awe.
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Read more: No God Required to Feel Awe in the Universe