Protestants: No longer a majority

The American religious landscape is changing. The US is no longer majority Protestant and nearly a quarter of the population has no religious affiliation--about the same number that say they are Catholic. That's according to a recent Pew survey. You can see the Survey information here or read a summary of the findings by state in the Daily Mail here.

Christian College Prof says discovery supports believe in God

Leslie Wickman, director of the Center for Research in Science at Azusa Pacific University, writes in an Op/Ed piece for CNN, "The remarkable discovery, announced this week, of ripples in the space-time fabric of the universe rocked the world of science – and the world of religion. Touted as evidence for inflation (a faster-than-the-speed-of-light expansion of our universe), the new discovery of traces of gravity waves affirms scientific concepts in the fields of cosmology, general relativity, and particle physics. The new discovery also has significant implications for the Judeo-Christian worldview, offering strong support for biblical beliefs." Read more here.

Atheist church schism

A non-religious gathering started last year in London already has a breakaway group forming. Read more at CNN.

One year without God

California pastor Ryan Bell has lost his teaching positions and a consulting job after announcing he would live the year as an atheist. “I am not sure what I am. That’s part of what this year is about,” he told the Huffington Post. Read the full story at Charisma Magazine.

Atheism’s 10 defining moments

Atheism found its way into the headlines several times this year. One of the writers for Religious News Service has put together a list of 10 of "atheism’s defining moments and trends from the last year." This includes congregations of nonbelievers meeting, atheists becoming more visible in the U.S. military and the rise of "compassionate atheism." Read more from Religious News Service.

Reagan: "Not afraid of burning in hell"

Ronald Reagan's son is supporting atheism in a new radio advertisement. The ad for the Freedom From Religion Foundation features Ron Reagan saying, "I an unabashed atheist, and I’m alarmed by the intrusions of religion into our secular government...Ron Reagan, lifelong atheist, not afraid of burning in hell."

Atheist takes over Preacher's Twitter Account

An evangelist has had his official Twitter account taken over by an unknown atheist, according to the Christian Post. The news site says the interloper has given Comfort an ultimatum: "Stop "denigrating" nonbelievers or you won't get your Twitter account back." Read more here.

Atheist 'mega-churches'

At a recent service for atheists, "Hundreds of atheists and atheist-curious packed into a Hollywood auditorium for a boisterous service filled with live music, moments of reflection, an "inspirational talk" about forgotten — but important — inventors and scientists and some stand-up comedy. During the service, attendees stomped their feet, clapped their hands and cheered as Jones and Evans led the group through rousing renditions of "Lean on Me," ''Here Comes the Sun" and other hits that took the place of gospel songs." Read the Associated Press story here.

5 facts about atheists

Here’s what we know about self-described atheists and their beliefs:

1. Their numbers are rising
2. They tend to be male and younger than the general population
3. 14% of those who call themselves atheists also say they believe in God or a universal spirit
4. A quarter (26%) say they think of themselves as spiritual people
5. Many feel a deep connection with nature and the earth

Read more here.

Oprah challenges Atheist

Long distance swimmer Diana Nyad told Oprah Winfrey she's an atheist who believes in “awe” and “wonder.” Winfrey told the 64-year-old swimmer that she isn't really an atheist because she couldn't believes in those things and not believe in God--because "that is what God is."

Argument Over God ends in Murder

A California man is going to jail--possibly for up to 100 years--over an argument he had with an atheist friend about the existence of God. An Oakland jury found Douglas Yim guilty of killing Dzuy Dunh Phan with an assault rifle during a get-together at Yim's home. Prosecutors say alcohol and drugs were involved in the altercation. KPIX-TV has more here.

Plege of Allegiance Challenged

An atheist couple is asking Massachusetts’ highest court to get rid of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools. They object to the words “under God." It could take several months for the court to rule. Read more details at the Washington Post here.

Atheist wears pasta strainer on head for photo

A Texas college student is the first in the country to be allowed to put a pasta strainer on his head for his driver's license. Eddie Castillo says he is part of a group of atheists who "worship" the Flying Spaghetti Monster. The idea started eight years ago in a letter protesting the teaching intelligent design. Here's a video report from Everything Lubbock.

Should Military Chaplains Have to Believe in God?

A theologian who doesn't believe in God wants to be the Navy's first humanist chaplain.  NPR reports:

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives an instructing the armed forces to only allow religious organizations that believe in a higher power to endorse chaplains. And so far, the Navy has not indicated whether it will accept the Humanist Society as the endorser of Jason Heap.

Listen or read the story here.

Atheist speaks at Texas Megachurch

The author of a book called I Sold My Soul on eBay spoke at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio Sunday. Senior pastor Randy Frazee says it was a chance to challenge his congregation. Read the story here.

America’s First Public Monument to Atheism

American Atheists unveiled the nation's first public monument to atheism over the weekend in a square outside the Bradford County courthouse near Jacksonville, Florida. Read the TIME magazine story here.

Atheist Tornado Survivor

CNN's Wolf Blitzer speaks with an Atheist Tornado Survivor.

The money man behind atheism’s activism

"He wants to see the atheism movement expand its footprint." Read the story from CNN here.

Do Atheists Really Believe in God?

Asking God to harm them or others is just as upsetting to atheists as religious folks. That's the finding of a new study out of Finland. Details are in the International Journal for the Psychology of Religion. Researchers asked their subjects to decide whether statements like daring God to drown parents or visit friends with disease. The researchers found that even when atheists said such utterances were meaningless, they nevertheless showed discomfort when hooked up to monitors. The study authors say their findings show, at the very least, the idea of God is powerful, even in very secular societies like Finland.

Atheists apologize for misquote of Sarah Palin

American Atheists is apologizing for misquoting Sarah Palin on a billboard in Texas--but at the same time defending it. The billboard says, “We should create law based on the God of the Bible." While being interviewed by Fox's Bill O'Reilly, Palin referenced the founding fathers, saying that they gathered and decided “we would create law based on the God of the Bible and the Ten Commandments.” The atheist billboard says "should" but Palin actually said "would" and it was in reference to the founding of America, not today's political landscape. American Atheists first declared in a tweet that “Sarah Palin was NOT Misquoted” but later admitted it was wrong--saying it would change the wording but still insisting that even the mistake reflects Palin's view. There are a half-dozen other billboards going up around the Dallas and Austin area.