GAINESVILLE, Ga. — A nationally-recognized humanist organization is still expressing opposition to what it calls ‘a culture of Christian predominance’ after the superintendent of a Georgia school district responded to a controversy over alleged coach-led prayers at athletic events by barring coaches from continuing the practice. As previously reported, the American Humanist Association (AHA) sent […]
GREECE, N.Y. — The town at the center of this year’s Supreme Court prayer ruling is now facing opposition again from atheists and other groups for its new invocation policy, which some state would ban atheists from participating. As previously reported, earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that prayers presented primarily in the name […]
SACRAMENTO — The California Department of Managed Health Care has issued a letter requiring insurance companies in the state to cover abortions, forcing all faith-based employers to likewise offer abortion coverage regardless of their religious beliefs. “Abortion is a basic health care service,” director Michelle Rouillard wrote on Friday to seven insurance companies that refused to […]
(Reuters) — The number of foreigners traveling to Switzerland to commit assisted suicide doubled over a four-year period, a study published in the Journal of Medical Ethics said on Thursday. In 2012, 172 foreigners took their lives in Switzerland, which has liberal euthanasia rules, up from 86 in 2009, with citizens from Germany and Britain making up […]
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A federal judge nominated by Bill Clinton has declared unconstitutional Florida’s state marriage amendment, which enshrined marriage as being solely between a man and woman. “When observers look back 50 years from now, the arguments supporting Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage, though just as sincerely held, will again seem an obvious pretext for […]
CLARKE COUNTY, Va. — Social service workers in the Commonwealth of Virginia are facing a lawsuit for removing two seriously ailing children from their home after falsely accusing their mother of faking their illness. The Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), a Virginia-based Christian organization, is suing caseworkers with the Clarke County Department of Social Services (DSS) and the Shenandoah […]
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida county has rejected an atheist request to be added to the rotation of those who deliver the invocation at public meetings. The Brevard County Commissioners voted unanimously on Wednesday to deny the request of David Williamson of the Central Florida Freethought Community, who had sent correspondence to Chairman Mary Bolin Lewis […]
WEST ORANGE, N.J. — A Muslim man has admitted to multiple murder charges committed in two states, of which he told investigators were committed as retribution against the United States for its military operations in the Middle East. “My mission is vengeance for the lives, millions of lives [that] are lost every day,” Ali Muhamad […]
LONDON — Outspoken professing atheist Richard Dawkins has again sparked controversy after posting on Twitter that he believes Down Syndrome babies should be aborted, and that “[u]nless you are a vegan, you are in no position to object to abortion.” The matter began when Dawkins shared an article entitled The Catholic Church Prefers Medieval Barbarism […]
SEARCY, Ark. – The Christian owner of an Arkansas pizza parlor received a warning letter from atheists for offering discounts to customers who bring church bulletins to the restaurant. Steven Rose is owner of Bailey’s Pizza—a small, down-home restaurant in Searcy, Arkansas. The pizza parlor offers customers an old-fashioned ambiance, something Rose describes as an “old school […]