Feb 04 2012

“Why Are You Atheists So Angry?” – Suggestions for Resource Guide?

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I’m writing the resource guide for my upcoming book, “Why Are You Atheists So Angry? 99 Things That Piss Off the Godless” — and I could use some suggestions. What are the organizations, online forums and support groups, books, blogs, etc., that you think atheists should know about? If someone wants to learn more about atheism, or participate in the atheist community/ movement, where should they start? Please provide the name and (if appropriate) the URL. Thanks.

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1

'Tis Himself, OM

February 4, 2012 at 9:55 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Pretty much all the FtB blogs.

Hemant Mehta’s Friendly Atheist blog http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/

American Atheists blog http://atheists.org/blog/

Unreasonable Faith blog http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unreasonablefaith/

Atheist Ethicist blog http://atheistethicist.blogspot.com/

Daylight Atheism blog http://bigthink.com/blogs/daylight-atheism

I’d give more but I’ve probably already put this post into moderation because of all the urls.
2

Osian

February 4, 2012 at 9:56 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Not sure if it’s exactly what you’re looking for, but I’d suggest ‘The Quotable Atheist’ by Jack Huberman: a load of quotes by various people on the subject of God and the lack thereof, interesting and also pretty funny (and nice to know that many notable historical figures are on our side). Thought I’d mention it as I haven’t seen it mentioned in any blogs etc, don’t know if it’s generally known about.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quotable-Atheist-Ammunition-Nonbelievers-Hell-bound/dp/1560259698
3

'Tis Himself, OM

February 4, 2012 at 9:56 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Greta,

I’m made a post with a bunch of urls. It’s in moderation but you might want to look at it.
4

Respectful Atheist

February 4, 2012 at 10:39 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Are you looking for podcast suggestions as well? If so, Reasonable Doubts is excellent.
5

ShaunPhilly

February 4, 2012 at 10:41 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

I really like the counter-apologetics wiki made by the ACA.

http://wiki.ironchariots.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

The Skeptics Annotated Bible is good too.

Shaun
6

donnbarnes

February 4, 2012 at 11:02 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

What pisses me off is when I hear the suggestion that “you atheists” are all alike. Atheists are as diverse as the population at large… if not more so.
7

Martyn N Hughes

February 4, 2012 at 11:05 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Hi Greta,

I hope I haven’t missed the point of this assignment, but as we know religion can be dangerous. Not so much when it is running soup kitchens and providing shelter for the homeless, but when it is running inquisitions, then that’s another thing and the links I provide are from people who has faced religion in its most menacing aspect.

Many of these are British organisations, sites etc, but you would have similar movements and organisations in America.

So, here goes.

Fed up of Islam? So are they.
http://ex-muslim.org.uk/

Some excellent articles from Maryam on religion here:
http://www.maryamnamazie.com/

Threats to women in Iran:
http://www.equalrightsnow-iran.com/

More from the religion of peace:
http://stopstonningnow.com/wpress/

Some wonderful essays from a late marxist thinker on religions place in society:
http://hekmat.public-archive.net/indexEn.html

Always fighting the good fight. Articles and links to horror stories galore.
http://www.secularism.org.uk/

We have gone global:
http://www.atheistalliance.org/support-aai/store

Humanist and rational Associations in all states are options too.

Recommended reading. The Torah, Bible and Qu’ran?
8

Martyn N Hughes

February 4, 2012 at 11:20 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Some more.

I adore this woman!
http://www.taslimanasrin.com/

You would have similar in America, I trust, but hey, you’re aiming for the glabal market! Right?
http://www.lawyerssecularsociety.org/

http://www.religiondispatches.org/

The name says it all.
http://www.womenagainstfundamentalism.org.uk/

Atheists and free-thinkers in the Middle East. Some brave folk here:
https://e-paa.org/

I think that’s my entire ‘favourites’ list delivered to you.
9

anna

February 4, 2012 at 11:32 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

I loved “Does God Hate Women?” by Ophelia Benson and Jeremy Stangroom. Explains and gives examples of how all religions are sexist bullshit.

You could also use your own list of atheists of color and the list of awesome female atheists from BlagHag, since it can be hard for minority atheists to find each other.
10

TerraCognition

February 4, 2012 at 11:36 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Greta,

Books? I’d strongly recommend Atheism: The Case Against God by George H. Smith. It’s well-written, logical, and thoroughly discusses arguments against God including design arguments, faith vs. reason, and the ethics of Christian belief. You don’t have to have a background in philosophy to appreciate it! It’s a great source for beginning atheists.

Websites? Too many to recommend, but other than Freethought Blogs, the sites I would suggest are Daylight Atheism (as well as Ebon Musings) and the Secular Web.

Hope this helps you and anyone reading this. Looking forward to reading the book when it comes out!
11

cag

February 4, 2012 at 11:50 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

I would include Hemant’s (Guest Contributor) list of gods christians / atheists do not believe. Sans comments.
12

cag

February 5, 2012 at 12:09 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Questions for your Sunday School Teacher. Free to use and modify, no attribution necessary.

In Genesis 1:1,

1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

the bible claims that the earth was created before the sun. Please explain how the earth, having a mass 330,000 times less than the sun, did not fall into the sun. Why does the biblical version agree with the beliefs of ancient peoples that the earth was the centre of the universe, while science proves that the earth is not even the centre of our solar system?

In Genesis 1:3 to 1:5,

1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

the bible says god made day and night on the first day. How did this happen when the sun was created on the fourth day?

In Genesis 1:6 to 1:8

1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
1:7 And God made the firmament and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Why have none of the interplanetary probes, especially Voyager 1, launched September 5, 1977, detected any “firmament”?

In Genesis 1:11 to 1:13

1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
1:12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
1:13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

How did the vegetation survive without photosynthesis?

In Genesis 1:14 to 1:19

1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
1:18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
1:19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Having a “Firmament” implies a geocentric universe. This corresponds with ancient belief, not reality. Ancient humans believed the earth to be the centre of the observable universe, and the sun, moon and stars appeared so small by comparison to the earth. Stars were no brighter than fireflies. We now know that there are trillions of stars, some more massive than our sun and their distance from us is beyond the imagination of early man, who could only see about 6000 of the trillions of stars. Why did it take 5 days to create the earth and only 1 day to create the rest of the universe?

In Genesis 1:26 to 1:31

1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

God made man in his image, male and female. So in Genesis 2:5 to 2:7

2:5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
2:6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Why, if humans had been created male and female on the sixth day, did they have to be recreated after god had rested on the seventh day? Why does Genesis 2:21 to 2:23

2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
2:22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

claim that woman came from Adam’s rib when she had been created on the sixth day, without any male rib involved?

In Genesis 3:8 to 3:9

3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
3:9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

We see god interacting with humans, no faith needed. If god presented himself to humans thousands of years ago, why does god not do so today? Why, if god is omniscient, did he not know where Adam was?

In Genesis 3:16

3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Why should the husband be the ruler?

In Genesis 7:21 to 7:23

7:21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:
7:22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.
7:23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.

Why would god have to destroy all life on earth other than what was on the ark? Could not an omnipotent being remove the evil from evil people? Why would babies be killed because some people were considered to be evil?

In 2 Kings 2:23 to 2:24

2:23 And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
2:24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

God sends two bears to rip up 42 little children for making fun of Elisha’s bald head. Is this a sample of biblical morality?
13

Daniel Fincke

February 5, 2012 at 12:25 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Keith Parsons lists key works and authors for the most sophisticated contemporary professional philosophical refutations of theism in his blog post declaring he was quitting the God debates: http://secularoutpost.infidels.org/2010/09/goodbye-to-all-that.html

I also recommend John Shook’s book The God Debates.

Finally, Keith Ansell Pearson and Duncan Large have edited a superb collection of Nietzsche’s writings called The Nietzsche Reader (Blackwell Readers). Nietzsche’s writings are as classic and valuable for an atheist as any others. This volume is an excellent resource for engaging with some of the depth and breadth of his thinking and giving a representative picture of the arc of his career
14

MichaelD

February 5, 2012 at 12:38 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

I enjoyed “50 reasons people give for believing in a god” by Guy p harrison. Fairly inoffensive book if you’re looking to share something with believers. It covers most of the common reasons people give (ex its obvious he exists).
15

Madmaxine

February 5, 2012 at 12:46 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

It isn’t specifically on atheism, but Carl Sagan’s The Demon Haunted World has always been a perennial favorite of mine.

There is also Christopher Hitchen’s the Quotable Atheist .

I also enjoyed Atheism: A Reader edited by S.T. Joshi (it is more academic, and also dated now. The Quotable Atheist can probably replace it.)

Life Sex and Ideas by A.C. Grayling

In Defense of Atheism by Michel Onfray

The Ways of an Atheist by Bernard Katz

The Little Book of Atheist Spirituality by André Comte-Sponville

Bertrand Russell!

And for web: I used to hand out at infidels.org (the Secular Web), they have great forums and a great online library of articles.
16

piero

February 5, 2012 at 12:55 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

lesswrong.com is a must.
17

yokohamamama

February 5, 2012 at 2:15 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Don’t forget Dale McGowan’s Parenting Beyond Belief– absolutely a must-own for anybody with kids. His website (Meming of Life) is fantastic, too– with three kids in school himself (in Atlanta), he’s “down in the trenches”, so to speak. Many *outstanding* posts on bringing up freethinking, non-indoctrinated, thoughtful children; dealing with religious relatives; what to do when your kid comes home reporting that his science teacher used overheads pushing ID to start the biology unit… highly recommend his site.
18

gillyc

February 5, 2012 at 5:08 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

In case you get any UK clergy reading it -
http://clergyproject.org/preview

It’s been set up by Richard Dawkins to help clergy who lose their faith. I don’t know if there’s anything similar in the US?
19

Kylie Sturgess

February 5, 2012 at 5:39 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Alom Shaha’s The Young Atheist Handbook.
20

Stonyground

February 5, 2012 at 6:39 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

This blog is the online presence of Britain’s oldest atheist magazine, The Freethinker.

http://freethinker.co.uk/
21

Mr Z

February 5, 2012 at 6:42 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

I don’t think enough time is spent stressing sentiments like donnbarnes says above

“What pisses me off is when I hear the suggestion that “you atheists” are all alike. Atheists are as diverse as the population at large… if not more so.”

A great swath of humanity always seems to need someone to tell them how to do things, what to wear, what to eat, blah blah blah. Some folk don’t need much instruction. What they need to hear is: Stop believing in gods. Viola! You’re now officially an atheist, so go and live your life. They don’t need clubs and groups and books and community. Even for these people it’s often nice to know that others recognize that they don’t have to be activists or conference organizers. All they have to do is not believe in gods. When such people read about the dramas and crap and neediness that come from “the community” it seems divisive to them, exclusionary even.

So if you’re going to write a book about what pisses atheists off you might consider giving some space to recognizing that small group of atheists. This group is told by both believers and non-believers that they are supposed to be part of a group and do this and that and the other thing. None of it makes any sense, it’s all drama and wasted effort. Elevatorgate? Really? psssst Wake me up when they start talking about atheism again. It pisses me off that people think that I’m supposed to need community or want fellowship. F(&*^! If I liked you before we talked about religion we are friends. Just because you don’t believe in gods doesn’t mean we’re going to be friends. I don’t judge who my friends are by what foods they won’t eat or what hobbies they don’t have or what colors they don’t like. Picking friends that way is effing stupid. Yeah, don’t tell me that community increases the chance that I’ll get along with someone. That’s like going to a sheep ranch to try to find an iguana.

If you can find a resource for it, it might be good to mention why Pat Robertson’s god never saw fit to thrown a hurricane at CoS’s believers? Why the ever vengeful Allah doesn’t punish the Mormons. It pisses me off why no one ever talks about why all these gods are not out punishing each others creations. They all seem to want to punish fags and those with bad dress sense but never seem to want to punish apostates or those who believe in other gods… well, except the Jews, they seem to get punished no matter what they do.
22

Barry

February 5, 2012 at 7:03 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

The excellent Living After Faith podcast (official podcast of Recovering from Religion)

http://livingafterfaith.blogspot.com/

Also http://whywontgodhealamputees.com/
23

StevoR

February 5, 2012 at 7:15 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

As a resource for understanding science (esp. versus religion) in a fun, easily comprehensible, enjoyable way I’d recoomend almost all of Isaac Asimov’s essays and some of his fiction as well.

Plus Carl Sagan’s works.

Plus much more. But that’s a good start.
24

StevoR

February 5, 2012 at 7:35 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

I’d also recommend the ‘Bible Verses Never Read in Church’ ypoutibe series aomg others for some of the wierder things & more messed up items in the Bible – see for instance :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxuq1wGYaxY

WARNING: Some obscene language, Not Safe For work

Then there’s the Non-stamp collector youtube channel :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGT25Oj-6rc

again, among others .. Like this :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcWR9sjBy3A&list=PL0886D8914D5FA08F&index=1&feature=plpp_video

messed up bible stories series again via youtube.

Hope these are useful / enjoyable /helpful for y’all.
25

Simon

February 5, 2012 at 8:20 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Center for Inquiry (CFI): http://www.centerforinquiry.net
List of US and international CFI Branches: http://centerforinquiry.net/about/branches

Council for Secular Humanism: http://www.secularhumanism.org
Free Inquiry magazine: http://www.secularhumanism.org/fi

African Americans for Humanism: http://aahumanism.net/

Committee for Skeptical Inquiry: http://www.csicop.org/
Skeptical Inquirer magazine: http://www.csicop.org/si
26

MathMike

February 5, 2012 at 8:26 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Jen Hancock’s blog has a tone helpful to someone making the transition from a religious life: Happiness Through Humanism
People have already hit the other blogs I could mention, so I’ll add a few books.
David Fitzgerald’s Nailed
Hemant Mehta’s I Sold My Soul on eBay
Thomas Quinn’s What Do You Do With A Chocolate Jesus?
All of these are informative, quick reads.
27

Veronica Abbass

February 5, 2012 at 9:18 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

A Canadian multi-author website: Canadian Atheist: http://canadianatheist.com/

Choice in Dying: http://choiceindying.com/
28

unbound

February 5, 2012 at 9:59 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Seems like most of the links have been covered. I would put in another vote for the following which helped a good deal for myself to start thinking about things more critically:

Why Won’t God Heal Amputees? – http://whywontgodhealamputees.com/

Skeptic’s Annotated Bible – http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/

Talk Origins – http://talkorigins.org/ (Creationism always seems to get intermingled in the issues)

Snopes – http://snopes.com/ (I get e-mails and such with interesting “facts” that are many times already debunked on Snopes)
29

nualle

February 5, 2012 at 10:15 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

2 books by Bob Altemeyer, a prof emeritus at U of Manitoba:

The Authoritarians
available free on pdf
http://members.shaw.ca/jeanaltemeyer/drbob/TheAuthoritarians.pdf

Amazing Conversions: Why Some Turn to Faith & Others Abandon Religion
in collaboration with Bruce Hunsberger
http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Conversions-Others-Abandon-Religion/dp/1573921475/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328454293&sr=8-1-spell

Also, the Reasonable Doubts podcast. I know someone already mentioned it. It’s that good.
30

James Croft

February 5, 2012 at 10:15 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

For practical, research-based advice and resources on building, growing, and marketing nonreligious communities, the Humanist Community Project is the place to go! We have resources on parenting, education, billboard design, communication of Humanist values, fundraising, secular celebrancy, storytelling, building a diverse community, framing, building book clubs and sharing circles, and a lot more!

Http://HumanistCommunityProject.org
31

allencdexter

February 5, 2012 at 10:16 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Be sure to include the Secular Coalition for America and Sean Faircloth’s book: Attack of the Theocrats. Sean outlines a program for restoring America to its secular basics.
32

GJames

February 5, 2012 at 10:18 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Jerry Coyne’s Why Evolution Is True web site is invaluable to me. http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/

Also invaluable, Eric MacDonald at Choice in Dying: http://choiceindying.com/
33

Timothy (TRiG)

February 5, 2012 at 11:02 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

You might find Asimov’s The Relativity of Wrong a useful work to cite. Also, Atheist Ireland, the Campaign to get rid of the Irish blasphemy law, The Humanist Association of Ireland, and Count Me Out, which helps people to defect from the Roman Catholic Church.

TRiG.
34

Ani Sharmin

February 5, 2012 at 1:34 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

The Caged Virgin (by Ayaan Hirsi Ali)

The End of Biblical Studies (by Hector Avalos)

The Christian Delusion (ed. John W. Loftus)

Nailed: Ten Christian Myths That Show Jesus Never Existed at All (by David Fitzgerald)

Also, if you’re including fiction:

Isaac Asmiov’s “The Last Question”, “The Last Answer”, “Hell-Fire”, and “The Last Trump”
Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses”
Arthur C. Clake’s “Childhood’s End” and “The Star”
Robert A. Heinlein’s “Stranger in a Strange Land”
35

Gaylene Wetzel

February 5, 2012 at 2:22 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Hi Greta,
I’ve found lots of cool stuff on Atheist Nexus:
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.atheistnexus.org%2F&h=SAQH8il8gAQH07Hck7sxITxKwKzyRnVcwm61EWPHYP2UOiQ&enc=AZPC4Yt_e6lEiRKZqDhKLQd2lhBEJBfqRiGr8ucpoc1Ovz35bmdtvqHNzdmld1y-rfVV_fRLrc89Byd4pGaybv5mAL0iE0oHF48zpmO-g6Y0gw
They have lots of forums, including humor. The only thing that gets a person in trouble is re-starting a discussion that’s al ready happened, that and being rude, illogical, stuff like that.
36

Orlando

February 5, 2012 at 4:51 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

This guy is really smart: http://atheismblog.blogspot.com/ He is a professor (Matt McCormick) and devout (heh, heh) atheist.

Atheists: Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know.
37

T.O.M.

February 5, 2012 at 4:54 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

This site has a ton of info which can be made into arguments/points: http://religiouschildmaltreatment.com/

Hope this helps.
38

Orlando

February 5, 2012 at 5:09 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

As for books, the Robert A. Heinlein juvenile novel, Orphans of the Sky is stupendous, as it completely situates religion as a man-made artifact. It passed his strict censor Alice because she was focused on sex.

The story, the first of its kind, by the way, is about a generational starship where the inhabitants have been in space so long their descendants do not realize they are on a ship, and their god, and holy book, is….well, don’t want to spoil it but it concludes with a stunning psychological insight into how fervent believers cling to their beliefs despite facts to the contrary.

Written in 1951, by the way. His very first novel I believe but fully enjoyable by adults. I first read it during the golden age of sci-fi – 9 yrs old – and it forever crystalized some ideas floating in my head about religion.
39

Brad

February 5, 2012 at 5:17 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

This is a great page put up by atheism resource, titled “When people ask why I have a problem with religion, it’s hard to come up with a single answer..” and then a long scroll of news articles of all sorts of religious intolerance, of all stripes, from all around the world. It’s kind of a quick whack in the face, but I’ve found it handy to direct people to in several on-line discussions…
http://www.atheismresource.com/2012/religious-intolerance
40

Yogi

February 5, 2012 at 5:20 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Both for its historical interest and content : the first essay devoted to atheism, written circa 1725 “Testament: Memoir of the Thoughts and Sentiments of Jean Meslier”.

Heavily quoted by Voltaire and d’Holbach, Meslier had lived as a Catholic priest and is arguably the first person to have put his name to an incontrovertibly atheist document.
41

Brian63

February 5, 2012 at 5:21 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Another mention for infidels.org

http://www.infidels.org/

Has a HUGE library with all sorts of material on all things atheism, from historical writings to more technical philosophy papers. Very helpful to research that, especially for new atheists (“new” as in just starting out as one, not the “new atheist” usage).

Brian
42

davidb

February 5, 2012 at 8:54 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Another mention for NonStampCollector, in Britain the NSS website, the Atheist Ireland people are very competent, Jesus and Mo.

I might be old fashioned, but I am still a fan of the old fashioned discussion board, and naturally enough I have a soft spot for the one I helped found, Secular Cafe.

David B
43

davidb

February 5, 2012 at 8:58 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Oh and I forgot to mention Skeptics Dictionary. There is more to freethought than religion, and Skepdic is an invaluable recourse on all sorts of woo.

In particular on Skepdic, the article on what Bob Carroll calls ‘the hidden persuaders’.

David B
44

spriteless

February 5, 2012 at 9:47 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

lesswrong.com has a bunch of stuff like lists of human biases and exercises to be more rational.
45

Clytia

February 6, 2012 at 12:17 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

For people from religious backgrounds (especially those indoctrinated as children):
Caws, Peter, and Stefani Jones, eds. Religious Upbringing and the Costs of Freedom: Personal and Philosophical Essays. University Park, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2010.
The authors of the essays in the book are not all atheists (most are, I think), but all were religiously indoctrinated as children, and all are philosophers, most have left the religions of their upbringing and are now atheists or agnostics, etc. Great read.

And of course, Dawkins’ “The God Delusion”, Sam Harris’ “Letter to a Christian Nation”, Daniel Dennett’s “Breaking the Spell”, etc.
46

Bruce Gorton

February 6, 2012 at 12:26 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Freethought Kampala

http://freethoughtkampala.wordpress.com/

Charles Freeman’s The Closing of the Western Mind

http://www.amazon.com/Closing-Western-Mind-Faith-Reason/dp/140004085X
47

aurophobia

February 6, 2012 at 3:57 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Blogs:
~Atheist Media Blog: atheistmedia.com

Podcasts & Public Access:
~Ask an Atheist (http://askanatheist.tv/)
~Atheist Experience (http://www.atheist-experience.com/)

Books:
~Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
~The Moral Landscape by Sam Harris: http://www.amazon.com/Moral-Landscape-Science-Determine-Values/dp/B006W3YQTK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328518506&sr=1-1
~Anti-Creationist Handbook (http://www.amazon.com/Counter-Creationism-Handbook-Mark-Isaak/dp/0520249267/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328517284&sr=8-1)
~Atheist Guide to Christmas: http://www.amazon.com/Atheists-Guide-Christmas-Robin-Harvie/dp/B005DI8DWQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328517332&sr=1-1
~End of Faith by Sam Harris (http://www.amazon.com/End-Faith-Religion-Terror-Future/dp/0393327655/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328517449&sr=1-1)
~Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist by Stpehen Batchelor(http://www.amazon.com/Confession-Buddhist-Atheist-Stephen-Batchelor/dp/0385527071/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328517494&sr=1-2)
~Ken’s Guide to the Bible by Ken Smith (http://www.amazon.com/Kens-Guide-Bible-Ken-Smith/dp/0922233179/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328517593&sr=8-1)

Community resources in the Western WA area:
~Seattle Atheists: http://www.seattleatheists.org/ & http://www.meetup.com/seattle-atheists/
~Humanists of North Puget Sound: http://www.meetup.com/HumanistsNPS/
~Kitsap Atheists/Agnostics: http://www.meetup.com/Kitsap-Atheists-and-Agnostics/
~Auburn Freethought Society: http://www.meetup.com/Auburn-Freethought-Society/
~Tacoma Atheists: http://www.meetup.com/tacomaatheists/
~Secular Seattle: http://www.meetup.com/SecularSeattle/
~Northwest Freethought Coalition: http://www.meetup.com/NWFC-Events/
~North of Seattle Atheists: http://www.meetup.com/North-Of-Seattle-Atheists/
~Eastside Atheists: http://www.meetup.com/Eastside-Atheists-Agnostics/
~Camp Quest NW: http://campquestnorthwest.org/
48

jbhodges7

February 6, 2012 at 9:34 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

One of the things Theists say that annoys me greatly is the claim that only religion offers a basis for ethics, that nonbelievers have no “foundations” for ethics. Over the years I’ve written several essays about this for different audiences. Here I’ll just mention a book, GOOD AND EVIL: A NEW DIRECTION by Richard Taylor.
49

phil zombi

February 6, 2012 at 10:40 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

I have found “The Portable Atheist” to be an excellent collection of atheist thought. For current podcasts, I recommend the Godless Bitches. They are quite brilliant.
50

Jeremy

February 6, 2012 at 11:19 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Greta,

As a vet, I’ve found the below site to be particularly poignant. I have a lot of friends who are amputees. It’s a good resource for all questions regarding medical miracles and faith healing.

http://whydoesgodhateamputees.com/
51

David Smith

February 6, 2012 at 11:44 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Atheist Nexus is an excellent social network site
http://www.atheistnexus.org/
52

Raven W

February 6, 2012 at 1:05 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Hello Greta Christina!
I do not know if this will help, but I will tell you this anyway. I was listening to you on YouTube {Why “A” R so Angry}
and you have lots 2 B angry about!
I am a Neo-Agnostic (only been in “freethought” mode for 2yrs), and I am NOT OUT About it. WHY? For some of the very reasons that you are angry! I am a {Black} American woman who lives in the southeast U.S. {yeah, the bible belt}, and having to deal with racism/sexism is so painful, that I have decided NOT to come out of the closet about my beliefs {or lack thereof}.
I am not financially independent, and have to look to fundy/conservative/theists for financial help. I have to keep my mouth shut at age 35-45-something yrs. old, in order to have food/clothing/shelter NOT taken from me and my family. *SIGH*
I fear the harassment that will come, if I attend the skeptic/non-believers’ meetings that are in my home town.
I would tell you more about the horrors as a teen/college student and sexuality “harrassment” but I don’t want to take up your whole blog about me. I am an Admin. to an online group of freethinkers – Universal Temple of Common Sense, our website is a work in progress {not online yet}, but we have a blog and a Facebook page: http://unitesense.wordpress.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/147220565321169/
53

Kristine

February 6, 2012 at 1:27 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Here’s a resource for atheist/agnostic alcoholics:
http://www.agnosticaanyc.org/worldwide.html#California
You can have sobriety without the woo.
54

Laura C.

February 6, 2012 at 10:41 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Caveman Logic by Hank Davis is a neat look into how evolution has given us cognitive biases in favor of religion and superstition, and it’s written in a very approachable way. It does a good job of explaining why skepticism is necessary, and it doesn’t exclusively criticize religion – it also targets sports fans, new age beliefs, cryptozoology, ghosts, psychics, and a host of other irrational beliefs. I’ll admit it’s not a very angry book, but I think the lack of anger helps it get its points across better, and I think it would make a great companion and/or supplement to what you’re writing.

As far as websites go, aside from resources others have already linked, ExChristian.net is a brilliant resource for former Christians and those in the process of losing their faith. It fills a pretty significant hole I’ve noticed in the wider atheist community by providing emotional support that’s specific to those that have been harmed by Christianity, as well as information about the various ways Christianity – especially fundamentalist Christianity – harms individuals and families.
55

macmacaroo

February 7, 2012 at 12:59 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Not that this is directly related to atheism (not all scientists are atheists), but it does help set the record straight re: creationist “science”. Very Helpful.

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Scientists_Confront_Creationism
56

Ubi Dubium

February 7, 2012 at 1:27 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Can’t leave out the The Brick Testament!

I also love the webcomic Tree Lobsters.

And of course the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (pesto be upon Him).

And another vote for ex-christian.net, as well. That’s a great resource. And I’m sure somebody already mentioned the SGU podcast, that one would be a given, yes?
57

aurophobia

February 8, 2012 at 12:21 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

African Americans For Humanism: http://aahumanism.net/
58

Duff

February 9, 2012 at 7:37 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

How about The Geologic Podcast #246, which includes the Twitter comments regarding the Trend: God Is Not Great (meant to honor Christopher Hitchens after his death.) We know not all religious people are like this, but when an atheist says something even stupid, mean, or unfair, most of us speak up. This group of obviously religious folk was disgusting.
59

Duff

February 9, 2012 at 7:56 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

It may be useful to note, for those that haven’t listined to Geologic Podcast before, that the first 5 minutes or more of this particular episode exhibits George practicing his Ukrainian. This is not his usual language. Skip to 41:23 minutes for the section I mentioned.
60

efrique

February 11, 2012 at 6:21 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Some resources I most frequently recommend to people in response to questions (of various kinds) on reddit’s /r/atheism:

http://wiki.ironchariots.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Main_Page

http://www.talkorigins.org/ (especially

http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/list.html)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_logical_fallacies#Informal_fallacies

Books:

Misquoting Jesus, Bart Ehrman

The Demon-haunted World, Carl Sagan

Why Evolution Is True, Jerry Coyne

Forums:

http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism (hundreds of thousands of people, but very high noise; it mentions a lot of resources in its FAQ)

http://www.reddit.com/r/atheismbot (filters out almost all the dross)

http://www.reddit.com/r/atheistgems (the highlights of /r/atheism; its FAQ is worth a mention on its own)

http://www.reddit.com/r/atheisthavens – finding accomodation for atheists suddenly without accomodation

(etc – there are dozens of atheist groups there, shop around)

Blogs:

The one blog I recommend really often is yours!
61

chris

February 11, 2012 at 6:04 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

I’d like to help, but really the only thing that makes me angry is when one of “the faithful” asks me why I’m so angry. Religious people in general, and Christians in particular, act as if they are embattled minorities under attack by the evil Atheist hordes. I’d like them to understand that Atheists are just trying – desperately – to stand up for our own rights, and for religious freedom in general.
62

chris

February 11, 2012 at 7:15 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

HRC pdf about blasphemy laws:

http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/wp-content/uploads/Blasphemy_Cases.pdf
63

Bob

February 16, 2012 at 10:46 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment

http://i.imgur.com/txf9U.jpg

This recently got a bunch of atheists riled up after someone stated that it was a vaguely poor representation of an entire belief system.
64

Brad

February 29, 2012 at 7:44 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Look around you and see the beauty of God’s creation!
65

Anamaria Brodsky

March 13, 2012 at 2:22 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

I think your Blog is a best informative one. I will come back again.

66

Fórum sobre animais exóticos e silvestres

April 27, 2012 at 9:59 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment

Fórum sobre animais exóticos e silvestres…

[...]“Why Are You Atheists So Angry?” – Suggestions for Resource Guide? | Greta Christina's Blog[...]…

Atheism, sex, politics, dreams, and whatever. Thinking out loud since 2005.

“Why Are You Atheists So Angry?” – Suggestions for Resource Guide?

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