Oct 01 2011

Phase II of world conquest complete; initiating Phase III

Categories:

On 1 September, we added another wave of bloggers to Freethoughtblogs.

It is now 1 October. Like clockwork, we have yet another wave incoming. I’ve organized them geographically, to help you realize how we’re closing in on you.

En Tequila Es Verdad. Pacific Northwest, God’s Own Country.
A Voice of Reason. Georgia. There are atheists in the South.
The Atheist Experience. Texas. You may have heard of Dillahunty & Glasser’s show.
The Crommunist Manifesto. Vancouver, Canada. What’s with all the Canadians here?
WWJTD. Ohio. PZ wanna-be. He’s adorable.
Rock Beyond Belief. Foxhole atheist, currently deployed somewhere. Anywhere. He could be sneaking up on you right now.
A Token Skeptic. Australia. We now have a beachhead in the Southern Hemisphere.

You should fear us. The awesomeness is rising, right on schedule. You now realize that you must visit the Freethoughtblogs home page every day, and then…not bother to leave.

Hmmm. Are there any other worthy godless blogs out there to which we should extend a pseudopod prior to absorption?

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60 comments

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1

Sili

1 October 2011 at 1:52 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

The Intersocktion?

Maddowblog?
2

Tisha Irwin

1 October 2011 at 1:54 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Choice in Dying – Eric MacDonald
3

SC (Salty Current), OM

1 October 2011 at 2:10 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Excellent.

I would love to see more from other parts of the world.
4

Glen Davidson

1 October 2011 at 2:17 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Why does the server seem to be glitchy still? Sure, it usually works, but then it won’t post or something.

Glen Davidson
5

'Tis Himself, OM

1 October 2011 at 2:18 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Pacific Northwest, God’s Own Country.

I didn’t know the Pacific Northwest stretched all the way to Wisconsin.
6

Trilobutt

1 October 2011 at 2:48 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

How about some blogs from Europe or from Africa? It would be refreshing to read stories not coming from the USA :) (I don’t know of any though…)
7

Kylie Sturgess

1 October 2011 at 2:52 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Thanks for the hat-tip! :) Looking forward to adding some skeptical awesome Australis to the mix with the Token Skeptic. ;)
8

Lynna, OM

1 October 2011 at 2:58 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Rock Beyond Belief is awesomeness personified. The examples from the Spiritual Fitness course are shocking. This is a blogger that deserves some Pharyngula love.
9

Daz

1 October 2011 at 2:58 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Ben Goldacre’s Bad Science, if he’s up for the move.
10

JT Eberhard

1 October 2011 at 3:03 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

My hair is growing back, PZ. Once my power has returned your ass is mine!

JT

PS – Thanks for the mention…
11

billsheehan

1 October 2011 at 3:24 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Have you spoken to the Chaplain at An Apostate’s Chapel? She’s seriously good people.
12

cervantes

1 October 2011 at 3:27 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Are there any other worthy blogs? Sure, check your blogroll!
13

Sili

1 October 2011 at 3:29 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Ben Goldacre’s Bad Science, if he’s up for the move.

I doubt it. Goldacre and Colquhoun are very loyal to their service provider after they got bailed out of frivilous complaints to have their sites taken down.
14

Tabby Lavalamp

1 October 2011 at 3:42 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

How about some blogs from Europe or from Africa? It would be refreshing to read stories not coming from the USA

I agree with you about the former, but the latter? There was one Canuck, eh, now there are two and one Aussie!
15

ashleyf.

1 October 2011 at 3:47 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I like mine, but what do I know. http://ashleyfmiller.wordpress.com/

I can be your South Carolina-ravaged South Carolinian.
16

Russell

1 October 2011 at 3:49 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Tremble , O Crommunists:

Crom sits on his mountain and laughs at your manifesto , for he knows the secret of Stalin!
17

Patrick

1 October 2011 at 4:22 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Great to see Australians getting in on the act too!
18

Crommunist

1 October 2011 at 4:46 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

@Russell – Good, good. You shall be spared when the revolution arrives… for a time.
19

Kristjan Wager

1 October 2011 at 5:26 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I obviously choose the wrong time to let my blog go dormant – perhaps it is time to start blogging again, so I can join in wave… oh, CCVX or so
20

jose

1 October 2011 at 5:39 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

ERV.

*trollface*
21

NoelleyB

1 October 2011 at 6:50 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

What about the Friendly Atheist? I know he recently moved from his own site to patheos, but he’s my only atheist Blogger who still isn’t here.
22

pelamun

1 October 2011 at 6:51 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

The idea though is to keep it to English language blogs, right? I mean for instance in Europe there are many national languages, and there are good blogs out there, but many of them not in English..
23

pelamun

1 October 2011 at 6:52 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Sili, about Rachel Maddow, has she ever talked about her religious views publicly? My impression was that she seems to treat religion with kid gloves, but I might be wrong about that…
24

chigau ()

1 October 2011 at 6:58 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Why aren’t the new blogs in the list on the right?
25

davidb

1 October 2011 at 7:15 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Much as I gain from these blogs, blogs are not everything. They would not be in a position to join you, but you might consider posting a list of good youtube channels, like NonStampCollector, ZOMGitsCriss, WhyEvolutionIsTrue among others, a list of good internet comics, like Jesus and Mo.

There are some good discussion boards too, but I hesitate to recommend the one I co-founded.

David B
26

Sili

1 October 2011 at 7:18 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Sili, about Rachel Maddow, has she ever talked about her religious views publicly? My impression was that she seems to treat religion with kid gloves, but I might be wrong about that…

Frankly, I don’t care what her beliefs are, and mirabile dictu I have idea what they might be. That alone is remarkable in today’s public discourse.

What I do know is that she’s an admirable voice for reason, rights and science. (And she mixes a mean cocktail.)
27

Kristjan Wager

1 October 2011 at 7:23 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

davidb, ZOMGitsCriss actually have a blog though it mostly contains links with her videos.

For the rest of them, I have a hard time seeing how they could become part of freethoughtblogs, as you yourself say – on the other hand, PZ links to many of them frequently (and as someone who has been linked to by PZ in the past, I can say that the traffic his linking generates is not trivial).
28

Iris Vander Pluym

1 October 2011 at 7:23 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Ooh! Ooh! Pick me! Pick me!

I would have made a blogwhore of myself sooner, but I was VERY BUSY marching at Slutwalk NYC.
29

raven

1 October 2011 at 7:50 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

OT The fundie xians have sacrificied another child to their Clown Sky Monster god.

This girl was starved, beaten, and tortured to death.

And Oh, BTW, did you know xianity is the source of all morality. And, of course, this is another example of that sophisticated theology we’ve all heard about.

Case file: Parents starved and beat girl, locked her out in the cold
By KOMO Staff Published: Sep 30, 2011 at 6:31 PM PDT

Police arrest parents of girl who died in rain, cold
SEATTLE – A 13-year-old girl who died of hypothermia earlier this year was systematically starved, beaten, forced to use an outdoor toilet and sometimes locked in a dark closet for days by her adoptive parents, according to court documents released Friday.

Larry P. Williams and Carri D. Williams of Sedro Woolley were arrested on Thursday and booked into Skagit County Jail for investigation of homicide by abuse and assault of a child in the first degree. Each is being held on $500,000 bail.

The Williams’ adoptive daughter, Hana Williams, was found dead in May – naked, in her own backyard – after she had spent much of a cold, rainy day outside as a punishment, according to court documents.

Hana had been adopted from Ethiopia deleted for length.

Other punishments included locking Hana inside a dark closet for hours or days without food while the parents played the Bible on tape and Christian music for her while she was locked inside, according to court documents.

Hana also was forced to sleep in the barn on some nights or kept outside for hours in the cold without adequate clothing or shoes, court documents say – but she was allowed to wear shoes if there was snow on the ground.

The Williams also confirmed that they used a flexible plumbing tool as a switch to punish Hana and some of the other children in their household.

A witness told investigators that the Williams got their ideas for the disciplinary measures from a book, “How to Train Up Your Child,” which recommends switchings with a plumbing tool, cold water baths, withholding food and putting children out in cold weather as forms of punishment.
This is Michael Pearl’s book, a fundie xian pastor. It’s killed several kids already.

Howard Cooper, a retired pastor who said the Williams and their children sometimes attended worship services at his church, said he had no idea abuse was going on inside the home.
30

pelamun

1 October 2011 at 8:05 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Well, Sili, as long as Rachel Maddow is with MSNBC, she won’t be able to leave her corporate home. And PZ did ask about more godless voices.

That said, I love her show, and have been following it “religiously”, I think it’s the most intelligent program on American TV. I once went into the Rockefeller Center and asked the staff there if I could get tickets to her show, suppressing in my mind that her show doesn’t have a studio audience..
31

Cosmic Snark

1 October 2011 at 8:58 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Sorry, but my blog is way too awesome to be included on FTB. No, really, PZ, stop begging, you’re embarrassing yourself. OK, so my blog totally sucks and I’m really stupid. Never mind.

*sobs quietly into pillow*
32

William Bell

1 October 2011 at 9:00 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Skeptic North, Sandwalk (if he is up for it), friendly atheist, Exploring or Matrix, ERV, and of course Me, Myself, and I.
33

pelamun

1 October 2011 at 9:15 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

ERV

That was a joke right?
34

Cosmic Snark

1 October 2011 at 9:22 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

That was a joke right?

According to William Bell’s blog he is 13 years old. He may no be fully appreciative or knowledgeable about elevatorgate and ERV’s unbelievably vicious and nasty take on it (as well as the blog’s unforgivable assaults on Rebecca Watson).
35

Pierce R. Butler

1 October 2011 at 9:27 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Skepchicks, singly or ensemble!

Scary Reasoner!

Get Sastra to launch her own vessel in the fleet!

Some of those gutsy godless Ugandans!

The great prophet Bobby Henderson!
36

pelamun

1 October 2011 at 9:36 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

According to William Bell’s blog he is 13 years old.

Oh, sorry, I wasn’t aware of that, thanks.
37

Sili

1 October 2011 at 9:49 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Get Sastra to launch her own vessel in the fleet!

Sasssstrrrrrraaaaaaa!!!

You know what – put down pens until Sastra agrees to join you. I don’t mind a spot of blackmail if it’s for the cause.
38

Ivan

1 October 2011 at 9:55 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

What are your criteria for worthiness? I’m just starting out – with both atheism, and atheist blogging. And I think I would disagree with you, and many other atheist bloggers, about a couple things. I agree with your daughter’s moral nihilism, and believe that theism (if it were true) would offer a potent alternative. And at the moment, I do honestly wish there was a God, and wish that I could believe again – although I am hoping to move past those feelings. So if this doesn’t fit with that you’re trying to do on Freethoughtblogs, I understand. But if you’d consider having me, I’d definitely be interested.
39

MaryLynne

1 October 2011 at 11:17 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Blonde Nonbeliever – “A Real Blonde *and* an Atheist? You Can’t Explain That!”

and

Unequally Yoked – “A geeky atheist picks fights with her Catholic boyfriend”

Regular posters, consistently entertaining and thought provoking.
40

Toiletman

2 October 2011 at 12:05 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

@ Ivan: If you disagree with the majority of bloggers on some important issues, it is probably not the right place for you. This placeis not only about atheism but also about a certain political outlook which I would describe as “very progressive” (there’s nothing wrong with that). Although I do not share it and am pretty nihilistic myself, it is an interesting read and mostly coherent. Besides that, I think one criteria for being hosted here is being known already somewhat by the main writers here and you said you were just a beginner so far.
41

John Morales

2 October 2011 at 12:14 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Toiletman, disagreement is fine here; what part of freethought do you find confusing or dogmatic?

(As for atheism, at least two OM recipients are acknowledged theists)
42

bibliovore

2 October 2011 at 2:52 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Teh awesome! Most of my favorite blogs are now all in one place. Phase II has reduced my “blawgs” link folder by HALF. This pretty much confirms my (humble) suspicion that I have excellent taste in reading material.
43

lehman scott

2 October 2011 at 3:59 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Admiring long-term lurker finally deciding to ride the wave to surface, Dr. Myers. I only hope I have something worthwhile and, more importantly, amusing to contribute at some point in the indeterminate future.

Am so glad to break the waves!
44

DangerousTalk

2 October 2011 at 4:14 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Check out DangerousTalk.net
45

DangerousTalk

2 October 2011 at 4:17 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I should add that DangerousTalk.net is number 97 on the godless periodic table. :-)
46

robaylesbury

2 October 2011 at 8:02 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

http://robaylesbury.blogspot.com/

Something for the weekend sir? A bit of European content? Sexuality, Religion, Social Affairs?

Don’t mind if I do.
47

Joshua Fisher

2 October 2011 at 3:29 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

World conquest? What’s the point? There is less than a month left anyway.
48

SQB

2 October 2011 at 3:47 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I vote for:

Salty Current (by Salty Current, of course)

And Cabbages, and Kings (by Walton)

Critically Skeptic (by Katherine Lorraine)

And perhaps a permanent guest blog, where anyone who’s got something interseting to say can write a one-off.
49

jflcroft

2 October 2011 at 4:41 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I agree with those who think it would be good to get European and other world voices onto the table. Also, I’d love to see some more explicitly Humanist blogs which aren’t so concerned with bashing religion and the right. At times FTB seems extremely negative and uninterested in community building, the arts, and other parts of life that Freethinking has traditionally embraced. A greater diversity of freethinkers, both geographically and in terms of their core concerns and values, would be extremely useful for promoting discussion, I think. At the moment it seems like almost everyone agrees with everybody else, which isn’t a fantastic recipe for truly free thought.
50

theophontes, feu d'artifice du cosmopolitisme

2 October 2011 at 4:53 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

I would love to see more from other parts of the world.

How about some blogs from Europe or from Africa?

Mmmmh… An Afro-Dutch blogger living in some exotic country (China say?) would really fit that ticket. But where to find such an animal?
51

Happy Camper

2 October 2011 at 5:23 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

PRAISE Eugene Stoner and pass the ammunition!

PZ next to Al Stefanelli @ A Voice of Reason you are a loveable teddy bear. Al is now another daily MUST read. You took off the kid gloves and Al put on brass knuckles.
52

HaggisForBrains

2 October 2011 at 6:24 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

@ #2 Agreed Tisha http://choiceindying.com/

Also, from the UK, http://www.skeptical-science.com/

And not forgetting the very funny and provocative http://www.jesusandmo.net
53

SC (Salty Current), OM

2 October 2011 at 6:30 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Sikivu Hutchinson would be swell, too.
54

SC (Salty Current), OM

2 October 2011 at 6:36 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Thank you, SQB. I’m flattered.
55

echidna

3 October 2011 at 12:12 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

jflcroft@49

FTB seems extremely negative and uninterested in community building,

You’re joking, right? The “negativity” I see is against imposing unfounded, damaging beliefs on other people and interfering with their human rights.

This “negativity” is a positive thing, in my view, and I don’t understand how you can dismiss the strong community that is already here.
56

Andrew T

3 October 2011 at 2:16 am (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Amanda Marcotte should get on here, for sure.
57

pelamun

3 October 2011 at 1:30 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

echidna, I’ve been frustrated about this in the past: in many European countries, religion has declined greatly in importance, about which I’m grateful. But this also has made fighting the privileges religion still retains in these societies harder as that’d be rocking the boat. In Germany you might call this “consensus sauce”, there are certain things, universal health care among them, that fall under this.

Hence atheists are regarded as shrill and strident, disturbing religious harmony. Hence since civil union was the societal consensus, LGBT groups pressing for marriage equality are regarded as overbearing and greedy.
58

pelamun

3 October 2011 at 1:33 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

addendum to 57: not atheists per se, but atheists that speak out in public against religion.
59

Rich Stage

4 October 2011 at 4:31 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Two words:

MORE LIMERICKS!
60

Douglas Kirk

5 October 2011 at 6:44 pm (UTC -5) Link to this comment

Way late to the aprty, but John loftus and debunking christianity would be a good add.