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Commentary Index

Why I am an atheist Simple, straightforward, short explanation (14 questions and answers).
Divided Over God Dissenting opinion regarding the National Day of Prayer (NDOP) "America United Under God" campaign. Argues for government silence on matters of religious belief. Fits on single page, can be displayed wherever NODP posters are found (4 paragraphs).
So help me God in presidential oaths.
The Role of Belief Its relationship to thinking, knowing, faith, decision making and explanation (9 paragraphs).

Mini-Commentary: 1-3 paragraphs.

Absent versus Transcendent The absent if not transcendent ideological trap.
Atheism versus Secularism A canary in the coal mine going silent warning.
Bias versus Usage Dictionary definitions both reflect and promote prejudice.
Collective versus Individual Religious culture is sum of individual decisions.
Democracy versus Majority Rule Democracy is not the same as majority rule.
Evolution versus Theism The viability of any metaphsyics or religion is irrevelant to science education.
Failure versus Incompleteness The unavoidable incompleteness of scientific theories does not demonstrate scientific failure.
Free Exercise versus Non-establishment They are complimentary
Government versus Public Freedom of religion in the public square forever.
Hostility versus Neutrality The bogus government neutrality is hostility to religion argument.
In God We Trust and Under God The problem is majority intolerance for minority views, not minority intolerance for majority views.
Neutrality versus Separation Neutrality is a principle, separation is a method of achieving neutrality.
Proof versus Theory Proof is arithmatic, science is theory, atheism and theism are sincere opinions.

Interesting External Links

A Response to David Toy: "It's 'Under God,' for God's Sake!" By Newdow, Michael , Journal of Law and Education, Date: Sunday, January 1 2006
Remonstrance of the Inhabitants of the Town of Flushing to Governor Stuyvesant, December 27, 1657
What is Atheism Really All About? Richard Carrier, 1996
Atheists & Foxholes Times magazine, Jun. 18, 1945
The Final Prejudice Legal Times, April 17, 2006, by Ilya Somin.
Why I am not a Christian essays. These could be titled Why I an atheist.
Testimonials from ex-believers of various stripes.
More or Less Bunk: The Establishment Clause Answers That History Doesn't Provide and Also Unity of the Graveyard and the Attack on Constitutional Secularism by Steven G Gey
Is it God's Word? and Forgery in Christianity by Joseph Wheless (published 1926 and 1930). Part of a larger collection of historical and modern scholorship from the the Internet Infidels library.
The Goal of the Pledge Suit by Michael Newdow. Part of a larger collection of articles on the Council for Secularism Humanism web site.
Green Cheese song (MP3) by Michael Newdow
ARCHEOLOGY AND THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES Summarizes the two different perspective. Part of a larger collection of articles from the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance.
MORAL PSYCHOLOGY AND THE MISUNDERSTANDING OF RELIGION By Jonathan Haidt. This is a good essay that questions some of the claims of Dawkins, Dennett, and Harris in particular.
Why Bad Beliefs Don't Die. Part of a larger collection of articles on Committee for the Scientific Investitagion of Claims of the Paranormal.
Understanding Evolution University of California Museum of Paleontology with support provided by the National Science Foundation.
An Atheist Manifesto By Sam Harris, Truthdig, December 7, 2005
Supreme Court Justice Kennedy: Free society produces marvelous writers and thinkers
Atheism: Contemporary Rates and Patterns CAMBRIDGE COMPANION TO ATHEISM, EDITED BY MICHAEL MARTIN, CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2005.
Societies worse off when they "have God on their side" The Sunday Times (United Kingdom), September 27, 2005 and Cross-National Correlations of Quantifiable Societal Health with Popular Religiosity Journal of Religion and Society, Volume 7 (2005).
Introduction to Humanism: A Primer on the History, Philosophy, and Goals of Humanism
One side can be wrong by Richard Dawkins and Jerry Coyne.
Show me the Science by Daniel C. Dennett.
The Faith That Dare Not Speak Its Name The case against intelligent design by Jerry Coyne.
Religion In America by Abraham H. Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, December 7, 2005.
Some noteworthy historical documents on non-establishment On Liberty by John Stewart Mill 1869, A Memorial and Remonstrance June 20, 1875 To the Honorable the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia
Google search for Why I am an atheist
The Freethought Zone A simple, brief, and good presentation of atheism. One criticism: They appear to be comparing 2005 statistics for the percentage of atheists with 1997 statistics for the number of atheists in prison.
Harvard University's Pluralism Project On good authority (the author of this web site) the Pluralism Project's coverage of atheism is good.
The Brights

As long as you say, I believe there's a truth, but we're not in possession of it, we can all live together William Clinton October 1, 2005