Category Archives: Atheism

The father of Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam (DVK) activist and atheist H Farook, who was hacked to death in Coimbatore, has said that if his son was killed for his views, he too would become an atheist, the Indian Express reported Monday.

If the police version is true, that he was murdered by a radical Muslim group, then they killed my son using wrong interpretations of the Quran. The Quran is one holy book that insists on and allows the right of dissent since the time of the Prophet. If they killed him for being an atheist, I have decided to join his organisation and do what he did, R Hameed told the Indian Express.

Farook was killed on March 16 allegedly because of a Facebook post in which one of his children held a placard saying: Kadavul illai, Kadavul illai, Kadavul illai (No God, No God, No God).

31-year-old Farook was hacked to death, allegedly by a gang of four men enraged by his atheism.

Hameed told the Indian Express that he had never insisted with Farook, refused to attend the wedding of a close relative to avoid taking part inreligious rituals, he never insisted.

The Hindustam Times reported police as saying Farook had received a phone call around 11 pm, following which he stepped out of his house. Soon afterwards, four unidentified men attacked him with sharp weapons.

Farook used to run a business in Ukkadam near Coimbatore.

(WION)

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Father of Tamil Nadu man killed for being atheist says he will ... - WION - WION

An Egyptian couple stands on a bridge overlooking the Nile River in Cairo, Dec. 25, 2011.(photo byFILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images)

Author:N.A. Hussein Posted March 23, 2017

CAIRO Recently released statistics fromthe Family Court affiliated with the Supreme Judicial Council, with offices across all governorates in Egypt, revealed that 6,500 women had filed for divorce, or "khula" separation and returning the dowry to the husband in 2015over their husbands' "atheism or change of belief."

TranslatorSahar Ghoussoub

According to Article 3 of the Personal Status Law No. 1 of 2000, rulings with regard to divorce and separation cases are issued in accordance with either this lawor theIslamic jurisprudence of Imam Abu Hanifa al-Numan in cases wherethe text of the law is not clear. Under this school of jurisprudence, a married Muslim woman has the right to obtain a divorce in the event that her husband has renounced his faith.

According to the second paragraph of the same article, the personal status of Christians is regulated according to Christian teachings, should the spouses be of the same sect or confession. In case of different sects, should the husband want to relinquish his Christian faith, the woman follows the same rules applied on Muslim women, and therefore has the right for divorce.

The court has yet to issue any statistics for 2016. It is still not known why the court refrained from doing so. The court might not have the right amount of data necessary for the statistics, or it does not want to shock the Egyptian community with the alarming rate of divorce because of atheism and change of belief.

It is worth mentioning that the Egyptian daily al-Youm al-Sabea had previously revealed some of the details of the Family Court statistics back in December 2015, collecting statements from unnamed judicial sources since the paper did not have access to the Family Court statistics that were published late last month. It seems that the court had preferred at the time to keep silent on the huge number of 6,500 divorce cases, compared to the usualofficial figures published by Dar al-Ifta.

On Dec. 10, 2014, Dar al-Ifta's Fatwa Monitoring Observatory published a report to monitor the causes of the increasing phenomenon of atheism among young people in Muslim countries, especially those in the Arab region that are undergoing major political and social changes.

In a press statement March 10,Ibrahim Najm, an adviser to the Grand Mufti of the Republic, said that the distortion of the image of Islam by the Takfiri terrorist groups through the application of wrong concepts, violence, murder and violation of human rights as one of the teachings of Islamis one of the most important reasons for the spread of atheism in the countries of the region.

He added that Dar al-Ifta approved an index prepared by the Red Sea Research Center, affiliated with Secular Global Institute in all countries of the world, stating that Egypt has 866 atheists.

Noteworthy is that the figures announced by the Family Court are alarming and not commensurate with those of Dar al-Ifta, which seems to be providing inaccurate data about the real number of atheists in Egypt.

"Although the number is not large ...it is the highest in the Arab countries. Libya has only 34, Sudan 70, Yemen 32, Tunisia 329, Syria 56, Iraq 242, Saudi Arabia 178, Jordan 170, and Morocco 325,"Najm said.

Some, however, believe that womenwho had asked for divorcewere hyperbolic and hasty in making their decisions. Saif Ragab Kazamel, dean of the Faculty of Sharia and Law at Al-Azhar University'sTanta branch, told Al-Monitor, "When a wife starts having doubts about her husbands change of belief or inclination towardatheism, she does not have to rush and ask for divorce, as this would lead to the breakup of the family. Instead, she needs to try and preserve her family and marriage."

"In some cases, the husband is just going through difficult phases and a time of doubt in his own beliefs. This is when dialogue and communication are essential to redirect him on the right track, as opposed to rushing to ask for divorce. The wife could also call for her husbands family membersto help guide him, unless he confirmed that he wants to relinquish his faithdespite all her attempts to deter him. This is when she could file for divorce,"Kazamel said.

Kazamel further stressed the importance of discussion and communication before deciding to get a divorce, as this is part of the Sharia teachings for those who wish to no longer follow Islam. "According to Sharia, when a person decides to leave Islam, it is important to proselytize them and try to give them a chance to repent,"he said.

On the need to issue a fatwa for women to ask for divorce in case their husbands declare their atheism, Ahmed Karima, a professor of comparative jurisprudence at Al-Azhar University, said in atelephone interview on a show March 17 on the Sada TV channelthat no Muslim woman should remain married to a man who converted from Islam to any other religion, be it monotheistic or not, or who became atheist. He noted that when a wife has evidence of her husband's atheism, she must resort to the court and ask for divorce.

For his part, Ahmed Ragab Abu al-Azm, assistant adviser to the Grand Mufti of the Republic, said it is the prerogative of a competent religious authority and not the wife to determine whether or not the husband has decided to relinquish his faith and declare atheism.

Azm told Al-Monitor, "In such cases, it is not possible to issue general fatwas on the issue, as each case has its own circumstances. It is the wife's duty to help her husband go to Dar al-Ifta and have a discussion with the sheikhs to make sure of his intention to leave Islam."

On the legal level, Mukhtar Thabet, a lawyer for personal affairs, told Al-Monitor, "The Egyptian Personal Status Law provides for the annulment of the marriage contractin case the husband declares himself an atheist and the court would rule in favor of separation. However, spouses face many hardships in the separation procedures, as divorce cases require legal evidence in order to have a rule in their favor, while getting to keep the prepaid and deferred dowry."

"In cases of atheismit is difficult to have conclusive legal evidence, as the wife would notice a change in his habits that suggest he had left his faith, which is difficult to prove before the court,"he added.

Thabet further said, "In case it was difficult to prove that her husband has become atheist, the wife has to file for separation, giving up the dowry and alimony."

Read More: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/03/egypt-women-divorce-atheism.html

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How Egypt's religious institutions are trying to curb atheism - Al-Monitor

The only officially recognized group at ASU for students who are atheist attempts to combat the stigma around not being religious

Tann Cheevasittirungruang, left, and Angel Garcia, right, sit at their table at Secular Day at the Arizona State Capitol onMarch 21, 2017.

Although atheism is agrowing identity in America that is relativelypopular on college campuses, some feelASU lacks options when it comes to student-organized atheist groups.

In the ASUOrgSync,the search query "Christian" provided 52 results at the time of publishing. The "religious" category altogether listed 73 groups. "Atheist" turned up only two separate groups. One of those groupsis theSecular Student Alliance, a national secular student organization with chapters in most major universities.

Angel Garciais a junior double majoring in history and economics. He is the president of theSecular Student Alliance at ASU (SSA).

"Secular Student Alliance is a student organization where we seek to gather together students who are either secular or interested in secular issues," Garcia said."And with the club we'll either have meetings that revolve around different topics that are related to religion, secularism, government, society (and) culture. Sometimes we'll have social nights, and other nights we'll engage in activism."

Garcia said SSA is the only active, recognizedclubon campusthat serves as a meeting placefor atheists, even though the club's main mission is to promote secularism. He said that oneneed not be anatheist in order to be in favor of secularism.

"Secular Student Alliance is the only secular (or)atheist group on campus," he said."There was another one last year, but unfortunately what happened - and this can happen to clubs is that the members: a lot of them were graduating or already done with college and they weren't doing a good job with recruiting new members. And so their club ended up dying out."

There are other factors influencing how many students choose to be active about their atheism, Garcia said.

A stigma against atheism in American society is one such potential factor.

ThePew Research Center conducted a poll that determined Americans are generally unfavorable toward atheists. Using a "thermometer" scaleto measure general attitudes toward different religious identities from 0 to 100, Pew found that atheism was one ofthe coldest. On average, atheism was rated 41 on the scale second only to Islam, which was rated 40. By comparison, Catholics were rated 62, and Jews were rated 63 (the highest).

Read more:The atheist divide

Psychology seniorTann Cheevasittirungruangis the vice president of SSA. He thinks the novelty of the idea may have something to do with students hesitating to be active.

"I still feel like it's a new idea," he said."We pretty much just graduate from high school and come to college. We pretty much just hang onto that idea. I mean, we've been taught about that idea since we were children: about religion, about what's right and wrong, about what's promised to us when we die. The idea of atheism and secularism is still pretty new to us really."

With about70 percent of Americans identifying as Christians, manystudents come tocollege from Christian households. Cheevasittirungruangthinks this might contribute to hesitancy among students who are unsure of their beliefs or are newly atheisticto investigate secular ideas.

Curtis Peterson, a sophomore studying physics and mathematics, describes himself as an agnostic atheist. He said hethinks the stigma around not being religiouscould be somewhat relieved if atheists presented themselves differently.

"I think alot of atheists put out the attitude of being someone arrogant, or a lot of them put out the idea of being more enlightened," he said. "I think atheists need to put in the effort to try to wean out that sort of stigma. I don't even want to say stigma, but I think: yes, there needs to be more advocacy, but there also needs to be a definite attitude change on the part of atheists."

Peterson also said he wished there was more outreach and advocacy from atheists, but was unsure why so manyatheists shy away from activism.

"If we want atheist ideals to propagate through, I think we need to advocate through secularism," he said.

"The problem that we face, at least in the United States, is a degradation of a secular society. We have a lot of (states)that have attempted to teach Bible-ist truth. I'd much prefer to see advocacy against things like that versus ... (explaining)why we're atheists. I think people get the idea pretty well already. What I think a lot of people don't realize is how poisonous a non-secular society is."

Reach the reporter atparkermshea97@gmail.com or follow@laconicshamanic on Twitter.

LikeThe State Press on Facebook and follow@statepress on Twitter.

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Standing alone: atheism club provides for students questioning their faith - The State Press

The Rev. Dr. Dwight Stevens is sharing his journey from science to spirituality.

The former dermatologist, the founder and pastor of The Paramount Church, talked about his story of conversion from atheism at a book signing last week at the Palm Beach Book Store. Curious people always ask him about it.

Ive lost count of the times, Stevens said. So, I wrote the story.

In his book, Atheist Doctor to Palm Beach Minister, he recalls the challenges faced when establishing the church, the experiences or nudges as he calls them that turned him away from atheism and the difficulties he faced connecting to colleagues in medicine after converting.

Only people who understand are the ones who experienced Gods healing power, he said. Otherwise people dismiss it.

Stevens said his first experience with Gods healing power was during a medical mission trip to Honduras. A woman with a tennis-ball-size mass in her abdomen, later thought to be cancer, couldnt be treated medically and resorted to prayer. Stevens, along with other members of the team, said they laid their hands on the woman while praying and were able to eliminate the mass.

As a scientist, you dismiss that, the minister said. But then when you begin to experience it personally, Gods healing power, I began to realize God still does miracles.

And Stevens said hes experienced that personally. More than 10 years ago, Stevens was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. He claims Gods healing power keeps him well.

Ive never had a treatment, Stevens said. Never had a symptom.

Stevens practiced dermatology in Palm Beach for 15 years before opening the Paramount Church in 1994. His practice connected him to some of Palm Beachs most influential residents, many of whom became friends who played an important role in Stevens journey.

Of course, it was Gene Lawrence and Richard Moody who made it all happen, Stevens writes in his book. Lawrence, the late architect, helped design the church with the assistance of Moody, the general contractor. Both offered their services without charge.

Other friends helped Stevens with his two-year book project, which was new territory for him.

The challenges were never-ending, Stevens said.

Candice Cohen offered a hand. I read the manuscript, said Cohen, founder of the Palm Beach Book Store. I helped him pick the cover, too.

Among the crowd at last Tuesdays book signing were members of the Paramount Church. One of them was Kristi Witker-Coons.

Witker-Coons recalls when she first joined the church.

My husband died and I was just really lost, she said. After attending services at other churches, she felt Paramount was the right fit.

Although she had yet to read the book, Witker-Coons said she knows about Stevens personal life from attending his services. Its a fascinating story, she said.

The minister says hes happy to bring his message to Palm Beach a resort town for Americas wealthy, as he calls it.

He believes some residents have achieved great success and achievements but are left feeling unfulfilled, missing something, and that something is neither galas, private concerts, dinners nor cocktail parties.

Many people discovered that they have it all, Stevens said. But what they need also is a relationship with God.

Continued here:
Stevens speaks of his journey from atheism to founding church - Palm Beach Daily News

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When people think of minority groups, atheists rarely come to mind. For most, belonging to a minority group isnt a choice; whether that be race, sexual orientation, or gender identity, which is why atheism seems so unusual and mysterious. Although some might argue that having a predilection for reason and the truth is inherent in sensible people, atheism is largely a by-product of examining philosophies and weighing the evidence.

In a nation that purports to espouse Christian values, taking a dissenting ideological stance is seen as something subversive and vile. Numerous conducted polls show that atheists are more distrusted than Muslims and Mexicans, two of the most vilified and criticized minority groups in our country, presently.

Most issues arise from a lack of understanding; a fair amount of people are exceptionally critical of atheism because they simply know nothing about it. They have no personal connection(s). These people base their prejudices on atheist representation in the public and in the media.

Fortunately, we live in an era where differences are becoming more and more accepted, and even celebrated. Atheistic groups are sprouting like wildflowers (in schools, in communities, and online), there are even atheist churches, as weird as that sounds.

However, in a nation that glorifies pious athletes who pray on field and give thanks and credit to an omnipotent creator, the notion of having an atheist in office, let alone on a pitching mound, seems rather absurd. Republicans are viewed as less hospitable to atheists, but even the progressive democrats are hesitant to elect someone even suspected of being an atheist. Keep in mind, Bernies campaign was sabotaged by the DNC, because he might have been dangerously unorthodox.

This isnt something new or radical; our founding fathers wouldnt be described as traditionally religious (Paine was an atheist; Jefferson wrote his own, miracle-free New Testament; most of the others were deists), so having an atheist in office shouldnt that be that unconventional or absurd.

Without an atheist in office, many young atheists are without atheist role-models. As stated earlier, most athletes have some sort of religious inclination, and a lot of celebrities maintain some faith, so the only acceptable positions for atheists to hold are in the sciences or academia.

Not to mention that the way atheists are portrayed in the media is hurtful to the cause as well. Filmmaker Kevin Sorbo, in his Gods Not Dead film series, shows the atheist professor to be arrogant and closed-minded, and even spiteful and angry. In the hit show House, the titular doctor is portrayed as overly-critical, pretentious, and generally negative. While this might be who he is as a person, he is not the only atheist portrayed this way. The anthropomorphic dog, Brian, in Family Guy is a faux-intellectual and substance-abuser, perfectly in-line with his heathen lifestyle.

Its all just lazy writing that relies upon shoddy stereotypes. In fact, its a common trope used by screenwriters. Granted, there are negative and horrible atheists, but thats true for any group. But, with the proper representation, maybe atheist can enact influence in long sought-after arenas, and, above all, not be misunderstood. We dont all hate religion, and most importantly, we dont hate people; atheists recognize we are all we have.

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Atheists are often a vilified and misrepresented minority - SRU The Online Rocket

Mar 07, 2017.

Homes in India are evolving to become works of art as home owners look to express their taste and lifestyle through design. Its no surprise that global home design platform Houzz saw over a million visitors every month from India, even before their services were locally available. Architects and homeowners are spending enormous time and effort over structural elements as well as interior features, to create beautiful and comfortable living spaces.

Heres a look at the top trends that are altering and enhancing home spaces in India.

Cantilevers. A cantilever is a rigid structural element like a beam or slab that protrudes horizontally out of the main structure of a building. The cantilevered structure almost seems to float on air. While small balconies of such type have existed for eons, construction technology has now enabled large cantilevers, that can even become large rooms. A cantilever allows for glass facades on multiple sides, bringing in more sunlight and garden views. It works wonderfully to enhance spectacular views especially in hill or seaside homes. The space below the cantilever can be transformed to a semi-covered garden, porch or a sit-out deck. Cantilevers also help conserve ground space, for lawns or backyards, while enabling more built-up area. Cantilevers need to be designed and constructed carefully else the structure could be unstable and lead to floor vibrations.

Butterfly roofs. Roofs dont need to be flat - in fact roof design can completely alter the size and feel of the space inside. A butterfly roof is a dramatic roof arrangement shaped, as the name suggests, like a butterfly. It is an inverted version of the typical sloping roof - two roof surfaces slope downwards from opposing edges to join around the middle in the shape of a mild V. This creates more height inside the house and allows for high windows which let in more light. On the inside, the sloping ceiling can be covered in wood, aluminium or metal to make it look stylish. The butterfly roof is less common and is sure to add uniqueness to your home. Leading Indian architecture firms, Sameep Padoras sP+a and Khosla Associates, have used this style to craft some stunning homes and commercial projects. The Butterfly roof was first used by Le Corbusier, the Swiss-French architect who later designed the city of Chandigarh, in his design of the Maison Errazuriz, a vacation house in Chile in 1930.

Skylights. Designing a home to allow natural light in is always preferred. However, spaces, surrounding environment and privacy issues dont always allow for large enough windows. Skylights are essentially windows in the roof, though they can take a variety of forms. A well-positioned skylight can fill a room with natural light and make a huge difference to small rooms as well as large living areas. However, skylights must be intelligently designed to suit the climate and the room. Skylights facing north, if on a sloping roof, will bring in soft light, while a skylight on a flat roof will bring in sharp glare in the afternoons. In the Indian climate, a skylight will definitely reduce the need for artificial lighting but could also increase the need for air-conditioning during the warm months. Apart from this cleaning a skylight requires some effort. Nevertheless, a skylight is a very stylish addition to a home, and one that has huge practical value.

Staircases. Staircases are no longer just functional. In modern houses, staircases are being designed as aesthetic elements in themselves, sometimes even taking the centre-stage. While the form and material depend significantly on practical considerations, there are several trendy options. Floating staircases are hugely popular in modern, minimalist homes and add lightness to a normally heavy structure. Materials like glass, wood, metal and even coloured acrylic are being used in staircases. Additionally, spaces under staircases are being creatively used for storage or home accents.

Exposed Brick Walls. Brickwork is traditionally covered with plaster and painted. However, exposed bricks, that is un-plastered masonry, is becoming popular in homes, restaurants and cafes. It adds a rustic and earthy feel. Exposed brick surfaces can be used in home interiors, on select walls or throughout, as well as exteriors. Exposed bricks need to be treated to be moisture proof. They are also prone to gathering dust and mould, making regular cleaning a must.

Cement work. Dont underestimate cement and concrete when it comes to design potential. Exposed concrete interiors, like exposed brick, are becoming very popular. The design philosophy is Less is more - the structure is simplistic and pops of colour are added through furniture and soft furnishings.

When building your home, it is important to use strong and durable materials. A value-added premium product with high compressive strength, Birla Gold cement is used to make tough, impermeable concrete that sets quickly, lasts long and minimises cracking. Its durability will ensure that your dream home always looks new and the steel structure inside remains protected. Birla Gold offers variants that are optimised for different needs. The unique hydraulic binding properties of the Birla Gold Premium cement variant prevent seepage, making it resistant to even corrosive water, especially important for houses in coastal cities. The Birla Gold Royal cement variant provides very high strength and is perfect for the foundation. As the video below says, with the different varieties of cement that Birla Gold offers, you can build the home of your dreams.

This article was produced by the Scroll marketing team on behalf of Birla Gold Premium Cement and not by the Scroll editorial team.

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The Daily Fix: Coimbatore murder says that in India, atheism is a faith that dare not speak its name - Scroll.in

'Unbelievers' who aim to dispel misconceptions of atheism - The Hindu The Hindu Pune sees a gathering of rationalists, who, despite their differences are firm believers on the right to 'unbelieve' God or religion. and more »

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'Unbelievers' who aim to dispel misconceptions of atheism - The Hindu - The Hindu

A controversial new study has claimed that atheism is on the verge of dying out.

Researchers found that since religious groups preach against contraception, they tend to have more children than those who label themselves as atheists.

These findings offset the popular prediction that scientific thinking will eventually replace supernatural thinking humans.

The study was conducing by researchers from the US and Malaysia, who set out to examine how person with various religious beliefs and affiliations are the descendants of parents with varying degrees of fertility, reads the study published in the journal Evolutionary Psychological Science.

To the extent that secularization is occurring, we hypothesize that religiosity should be inversely correlated with parental fertility, and we expect this to be the case across countries and religious groups.

The team sampled more than 4,000 students attending different colleges in both the US and Malaysia, who were asked about their beliefs and number of siblings.

Following a four-page questionnaire, researchers found that within both countries, the most fertile group was Muslims.

In Malaysia, Muslim families had an average of 5.89 children and 4.29 in the US.

The second most fertile parents in Malaysia were Hindus with 4.01 children but this was a small sample of only five students.

Atheists living in Malaysia had an average of 3.67 children and parents of US students that were also not part of a religious group had 3.04.

According to the Islamic faith, sex is forbid outside of marriage and there have been many cases where both the man and woman were physically punished for their actions.

On the other hand, there is no laws against or for contraception, and eight of the nine classic schools of Islamic law permit it.

However, conservative Islamic leaders preach against the use of condoms or other types of birth control, which has made it difficult for people to get access to what they need for family planning.

Although the Quran does not mention birth control directly, it does provide a quote that many Muslims believe opposes it.

You should not kill your children for fear of want (17:31, 6:151).

Some believe that preventing a pregnancy from happening is also killing a child.

Catholics believe contraception is sinful and the worst being birth control pills.

This religious group says that it doesnt prevent the sperm and egg from conceiving, but acts as an abortifacient.

They believe birth control pills force the uterus to eject potentially fertilized eggs, which they believe is an embryo and a person.

The Catholic Church also sees condoms and other artificial contraception as morally wrong, because they teach marriage should only be done in marriage.

However, this religious groups does encourage people to use natural science as a form of contraception.

This includes taking body temperature, checking body fluids, and using some computations, as they say a woman can determine with 95% accuracy when to have sex and not get pregnant.

It was also found that Christians living in the US had 3.11 children and Catholics had 3.42.

If one combines this finding with the extensive evidence reviewed in the introduction that both religiosity and fertility are substantially influenced by genes, once can deduce that over the long term, secularization is not likely to replace the popularity of religions, the researchers wrote in the study.

Instead, over the long term, we predict that the most religious shall inherit the earth, so to speak.

This is especially so for the most fertile religious groups Islam.

The team noted that throughout the medieval period, people did not associate religion with contraception as they did not have the education or means to produce it.

In other words, even if religiosity was positively correlated with the number of offspring couples desired, contraception needed to have major effects on fertility rates during medieval times was quite limited.

As a result, it seems safe to assume that throughout the medieval period, fertility rates among the highly religious and the minimally religious were small.

Because the networks [analytical and emotional]suppress each other, they may create two extremes, Dr Boyatzis said.

Recognising that this is how the brain operates, maybe we can create more reason and balance in the national conversations involving science and religion.

The researchers say humans are built to engage and explore using both networks.

Far from always conflicting with science, under the right circumstances religious belief may positively promote scientific creativity and insight, Dr Jack said.

Many of historys most famous scientists were spiritual or religious. Those noted individuals were intellectually sophisticated enough to see that there is no need for religion and science to come into conflict.

According to Baruch Aba Shalevs book 100 years of Nobel Prizes, from 1901 to 2000, 654 Nobel laureates 90 percent belonged to one of 28 religions.

You can be religious and be a very good scientist, Dr Jack said.

The researchers agree with the New Atheists that suspension of analytical thinking at the wrong time can be dangerous, and point to the historical use of religious differences to persecute or fight wars.

But they said that taking a carefully considered leap of religious faith appears be an effective route to promoting emotional insight.

Their study adds to a body of evidence showing that overall, religious belief is associated with greater compassion, greater social inclusiveness and greater motivation to engage in pro-social actions.

This allowed genes for minimal religiosity to exist alongside genes for maximal religiosity.

In the study, the team discussed how genes play a role in whether or not you believe in God, which suggests that it may also be link to fertility rate.

The team explained that there is evidence that genetically influenced personality traits, particularly agreeableness, lead to greater religious involvement, larger family size and greater communal investment in general.

A recent meta-analysis of a large sample studies found that adults who score high on agreeableness tend to invest heavily in both religious and family life, reads the study.

Originally posted here:
Atheism could eventually die out says US researchers - The Missouri Injury Blog (blog)

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) The bi-partisan bill to repeal North Dakota's blue laws failed earlier this week in the senate by just 3 votes. But what's drawing new attention is the comments made by some senators regarding religion and their justification for voting against the repeal. One even talking at length about atheism, then creationism. So what does this have to do with opening at store earlier on a Sunday?

North Dakota Senator Dick Dever voted "no" on the Sunday blue law. But before voting "no" Dever decided to go on a nearly eight minute speech.

"Athesits believe there is no God. "If you were to Google humanism, you might come to their website where they talk about the separation of church and state and their efforts to bring that about." said Dever.

So it's no surprise that not everyone I stopped was willing to go on camera and give their opinion about Se. Dever's diatribe. Except for this man: "Sunday to me is a day of rest and football." said Shane Callison of Fargo.

And when asked what his thoughts are on Dever's speech, he replied with "people are going to choose to go to church or not. If they're doing it because of the church... I go to church on Saturday night."

"The value of Sunday morning is not in the profits that roll through the cash registers. The value of Sunday morning's is in the time." said Dever.

So what does Sunday mean to Sen. Dever?

"A time to reflect on the many blessings that we have been bestowed on us as a country. And yes, to be grateful to the one who did that. I'm voting no on this bill." Dever said.

Reporter: Do you feel like it's just Fargo? That may seem like it's back set in the 1950's? Shane: Haha, yeah! Well yeah. Listening to him right there; yes, definitely!

Reporter: What do you think needs to change? Shane: Like I said, I think it's time for the good old boys to retire.

We reached out to Sen. Dever. He says that his speech is all about the balance between church, society and government. He adds the only negative comments he has received about his speech are from those who "don't have a place for church in their lives."

Right now, a Fargo businessman says he's drafting a petition to repeal North Dakota's blue laws and if passed, voters will decide if the state should continue with its blue laws.

The petition needs more than 13,000 signatures from voters.

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Atheism and Humanism: Senator's comments on Sunday Blue Law vote raises eyebrows - Valley News Live

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Marshall Universitys Secular Student Alliance allowed other students to ask its members questions about atheism and secularism Thursday in the Memorial Student Center.

SSA is a student organization that focuses on educating other students on the beliefs and practices of nontheists, described by the organization as individuals who do not believe in a higher power, supreme being or supernatural entities.

Several members of SSA set up a table in the MSC lobby in conjunction with Ask an Atheist Day, an annual event that allows the organizations members to share their beliefs and answer any questions other students may have.

I remember growing up in schools here and it came out that I wasnt a Christian and I wasnt treated very well, said David Hulburt, a senior secondary education social studies major. Even today I tell people Im an atheist and they dont really understand what that means.

Hulburt said allowing students to ask questions who are curious about people with either different ideologies than him, or ones they have thought of, helps to bridge the gap between different students. He said this starts with understanding other viewpoints.

Atheism is the most mistrusted minority in this country, Hulburt said. Especially in this part of the country, we want to tear down that stigma and show people what we really believe and dispel any types of rumors and misconceptions.

Hulburt and Maggie Capehart, SSA director of events and hospitality and senior civil engineering major, said their goals include breaking down religious and social barriers in the government and between people on a personal level.

We are not here to be aggressive. We are not here to be anti-god or anti-religion necessarily, Capehart said. Were just trying to promote activism in the government and in our lives.

Students of all religious or non-religious backgrounds are able to join SSA. Capehart said SSA is about recognizing all points of view and making sure everyone is heard.

Ryan Murphy can be contacted at [emailprotected]

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Student organization dispels rumors, misconceptions about Atheism - MU The Parthenon