Category Archives: Atheist

A Nativity display in an Iowa town was removed from its longtime location at the fire department after city leaders received a letter from an atheist group arguing it is "divisive" to showcase the Christmas scene on public property.

"Right now, we're just looking through to see what options we have. My intent as mayor is to get it back at the fire station. We obviously just want to make sure we do it in a way that complies with any First Amendment issues," Toledo, Iowa, Mayor Brian Sokol told Fox News Digital in a phone interview Wednesday.

The Nativity scene was removed from the Toledo Fire Departments property on Friday after the city received a letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a nonprofit based in Wisconsin that advocates on behalf of atheists and agnostics.Sokol explained that city leaders did not authorize the display to be taken down, but that the fire department did so with "good intentions" to avoid a potential lawsuit.

Toledo is located roughly 70 miles northeast of Des Moines and has a population of just over 2,000 residents.

THE SATANIC TEMPLE SETS UP PUBLIC DISPLAY INSIDE IOWA CAPITOL BUILDING: 'VERY DARK, EVIL FORCE'

"Its unfortunate that we even have to have this discussion. It was donated to the city and has been up every year for 15 to 20 years," Sokol previously added in a comment about the Nativity, according to local outlet the Times-Republican.

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"It will be a discussion item for the council to decide if we put it back up or permanently relocate it. We have received a lot of positive comments and the feedback has been [to] keep it up. A lawsuit could be a possibility, but unfortunately, it seems too many groups want to sue about anything."

The letter, which was posted publicly on Toledos official government Facebook page, argues it is "inappropriate" to showcase a Nativity scene on public property.

"Nativity scenes on public property are unnecessary, inappropriate and divisive," the letter states. "It is irrefutable that the nativity is a religious, Christian symbol. The best solution is to remove this nativity scene and discontinue hosting religious displays on public property altogether."

BETHLEHEM CHURCH BRINGS PEOPLE TO TEARS AFTER REDESIGNING CHRISTMAS NATIVITY SCENE TO REFLECT ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

The founder of the Eastern Iowa Atheists, Justin Scott, first spotted the Nativity scene and flagged the Freedom From Religion Foundation about a potential First Amendment violation, the Times-Republican reported. Scott, who is not from Toledo, said he also called city hall about the display and was told to fill out a complaint with the city.

He argued in comments to the outlet that he did not want the city to remove the Nativity display but to add non-religious holiday decorations such as Santa Claus or candy canes. He added that he enjoys the holiday season despite being an atheist.

"I know Im a godless heathen, but this is a special time," he said.

ANGRY RESIDENTS PUSH BACK AGAINST ATHEIST GROUP'S CALL FOR TOWN TO MOVE NATIVITY SCENE

The daughter of the man who crafted the Nativity scene more than 30 years ago relayed that she was shocked to find out it was removed from the fire department. She said the scene had previously been installed on private property before it was moved to the fire station an estimated 20 years ago.

AT CHRISTMAS SEASON, IOWA MAN AIMS FOR WORLD RECORD FOR LARGEST NATIVITY SCENES COLLECTION

"Friday morning I went to the City Hall to see who had asked for that to be taken down, and I was given the letter and the name of the person," Becky Faircloth told WHO13. "It was found out that this person doesnt even live in our community. This person is from another community not even connected to our county."

Sokol also addressed how locals have taken issue with how an out-of-towner's complaint led to the Freedom From Religion Foundation letter.

"I think that the frustrating part is that the complaint wasn't even a local complaint. It was not even in the same county. An out-of-towner drove through and filed a complaint. And that's what brought the City Council's attention. And then in the meantime, we received a letter from a coalition threatening a lawsuit if we did not remove it," he said.

The city council meeting Monday regarding the removal of the display drew record crowds as people sounded off that the Nativity scene should be reinstalled at the fire department, Sokol told Fox News Digital.

"Were all here because this is a good town. This is a free town. And we, as the majority, should be able to say what it is we want, and we want that Nativity back at the fire station," one resident said at the meeting.

"I dont like people burning flags, I dont like people burning Bibles, and I dont like people telling us we cant have a Nativity scene at our fire station," Councilman Joe Boll said, according to the outlet. The crowd responded "amen" to Bolls comment.

Sokol also addressed the crowd and said the Nativity scene controversy will not be forgotten or dismissed by town leadership.

MEET THE AMERICAN WHO PLANTED THE FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE FARM: NEW JERSEY ENTREPRENEUR WV MCGALLIARD

"We are not dropping this," Sokol said. "The city attorney is still reviewing our options; again, we think we do have options so that we can put it back, but in compliance."

Iowa is currently facing criticism for another display this Christmas season involving a satanic altar in the states capitol building. The Satanic Temple display includes a mirror-covered ram's head, a mannequin in red clothing, and an altar-style display with candles.

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"It's a very dark, evil force, and I truly hope people know how to battle that," an Iowa resident said in reaction to the display, KCCI Des Moines reported.

Sokol said he doesn't believe it's "mere coincidence" that his town is dealing with a complaint over the nativity scene while a satanic altar is on display in the state's capitol building.

"I don't think it's a mere coincidence. I think it's just the times that we're living in. The timing is ironic. This is unfortunate that we're even having this conversation," Sokol said.

The mayor said he is hoping to get the Nativity display returned to the fire department and compliant with the First Amendment before Christmas.

Original article source: Iowa town removes Nativity scene after out-of-town atheist steps in

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Iowa town removes Nativity scene after out-of-town atheist steps in - Yahoo News

While the problem of evil is undoubtedly the most famous argument for atheism, a related argument from divine hiddenness has, in recent years, also been quite prominent. The argument from divine hiddenness has been articulated by the philosopher J.L. Schellenberg, and a number of prominent atheist YouTubers such as Alex OConnor, Justin Schieber, and others have appealed to his argument to argue against the existence of God. Schellenbergs argument hinges on the notion of so-called nonresistant nonbelieversi.e., people who are open to belief in God but yet do not believe in him. I will outline the argument in one of its popular forms and examine it in light of the question of universal salvation.

Alex OConnor, in a recent debate, put the argument like this:

Clearly, premises (2) and (3) are the key ones in this argument. For the sake of this discussion, we can grant the truth of (3) and focus on some reasons why (2) might be false. That is, why an all-loving God who wants relationships with his creatures would allow nonresistant nonbelievers to exist. We will examine this in light of the question of universalismi.e., the belief that all human persons will ultimately be saved by God. By looking at both a positive and negative answer to the question of universalism, we can see some plausible reasons God would allow for nonresistant nonbelief.

The true force of the argument comes by means of the eternal significance of having a relationship with God.

Suppose for the sake of argument that universalism is truethat is, all human persons will ultimately come to share eternal life with God and enjoy the beatific vision. If universalism is true, then ultimately, all people do come to know God and come to be in a loving relationship with him. Thus, ultimately, there will be no nonresistant nonbelievers even though, per our concession, some exist at present. In this case, what is the force of the argument from divine hiddenness? It seems to me that the only way the argument can succeed is if the atheist insists that, for any person who is open to belief in God, God must, at that very instant, bring it about that the person believes in God. If God waited even five seconds to make the person a believer, it would somehow contradict his loving nature.

This suggestion seems altogether implausible to me. Surely in his infinite wisdom, God has reasons for allowing someone to remain in unbelief for a short time. And since we are considering universalism, all of our temporal lives are, in comparison with eternity, very short. We can plausibly hold that God has reasons for allowing someone to persist in unbelief. It requires little effort to come up with at least a few reasons.

Here is just one possible set of reasons:

Virtually everyone would agree that it is good for people to go through trials and struggles in life and in relationships in particular. Perhaps by allowing us to remain in ignorance of his existence for some time, we are forced to reflect more deeply on our lives and the world more broadly and to seek God more closely than we would have if his existence were more obvious to us. Such a search might develop certain virtues in us like perseverance. It may also make us better evangelists to others who themselves struggle with doubts and disbelief. Even our belief in God might be stronger than it would have been otherwise, since we would have gone through a more rigorous search for him. If even one of these is plausible, the argument from hiddenness has problems.

In summary, if universalism is true, there are ultimately no nonresistant nonbelievers. Even if such people exist for a period of time in their mortal lives or even all of their mortal lives, this short period where they struggle in the dark can be a means to goods they would not otherwise have experienced. Thus, it seems, if universalism is true, the argument from nonresistant nonbelief has little to no force.

On the contrary, suppose that universalism is not true and that at least some or all nonbelievers fail to be saved and spend eternity separated from God. I believe this is an implicit premise in arguments from hiddenness, which transforms the argument from divine hiddenness into a specific case of the argument from evil: Why would God allow the seeming injustice of allowing nonresistant nonbelievers to be separated from him for all eternity?

Obviously, much could be said about the Catholic Churchs teaching on salvation regarding non-Catholics, but we can put that aside for this discussion. Let us just assume for the sake of argument that nonresistant nonbelievers cannot be saved and that their nonresistant nonbelief is sufficient for separating them from God for eternity. In this case, the stakes for the unbeliever are much higher than in the case of universalism since their ultimate destiny depends upon putting their faith in God. In this case, surely, the atheist might argue, God would instill belief in these nonresistant nonbelievers.

The Word on Fire Bible Vol. III: The Pentateuch

But even here, I think the atheist is plausibly wrong. Let us consider John, a nonbeliever who is open to belief in God but nevertheless lives a life far from Gods law and thus receives his just reward at the end of his life. Wouldnt it have been better if John had believed in God? Perhaps . . . but perhaps not.

Suppose that God chose to give John greater evidence for his existence such that John came to believe that God existed. Suppose further that John, despite knowledge of God and perhaps basic knowledge of Gods commandments, lived the same kind of life as I described above. In this case, Gods judgment on the believer John would be more severe than on the nonbeliever John per the principle that God judges those in accord with the revelation they have received. God then might know the following possibilities:

Since in neither scenario does John come into a loving relationship with God, option (1) would seem to be the better since the judgment in (1) is less severe than the judgment in (2). Thus, if God is all merciful as Christians hold, God would plausibly prefer (1) to (2). Thus, on account of Gods mercy, plausibly, there are nonresistant nonbelievers.

It is helpful to examine the argument from divine hiddenness in terms of salvation because it seems that the true force of the argument comes by means of the eternal significance of having a relationship with God. However, when looking at the argument either under a universalist framework or under a non-universalist framework, the argument from divine hiddenness has plausible defeaters. If universalism is true, the arguments force is significantly reduced because in the end, there are no nonresistant nonbelievers. If universalism is false, then God might plausibly want a person to not come to believe that he exists, if such belief would not lead to further conversion. In this case, such belief would merely increase the persons culpability for their sins and thus merit more punishment from God. If God is merciful, as the defender of the argument holds, then the existence of nonresistant nonbelievers is not surprising or contradictory with Gods nature. Much more could be said about the argument.

What is presented here briefly are just two possible answers to this question of which there are many more. Some prominent historical Christian writers who have wrestled with this problem are Blaise Pascal and Sren Kierkegaard, whose insights are invaluable.

More recently, many other Christian writers such as Travis Dumsday have written extensively on this topic responding directly to J.L. Schellenberg. A very recent and much longer video discussion on this topic was recently done by the Protestant thinker Gavin Ortlund, which I would recommend:

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Universalism and Nonresistant Nonbelief - Word on Fire

A Christian leader on a mission to bring the Bible and truth to public school kids said atheist activists recent attacks on his organization have helped spread the word about his efforts.

Listen to them on the latestepisodeof Quick Start

Joel Penton, founder and CEO of LifeWise Academy and author of During School Hours: WHY and HOW LifeWise Academy is Reinstalling Religious Education into the Public School Day, told CBN Digital his organization offers something truly compelling to American youths.

LifeWise Academy provides Bible education to public school students during school hours, which to most people sounds crazy, because of the whole separation of church and state and how the Bible has been removed from the public school day, Penton said. But what very few people realize is that, in 1952, the Supreme Court actually ruled that public school students can be released from school during school hours to receive religious instruction.

Such instruction must unfold off school property, be privately funded, and the kids participating must have parental permission. Penton said the legal reality of this has flown under the radar for 70 years.

Watch him explain:

He launched LifeWise Academy a few years ago after learning about the 1952 Release Time ruling in the Zorach v. Clauson Supreme Court case that found such instruction is constitutional and permissible, allowing kids to get religious instruction during the school day.

Penton launched with just two schools in 2019, with the effort quickly exploding to more than 340 schools across 15 states. Once a week, kids are bussed from their public schools to a local church or facility, with the schedule churning and rotating. For some schools with a plethora of kids in the program, the buses continue to run throughout the day as new groups shuffle to and from LifeWise.

With LifeWise making such a massive splash, it didnt take long for the organization to come into the crosshairs of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), an atheist activist group based in Madison, Wisconsin. The group recently took action to dissuade schools from taking part.

They sent a letter out to every single superintendent in the state of Ohio, in part, because LifeWise is spreading so rapidly in Ohio, and next year we will be in a full quarter of the 600 school districts in the state, Penton said. But the letter didnt necessarily make a strong case for why schools shouldnt allow this type of thing.

He said the FFRF simply wanted to let schools know they dont have to allow LifeWise Academy, which, legally speaking, is true. In Ohio, districts can decline to allow students to use the Release Time ruling, though they are also free to allow the implementation of such programs if they so choose.

Public school districts under Ohio law arent legally required to authorize release time for students to attend religious instruction off-campus during school hours, the FFRF wrote.

But Penton said the FFRF actually made a really great case for why LifeWise and other programs like it are perfectly legal and permissible for districts to engage in. He also responded to the atheists letter with a fair amount of gratitude for the attention it garnered.

We were asked to make a public comment about them sending this letter, because we heard about it and, of course, we publicly thanked the Freedom From Religion Foundation for investing their time and money to spread the word about LifeWise, Penton said. Because when people learn about it, they tend to get pretty excited, and the people that dont like it are a very, very small minority.

Penton also discussed the fact that less than 20% of the kids participating in LifeWise attend church regularly. Meanwhile, in some schools, 80-90% of the student body opts to take part.

We have one school that has over a thousand students in the school, he said. And over 900 of them are enrolled in LifeWise Academy.

I would say the Freedom from Religion Foundation realizes that theres a lot of kids that are currently outside the faith that are being brought in and receiving Bible education, Penton said. Which, of course, is a wonderful thing, and it bothers them.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost recently responded to the FFRFs letter with his own note, informing superintendents across Ohio that theyre legally permitted to participate in LifeWise and other programs like it.

[He] said, just to clarify, release time is entirely legal, Penton said. I have to say it was amazing.

But far beyond platitudes and areas of debate, Penton said he believes theres evidence LifeWise Academy is very literally helping kids in all areas of their lives.

For now, Penton is focused on massive growth throughout new states and locations. Find out more about LifeWise Academy here.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up forFaithwires daily newsletterand download theCBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

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Proof God, Prayer Transforms Public Schools? How Atheists' Antics Could Inadvertently Fuel Spread of the Gospel - Faithwire

WCAFs 2023 winter solstice billboard will be up at First and Ouray from Dec. 20-26, 2023

Western Colorado Atheists and Freethinkers (WCAF), the western slopes longest-established secular organization, will run a holiday billboard to commemorate the 2023 winter solstice.

The digital billboard will be up from 12/20-12/26 on the northeast corner of First Street and Ouray Ave., across the street from Bicycle Outfitters and Thai No. 9. There is plenty of free parking on the street so people can stop, get out of their cars and admire the billboard, and plenty of sidewalk space to stand on to take pictures of it.

Western Colorado Atheists and Freethinkers was established in 2007 to give a voice to atheists and other nonreligious western slope residents. WCAF also serves as a watchdog for separation of church and state locally. The group has a page on their website where people can report violations of separation of church and state.

WCAF successfully fought mandatory student participation in religious high school baccalaureates, awarded a $4,325 scholarship to a Delta High School student who exposed the Christian proselytizingin Delta County public schools, prevailed in a fight over on-campus Bible giveaways at Colorado Mesa University, successfully stopped CMU from forcing nursing students to accept Bibles at their pinning ceremonies, pushed the City of Grand Junction to allow anyone, not just religious people, to offer invocations at City Council meetings, donated money to the Food Bank of the Rockies, held road cleanups,exposed the anti-atheist bias of long-time former Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce President Diane Schwenke, and much more.

The group holds meetings monthly, usually at a local coffee bar. You can also connect with WCAF and follow the group on their Facebook page.

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Western Colorado Atheists and Freethinkers to run holiday billboard AnneLandmanBlog.com - AnneLandmanBlog.com

Photo: John Lennox on Unbelievable, talking with Dave Rubin (screenshot).

Can one person push back against the strong currents of atheism, materialism, and naturalism so evident in academia and the public square today? On a classic episode of ID the Future, philosopher of science Dr. Stephen Meyer begins a three-part conversation with Oxford University mathematician and philosopher Dr. John Lennox about his recent documentary filmAgainst the Tide: Finding God in an Age of Science. Lennox shows that one person can indeed push back when armed with knowledge, wisdom, and respect.

As Lennox explains, he grew up as the child of a uniquely non-sectarian Christian family in Northern Ireland, with parents who encouraged him to question broadly, read widely, and respect every person as a creature made in the image of God. Lennox tells of his encounters with C. S. Lewis at Cambridge University, relates a humorous story in which atheist Peter Atkins gave him the title of one of his books, and describes his front-row seat as he watched the scientific atheism of the 1960s transform into the aggressive and contemptuous New Atheism of more recent years a story that includes Lennoxs own debate with Richard Dawkins.

Download the podcast or listen to it here. This is Part 1 of 3.

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Against the Tide: John Lennox and Stephen Meyer - Discovery Institute

Calls intensified for the ouster of the presidents of three prestigious colleges after theywaffledduring a congressional hearing this week on whether calling for the genocide of Jews would break campus rules.

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The House Education and the Workforce Committee, which held the hearing on antisemitism on college campuses, opened a formal investigation into Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Chairwoman Virginia Foxx said the testimony from Harvard President Claudine Gay, Penn President Liz Magill and MIT President Sally Kornbluth was absolutely unacceptable.

Committee members have deep concerns with their leadership and their failure to take steps to provide Jewish students the safe learning environment they are due under law, she said. Given those institutional and personal failures, the committee is opening a formal investigation into the learning environments at Harvard, UPenn, and MIT and their policies and disciplinary procedures.

Read more about the fallouthere.

And, as The Times Mark A. Kellner notes, atheist activists are speaking out against Orem, Utah, encouraging officials there to ax In God We Trust, the recently adopted city motto, calling the proclamation improper. But the city sees the use of the phrase as an uplifting and cohesive move intended to bring people together.

In these times of uncertainty and division, it is more important than ever to ground our community in the timeless values that have sustained us through the years, Mayor David Young said at a recent ceremony. Adopting In God We Trust as our citys motto is a reflection of our collective faith, our commitment to one another, and our trust in the foundational principles that guide us.

Atheist leaders with the Freedom from Religion Foundation obviously havea very different viewon the matter.

Meanwhile, in California, theres a new social media literacy law igniting quite a bit offuror, fear and consternationover how it might be used to bend young people toward or against ideological whims.

Supporters say Assembly Bill 873 aims to help students discern accurate, objective data from opinion and misinformation, the Times Sean Salai writes. Critics say the law is an extension of state Democrats efforts to discredit and silence conservative and alternative media sources.

Find out more about the law and the debate over its contents here.

Overall giving to evangelical churches and ministries dropped in 2022, according to the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

Donations fell by 0.7% in 2021-2022 after having risen 3.9% in 2019-2020, Mr. Kellnerwrites, noting, though, that the situation might be looking different this year. However, evangelical ministries and churches have reported an increase in cash donations in 2023.

Mr. Kellner alsocaught upwith Noah James, who portrays the disciple Andrew in The Chosen, a popular TV show about Jesus and his followers. Mr. James said he has lingering and pertinent questions about what it was like after Christs death and resurrection.

I would want to know what it was like, in those years after the crucifixion, he said. Thats a huge piece of the puzzle. I can think about that question for as long as I am fortunate enough to play this character.

See what else he had tosay. The fourth season of The Chosen premieres in February.

On the transgender front, a new era of lawsuits by detransitioners could be a major threat to sex-transition health care, Ms. Richardsonwrites.

Young women like Soren Aldaco, Chloe Cole and Prisha Mosley are some of the detransitioners who are pushing back against doctors, accusing them of rushing them into life-altering procedures without information on the long-term impact.

They were prescribed drugs and underwent breast removals in their teens to adopt an opposite-sex identity and later realized they preferred their sex assigned at birth, Ms. Richardson writes. They are suing the medical professionals who signed off on puberty blockers, hormone therapies and surgeries.

Read more about thefascinating cases.

Meanwhile, The Times Ramsey Touchberry covered Republican Sen. Tommy Tubervilles decision to drop his nearly yearlong blockade against all military nominees, lifting his hold on all of the nominees below four-star promotions.

Mr. Tuberville has prevented the confirmations of any military promotions over the last roughly 10 months in protest of the Pentagons policy to pay for time off and travel expenses for service members to receive out-of-state abortions, Mr. Touchberrywrites. The Pentagon refused to relent despite the holds, making the case that abortion access in a post-Roe v. Wade era was crucial for battle readiness.

The decision to drop the blockage came after fears mounted that Mr. Tubervilles stand against abortion was beginning to cause national security concerns. Read the full storyhere.

Mitch Albom, author of Tuesdays with Morrie and The Little Liar, joins Higher Ground to share his experience of running an orphanage in Haiti and adopting a daughter who would eventually die from a rare and untreatable brain cancer.

Mr. Alboms new book, The Little Liar, is set during the Holocaust in Greece and has lessons on Gods truth, how lies can transform over time, and how to recover from the mistruths the world tells us.Watchwhat he had to say on Higher Ground.

FBI Director Christopher Wrayaddressed claimsthat FBI field offices beyond Richmond, Virginia, were involved in exploring whether traditional Catholics posed a terror threat, calling the assertion a garble.

House investigators said Monday that the FBIs probe into whether traditional Catholics posed a terrorist threat included interviews with a priest and a church choir director, and involved an undercover agent who infiltrated the church, the Times Kerry Picket writes.

Readmoreabout what Mr. Wray had to say and where the investigation stands.

Over on the opinion pages, columnist Billy Hallowelltackleshow progressive New York City Mayor Eric Adams is bucking the party line on faith and God, with Mr. Adams distinguishing himself as one of the most outspoken leaders sounding the alarm on the perils of America abandoning our individual and collective faith.

Mr. Hallowell explains how the mayor recently doubled down on his faith claims, warning that the removal of God and morals has harmed children. Anyone paying attention knows Mr. Adams is correct, as young people are struggling with a myriad of issues, all while culture continues to sell the lie that kids and adults, alike, can find fulfillment and truth in themselves rather than their Creator, Mr. Hallowellwrites.

Parents primary responsibility

Everett Piper answers an essential question in his latest Ask Dr. E column: What is the one thing American parents must focus on in this moment in time?

If I were limited to only one word of advice, it would be to repent, hewrites. Until we humble ourselves, pray, seek Gods face, and turn from our wickedness, God will not hear us, nor will he forgive our sins or heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Navigating Jesus in public schools

Another interesting piece comes from Kori Pennypacker, who helps parentsnavigatehow to handle the real meaning of Christmas (i.e. Jesus birthday) inside public schools.

Kids do not need to check their faith at the door when going to public school or when it comes to holiday games, shewrites. Even if it is not a religious holiday, like Valentines Day, kids can express their faith by putting their favorite verse on a Valentine to hand out to classmates. Greeting card companies have the freedom of speech to share their messages of love. Your child has the same freedom.

Continue reading here:

Higher Ground: Atheists outraged over 'In God We Trust' - Washington Times

A version of this story appeared in the Higher Ground newsletter from The Washington Times. Click here to receive Higher Ground delivered directly to your inbox each Sunday.

An atheist group Tuesday called on the city of Orem, Utah, to drop In God We Trust as its motto after the city of 98,000 recently adopted the phrase.

In these times of uncertainty and division, it is more important than ever to ground our community in the timeless values that have sustained us through the years, Mayor David Young said at a recent ceremony. Adopting In God We Trust as our citys motto is a reflection of our collective faith, our commitment to one another, and our trust in the foundational principles that guide us.

But the Freedom From Religion Foundation called the move inappropriate.

Chris Line, an attorney with the atheist organization, said in a demand letter to Mr. Young, Statements about a god have no place on city-owned property. Public officials should not use their government position and government property to promote religious belief. The City serves all residents of Orem, not just those who believe in a God or a higher purpose.

Mr. Line said, The history of the motto In God We Trust evidences no secular purpose; on the contrary, the motto was first adopted during the Cold War as a reaction to the purported godlessness of Communism. Americas original motto was purely secular E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one) and was selected by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin.

Orem, home to Utah Valley University, sits adjacent to Provo, home of Brigham Young University. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is set to dedicate a new temple there on Jan. 21.

In an October message, Mayor Young said the motto can serve as a constant reminder that we are a community that sets high goals and is guided by a higher purpose. He stated the phrase is featured on a license plate issued by the state, and is the motto of four cities or counties in the Beehive State.

In 2002, then-Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, a Republican, signed legislation requiring In God We Trust to be displayed in public schools, with instruction about the national motto incorporated into the curriculum. A total of 12 U.S. states have similar display requirements for public schools, with nine additional states allowing the practice.

According to an Orem city official, the motto will appear on signage for city buildings and, parks.

Go here to see the original:

Atheists rip Utah city for 'In God We Trust' motto, demand removal - Washington Times

Not long ago, I regularly received treatment from a medical professional whose expertise was well-proved over many appointments. She, religiously unaffiliated, was a woman of reason and science, effortlessly melding the most recent studies in her field with more than two decades of clinical expertise. Then, one day, she asked me for my sign and proceeded to explain the personal qualities of Sagittariuses like myself. Though my high opinion of her professionalism remains, her trust in astrology cannot help but bespeak a certain incoherence in her worldview.

I thought of astrology (popular among 30 percent of Americans) and the now-billion-dollar crystal industry when reading Washington Post columnist Kate Cohens new book, We of Little Faith: Why I Stopped Pretending to Believe (And Maybe You Should Too). Heavily reliant on anecdotes from her own (admittedly lukewarm) upbringing as a Reform Jew, Cohen aims to cajole her readers to be honest with themselves about their true beliefs by acknowledging their implicit atheism.

This will not only make Americans more coherent, claims Cohen it will benefit American progress, inhibited as it is by religion and its backward bigotry. Yet, I wonder, can Cohens readers (or even Cohen herself) overcome their own intellectual incoherence?

I believe that passing on ones preference for reason, evidence, and honesty pointing out, with conviction and context, where fiction poses as fact is the truly moral choice, declares Cohen in the prologue. This is a constant refrain of We of Little Faith that religious belief is intellectually indefensible, that the scriptures of various faith traditions are full of absurd and morally contemptible portrayals of the divine, and that many people profess belief because of a certain inherited intellectual laziness. I would say that all evidence points to the fact that God is a popular and useful fiction, and that no evidence points to the fact that he actually exists.

Cohens atheism, she explains, derives naturally from a few simple observations. The first of these is that many religious traditions are based on mythical accounts that are obviously fanciful, and that many others such as Mormonism and Scientology are so absurd as to merit nothing but derision.

Yet from the premise that some religions are mythical or downright preposterous, it does not follow that all religions are thus, just as recognizing that the history of medical science has been full of quackery (and often still is) does not mean modern medicine is all illegitimate. Indeed, if there were a God, its at least plausible he might even make use of the mythical genre to communicate truths to primitive cultures whose understanding of the world is informed by such stories, as many scholars posit God does in the Old Testament.

Life is confusing and death is scary, notes Cohen. Thus, she asserts, humans concocted religion to explain death. At least Cohens first point was an argument, albeit a fallacious one. This second argument is sheer, unsubstantiated speculation regarding the existence of a phenomenon, and obtains as little as it would for me to assert that Cohen authored this book as an exercise in self-deception in order to suppress her own fears of the divine and death.

Her third argument is that the holy books of various traditions contain facts now disproven by science and morality now disavowed by modern adherents. Yet the Hebrew Bible is not a science textbook but a collection of various ancient literary genres poetry, wisdom literature, history, prophecy that even its early interpreters did not believe were to be understood as explaining literal, scientific realities (just read Origen or Augustine). And as much as religious traditions such as Christianity declare the absolute nature of various moral principles, does that not allow for their varied application in human history, based on cultural or political circumstances?

Again, if there is a God, and He is a Father of creation, is He not permitted to give us varied moral instructions, based on mans historical and cultural ability to understand and apply them? Is the divergence in instructions I give to my 10-year-old and 3-year-old an embarrassing contradiction or an appreciation for the difference in their maturity?

Cohen also argues that various unfathomable cruelties such as child rape disprove Gods existence. Certainly, child rape is heinous. But is any rape not heinous? Is any cold-blooded murder not unconscionable? But if there is a God, and if He has permitted free will, such human wickedness becomes possible.

Of course, we may demand to know why God does not intervene in the midst of such evil. But what, one might ask, would this look like? Is a good God supposed to intervene every time a rape or murder is about to happen, immediately acting to prevent such harms, say, by staying the perpetrators hand or striking him dead? And, if we demand God to intervene in those events, why not every circumstance where people are killed, injured, or hurt, from natural disasters to skinned knees? This is an exercise in pure subjectivity.

Cohens arguments against God, little more than regurgitations of the tired rhetoric of the New Atheists, are superficial, illogical, and emotive. They are also embarrassingly ignorant. There is absolutely no engagement with any of the classical arguments for Gods existence, be they Thomas Aquinass Five Ways or Anselms ontological argument. Nor is there any interaction with the best responses to the New Atheists, such as from theologian David Bentley Hart or philosopher Ed Feser. Its certainly possible all of the arguments in favor of Gods existence are bad, but if Cohen believes them to be so, she offers no rebuttals.

Instead, she complains that atheists are held to an unfair standard by those who expect them to be able to prove that God doesnt exist. Well, given thats the definition of atheism yes, one should be able to demonstrate that. Or is Cohen demanding atheists be allowed to be intellectually lazy?

We of Little Faith is less a logic-driven treatise than a therapeutic self-help book from someone whos seen the light she even devotes a chapter to helping atheists create their own holidays. Because of this, one observes the same kind of naivete found among zealous new religious converts. When I had children I realized that our lives and our heads are full of half-considered actions and half-digested philosophies and entirely unproven received wisdom, writes Cohen, as if religious people havent also contemplated this fact.

Not that Cohen is entirely ignorant of religious writers. She cites Josef Pieper, Tim Keller, and Rick Warren, among others. She approvingly cites Ignatius of Loyola and C.S. Lewis as guides for reflection, something she has sought to adopt (in a non-religious way) as an atheist. But she also gets basic things about religion wrong. She thinks individual Catholic priests, rather than tribunal courts, grant annulments. She claims that the Catholic Church in 1992 stopped authoritatively teaching the doctrine of limbo, though thats patently false it was never official, magisterial doctrine in the first place, and Catholics are still permitted to believe in it.

Cohen believes that by dispensing with religion, America will become a more prosperous and just society. You can conduct a full life, a wonderful, even profound life, without relying on either the familiar religious structures or the supernatural beings that supposedly animate them. She praises secular societies, which according to measures such as rates of homicide, violent crime, poverty rates, obesity, child abuse, and teen pregnancy, are doing better than religious societies.

Yet this elides the widely-reported fact that these same societies are facing a catastrophic future because of paltry birth rates, growing vocal immigrant communities in (increasingly violent) tension with native peoples, and a deep, nihilistic self-hatred resulting in unprecedented levels of depression, anxiety, and drug abuse.

If people stopped trusting in God to solve their problems they would take more responsibility for their lives and the well-being of the societies in which they live, Cohen claims. Yet the most actively religious people are often the most civically engaged and driven to change the world for the better (ever heard of Mother Teresa?).

According to the Philanthropy Roundtable, the religiously observant are almost twice as likely to volunteer when compared to the non-observant, and donate more than twice as much to charitable causes. Much to the ACLUs chagrin, about 1 in 7 U.S. hospital beds are in a Catholic facility. About 1.7 million American children are educated in Catholic schools, saving taxpayers more than $20 billion annually. The Knights of Columbus annually contributes almost $200 million and about 75 million service hours to charitable causes. Can Cohen name a single American atheist organization that rivals that?

At a superficial level, the arguments made by people like Cohen make sense. If you believe a higher power is responsible for the weather or can stop the spread of some illness, shouldnt that make you intellectually and volitionally lazier? Yet the data does not support that hypothesis quite the opposite, in fact.

Faith, at least in the Judeo-Christian tradition, is more often an intellectual and societal stimulant than a soporific. Yet even if thats true, demography seems to be on Cohens side: millions of Americans are abandoning religion in favor of a secular future. Nevertheless, as Cohens book (unintentionally) shows, that future will be no less incoherent.

Casey Chalk is a senior contributor at The Federalist and an editor and columnist at The New Oxford Review. He has a bachelors in history and masters in teaching from the University of Virginia and a masters in theology from Christendom College. He is the author of The Persecuted: True Stories of Courageous Christians Living Their Faith in Muslim Lands.

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Can Anyone Give An Actual Argument For Atheism? - The Federalist

Religious beliefs among Mori have shifted significantly over the past two decades.

The number of Mori identifying as having no religion in the census between 2006 and 2018 increased from 36.5% to 53.5%. Mori affiliation with Christianity has fallen from 46.2% to 29.9%.

Are Mori simply rejecting Christianity? Or are they rejecting all supernatural phenomena, including traditional Mori beliefs?

Our research examined the apparent rise of Mori atheism. We found the colonial history of religion was a driving force for Mori who identified as atheist or having no religion.

We also found Mori atheists said they experienced discrimination for their lack of religion, and their Moriness was questioned within their community or work.

The no religion category in the census captures a range of worldviews, including people who say they are spiritual but not religious; agnostics people who are uncertain about the existence of a higher power; and atheists people who do not believe in the existence of god(s).

As part of our research, we spoke with 16 Mori aged 30 to 65 who did not believe in god(s). All but four were raised in religious households.

Some emphasised lingering intellectual doubts as the reason for rejecting religion. As one participant explained:

If Im being intellectually honest and consistent, I should put all my beliefs on the table and I should examine all of them. I shouldnt keep some safe from scrutiny just because theyre mine, theyre Mori.

Read more: When is being Mori not enough? Why Mori politics are always personal

Others said they left for moral reasons. These included a perceived hypocrisy among churchgoers, immorality of religious leaders, and the role of religion in spreading harmful views about women and LGBTQ people.

Most participants, however, framed their rejection of religion as an expression of resistance against the colonial systems of belief.

In fact, participants ideas of religion were primarily shaped by their experience of various Christian denominations and their knowledge of the Christian missionary history in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Accordingly, most of the people we spoke with viewed religion as a colonial tool for the oppression of Mori people and culture. Another participant noted:

Ive only become very angry against religion over the last five years after I found out what theyve done to my culture [] Weve lost a lot of our culture from the Anglican missionary societies [] Removing ones culture and then assimilating them into religion is [] like a double-edged sword of colonisation.

Some interviewees spoke about how Christianity had been used as a way to exert cultural superiority, labelling Indigenous beliefs and practices as evil.

Others argued that the God of the Bible is not indigenous to Aotearoa, but rather a creation myth from the Middle East and therefore inherently irrelevant to Mori people.

The interview responses show Mori rejection of Christianity seems to be largely aligned with anti-colonial movements, Mori protest movements, and the decolonial feminist movement.

For most participants, atheism equated to non-belief in the existence of God and the rejection of monotheistic traditions, specifically Christianity.

In other words, being a Mori atheist did not necessarily mean the rejection of all supernatural beliefs.

While some individuals were confident in their non-belief in all supernatural phenomena, others were either ambivalent towards certain wairua (spirit, soul) beliefs or emphasised the need to understand Mori beliefs as metaphors for a way to live.

The emergence of non-religious as a growing sector of the Mori community poses both challenges and opportunities to the ideas of what it is to be Mori and the development of New Zealand.

If we see ourselves progressing as a bi-cultural Treaty/Tiriti-enhanced nation, it stands to reason we need to be able to identify the two cultures clearly.

But there is the opportunity to develop more quickly without identity membership based on religious affiliation or non-affiliation.

Within the community, there is a spectrum of views about the significance of religious or spiritual beliefs to Mori identity.

On one end, there are those who ask whether it is even possible to be Mori if one is not religious or spiritual in some shape or form.

At the other, there are those who distinguish between culture and religion, and argue Mori development can be more easily enhanced if one is freed from the constraints of religious belief.

Read more: Kiwiana is past its use-by date. Is it time to re-imagine our symbols of national identity?

The former speaks to a traditional and conservative view of being Mori; the latter to notions of changes in cultures, the impact of the colonial experience, modernisation, and different ways of being Mori.

Our research highlights the diversity of non-religion among Mori, which is neither reflected in representations of Mori (for instance in education), nor considered in Mori-Crown relations.

While there is little difficulty in identifying the Crown in Treaty negotiations, the emerging no religion sector of the Mori community adds new layers of complexity to who the Treaty partner is. Importantly, is being spiritual or religious a prerequisite to being a Mori?

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Mori atheism on the rise: the legacy of colonisation is driving a decline in traditional Christian beliefs - The Conversation

In my studies and reflection, Ive concluded that there are many cogent argumentsphilosophical, theological, and scientificsupporting the existence of the biblical God.1I also know that science tends to get some peoples attention. Perhaps youve engaged with skeptics who seem to be open to scientific arguments. With that in mind, lets briefly consider three philosophical and science-related arguments for the existence of the God of the Bible. (See the resources for further exploration of the arguments.)

1.The existence of the biblical God offers a rationally plausible explanation for the cosmoss origin.

Scientific evidence supports the universes beginning. According to big bang cosmology, the universe had a singular beginning about 14 billion years ago. The universe came into being in a cataclysmic but controlled explosion of extreme heat and light. The big bang cosmological model, accepted by nearly all research scientists and based on comprehensive astronomical evidence and testing,shows that the cosmos is not eternal but had an origin in the finite past.

Knowing that the cosmos had a singular beginning, consider the Kalam cosmological argument:

Premise 1: Whatever begins to exist has a cause for its coming into being. Premise 2: The universe began to exist. Conclusion: Therefore, the universe has a cause for its coming into being.

2.The existence of the biblical God provides a rationally plausible explanation for the complex order and design in the world.

The scientific communitys broad acceptance of theanthropic principlethe view that natures laws appear to be fine-tuned to allow for the existence of human lifesupports the view that the cosmos is the product of a designer. Even a committed atheist would have to acknowledge that the universe exhibits extraordinary order and design. Moreover, scientists have proposed that the cosmos didnt have to take its present form and the statistical probability of producing a life-permitting world is virtually incalculable.2

In reflecting upon our life-friendly, orderly universe, consider this fine-tuning argument:

Premise 1: The fine-tuning of the universe must result from physical necessity, chance, or design. Premise 2: It does not result from physical necessity or chance. Conclusion: Therefore, the fine-tuning results from design.

3.The existence of the biblical God provides a rationally plausible explanation for the compatibility between mathematical ideas and their capacity to describe the universe.

Over the last few centuries, scientists have recognized that abstract mathematics can be used as a type of tool or language to explain the physical cosmos. In his paper The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences,3 physicist Eugene Wigner even uses the word miracle to describe this extraordinary congruence between mathematical ideas in the minds of human beings and their explanatory power to describe physical reality.

Does mathematics operate simply because thats the way the universe happens to be (a fortunate accident as the result of a brute reality)? Or is the cosmos the product of reason because it was created by an infinitely wise divine mind?

Consider this abductive (inference to the best explanation) argument:

Premise 1: Abstract mathematics accurately describes the universe. Premise 2: But if the biblical God exists, then maths applicability to nature is an expected matter of course resulting from the act of creation. Conclusion: Thus, there is plausible reason to conclude that the biblical God exists.

From a Christian perspective, mathematics and logic flow from the mind of the Creator God who imbued these rational elements into the nature of the universe.

TakeawayIn terms of explanatory power, the biblical God can account for a broad range of science-related phenomena in the cosmos. In contrast, how does a godless perspective compare? Does a universe that (1) had an origin, (2) reflects order and design, and (3) corresponds to mathematics comport well with a naturalistic point of view?

Resources

Endnotes

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3 Science-Related Arguments for God's Existence - Reasons to Believe