Section 1
of 4
April 7, 2006 Volume
2, Issue 13/14
Published by the
Center For Atheism (CFA)
Editor: Suzy
Lanza
Email:
THEFOCUSATCFA@AOL.COM
The
Focus will provide links
to articles collected
from major
newspapers and magazines, and will be emailed
weekly.
The Focus has four sections.
Section #1:
News Articles
Section #2:
CFA Programs
Section #3:
Special Notices
Section #4: Legislation
Alerts
Please email any comments and
suggestions to THEFOCUS@CENTERFORATHEISM.ORG
=================================================
See Section #1: News
Articles
See Section #2: Center for
Atheism Programs
SECULAR
COMMUNITY'S RESPONSE TO THE NATIONAL DAY OF
PRAYER
BLOOD DONATION
PROGRAM
See Section #3: Special
Notices
CENTER FOR ATHEISM (CFA) SEARCHING FOR
WASHINGTON, D.C. BASED LOBBYIST
See Section #4: Legislation
Alerts
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ELECTED OFFICIAL, LETTER
TEMPLATE,
COMPOSE LETTER, SEND LETTER.
=======================================================
Section 1
of 4
NEWS ARTICLES
Some publications may
require that you sign up for membership
to view their
article.
==========================================
ATHEISM
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL -- American’s increasing acceptance of
religious diversity doesn’t extend to those who don’t believe in a god,
according to a national survey by researchers in the University of Minnesota’s
department of sociology.
At a time when America is
lamentably polarized, perhaps our deepest and most enduring debate rages between
Creationism and evolution. But now one surprisingly prominent research leader is
daring an attempt to bridge the gap with a book about DNA called The Language
of god.
... atheists believe in reason alone, in those things that can be
arrived at through intellect and the scientific method. Concrete evidence for
god, they argue, simply doesn't exist.
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BOOKS / FILMS / THEATRE /
TV
Even some Republicans are now horrified
by the influence Bush has given to the evangelical
right.
The new Wachowski (the
Matrix) brothers' film explores a future society where the clash of
the above is depicted.
What Jesus Meant
by Gary
Wills.
Jesus as a person does not exist outside the gospels and the only reason he
exists there is because of their authors’ faith in the Resurrection. . . .
THE GOD PROJECT. - The religious opinions
of scientists are, of course, a separate matter from a science of religion.
Europe in the 17th century began a slow but
steady exit from religion that began with the French Revolution.
Seth Loyd's book is the story of the
universe and the bit. The universe is the biggest thing there is and the bit is
the smallest possible chunk of information. The universe is made of bits.
A celebration in London of the anniversary of Richard
Dawkins' book.
Slate magazine review of Kevin Phillips new book -
American Theocracy
Battles over faith and freedom may seem never-ending,
but a new book, 'American Gospel,' argues that history illuminates how religion
can shape the nation without dividing
it.
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EVOLUTION / CREATIONISM / INTELLIGENT
DESIGN
In
the beginning, there was the sea... and little by little, the fish in the sea
moved on to the land, evolving into the myriad species of animals that have
lived, eaten or been eaten, fought and died on terra firma for more than 300
million years.
The unusual behavior of
orangutans in a Sumatran swamp suggests a surprising
answer
=========================================================
Surface ice could have formed thick enough to support human
weight and inspire the biblical story?
The brains of highly intelligent children
develop in a different pattern from those with more average abilities,
researchers have found after analyzing a series of imaging scans collected over
17 years.
=========================================================
SEPARATION
National Day of Prayer to
advance the religious right agenda - a threat to the separation of
church and state.
Argument in favor of teaching
Bible classes in schools using Greek and Roman
mythology as
equivalents.
If Mr. Rahman does not
repudiate Christianity, the judge in the case has said, he will get the death
penalty.
Or is it? Are Americans quick
to see the evils of theocracy abroad, but slow to recognize creeping theocracy
at home?
Abstinence program found to violate separation of
church and state, last month, the federal government announced that
the program must strip the explicit religious components from its message in
order to be considered for future government dollars.
The efforts of the Governor and the Catholic bishops
to exempt Catholic Charities from state anti-discrimination laws so that it may
refuse to place children for adoption with same-sex
couples.
A proposed resolution in the
Missouri House (HCR 13) is so outrageous as to insult every resident of
Missouri.
Georgia's Legislature on Monday passed a bill to fund elective
Bible courses in public high schools,
A nationally recognized expert on the historical and legal issues
surrounding the teaching of evolution in public schools says the debate is not
over.
Let others worry about the rapture. The task now is to
establish the Kingdom of god right now from the courthouse to the White
House
========================================================
MISC.
AMERICAN ATHEISTS
CONVENTION
APRIL 14-16, 2006 - SAN ANTONIO,
TX.