I cover a variety of issues from an agnostic and atheistic perspective on this site: religious critique, ethics, philosophy, and politics. The most popular articles on this site from 2006 reflect this variety: people were most interested in pieces on the nature of atheism, why atheists don't believe in gods, the importance of religious critiques, popular foundations for morality in theistic religions, critiques of the Christian Right, and more. There is something for everyone on this site, and there is something for everyone in this list of the most popular Agnosticism / Atheism articles from 2006.

1. Atheism 101: Intro to Atheism & Atheists; Answers to Questions & Mistakes

Recently Updated! I see a lot of misunderstandings and errors about atheism and atheists all over the net. People don't understand what atheism is, what the definition of atheism is, or the difference between atheism and agnosticism. People claim that atheism is a religion, that it requires faith, that it's a form of denial, that there are no real atheists, and that there are no atheists in foxholes. This introduction to atheism answers most of the most common questions and mistakes about atheism.More »

2. Why Not Believe? Common Reasons Why Atheists Don't Believe in Gods

Recently Updated! It is difficult to credit any one religion as being True or any one god as being True when there have been so many throughout human history. None appears to have any greater claim to being more credible or reliable than any other. Why Christianity and not Judaism? Why Islam and not Hinduism? Why monotheism and not polytheism? Every position has had its defenders, all as ardent as those in other traditions. They can't all be right, but they can all be wrong. Here are ten of the most common reasons atheists have to doubting, disputing, or dismissing theism and/or religion.More »

3. Christian Right Propaganda Posters: Image Gallery Index

As outrageous as the Christian Right's overall agenda is, their specific arguments and beliefs can be worse. I have written many articles exploring the arguments and beliefs advocated the Christian Right in order to reveal just how awful, and awfully absurd, they can be. Mere words, though, cannot always convey the true absurdity of a position. Even the most carefully reasoned argument will not carry the emotional impact of the original ideas being dissected. These images, based on WWI & WWII propaganda posters, present a satirical twist on what Christian Nationalists in America believe, promote, and argue for.More »

4. Seven Deadly Sins: What Are the Seven Deadly Sins? Why Do They Fail?

Christians are unable to get the Seven Deadly Sins right either in theory or in practice, though. Today most churches ignore the seven deadly sins, eliminating even the potential for applying them to the rich and powerful. When was the last time you read or heard of any conservative evangelical churches say anything against gluttony, greed, envy, or anger? The theory isn't much better, though, because these sins focus almost exclusively on people's inner, spiritual state. They have little to say about their outward behavior and the impact on others' lives.More »

5. Is Atheism a Religion? Defining Atheism and Religion

Many Christians seem to believe that atheism is a religion, but no one with a fair understanding of both concepts would make such a mistake. Because it?s such a common claim, though, it?s worth demonstrating the depth and breadth of the errors being made. Presented here are the characteristics which best define religions, distinguishing them from other types of belief systems, and how atheism utterly fails to even remotely match any of them. At most, atheism doesn?t explicitly exclude most of them, but the same can be said for almost anything. Thus, it?s not possible to call atheism a religion.More »

6. Danish Cartoons of Muhammad: We Have a Right to Criticize & Comment on Islam

In 2005 a Danish newspaper asked cartoonists to express their impressions and feelings regarding Islam. Some radical imams took them to the Middle East and there fomented violent reactions. Muslims rioted, burned embassies, and staged boycotts of all Danish goods, not just the newspaper which published the cartoons. Many died because of Muslims offended by cartoons which they said mocked, insulted, and defamed Islam and Muhammad. They claimed a right not to have their religious sensibilities offended. These reactions help demonstrate why the right to criticize religion is vital.More »

7. Separation of Church and State: Myths, Misconceptions and Misunderstandings

When discussing the separation of church and state, it quickly becomes apparent that there is a lot of misinformation, misunderstandings, and myths floating around which distort people's perception of critical issues. It isn't possible to come to a reasonable understanding about the nature of how religion and government should interact when people do not have all of the facts - or, even worse, when what they think are facts turn out to simply be errors. Listed here are a number of those myths and errors which come up from time to time - some more often than others, but all relevant and worth understanding.More »

8. Religion in Public Schools: Issues, Questions, Arguments

The presence and extent of religion in public schools is one of the most difficult and contentious issues when it comes to the separation of church and state. On the one hand are those who sincerely believe that a lack of religion in the schools "teaches" atheism or secular humanism, resulting in a decline in morality and performance. On the other hand are those who sincerely believe that state sanctioned religion and state supported religious observances infringe upon the religious liberties of all students.More »

9. Ethics as Obedience to Duty and God: Is Being Ethical just Being Obedient?

Deontological moral systems are defined by an adherence to independent moral rules or duties. To make the correct moral choices, we have to understand what our moral duties are and what correct rules exist to regulate those duties. When we follow our duty, we are behaving morally. When we fail to follow our duty, we are behaving immorally. Typically in any deontological system, our duties, rules, and obligations are determined by God. Being moral is thus a matter of obeying God. There are numerous problems with deontological ethics, all of which cast doubt on the soundness of theistic, religious morality.More »

10. Karl Marx, Religion, and Economics

Karl Marx attempted to examine religion from an objective, scientific perspective; his analysis and critique of religion is perhaps one of the most famous and most quoted by theist and atheist alike. Unfortunately, most of those doing the quoting don?t really understand exactly what Marx meant. I think that this in turn is due to not entirely understanding Marx?s general theories on economics and society. According to Marx, religion is an expression of material realities and economic injustice. Thus, problems in religion are ultimately problems in society. Religion is not the disease, but merely a symptom.More »