By Eric Jayne

 

On Sunday, May 23, in the quiet suburban community of Eagan, the very first Minnesota Atheists Debaptism event was performed. We had a pretty good turnout of about 25 ex-Christians—mostly former Catholics and Lutherans, but also two former Jehovah’s Wit-nesses, one former Southern Baptist, and one former Mormon. The Hair Dryer of Reason (which I’ll explain shortly) was definitely put to the test!

 

 

By George Kane

 

At the end of April, a 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court once again found that a monument on government land that features a Christian symbol does not constitute endorsement of religion.  In the case Salazar v. Buono the Supremes reversed a lower court ruling that the transfer of the land under a metal cross in the Mojave Desert National Preserve to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, specifically to ensure that the cross would not be taken down, was an impermissible government preference for religion.  The ruling sent the case back to the Appeals Court with a clear message:  Keep the cross standing.

 By Eric Jayne

 

If you were at the Minnesota Twins game this past Mother’s Day you may have noticed a geeky-looking individual wearing a purple Minnesota Atheists t-shirt, standing on the main plaza holding a yellow sign that read “Minnesota Atheists” written in black marker. That "geek" was me. The purpose of the sign was to alert Minnesota Atheists members who RSVPed for the Twins group outing where I was so they could pick up their tickets for the game. The sign also attracted the attention of several passersby, Twins security, and even the Minneapolis Police Department. While the extra attention from my sign truly was unintended, it was not unexpected. My plan was to simply ignore snide remarks (which I received) and not draw additional attention by engaging in arguments. My plan worked and it turned out to be a victorious day for the Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Atheists.

By Grant Steves

 

Atheists may have an intelligence that is above average. We may have more education than most groups, and we might conclude, we are better at communicating ideas. Not true!  Education and intelligence do not equal successful communication.