By Grant Steves

The dogmatic or the enigmatic?

 

Dogmatism, some would say, is the assertion of an opinion without proof or an attitude of arrogance with proof, but without reference to evidence.  The dogmatic position is not a religious position, but is reflective of an arrogant attitude toward one’s own position.

By Vic Tanner

Halloween is undoubtedly my favorite holiday. It just has an attitude about it that other holidays could only hope to have. For many Fundamentalist Christians, however, Halloween is seen as an unholy celebration of all that is evil. This fear of Halloween is known as Samhainophobia, and it isn't just a trivial matter to them; it is deeply rooted in the core belief of their faith.

By James Zimmerman

Into Temptation, the new film written and directed by Patrick Coyle, takes its viewers on a trip through guilt, sin, and redemption. The film explores the causes and effects in a person’s life that lead, ultimately, to desperate decisions.

By Grant Steves

Complacency is a luxury given to the comfortable. To paraphrase M. Niemöller, ‘First they came for the gays, and I didn’t speak up, because I was not gay. Then they came for the Humanists, and I didn’t speak up, because I was an atheist. Then they came for me, and by that time, there was no one left to speak up for me.’ The luxury of complacency toward the political forces in our country may result in the loss of comfort for those not allied with powerful.

By Bob Schmitz

The July 18th issue of The Economist has a very positive article (p 32) about Camp Quest. It describes the activities of the campers and offers some commentary on the status of atheists in America. Despite the fact that atheists are broadly disliked there has been some improvement according to the writer, who reports that "the proportion who say they might vote for an atheist has doubled in the past half-century." Although five percent admitted they would not vote for a qualified black candidate in a recent poll, 53% still say they would "shun" a qualified atheist candidate. The poll source was not cited.