Toward a more rational 21st Century society While the political flacks and religious hucksters gear up for another round in the fictitious “War on Christmas” that is so beloved by Fox News and the Christian Right in the United States, new ad campaigns in the U.S.A. and England will doubtless be seen as throwing fuel …
By George A. Ricker Some years ago, while I was earning my living as a newspaper editor, a press release that came across my desk caught my eye. It opened this way: “Why are some of the nation’s suburban and affluent kids committing some very ugly violent acts?” Why, indeed. The thrust of the piece …
By George A. Ricker While it is certainly true there are times when political matters are of concern to atheists, and other secularists who prize individual rights of conscience and value the wall of separation between governments and religions, it is also true that atheism has no direct connection to politics. Atheists don’t believe in …
By George A. Ricker To Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama: since you are the presidential nominees of your respective political parties, I wanted to take this opportunity to raise an issue that probably will not get much attention this fall. Each of you wants to be my president. I assume each of you …
Read more “Memo to Messrs. McCain and Obama Concerning a Wall That Needs Mending”
By George A. RickerOn May 1, my wife and I joined other members of the Space Coast Freethought Association (SCFA) at a local seafood restaurant to observe the National Day of Reason—an unofficial event created as a counterweight to the official National Day of Prayer, which was legislated by the U.S. Congress and is proclaimed …
Read more “Let Us Think: Thoughts on the National Day of Reason and the Reasons Behind It”
Belief claims present a bait and switch on ‘God’ By George A. Ricker Two recent reports on religion and god-belief illustrate some of the difficulties inherent in our national conversation on these two subjects. The first is the second installment of the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey conducted by The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. …
By George A. Ricker With the presidential nominating process well under way and the fall elections approaching, I wanted to offer a few observations about elections and the way we conduct them here in the United States. This is not a partisan issue. It should not matter whether one is a Democrat or a Republican, …
Read more “Elections: Much too Important to be Left to Politicians”
By George A. Ricker There is a curious naiveté reflected in all the commentary about our nation’s economic difficulties. The American people have been told by various pundits and prognosticators that our current difficulties are due to the housing crisis (Who did not see that coming?), the high cost of fuel, the high cost of …
By George A. Ricker A recent skirmish in the so-called “culture war” between the Religious Right and those who dare suggest there might be other, possibly even better, ways to view the world has been waged in the unlikely town of Chambersburg, PA. It’s a battle of dueling billboards that has spilled over into the …
Read more “Dueling Billboards: Minor Skirmish Illustrates Important Differences”
By George A. Ricker “Not Godly enough!” That’s the verdict rendered on the newly opened Capitol Visitor’s Center by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) and a few other conservative lawmakers. Specifically, DeMint objected to the erroneous presentation of the phrase “E Pluribus Unum”—the words are Latin and mean “from many, one”—as the national motto, instead of “In God We Trust.” …