A recent poll shows a huge shift in American attitudes toward gay marriage, from a 32 percent approval in 2004 to 53 percent today. I am one of those people who changed their minds.

Let's hope that noone protests at the funerals!

Sam Harris is a well known "Atheist spokesman" and usually bashes religion in general. (Here's another seed with an excellent discussion about his views on Atheism vs faith: Atheist Sam Harris: Why We Should Ditch Religion).

"A new wave of Iraqi Christians has fled to northern Iraq or abroad amid a campaign of violence against them ."

"In early November, in the dusty city of Sheikhupura in Pakistan's heartland, Asia Bibi, an illiterate Christian woman and mother of five, was sentenced to death by hanging under the country's blasphemy laws. Her crime? She allegedly insulted the Prophet Muhammad."

In response to a gay-straight alliance week designed to fight bullying, some high school students in Chicago wore t-shirts for "straight pride" that included a Bibical passage advocating death for gay people.

Asia's case dates back to June 2009 when she was asked to fetch water while out working in the fields. But a group of Muslim women labourers objected, saying that as a non-Muslim, she should not touch the water bowl.

Egypt condemned the threat to its Christian community, which makes up about 10 percent of the country's 78 million people. It beefed up security around churches.

Gunmen seized hostages at the Our Lady of Salvation Church, a Syrian Catholic cathedral, during Sunday mass, demanding the release of women they said had converted to Islam but were being detained by the Coptic church in Egypt.

First, I realize the title will cause controversy, and it is for that reason I chose it. Attention needs to be paid to the injustices of our culture and society today.

An increasingly popular bumper sticker reads, "Guns Don't Kill People -- RELIGION Kills People!" In light of recent events I would add religion kills young people: gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender young people.

So here's what I think is going on with the current Islamophobia. It's another case of that jealous storm god thundering through men's voices. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share the same god in the sky.

A radio interviewer asked me the other day if I thought bigotry was the only reason why someone might oppose the Islamic center in Lower Manhattan. No, I don't.

Half the people in the world commit this sin against god: they are born women. It's an astounding thing that any women at all accept Christianity, Judaism, or Islam; these are profoundly misogynistic faiths.

Pound-for-pound, Jesus Christ is the most famous and celebrated liberal activist of all time.

The United States of America is being hijacked by fundamentalists, and it doesn't look like anything is going to stop them. I have now officially reached the brink. The gloves are coming off, the brass knuckles are going on, and things are about to get ugly.

On September 11th of 2001, religious zealots attacked The United States. In those attacks, friends and acquaintances of mine were viciously murdered. It is in their memory, speaking on their behalf, that I write this article. I knew these people well.

"For those who care, and I understand if you don't: Today, I quit being a Christian. I'm out. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat.

Tennessee's lieutenant governor, Ron Ramsey, has been asked to explain recent comments captured on video in which he suggested that Muslim Americans might not have a constitutionally protected right to worship in the United States.

Those Islamists and their apologists who argue for "religious toleration" are arrogantly dishonest. They ignore the fact that more than 100 mosques already exist in New York City. Meanwhile, there are no churches or synagogues in all of Saudi Arabia.

The Vatican today made the "attempted ordination" of women one of the gravest crimes under church law, putting it in the same category as clerical sex abuse of minors, heresy and schism.

The lack of support for legalizing gay marriage amongst conservatives is surprising because the push to legalize gay marriage serves conservative aims.

At a meeting of scholars from the world's various religions, a Chinese scholar reported that in China now they are starting to put free condoms in hotel drawers. Mustering as straight a face as I could I said: "We don't do that in the United States.

In November 2009, a European Court decided schools in Italy are not allowed to have a crucifix hanging in every classroom. Now, some Italian and European politicians are attempting to overturn that law by turning to Americans for help.

The global jihad rages on.

A Facebook Page and group which were called "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!" have been pulled from Facebook following protests, and the eventual banning of Facebook in Pakistan.

From AtheistMediaBlog: Video clip of Fox News broadcast with Father Jonathan Morris. Should Comedy Central self-censor? Is there an inappropriate double standard if satirical depictions of Mohammed are censored, but satire of Christ is permitted?

"CNN's Anderson Cooper talks to author Ayaan Hirsi Ali about an Islamic website's warning to the 'South Park' creators"

"The Reverend Sri Swami Satchidananda has for many years been an apostle of peace in a world filled with war, a herald of moderation in a culture addicted to the extremes.

Christian women have shown amazing resilience in the last few weeks. We began with health care reform, when sixty leaders of religious orders representing 59,000 courageous nuns sent a letter encouraging lawmakers to support health care reform.

"For the world to tackle truly important problems, people have to stop looking to religion to guide their moral compasses.."

On the morning of January 14 in Seattle, Ken Roosa and a small group Alaska Natives stood on the sidewalk outside Seattle University to announce a new lawsuit against the Jesuits, claiming a widespread conspiracy to dump pedophile priests in isolated Native villages where they co …

Reports suggest as many as 500 people were killed in pre-dawn assaults on three villages close to the city of Jos in the Nigerian state of Plateau on March 7. The area was the scene of similar intercommunal attacks in January.

"As of January 1st, Ireland has enacted an atavistic law that makes "blasphemy" punishable by a fine of up to $35,000. It's amazing that a civilized country in 2010 is deliberately putting in place laws from the Dark Ages.