U.S. court approval of ‘IM GOD’ license plate is a victory for atheists

A federal court ruled that the state of Kentucky was wrong to deny a man's request for a personalized license plate reading "IM GOD." Here's why that's a win against atheist discrimination.

Photo provided by the Freedom From Religion Foundation
  • After a three-year legal battle, a federal court last week cleared the way for a man in Kentucky to obtain a customized license plate declaring "IM GOD."
  • The Kentucky Division of Motor Vehicles rejected the plate in 2016 claiming it violated the state's rule against religious messages on license plates.
  • A state/church watchdog organization says the court's decision to approve the plate highlighted the bias the state of Kentucky was displaying toward religious non-believers.
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30% of Americans believe it's okay for businesses not to serve gay folks

Discrimination is up across the board.

Photo credit: Joe Amon / The Denver Post via Getty Images
  • A new poll by PPRI found that nearly a quarter of Americans say it's okay to not serve atheists on religious grounds.
  • The pro-discrimination number was even higher regarding gays and lesbians.
  • Bias against Jews, Muslims, and African Americans is also increasing.
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The origins of Satanism: A humanist history?

From religious wars to French poison conspiracies to the counterculture, we look at the origins of Satanism.

Still from D.W. Griffith's 1926 film "The Sorrows of Satan."
  • Pop culture has painted our perceptions of Satanism more than historical facts.
  • For most of its history, the term Satanism was an epithet used against religious enemies, not a movement bound by a shared set of beliefs.
  • Today, the Satanists philosophy has more in common with empiricism or atheism than faith-based religions.
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Atheists still believe in the supernatural, new report finds

Just because you don't believe in God doesn't mean you aren't superstitious.

Photo credit: Anastasia Dulgier on Unsplash
  • A new report indicates atheists and agnostics still believe in supernatural phenomena despite not believing in gods.
  • They tend to hold these beliefs at lower rates than the general population.
  • This is in line with previous studies that show non-believers are just as prone to irrational thinking as their religious counterparts.
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Atheism is inconsistent with science, says Dartmouth physicist Marcelo Gleiser

Is it saying too much to say something doesn't exist when you have no evidence either way?

Eli Burakian / Dartmouth College
  • Dr. Marcelo Gleiser has become the first Latin American to win the Templeton Prize.
  • The prize is given out for "contribution to affirming life's spiritual dimension."
  • In an interview about the prize, he argued that atheism is "inconsistant with the scientific method."
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