Why are Americans still afraid of atheism?

You'd think we'd be over this fear by now.

NEW YORK - MAY 10: GOD FRIENDED ME stars Brandon Micheal Hall (pictured) in a humorous, uplifting drama about Miles Finer (Hall), an outspoken atheist whose life is turned upside down when he receives a friend request on social media from God and unwittingly becomes an agent of change in the lives and destinies of others around him. (Photo by Jonathan Wenk/CBS via Getty Images)
  • 51 percent of Americans would not vote for an atheist president.
  • Though America wasn't founded as a Christian nation, religion has always had a strong influence.
  • It wasn't until the 1950s when religion gained its current prominence in the national imagination.
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This is how we end hyper-partisan politics

Want to empower social change? Break bread, literally, with the so-called enemy.

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  • Alice Dreger shares brilliant advice for divisive times: Break bread, literally, with your so-called enemy. "[S]ee if [you] can have a conversation, and preferably to do it over food or drink, because there is something very primal in us about sharing food and drink that allows us, I think, to open our hearts and our minds."
  • If you're passionate about social change, Dreger recommends avoiding destructive tools or methods that would cause a kind of "arms race" in activism—it leads somewhere that no one wants to go.
  • Spend time getting to know the issues you care about from a nonpartisan perspective—do descriptive, not normative, research. It will remind you of what the other side may be seeing that you might be missing because you're blinded by your partisan side.
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Why allowing governments to single out reporters sets a dangerous precedent

New York Times reporter Melissa Chan outlined in a Twitter thread how authoritarian governments strategically destroy the reputations of journalists they dislike.

(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
  • CNN reporter Jim Acosta has frequently locked horns with President Donald Trump during press briefings.
  • On Wednesday, Acosta and Trump had a standoff that ended with the White House revoking the reporter's press badge.
  • White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders issued a tweet saying Acosta had placed his hands on an intern who tried to take the microphone away from him, a claim which many rebuked.
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There are 15 scientists running for Congress. Here's what's at stake.

Now is a good time to brush up on who's on the ballot.

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  • The Midterm Elections are on November 6th. 1,200 candidates are running for 500 seats that will have an impact on every bit of your life.
  • Scientists and Doctors are running for office. Innumerable environmental issues will be decided.
  • Read up on the candidates, the issues, and then: vote.
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Should voting be incentivized?

As voting becomes digital, we should consider rewarding voters for taking part in the process.

Democratic Candidate for Florida Governor Mayor Andrew Gillum speaks during early voting events throughout South Florida as part of the 'Bring It Home' Bus Tour in Miami, Florida, on November 1, 2018. (Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg / AFP) (Photo credit should read MICHELE EVE SANDBERG/AFP/Getty Images)
  • Netvote founder Jonathan Alexander is considering a rewards system in his blockchain-based API.
  • Incentivizing voters with a tax credit could increase participation.
  • Australia penalizes non-voters, but incentivizing the process might encourage enthusiastic responses.
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