2012 Global Atheist Convention Supports Médecins Sans Frontières

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The Atheist Foundation of Australia is proud to announce that half of the proceeds from the Global Atheist Convention’s Saturday Night Gala Charity Dinner will be donated to the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Over the last forty years, MSF has provided invaluable medical assistance to more than eighty countries around the globe. As a secular, non-governmental organisation existing almost entirely on donor support, MSF has repeatedly demonstrated its deep commitment to assisting populations in distress, survivors of environmental disasters and victims of armed conflict. Additionally, MSF provides health care support such as mass Read more [...]

What is an Atheist…really?

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What is an Atheist…really? Author: John Parks What is an atheist? What does an atheist believe? Do atheists believe in anything at all? These are questions that most people ask when they encounter atheism for the first time. Many people are often put off by atheism when they first encounter it, especially if they haven't ever heard of the concept before, or have been taught that the belief system in which they were raised is the only acceptable belief system to have. Simply put: an Atheist does not believe in the existence of a singular deity or God. Typically atheists reject theological teachings and reject the idea that there is a higher power guiding life on Earth. An atheist does not Read more [...]

THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE – ATHEISM

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Atheism is the belief that God, deities, and spiritual beings do not exist. The term "Atheism" is a combination of a, which means without, and theism, which means belief in God or gods. According to Atheism, people do not need to rely on gods or holy writings to create moral codes to rule life. Many Atheists are avid secularists and are against the inclusion of religion in public affairs. Some people who are Atheists are actually religious. Religions as Buddhism comply with principles of Atheism, as do religions that grew out of Judaism and Christianity that take a more humanistic approach and do not focus on the existence of God. Most Atheists have a personal reason as to why they do not believe Read more [...]

Funerals – Dying an Atheist

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Dying in America is a complex and distasteful process for most American families and often a taboo subject. As Timothy Leary puts it: "Most human beings are taught to face death, like life, as victims - helpless, fearful, resigned. We're schooled and counseled - programmed to act out a life of scripts based on our worst tendencies toward fear and self-doubt....Throughout history 'fear of dying' has been used by priests, police, politicians, and physicians to undermine individualistic thinking, to increase our dependence on authority and to glorify victimization." 1 He goes on: "Think of all the hot-button issues that get the church fathers' panties all in a bunch: conception, test-tube fertilization, Read more [...]

Reasons Why People are Atheists

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Author: AFA Members Hi! My name is Paul Schaffer and I am one of the newer Committee members of the Atheist Foundation of Australia. As a baby, I was christened in the Salvo's. I attended Sunday school until I was 11 or 12 years old when I couldn't put up with it anymore. My mother wanted me to attend Church with her then but I think that only lasted for about a year. I used to have a go at the Officer for giving too long sermons (not that I took any notice of them) before I pulled out altogether. Most of my mother's friends were Catholics and I must have been 14 or 15 when I thought that I would try Catholicism. However, that did nothing for me and after about a year - yes, it Read more [...]

Atheist Funeral Customs

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Atheist funerals — usually quite similar to humanist funerals — are becoming more and more common. They are appropriate memorials to those who lived their lives without religious affiliation and reject the typically religious views associated with life and death. At these atheist services there is no specific reference to an afterlife, as atheists do not believe in any deity. Instead, the funeral services are a tribute to the life the deceased lived. Loved ones that are left behind are acknowledged, and the deceased’s life is remembered through memories. At an atheist funeral, it is best to avoid platitudes like “she’s in a better place now” or “he’s watching us from heaven Read more [...]