At the recent meeting of atheist organisations, Margaret Downey, president of Atheist Alliance International (AAI) suggested holding a conference featuring all of the American atheist organisations. Hemant at Friendly Atheist has an edited transcript of Margaret’s call for a “Unity Conference in 2010″, and has posted his thoughts and called for suggestions.

For 129 Christmases, the 12-spire Gothic tower of Welland Avenue United Church has beckoned people in St. Catharines, Ont., to celebrate the birth of God's son Jesus. This Christmas almost certainly will be the last.

The tower is falling apart. The congregation doesn't have $300,000 to rebuild it.

The fundamental premise of much scholarly examination and public discourse is that grievances with U.S. policies in the Middle East motivate Islamist terrorism. Such assumptions, though, misunderstand the enemy and its nature. In reality, the conflict is sparked not by grievance but rather by incompatibility between Islamist ideology and the natural rights articulated during the European Enlightenment and incorporated into U.S. political culture. Acquiescing to political grievances will not alter the fundamental incompatibility between Lockean precepts of tolerance and current interpretations of Islam: Only Islam's fundamental reform will resolve the conflict.

Two years ago a Massachusetts court required Wal-Mart, the fifth largest pharmaceutical provider in the U.S., to reverse its decision to block access to emergency contraceptives (also called “morning after pills” or “EC’s”). The company said it “chooses not to carry many products for business reasons,” but more likely it was because of a moral judgment by the retail giant’s leadership. (A former Wal-Mart exec was quoted as saying “[T]he basis of our decisions was the values of Scripture” in Christianity Today.)

A survey has revealed that for evangelical Christians in the United States homosexuality is one of the key issues in the 2008 election.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cites Naxalite violence as the biggest threat to internal security. Statistics back his claim. However, there is another potent threat to the foundations of our republic that calls for urgent action. The secular and liberal character of the nation is under threat from illiberal forces. Fundamentalisms of all hues - religious, caste, ideological - are on the rise and agencies that ought to check these seem to be failing.

A fundamentalist is someone who considers whether a fact is acceptable to their faith before they explore it… A curious person explores first and then considers whether or not they want to accept the ramifications.