General Good Boy Scouts don’t need God: Column (USA Today) Depending on what happens at the Boy Scouts’ national meeting this month, gay Scouts might soon be accepted into the venerable organization. Even then, there will remain a large and growing group of Americans still barred by the Boy Scouts. When will the Boy Scouts [...]

SCA News (Rhode Island) Secular Coalition for Rhode Island and Rhode Island Humanists Successfully Urge Gov. to Sign National Day of Reason Proclamation (Press Releas)  Congressional Committee Addresses Religious Privilege in New Taxation Report (Friendly Atheist) It’s not quite “Tax the Church” but the message is “Don’t give churches any special privileges.” Obviously, there’s a [...]

Politics & Policy Study Shows Links Between End-Times Believers and Global-Warming Deniers (Huffington Post) A study from two researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Colorado, Boulder found there are “strong reasons” to suggest that widespread belief in “end-times” and a “Second Coming” of Christ could impact U.S. environmental policy. Published online [...]

SCA in the News My petition for National Day of Prayer? Reason (Courier Journal) Thursday was the National Day of Prayer. Thursday was also the National Day of Reason. Take your pick. Or take both. How is that possible, you ask? If you’re not a believer, then obviously you wouldn’t choose the Day of Prayer, [...]

Education My Word: Don’t allow proselytizing at public schools (Orlando Sentinel) Fairness, equal access and the nonestablishment clause of the First Amendment all suggest that students in public schools should be accessible to all proselytizers or to none. Making public schools off-limits to all officially sanctioned proselytizing would have the decided advantage of allowing educators [...]

Politics and Policy National Day of Prayer leader thinks marriage equality is Satan’s war against the family(Raw Story) The pastor chosen the lead the National Day of Prayer on Thursday at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill believes that same-sex marriage is a Satanic plot to destroy the family. Attorneys General Demand Broader Religious Exemptions [...]

SCA in the News Scott Lohman Interviews Edwina Rogers (Science Blogs) Healing Must Be For Everyone, Including the Nonreligious Affected By Boston Marathon Bombings (Greg Epstein for Huffington Post) So as soon as I heard there would indeed be an “official” one with the Governor in attendance (the President’s involvement was announced later) I contacted [...]

The Morning Read will return next week. Hope to see you at the Secular Summit & Lobby Day, kicking off tonight! Secular Coalition Secular Coalition for MA in conjunction with Boston Atheists and the Harvard Humanist Community held a secular memorial for bombing victims in Boston. VIDEO.  National/General Interest Second Child Dies After Parents Use [...]

Discrimination Can businesses claim religious freedom when refusing service? (Associated Press) A small, but growing number of conflicts have already broken out in other states where bakers and photographers have balked at providing services to same-sex weddings. Terrorism & Religion Don’t Blame Religion for Boston Bombings (Religion Dispatches) As soon as it became clear that [...]