Atheism News

Atheism is in decline worldwide, with the number of atheists falling from 4.5% of the world’s population in 1970 to 2.0% in 2010 and projected to drop to 1.8% by 2020.^[1]

During the peak of the New Atheism movement news outlets featured significantly more news stories about atheism (see: Atheism and the media).

Post 2010, due the decline of the New Atheism movement and various events/trends, there has been a drop in news stories about atheism and an increase in the percentage of negative news stories about atheism (see: Drop in news stories about atheism and Negative news stories about atheism).

Below is a list of atheism news articles and related articles.

Freedom From Atheism Foundation[edit]

The Freedom From Atheism Foundation has a Facebook page and they regularly update their Facebook page with various critical/negative news about atheism.^[2]

See: Freedom from Atheism Facebook page

Atheism blogs[edit]

• Atheism is dead (website)

• Shadow To Light blog

• Vox Popoli - Atheism

• Examining Atheism

Global atheism news[edit]

See also: Global atheism and Desecularization

• Decline of global atheism statistics: Freedom From Atheism Foundation spreads the good news on Facebook, 2017
• The world is expected to become more religious — not less by Sarah Pulliam Bailey, Washington Post, April 24, 2015
• Think religion is in decline? Look at 'who is going forth and multiplying', Vancouver Sun, October 12, 2014
• Global Study: Atheists in Decline, Only 1.8% of World Population by 2020, CNS News by Michael W. Chapman, July 24, 2013
• Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?: Demography and Politics in the Twenty-First Century by Eric Kaufmann, Belfer Center, Harvard University/Birkbeck College, University of London, 2011

Atheism demographics news articles[edit]

See also: Atheist population and Atheism and women and Western atheism and race

United States atheism demographics news[edit]

• The Atheism Gap By Stephen L. Carter, BloombergView, March 27, 2015
• Atheists And Agnostics Have A Shocking Race Problem by Eric Owens, Daily Caller, March 30, 2015

United States atheism news[edit]

Due to Hispanic evangelicals, church attendance was up in New York City in 2013.^[3]

With the continued rise in the number of Hispanic, evangelical Christians in North America and the rise of evangelicalism in Latin America and South America, secular leftism is not going to be dominant in America's future.^[4]

See also: American atheism and Nones

• Compelling data: Secular left will decline in the United States, 2017
• A key ally of atheists is much weaker and goes AWOL. Google news and other data reveal another train wreck for the atheist movement, 2017
• 2016: More BAD news for American atheists
• Pew survey overestimates decline in Christianity, observers say by Gregory Tomlin, Christian Examiner, May, 15 2015

• Three Muslim students shot dead execution-style 'by neighbor who had ranted against religion' in fight over parking at UNC Chapel Hill by Claire Carter and Lydia Warren, Daily Mail, February 11, 2015

• Atheists Force Woman to Remove Cross Honoring Dead Son by Katherine Weber, Christian Post, March 7, 2014

• 3 Reasons America May Become More Religious By Napp Nazworth, Christian Post, August 22, 2013

• Professor Jacques Berlinerblau tells atheists: Stop whining!, Christian Century, September 14, 2012 by Kimberly Winston

• Why is the year 2020 a key year for Christian creationists and pro-lifers?, May 20, 2012

• Nondenominational/evangelical Christians are checking "None" or "No religion" on surveys by Byron Johnson, First Things, February 2011

• Secularism, Fundamentalism or Catholicism? The Religious Composition of the United States to 2043 published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Journal for the Sientific Study of Religion, vol. 49, no. 2 (June) 2010, Vegard Skirbekk and Anne Goujon

Hispanics and the future of religion/irreligion in the United States[edit]

• Hispanics turning evangelical, Jews secular, Beliefnet.com, November 2013

• Hasta luego, American godless progressivism! Worship service attendance is up in New York City amigos!, November 7, 2013

• The writing is on the wall amigos: Godless progressivism will not be dominant in the USA's future, August 14, 2013

• Rise Of Hispanic Evangelical Church: Time Magazine Discusses Influence Of Latinos In America's Religion, Huffington Post, April 11, 2013

• The Rise of Evangélicos By Elizabeth Time magazine, April 4, 2013

European atheism news[edit]

In 2014, the Pew Research Forum indicated that Europe will go from 11% of the world's population to 7% of the world's population by 2050.^[5]

See also: Secular Europe

British atheism and religious news[edit]

See also: British atheism

• The British state’s silent war on religion by Frank Furedi (Sociologist and commentator), Spiked, June 9, 2015

• Pentecostalism Invades Lambeth Palace by Peter L. Berger, The American Interest, December 18, 2013

• The Church of England: Hot and bothered - The rise of evangelicalism is shaking up the established church, The Economist, March 10, 2012

• Evangelical Christianity is rising in the UK. Demographic data points to upcoming reversal of secularism in the UK. No English speaking country will be safe for Darwinism, March 12, 2012

• Prominent Brit atheist Polly Toynbee pulls out of debate with apologist William Lane Craig, Uncommon Descent, August 14, 2011

• Richard Dawkins accused of cowardice for refusing to debate existence of God, The Daily Telegraph, May 14, 2011

• Children who front Richard Dawkins' atheist ads are evangelicals, by Ken Ham, December 16, 2009

• Atheist's bizarre bid to convert Christian by Richard Smith, The East Anglican Daily Times, September 12, 2008

German atheism news[edit]

• Are Evangelicals Winning the World? Why are parts of Germany formerly under the enforced secularism of the Communist party rediscovering charismatic religion? by Peter L. Berger, The American Interest, June 3, 2015

French atheism news[edit]

• Evangelical Christianity and Islam are growing quickly in secular France, 2017
• Old Tradition of Secularism Clashes With France’s New Reality by Steven Erlanger and Kimiko De Freytas-Tamura, New York Times, February 5, 2015

• Charlie Hebdo and France’s Irreligious Tradition by Kenneth R. Weinstein, The American Interest, January 13, 2015

• In a France suspicious of religion, evangelicalism's message strikes a chord by Robert Marquand, Christian Science Monitor, February 12, 2012

Chinese atheism news[edit]

See also: Growth of Christianity in China and Militant atheism and Atheism and communism and State atheism

Yang Fenggang of Purdue University, in Indiana, says the Christian church in China has grown by an average of 10% a year since 1980. He reckons that on current trends there will be 250m Christians by around 2030, making China’s Christian population the largest in the world.^[6]

• Why a growing number of Chinese students at U.S. universities are coming home with Christian beliefs, 2017
• Guangzhou Authorities Attempt to Stop Gathering of Recently-Persecuted Guangfu House Church by Qiao Nong, Persecution.org, June 11, 2015

• As China knocks down Christian crosses, the faithful restore them by Robert Marquand, Christian Science Monitor, June 8, 2015

• Chinese Province Issues Draft Regulation on Church Crosses, by Michael Forsythemay, New York Times, May 8, 2015

• Christianity in China by Eleanor Albert, Council on Foreign Relations, May 7, 2015

• China's Communist Party Bans Believers, Doubles Down On Atheism by Matt Sheehan, Huffington Post, February 2, 2015

• China’s Communist Party Reaffirms Marxism, Maoism, Atheism by William F. Jasper, New American, November 20, 2014

• Cracks in the atheist edifice, The Economist, November 1, 2014

• Why is China tearing down church crosses? Because it’s terrified of religion by Damian Thompson, The Spectator, August 17, 2014

• The Protestant Work Ethic: Alive & Well…In China By Hugh Whelchel on September 24, 2012

• China’s Morally Hollow Economy Samuel Gregg, The American Spectator, October 28, 2011

Australian atheism news[edit]

• World atheist convention rejects Australian creationist debate challenge by Dr. Carl Wieland, Creation Ministries International, January 1, 2010

• Melbourne Atheist: The Exterminator by Bill Muehlenberg, Creation Ministries International, January 26, 2007

North Korean atheism news[edit]

The Wall Street Journal reported: "A comprehensive new study released by Baylor University yesterday, shows ...that the irreligious and the members of more liberal Protestant denominations, far from being resistant to superstition, tend to be much more likely to believe in the paranormal and in pseudoscience than evangelical Christians."^[7]

• Court Tells North Korea to Pay US Family $330 Million for Missionary's Death, Christianity Today, April 14, 2015

• Repressive, atheist North Korea has a surprising relationship with Christian missionaries by Matthew Bell, PRI, October 22, 2014

• North Korea says imprisoned American tried to become 'second Snowden' by James Pearson, Reuters, September 20, 2014

Studies on atheism - news articles[edit]

See also: Atheism statistics

• Scientists discover that atheists might not exist, and that’s not a joke By Nury Vittachi, Science 2.0, July 6th 2014

• Everything Is Permitted? People Intuitively Judge Immorality as Representative of Atheists, Will M. Gervais, Journal: PlOS ONE, Published: April 09, 2014

• "Study: atheists have lowest 'retention rate' compared to religious groups" by Napp Nazworth, Christian Post, July 11, 2012

• Belief in God rises with age, even in atheist nations by William Harms, University of Chicago, April 18, 2012

• Study: Atheists distrusted as much as rapists by Kimberly Winston, USA Today/Religion News Service, December 10, 2011

• Atheist doctors are more likely to hasten death by Sarah Boseley, The Guardian, August, 26, 2010

• Look Who's Irrational Now by Mollie Ziegler Hemingway, Wall Street Journal, September 19, 2008

Creation vs. evolution news[edit]

Johns Hopkins University Press reported in 2014: "Over the past forty years, creationism has spread swiftly among European Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Hindus, and Muslims, even as anti-creationists sought to smother its flames."^[8]

Picture above was taken at Johns Hopkins University

See also: Creation vs. evolution news and Creationism and Global creationism

Since World War II a majority of the most prominent and vocal defenders of the evolutionary position which employs methodological naturalism have been atheists and agnostics (see also: Causes of evolutionary belief)^[9] In 2007, "Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture...announced that over 700 scientists from around the world have now signed a statement expressing their skepticism about the contemporary theory of Darwinian evolution."^[10]

Other creation vs. evolution news story sources[edit]

Below are some resources which offer creation vs. evolution news:

• Creation Revolution
• Creation-evolution headlines
• Evolution News and Views
• CreationWiki - recent headlines
• Global decline of atheism and the rise of global creationism
• Question Evolution! blog

Leading creationist websites:

• Creation Ministries International
• Answers in Genesis
• Institute for Creation Research
• Creation Research Science Quarterly Journal

New Atheism news articles[edit]

New atheist Richard Dawkins

See also: New Atheism

• What Scares the New Atheists by John Gray, The Guardian, March 3, 2015

• The "New Atheism" Has a Problem with Women by David Klinghoffer, Evolution News and Views, September 16, 2014

• What the New Atheism's Gender Gap Tells You by David Klinghoffer, Evolution News and Views, November 25, 2014

News articles on the New Atheist Richard Dawkins[edit]

See also: Richard Dawkins

• The Closed Mind of Richard Dawkins by John Gray, The New Republic, October 2, 2014
• Richard Dawkins upset that public doesn’t like him by Warren Nunn, Creation Ministries International, May 13, 2014

Richard Dawkins' comments on Down's syndrome babies[edit]

See also: Abortion and atheism

• Down's Syndrome girl passes six GCSEs as dad calls Richard Dawkins 'an ignorant idiot', Mirror by Grace Macaskill, August 23, 2014
• Atheist Richard Dawkins: 'Abort' Down's Syndrome Baby, 'Immoral To Bring It Into The World' by Dr. Susan Berry, Breitbart News, August 20, 2014
• Richard Dawkins Exposes the Immorality of His Atheism By Michael Brown, Christian Post, August 21, 2014

Elevatorgate news stories - Chronological order[edit]

See also: Elevatorgate news stories

Below is a list of news stories about the Elevatorgate scandal which involved Richard Dawkins and Rebecca Watson.

• Richard Dawkins and male privilege By Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, July 5, 2011 10:30 am

• Richard Dawkins Gets into a Comments War with Feminists by Caitlin Dickson, The Wire, July 6, 2011

• Richard Dawkins Torn Limb From Limb—By Atheists by Remy Stern, Gawker, July 7, 2011

• Richard Dawkins: Skeptic of women? - Salon, July 8, 2011

• Richard Dawkins, check the evidence on the 'chilly climate' for women by Emily Band, The Guardian, July 24, 2011

• Atheists address sexism issues - USA Today, September 15, 2011

Rebecca Watson's article appearing in Slate[edit]

• It Stands to Reason, Skeptics Can Be Sexist Too by Rebecca Watson, Slate, October 2012

Subsequent articles mentioning Elevatorgate incident[edit]

• Richard Dawkins: Atheism’s asset or liability? by Kimberly Winston, Religion News Service, August 7, 2014

• Is Richard Dawkins destroying his reputation? by Sophie Elmhirst, The Guardian, June 9, 2015

PZ Myers: News articles[edit]

See also: PZ Myers

• The Deeper Issues of the Worm Video Debate: P.Z. Myers's Misdirection by Paul Nelson, Evolution News and Views, May 7, 2015
• Which Is the Real PZ Myers? by Casey Luskin, Evolution News and Views, June 9, 2014
• In Seattle, PZ Myers Reflects Candidly on His Constituency by David Klinghoffer, Evolution News and Views, April 5, 2013

Editorial pieces on atheism in news outlets[edit]

• Atheism: an intellectually challenged world view by Dr. Wayne Wes, The Gleaner, June 21, 2015

See also[edit]

• Atheism quotes

• Causes of atheism

Notes[edit]