Ask an Atheist: Why Don’t You Just Call Yourself an Agnostic?

When I engage in a philosophical or religious conversation with some of my peers, a common phrase reiterated is, “Oh, I’m not an atheist; I’m an agnostic.” Though it may appear insignificant, ...
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Is Spirituality a Good Alternative to Religion? 

Because it is purposefully a vague term, it is difficult to get a good idea of exactly what spirituality may mean. It’s a term that has appeared in many cultures and eras, influencing and being infl...
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East vs. West: Ask an Atheist Sizes Up World Religions

Prompt: Do Eastern religions provide any benefits that Western ones might not?   In the Western world, or at least in the United States, religions of the Orient have increasingly come to take on ...
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Are Atheists Islamophobic?

Lately, the New Atheist movement has come under fire in the news, as is inevitable with movements such as this. Consisting of popular figures like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins, New Atheism advocates...
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Minorities May Not Rule, But They Still Deserve A Say

Why do atheists try to exert so much influence on public opinion if they know they are a minority?   In brief, you don’t need to be in a majority to have principles worth sharing. Whether or no...
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Does Atheism Constitute A Worldview?

A worldview is effectively a set of beliefs and assumptions through which someone interprets the world around them. Whether or not a philosophy qualifies as a worldview is really a matter of how perva...
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How Do Evolution and Natural Selection Affect Morality?

To answer the question bluntly, we simply wouldn’t have morality without evolution or natural selection. However, being fair to morality, we probably wouldn’t have survived as a species without it...
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Can You Justify Atheism Without a Scientific Understanding of the Origin of the Universe?

Topics like the formation of the universe are always contentious because there isn’t a universally accepted theory, and they can’t all be right. For that reason, it isn’t a bad thing when someon...
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For Golly’s Sake! When Words Turn to Sticks and Stones

Q: Is it acceptable to prohibit blasphemy in consideration of public safety?   Happy belated International Blasphemy Rights Day! Recent events have made this quasi-holiday associated with Septemb...
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What Do You Think Is the Most Interesting Logical Fallacy or Contradiction in Religious Dogma?

God is all that there is and all that there ever will be. He was around before time itself, around even before existence existed. With intention, God created the universe and all the things in it, inc...
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A.S. B.I.K.E.S. To Upgrade Racks, Install Air Pumps Across Campus

Officers from Associated Students’ Bicycle Improvements Keep Everyone Safe committee recently approved plans to build and upgrade bike parking at Kerr Hall and install more publicly accessible bike ...
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Peacemaking Program Mediates Inmate Conflicts

UCSB Extension Mediation instructor Laurel Kaufer will continue to teach her Prison of Peace program, an innovative initiative focusing on improving conflict resolution behind prison walls. This June,...
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Congresswoman, Students To Join Forces for Protest

Congresswoman Lois Capps will attend a rally alongside stu- dents, including the newly elected Associated Students executives, pro- testing rising federal stu- dent loan interest rates at 1 p.m. today...
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Security Cameras To Help Combat Criminal Activity

The Santa Barbara Downtown Parking Dept. is installing new video surveillance equipment in local parking facilities to increase employee and shopper safety. An armed and masked suspect robbed parking ...
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Library Funds Sponsor Kid’s Corner

The Goleta Valley Library will use the $21,001 from the California State Library and Friends of the Goleta Valley Library to open an “Infant and Toddler Town” Family Corner on May 3. The CSL provi...
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