Brian Gallagher

May 31, 2012

The Last Big Bang: ‘Ask an Atheist’ Reflects on How It All Began

By Connor Oakes, Brian Gallagher

When I was a second-year, I attended a meeting of Scientific Understanding and Reasoning Enrichment (SURE) and met, among others, a guy named Cameron Moody. Moody was the one who had the big idea to write a column in the...

May 24, 2012

The Difference Between Cynicism and Skepticism

By Connor Oakes, Brian Gallagher

I (an agnostic atheist) often find myself being dismissed as either “a skeptic,” “a cynic,” or both, as though those are both naughty words. In fact, not only are the two not interchangeable, but they are also no...

May 23, 2012

The American Story : Founding A Secular Government in A Religious Society

By Connor Oakes, Brian Gallagher

It’s not easy to pin down what acolytes of the Christian Right mean when they assert that our nation is founded on “Judeo-Christian principles.” Who, exactly, are these “founders?” No consistent answer is given...

May 10, 2012

‘Out of Many, One’: Should America See the Light and Return to Its Original Motto?

By Brian Gallagher

I was exploring the underworld beneath the cushions of my couch, looking for headphones, when I came upon a stray $1 bill, all wrinkled and crumpled up. Since I hate to see my currency in this shabby state, I took to fla...

May 3, 2012

What Do I Say When My Parents Pressure Me to Accept Their Theistic Arguments?

By Connor Oakes, Brian Gallagher

Hey Connor, I was hoping to ask for a bit of advice from you since you seem much more practiced in debating religion than I am. I was hoping there were a few common logical fallacies you could point out to me. I feel my ...

April 5, 2012

Should All Nonbelievers Unite Under the Common Banner of ‘Atheism’?

By Connor Oakes, Brian Gallagher

How many atheist politicians can you name? Naming Scandinavians is cheating; stick to the U.S. of A., please. Tough, isn’t it? Pete Stark, congressman for California’s 13th district, is the only openly atheist member...

March 8, 2012

Without a Written Moral Code, What Inspires Atheists to Live Morally?

By Brian Gallagher, Connor Oakes

It’s an unfortunately common thought that in order for one to be a moral, ethical person, one must also be a religious person. More precisely, it’s believed that one becomes moral only from being religious. Thus, a...

February 22, 2012

Wasn’t Atheism Responsible for Most 20th Century Atrocities?

By Connor Oakes, Brian Gallagher

The important part of any discussion as to whether a belief system has “caused” tragedies in the past or will do so in the future must be based on the logical connections between the tenets of the position and the re...

February 16, 2012

Is a Gay-Friendly Interpretation of the Bible Possible?

By Brian Gallagher, Zoltan Mester, Connor Oakes

Of the many sins stridently denounced by the “divine” words of the New Testament — murder, theft, deceit, lust, envy — there is included among them a trait which is inborn and utterly insulated from free choice. ...

February 8, 2012

How Do I Talk My Friends Out of Their Religious Beliefs?

By Connor Oakes, Brian Gallagher

In the vast majority of cases, if you talk religion with friends or family, all you will likely accomplish is hurt feelings. Most people don’t want their beliefs challenged on any topic that matters to them. However, e...

February 1, 2012

Are Eastern religions a good alternative to Western ones?

By Brian Gallagher, Connor Oakes, Zoltan Mester

If you ask Rick Santorum he’d say no, because Christianity is the only true way a human should live — there is no “good alternative” to the truth. And if you ask a devout Buddhist which is better, Eastern or West...

January 19, 2012

Embracing Jesus But Denouncing Religion Reveals Hypocrisy

By Brian Gallagher, Connor Oakes

Just over one week ago, a handsome and allegedly humble Christian unleashed upon YouTube a performance of spoken-word audaciously titled, “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus,” that he wrote “to highlight the diffe...

January 12, 2012

A Tribute to Hitchens

By Brian Gallagher, Connor Oakes

Always with the New Year’s beginning are there people who view it as a mark for new and better things to come. We see room to move forward, and we allow the old and worn to fade so the new and fresh can redefine and re...

November 17, 2011

Opinions Warrant Respect, Just Not in Equal Measure

By Brian Gallagher, Connor Oakes

This week’s question: What is there not to respect about someone’s opinion about religion?   Whether it’s about that movie you watch that just never gets old or about how you thought the last midterm went, we ...

November 10, 2011

Santa Claus, Easter Bunny Send Youth Mixed Signals

By Brian Gallagher, Connor Oakes

This week’s question: How would you go about introducing fictions like the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus to your children? It’s entertaining, the gullibility of a child. They’ll believe almost anything you say so...

November 3, 2011

The Atheist in Love: Chapter Three

By Opinion Editor, Connor Oakes, Brian Gallagher

This week’s question: How would you handle raising children with a religious spouse? I have often contemplated my future life as a father. To have a son would be both awesome and fucking terrifying (a daughter, for me,...