It is estimated that one in three women will be raped in her lifetime and that one in seven boys will be sexually assaulted before the age of 18. (the Wisconsin (U.S.A.) Coalition Against Sexual Assault) Sexual assault, harassment and abuse are crimes which are abhorrent and unacceptable. They are often perpetrated in the privacy of homes or are committed by those whom people may be close to or trust. This makes it not only unacceptable, but shameful as well. Victims of sexual assault, abu

AYAAN HIRSI ALI was born in Somalia and raised a devout Muslim. In 1992, Ayaan was married off by her father in a ceremony which she refused to attend. In order to escape this marriage, she fled to the Netherlands where she won asylum, and eventually citizenship. After earning a degree in political science she served as an elected member of the Dutch parliament for three years. She has since become an active critic of Islam, an advocate for women’s rights and a leader in the campaign to re

David M. Mandell Winner of 2002 “Letter to the Editor” Competition by the American Atheists, Inc. INTRODUCTION Yes, I am an acrimonious atheist and I have a damn good reason. I was abused as a child, like millions of other children, by being brainwashed into a religion that I didn’t want. This resulted in 30 years of a God phobia, believing that God had the power over life and death. I knew in my heart that God was make believe, but the fear had been instilled in me. I was compelled to put

A Pakistani woman reveals her narrative and how she now finds life living in San Francisco, CA.

An Atheist in the Pulpit Public identity and private belief are never more at odds than when a preacher loses his faith. By: Bruce Grierson James McAllister, a 56-year-old Lutheran minister in the midwest, was working on his sunday sermon one Thursday afternoon last summer. It wasn't going well. The reverend wasn't suffering from writer's block—in fact, he was crafting quite an elegant parable about "the importance of making our whole lives a prayer." No, the problem was bigger than tha

Why Christianity is a really bad idea.