Resources
Below is a list of the major, active English-language Atheism and freethought groups and websites and forums, as of 2006, categorized by type. Many of these have further links to more specific groups—such as local Atheist groups—or more specific websites. Where appropriate, we have also listed addresses. Although the mail and web addresses will gradually change after 2006, this list should be useful for quite some time, as we have listed only well-traveled and important groups. Also note that some of the sites and the forums available from these sites may have threads with adult topics not suitable for children.
Major Atheism/Freethinker Information Portals/Communities/References
The Brights’ Net
www.the-brights.net
P.O. Box 163418, Sacramento, CA 95816
The Brights seek recognition and acceptance for a naturalistic worldview, and seek to be an umbrella group for all Freethinkers. They have dozens of organized local groups worldwide, and a forum that attracts hundreds of regular users.
Council for Secular Humanism (Center For Inquiry)
www.secularhumanism.org (centerforinquiry.net)
P.O. Box 664, Amherst, NY 14226-0664
CSH promotes secular humanist principles (including reason, personal fulfillment, ethical conduct, good will) and programs, and through the Center For Inquiry critically examines the claims of religion. The largest organized secular “religious” group, they have hundreds of organized local Secular Humanist groups worldwide, plus around a dozen local CFI communities. The have a great deal of useful articles, research, and links on their websites.
Secular Web (Internet Infidels Discussion Board) (Atheism Web)
www.infidels.org (www.iidb.org) (infidels.org/news/atheism)
P.O. Box 142, Colorado Springs, CO 80901-0142
The Secular Web is a treasure trove of freethought articles, resources, and links. They also have an extensive online library of historical and modern works on skepticism and Atheism. In addition, their well-regulated forum, the Internet Infidels, is the single most-visited freethought forum on the web, with over two thousand active visitors each month. Visit, but be sure to read the rules before you post! Atheism Web has categorized content much like parts of the Bible of the Good and Moral Atheist, with articles covering some similar topics.
Major Objectivism Information Portals/Communities/References
The Ayn Rand Institute: The Center for the Advancement of Objectivism
www.aynrand.org
2121 Alton Parkway, Suite 250, Irvine, California, 92606-4926
ARI follows the rational self-interest philosophy of Ayn Rand more strictly than The Objectivist Center (mentioned next), not accepting compromise with other philosophies. ARI also owns the rights to Rand’s written works. ARI promotes the philosophy of Objectivism through over 80 student organizations in the U.S. and abroad, and supports contests, offers internships, gives out teaching materials, and sponsors lectures and conferences.
The Objectivist Center
www.objectivistcenter.org
1001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 425, Washington, DC 20036
TOC follows the teachings of Ayn Rand, sometimes described as “rational selfishness,” and promotes “reason, individualism, freedom, and achievement.” They have dozens of local groups in the U.S. and Canada, plus some international groups as well. Unlike ARI (mentioned previous), they support compromise and collaboration with other groups when seeking a common goal, and consider Objectivism to be an open system available to future interpretation.
Predominantly American Organizations/Communities
American Atheists (American Atheist quarterly journal)
www.atheists.org (www.americanatheist.org)
P.O. Box 5733, Parsippany, NJ 07054-6733
Founded by Madalyn Murray O’Hair, American Atheists seeks to protect the rights of Atheists and promote the separation of church and state in the United States, through activism, legal action, press releases, scholarships, and radio and television appearances. They have dozens of affiliated groups, including M*A*A*F and some Secular Humanist groups. Their website also has some strong articles against religion, reflecting their pro-Atheism and anti-religion stance.
American Ethical Union
www.aeu.org
2 West 64th Street, New York, NY 10023
The AEU is a federation of several dozen Ethical Societies (humanist groups which date back to 1876), mostly in the U.S., which place high value on human dignity and seek to study and improve the lot of humanity through critical analysis.
American Humanist Association (Humanist Society)
www.americanhumanist.org (www.hsof.org)
1777 T Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009-7125
The AHA, founded in 1941, stands for the Humanist ideal, defends the freedoms of Humanists, and pushes for change in society. They have many dozens of affiliates, including many that are also listed on the Council for Secular Humanism website. The AHA promotes grass-roots activism with Action Alerts, press releases, and letter-writing campaigns.
Atheist Alliance International (Atheist Alliance)
www.atheistalliance.org
P.O. Box 26867, Los Angeles, CA, 90026
AAI seeks to promote democratically-elected Atheist societies and Atheist educational programs. Its affiliates include over fifty groups in the U.S. and abroad. They exist as somewhat of an alternative to American Atheists, with a different political stance.
Atheist Meetup Groups
atheists.meetup.com
There are hundreds of worldwide meetup groups listed here, with dozens having more than fifty members. Most groups meet monthly. These groups are a great way to meet other Atheists for those who are just seeking others for social contacts and might be uncomfortable with the more religious constructs of Secular Humanism or Unitarian Universalism.
Atheist/Freethinker Charities
Humanist Charities (American Humanist Association charity)
https://www.americanhumanist.org/secure/humanistcharities.php
Humanist Charities is the charitable office of the American Humanist Association. This is still in the startup phase, set up for relief for Hurricane Katrina as of the writing of this book. They give the option of giving 5% to help establish Humanist Charities as a permanent entity for charitable giving.
Secular Humanist Aid and Relief Efforts (S.H.A.R.E.) (Secular Humanist charity)
www.secularhumanism.org, under “Home” menu
S.H.A.R.E., started in the 1980s, is the charitable office of The Council for Secular Humanism.
Political/Issue Organizations/Resources
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
www.aclu.org
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10004
The ACLU seeks to preserve the civil rights of Americans including privacy issues, freedom of speech, and freedom from government support of or intrusion into personal beliefs about religion. They are very active in speaking out about and litigating against abuses of government. Founded in 1920, they deal with thousands of court cases each year.
Americans for Religious Liberty
www.arlinc.org
P.O. Box 6656, Silver Spring, MD 20916
Founded in 1981 in response to the increase of religious fundamentalism in the United States, the Americans for Religious Liberty organization supports the separation of church and state through litigation, education, publishing, public speaking, and other means. ARL publishes a quarterly newsletter called The Voice of Reason, and has available for sale on their website many publications on the topic of separation of church and state, and on the influence of the religious right.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
www.au.org
518 C Street NE, Washington, DC 20002
AU, founded in 1947, seeks to keep church and government completely separate in the United States. Members of the group—AU counts over 75,000 members as of 2006—include people from many different religious affiliations who believe in keeping religion out of government. They are active in litigation and advocacy for all church-state issues in the U.S.
AU also publishes a monthly magazine called Church & State, and also a blog called The Wall of Separation, a compilation of articles written by multiple contributors. Additionally, the site includes extensive coverage of news related to issues of separation of church and state. The “Resources” section of the AU site contains a great deal of excellent material on the history of church/state separation as well as background material on key figures from the religious right.
Coalition for the Community of Reason
www.communityofreason.org
6 Peele Place, Charleston, SC 29401
CCR is a coalition of other national-scale Freethinker organizations, dedicated to “publicize, advance, & defend the community of reason.” Its members include the American Humanist Association, the Institute for Humanist Studies, Atheist Alliance International, the Secular Student Alliance, the Secular Web, the Humanist Institute, Camp Quest, and the Humanist Society.
Council of Ethics-Based Organizations
cebo.org
777 UN Plaza, AHA office, New York, NY 10017
CEBO is associated with the Department of Public Information of the United Nations, and includes the American Ethical Union, the AHA and the IHEU. The goal of CEBO is to coordinate and raise awareness of Humanist viewpoints in the UN.
DefCon
www.defconamerica.org
DefCon’s tagline describes them as a “Campaign to Defend the Constitution, Because the Religious Right is Wrong.” The goal of the group is to stop the religious right is every political arena, including the following issues: judicial appointments, medical research, reproductive rights, gay and lesbian rights, the evolution/creation debate in classrooms, church/state separation, and end-of-life decisions. The site includes great news coverage of the various issues, detailed information on the biggest figures of the religious right, and blogs from several different sources. DefCon’s supporters and board members include both people from traditional religions and Freethinkers.
Freedom From Religion Foundation
www.ffrf.org
PO Box 750, Madison, WI 53701
The FFRF is active for Freethinkers in many arenas, including litigation, scholarships, and publishing. They actively campaign against any religious entanglement in government, and for civil rights for women and homosexuals. Their website provides a great deal of useful information about the Skepticism of the founders of the United States, and the intentional separation of church and state they embodied in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
The FFRF also sponsors the annual July 4th freethought celebration at Lake Hypatia, in Alabama, where the “Atheists in Foxholes” monument resides. For more information about this event, see the “Lake Hypatia Advance” entry on the next page under “Student/Youth/Educational Organizations and Camps.”
Godless Americans Political Action Committee (GAMPAC)
www.godlessamericans.org
PO Box 5674, Parsippany, NJ 07054
GAMPAC is the political arm of American Atheists. They endorse candidates who support separation of church and state, and report on legislative activity that affects Atheists.
Institute for Humanist Studies (Humanists Net)
www.humaniststudies.org (humanists.net)
48 Howard Street, Albany, NY 12207-1608
The Institute for Humanist Studies is a non-membership think tank dedicated to promoting humanist values, through education, media releases, newsletters, grants, and political action. Their site also has a lightly-traveled discussion board.
People For the American Way
www.pfaw.org
2000 M Street, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036
PFAW supports the American ideals of “pluralism, individuality, freedom of thought, expression and religion, a sense of community, and tolerance and compassion for others.” They are active in the arenas of civil rights, religious liberties, judicial independence, public education, and countering the effect of the religious right. They produce scorecards for the legislative votes of elected representatives.
Secular Coalition for America
www.secular.org
The Secular Coalition for America files legal briefs and seeks lobbying opportunities in Congress. They function politically much as GAMPAC does, and its members include the American Humanist Association, the Atheist Alliance International, the Institute for Humanist Studies, the Secular Student Alliance, the Society for Humanistic Judaism, the Secular Web/Internet Infidels, and their newest member, the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
Student/Youth/Educational Organizations and Camps
Camp Inquiry (Inquiring Minds educational program)
www.campinquiry.org (www.inquiringminds.org)
Camp Inquiry is a residential summer camp for Humanist and other Freethinker children ages 7 to 16. Their program offers some traditional summer camp activities, altered slightly to focus on science, critical thought, ethics, and diversity. They will rent facilities near Holland, New York, for their first camp in 2006. The camp is sponsored by the Center For Inquiry.
Camp Quest
www.camp-quest.com
Camp Quest is a residential summer camp for Freethinker children ages 8 to 17. They emphasize critical thought and interest in history and science, while also offering traditional summer camp outdoor activities. They have facilities in Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Tennessee, Ontario, and California, all of which can be found from links on the site.
Center For Inquiry – On Campus (formerly Campus Freethought Alliance)
www.campusfreethought.org
PO Box 741, Amherst, NY 14228
CFI – On Campus promotes freethought and skepticism at college and high schools, with over a hundred affiliated groups in the in the United States and dozens more outside the U.S. They are sponsored by the Center For Inquiry, listed below under groups investigating paranormal claims. CFI – On Campus functions very similarly to the Secular Student Alliance.
COHE: The Continuum of Humanist Education
humanisteducation.com
48 Howard Street, Albany, NY 12207-1608
COHE is “the Internet’s first website offering interactive courses in humanist thought.” They are affiliated with the Institute for Humanist Studies (below under political groups) and staff mostly PhD’s to teach their courses.
Lake Hypatia Advance
www.ffrf.org/lakehypatia/
Roger, Pat, and Melody Cleveland deeded land to the Freedom From Religion Foundation for the location of this “advance” (as opposed to “retreat”) in Alabama. The FFRF raised funds and constructed buildings there, and each year the Cleveland family and the Alabama Freethought Association invite Freethinkers from around the country to visit on Independence Day for speeches and outdoor recreation at these campgrounds in rural Alabama. Lake Hypatia is also the location of the Atheists in Foxholes monument.
The Humanist Institute
www.humanistinstitute.org
PMB #220, 8014 Olson Memorial Hwy., Golden Valley, MN 55427-4712
The Humanist Institute is “a leadership training program” created and sponsored by the North American Committee for Humanism. The Institute offers a three-year program at the graduate level toward a Graduate Certificate in Humanist Leadership. Many graduates of this program continue on to work in various Humanist organizations.
Secular Student Alliance
www.secularstudents.org
P.O. Box 3246, Columbus, OH 43210
SSA was started in 2000 with the help of some of the former founders of the Campus Freethought Alliance (now CFI – On Campus), as another umbrella group for college and high-school secular groups. SSA has grown to about a third the size of CFI – On Campus in that short time, with over forty groups in the United States and several outside the U.S.
Secular Organizations and Resources that Reference Religious Backgrounds
ChristianHumanism.org
www.christianhumanism.org
The website promotes a Freethought, Humanist approach to the teachings of Jesus, welcoming Deists, Agnostics, and “non-theists” alike. Although not updated in some time, it has a great list of links to Humanistic Christian groups.
ExChristian.Net
www.exchristian.net
This site encourages ex-Christians and helps them sort through the errors in Christianity and the bible. It has an active forum with hundreds of regular posters. Also here are regular articles and testimonials from other ex-Christians.
The Rejection of Pascal’s Wager: A Skeptic’s Guide to Christianity
www.geocities.com/paulntobin/
Paul Tobin’s site is likely the single most well-organized, detailed refutation of the Christian myth that exists today.
Skeptic’s Annotated Bible
www.skepticsannotatedbible.com
After visiting the Skeptic’s Annotated Bible, you’ll never look at the Bible the same way again! This amazing, well-organized site covers the bible by chapter and verse, with special notations for categories such as violence, intolerance, contradictions, interesting family values, treatment of women, and sexual content. Everything is cross-referenced and categorized. The site also covers the Quran and the Book of Mormon, and has many useful links for Atheists.
Apostates of Islam
www.apostatesofislam.com
A great site for ex-Muslims, Apostates of Islam also includes a discussion forum with nearly a thousand registered members. The site looks at controversial passages in the Quran, and has explanations covering flaws of Islamic theism. Their “Meet the Apostates” page lists close to 200 individual ex-Muslims with contact information and links to good sites. This list includes over 100 who self-describe as Agnostic, Atheist, Humanist, or something similar.
Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society
www.secularislam.org
The goal of this group is to create a network of freethinkers in Islamic countries. Their site has quite a few links to other useful sites on the topic, although some links are outdated.
Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations
www.csjo.org
320 Claymore Blvd., Richmond Heights, OH 44143
CSJO promotes Jewish culture in a secular setting. They have several dozen secular Jewish affiliates (including many adult meeting groups) in the U.S., Canada, and England. They link to the Society of Humanistic Judaism as well.
The International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism
(International Federation of Secular Humanist Jews, Leadership Conference of Secular and Humanist Jews)
www.iishj.org (www.ifshj.org, www.lcshj.org)
28611 West Twelve Mile Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334
The IISHJ serves as an umbrella group and central portal for the various Humanistic Judaism groups, including both the Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations and the Society for Humanistic Judaism among its affiliated groups.
Society for Humanistic Judaism
www.shj.org
28611 West Twelve Mile Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48334
SHJ’s site has much information on Humanistic Judaism, its history, and secular celebrations of Jewish holidays. They have dozens of affiliate groups (mostly full congregations), and affiliate with many organizations worldwide.
theinfidels.org (Unitarian Universalist Infidels)
www.theinfidels.org
UU Infidels, 16265-D Dahlgren Road, King George, VA 22485
This site is for Atheists within the Unitarian Universalist church. They seek to protect the ambiguous stance of the UU church with respect to deities. They have a good deal of links here to other useful sites.
Culture-Specific Organizations
African Americans for Humanism
www.secularhumanism.org, under “Programs” menu
P.O. Box 664, Amherst, NY 14226-0664
AAH promotes Humanism among the African American community, primarily through their publication of articles in the AAH Examiner, a newsletter started in 1991.
AtheistParents.org
www.atheistparents.org
This site has many articles of interest and resources for Atheists who are raising children. Although the front page has not been recently updated, their forum has over a hundred active posters and many more occasional visitors.
Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association [UK]
www.galha.org
34 Spring Lane, Kenilworth, CV8 2HB, England, UK
GALHA is the largest autonomous gay and lesbian humanist association in the world. Based in the UK, they also have members in other countries, and have links to the Council for Secular Humanism (based in the U.S.) as well as other UK-based Humanist groups.
Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers (M*A*A*F)
www.maaf.info
M*A*A*F is a group for Freethinkers who are active or who served in the armed forces (primarily from the U.S.), or for their families. They serve as a voice for military Freethinkers when abuses occur, and offer quite a few resources. They have a lightly traveled forum, as well.
Secular Organizations for Sobriety
www.secularsobriety.org
4773 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90027
SOS is a sobriety group where steps to recovery (unlike other programs) are from a secular, non-theist perspective.
Skepchick
www.skepchick.org
Skepchick is a new women-oriented site/internet magazine with news, featured articles, special reports, fan mail, and a related blog. It also has an active internet discussion forum, and an annual photographic Skepchick calendar.
Other Useful Atheism References
Atheist Directory (AtheistWorld)
atheistworld.com
This is just a site of links to other sites, with a few out-of-date ones. But as it has such an impressive categorized and annotated list (over 200 sites), including many links not found elsewhere, we include it here as a good resource.
Atheist Empire
atheistempire.com
This site has a great variety of useful and fun information. The related forum is unfortunately the list of posts type.
CelebAtheists
www.celebatheists.com
CelebAtheists is just that, a list of celebrity Atheists—and other Freethinkers—in Wiki form. Take a look and see which of your favorite celebrities are also Atheists!
Positive Atheism
www.positiveatheism.org
This ambitious website has an impressive list of quotes and downloadable historical texts on Atheism, plus articles and de-conversion stories. They also host the official website of The Atheist Centre, founded in India by Gora, and have a large collection of his written works.
Media-Related Sites
Atheist Network [online radio network and discussion forum]
www.atheistnetwork.com
This is an online radio network and a related forum with hundreds of active posters.
Booktalk.org [book site and online discussion forum]
www.booktalk.org
P.O. Box 4624, Clearwater, FL 33758
Booktalk.org is a site dedicated to freethought books. They have an active discussion forum, and sponsor chats with such notable authors as Richard Dawkins, Massimo Pigliucci, and Michael Shermer. They also set up discussions for a book each quarter, similar to a book-of-the-month club, and review not only non-fiction work, but fiction as well.
Freethought Media (Rational Response Squad) [online radio network and discussion forum]
www.freethoughtmedia.com (www.rationalresponders.com)
This is a brand new online radio network, affiliated with The Infidel Guy. They also have a discussion forum.
The Infidel Guy [online radio show and discussion forum]
www.infidelguy.com
This is the site of Reggie Finley, an Atheist who hosts a popular online radio show. The Infidel Guy has had dozens of famous Atheist and Skeptic guests on his show, from James Randi to Michael Shermer to Julia Sweeney. Finley’s site also has quite a few resources and links, plus an active forum with many hundreds of regular contributors.
Prometheus Books [book publisher]
www.prometheusbooks.com
59 John Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228-2197
Among their offerings, Prometheus publishes a great deal of books on the subjects of Skepticism and Atheism.
Rationalist Press Association [book publisher]
www.rationalist.org.uk
One Gower Street, London, WC1E 6HD, England, UK
The RPA, affiliated with the IHEU and the British Humanist Association, publishes works covering “rationalist thought and debate in the UK and worldwide.” Their offerings include books and their magazine, the New Humanist.
Atheism Retailers and Dating Sites
4 Atheists
www.4atheists.com
4 Atheists has a marketplace for Atheist-owned/related businesses, plus news and links.
The Affable Atheist’s Store
www.cafepress.com/affable_atheist
Retailer offering Atheist apparel, bumper stickers, mugs, greeting cards, and more.
EvolveFish.com
evolvefish.com
Retailer offering Atheist apparel, bumper stickers, jewelry (EvolveFish & Humanist), greeting cards and more.
Ring of Fire Enterprises
www.rof.com
Retailer offering Atheist apparel, bumper stickers, jewelry (IPU & FSM), car emblems and more.
FreethinkerMatch
www.freethinkermatch.com
A secular Freethinker matchmaking/dating site.
Secularity
www.secularity.com
A secular Freethinker matchmaking/dating site.
Inquiry into Paranormal or Creationist Claims
Center for Inquiry
centerforinquiry.net
P.O. Box 741, Amherst, NY 14226
The goal of the Center for Inquiry is to promote and defend science and reason. Founded in 1991 as a joint venture between CSICOP and CSH (Council for Secular Humanism), CFI conducts conferences and seminars, and publishes newsletters and reports. They link to the Commission for Scientific Medicine and Mental Health (CSMMH) which investigates claims regarding alternative medicine, and the Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion (CSER) which investigates supposed miracles and other supernatural events of a religious nature.
Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP)
www.csicop.org
P.O. Box 703, Amherst, NY, 14226
CSICOP encourages critical scientific review of paranormal claims. They support research, conduct meetings and seminars, and publish articles relating to skeptical review of such claims.
EvoWiki
www.evowiki.org
EvoWiki is a Wikipedia-style site covering evolution and the Big Bang from a pro-science point of view. It is one of the most complete resources on the topic that exists today, and serves as a great reference.
James Randi Educational Foundation
www.randi.org
201 S.E. 12th St. (E. Davie Blvd.), Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316-1815
Founded by magician James Randi, JREF tackles claims of the paranormal, and has a long-standing million-dollar offer to anyone who can prove in a controlled setting that they do have “super” powers. The site has an active forum with hundreds of regular users, and if you look, you can find a list of recent applications for the million dollar challenge.
National Center for Science Education
www.natcenscied.org
420 40th Street, Suite 2, Oakland, CA 94609-2509
The NCSE promotes the teaching of evolution in U.S. public schools. The site provides news and history on the debate, and resources for parents and teachers. They have a great response to creationist Jonathan Wells’ “Ten Questions to Ask Your Biology Teacher,” found in the Resources section under “Teaching Evolution.” They also keep “Project Steve,” a list of scientists named Steve (or Stephanie or Stefan, etc.) who support evolution, to counter lists of scientists who question evolution. (The project can be found at www.ncseweb.org/article.asp?category=18.)
Skeptic Friends Network (Skeptic Friends Network Forum)
www.skepticfriends.org
SFN is an informative, detailed site with regular features on skepticism, a dubious claims list, and an active forum.
The Skeptics Society, Skeptic Magazine (The Skeptics Society Forum)
www.skeptic.com (www.skepticforum.com)
P.O. Box 338, Altadena, CA 91001
The Skeptics Society, founded by author and Scientific American columnist Michael Shermer, is an educational and scientific group. They publish Skeptic magazine, sponsor lectures and conferences, and support an active web forum.
Snopes.com (Urban Legends Reference Pages)
www.snopes.com
Snopes is one of the best authorities out there on the topic of urban legends. We include it here because it’s a good resource for debunking of incorrect “chain” emails, including ones regarding Atheism or supposed miracles.
The Talk.Origins Archive (The TalkOrigins Foundation)
www.talkorigins.org
5914 Hummingbird, Houston, TX 77096-5828
This site has articles and essays on the evolution/creation debate from a Usenet newsgroup. The site provides scientific responses to the most common questions on the debate, and www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/ is an impressive sorted index of all creationist claims, with answers to them all.
References for Atheist Holidays
Banned Books Week (American Library Association)
www.ala.org/ala/oif/bannedbooksweek/bannedbooksweek.htm
The ALA has co-sponsored Banned Books Week since its inception in 1982, along with other groups of librarians, journalists, publishers, and booksellers. Their site offers posters, historical information on Banned Books Week, lists of books challenged in the past, and information on what to do if a book is challenged in your community.
Banned Books Week (Amnesty International USA)
www.amnestyusa.org/bannedbooks/
Amnesty International lists authors and journalists around the world who are threatened or jailed for their writings. They also have a good list of resources and links to other sites on the topic of censorship.
Darwin Day Celebration
www.darwinday.org
Darwin Day Celebration promotes the celebration of the birthday of Charles Darwin as a way to encourage public education about science. The organization, supported by such luminaries as Richard Dawkins and Michael Shermer, registers Darwin Day events for each year. They are now counting down to Darwin’s 200th birthday, coming up on February 12th, 2009.
Earth Day Network
www.earthday.org
1616 P Street NW, Suite 340, Washington, D.C. 20036
Founded by the organizers of the first Earth Day, this site promotes Earth Day celebrations and environmentalist activities throughout the world.
HumanLight
www.humanlight.org
P.O. Box 8212, Somerville, NJ 08876
This site promotes and publicizes the Humanist holiday of HumanLight, started in 2001 and celebrated every December 23rd. They list information about HumanLight gatherings in various communities, and show pictures of prior events.
Human Rights Day (UN)
www.un.org/events/humanrights
This UN site has information about events and observances for Human Rights Day, plus other useful information on the topic of human rights efforts around the world.
National Day of Reason
www.nationaldayofreason.org
In response to the National Day of Prayer proclamation of 2002, this site supports and promotes National Day of Reason events, proclamations and protests. The site has a list of endorsers, including many dozens of organizations and hundreds of individuals.
Secular Seasons
www.secularseasons.org
Secular Seasons is a site that lists information about the various secular holidays, along with celebration ideas for holidays and other events such as namings and weddings. The project is dedicated to site co-founder (along with Amanda Chesworth) Deidre Conn. Conn, who was also one of the early pioneers in the student freethought movement and a frequent visitor to Camp Quest, suffered a coronary attack due to a genetic disorder, and now is mostly brain dead without hope for recovery. But her work lives on in the Secular Seasons Project, and in this book in the Book of Celebrations, which would not be possible without her efforts.
Large Active Atheism Internet Forums (sorted by traffic level)
Internet Infidels Discussion Board (part of the Secular Web) – www.iidb.org/vbb/index.php
IIDB, geared toward both Atheists and Freethinkers, is the single most-heavily traveled Atheist forum. As of mid-February 2006—the date of all of the statistics on this page—it had over 3,900 “regulars” (members with 50 posts or more), and over 3.1 million posts. Moderators can be somewhat strict, so follow the rules!
JREF Forum (part of the James Randi Educational Foundation) – forums.randi.org/forumindex.php
The skeptic-oriented JREF Forum has over 1500 regulars with 50-plus posts, and a total of over 1.4 million posts.
The Infidel Guy Forum – www.infidelguy.com/forums.html
Reggie Finley’s radio show forum counts more than 600 regulars with over 50 posts, and nearly 300,000 total posts.
Atheist Network Forum – www.atheistnetwork.com/index.php
Online radio’s Atheist Network has a well-traveled forum with over 340 regulars, and almost 200,000 posts total.
ExChristian.Net – ex-christian.net
This ex-Christian forum has over 280 regulars, and total posts of over 140,000.
Objectivism Online Forum – forum.objectivismonline.net
This forum related to the conservative atheism of Ayn Rand has 230 regulars, and totals over 76,000 posts.
Skepticalcommunity.com – www.skepticalcommunity.mu.nu/phpbb2
This skepticism forum is very active and has over 220 regulars, and total posts exceeding 185,000.
Raving Atheist Forums – www.ravingatheist.com/forum
This forum, related to a libertarian/conservative, pro-Atheist blog, has over 210 regulars, and over 72,000 posts.
Freethought Forum – www.freethought-forum.com/forum
This renaissance-feel, jovial adult forum boasts over 180 regulars, and has to date more than 170,000 posts.
AtheistParents.org – www.atheistparents.org/forum
AtheistParents’ site has some great parenting articles, and their forum has 170-plus regulars and over 110,000 posts.
Mid-sized Active Atheism Internet Forums
The Brights’ Movement Forums – www.the-brights.net/forums – 140 regulars, 66,000 posts, the Brights’ Movement.
The Skeptics Society Forum – www.skepticforum.com – 110 regulars, 32,000 posts, Michael Shermer’s Skeptics Society.
Atheists.com – atheists.com/modules.php?name=Forums – 100 regulars, 65,000 posts, has a singles listing feature.
Skeptic Friends Network Forum – www.skepticfriends.org/forum – 100 regulars, 47,000 posts, skepticism-oriented.
Apostates of Islam – www.apostatesofislam.com/forum – 85 regulars, 16,000 posts, ex-Muslims (Atheist and other).
Graveyard of the gods – www.graveyardofthegods.com/forum – 80 regulars, 32,000 posts, libertarian/anarchist, sarcastic.
Ethical Atheist Forum – www.ethicalatheist.com/forum – 60 regulars, 21,000 posts, the related site is informative.
Smaller Active Atheism Internet Forums
Atheists Anonymous – atheistanon.proboards18.com – 40 regulars, 11,000 posts, has a related information site.
Skepchick Forum – www.skepchick.mu.nu/forum – 40 regulars (just started 9/2005!), 8,000 posts, women-oriented.
No-god.com Forum – bb.bbboy.net/nogodforum – 40 regulars, 11,000 posts, anti-Christian focus.
Freethinkers Pub – p207.ezboard.com/bfreethinkerspub – 30 regulars, 37,000 posts, friendly and fun atmosphere.
Booktalk.org – pub141.ezboard.com/bbooktalk – 20 regulars, 24,000 posts, book & philosophy-oriented.
Modern Atheist – www.modernatheist.com/phpbb2 – 20 regulars, 2,900 posts, related to Godless Heathen podcast.
Atheist Coalition Forums – www.atheistcoalition.com/forums – 10 regulars, 3,400 posts, somewhat adult.
Center For Inquiry Forum – www.cfi-forums.org – 10 regulars, 3,000 posts, related to skeptical Center For Inquiry.
AtheistDebate.com – www.atheistdebate.com – 10 regulars, 2,800 posts, debate-oriented.
The Freethought Media Community – www.freethoughtmedia.com/forum – Brand new (started 2/2006), internet radio.
International English-Language Organizations
International Humanist and Ethical Union
www.iheu.org
One Gower Street, London, WC1E 6HD, England, UK
Humanist Association of Canada
hac.humanists.net
PO Box 8752, Station T, Ottawa, ON, K1G 3J1, Canada
Humanist Association of Ireland
www.irish-humanists.org
47 Sugarloaf Crescent, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland
Humanist Association of Northern Ireland (Humani)
www.nireland.humanists.net
Humanist Society of Scotland
www.humanism-scotland.org.uk
Welsh Humanists
www.humanistweb.welshnet.co.uk
British Humanist Association
www.humanism.org.uk
One Gower Street, London, WC1E 6HD, England, UK
National Secular Society [UK]
www.secularism.org.uk
25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL, England, UK
Rationalist International [India]
www.rationalistinternational.net
P.O. Box 9110, New Delhi 110091, India
Indian Humanist Union
india.humanists.net
P.O. Box 448, New Delhi 110001, India
Atheist Foundation of Australia
www.atheistfoundation.org.au
Private Mail Bag 6, Maitland, SA 5573, Australia
Council of Australian Humanist Societies
home.vicnet.net.au/~humanist/resources/cahs.html
GPO Box 1555, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
This page includes links to the various state-level Humanist societies in Australia.
Humanist Society of New Zealand
www.humanist.org.nz
PO Box 3372, Wellington, New Zealand
New Zealand Association of Rationalists & Humanists
www.nzarh.org.nz
Rationalist House, 64 Symonds Street, Auckland 1001, New Zealand
