Atheism and Agnosticism

Pope Francis on Wednesday promised "friendship and respect" for all faiths at a meeting with representatives of major world religions in the Vatican in which he said he felt "close" to non-believers.

Echoing with joyful song and with a congregation bent on leading better lives, this London church is like any other -- except there's no mention of God.

Islamists demanding the execution of bloggers they accuse of blasphemy clashed with police in Bangladesh for a third straight day Sunday, and at least four protesters were killed when police opened fire.

Bangladesh police fired live rounds on Sunday in clashes with Islamists demanding the execution of bloggers they accuse of blasphemy, killing at least three protesters and injuring dozens.

Pope Benedict XVI has galvanised Catholics at the close of 2012 to go on the offensive over key faith issues, forging new alliances and fighting secularism in the West with a media campaign.

Pope Benedict XVI on Friday weighed in on a heated debate over gay marriage, saying same-sex unions called into question what it means to be "true men".

Bill O'Reilly has blamed gay marriage for the so-called 'war on Christmas'. Bill O'Reilly has blamed gay marriage for the so-called ?war on Christmas.? On the Thursday broadcast of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly and guest Bernard McGuirk, executive producer of Imus in the Morning, agreed that the war was being led by choice and gay rights advocates. ?The war on Christmas is very, very real, and if you ask me, in addition to some grouchy misanthropic heathen atheists it has to do ? at the root of it with two things: abortion and the gay rights agenda, because Christianity is against those things,? McGuirk said. ?It's subtle but that's why it's so pronounced in recent years.? ?Hundred percent agree,? O'Reilly responded. ?I absolutely agree 100 percent that the diminishment of Christianity is the target and Christmas is the vehicle because the secularists know the opposition to their agenda comes primarily from the Judeo-Christian traditionalist people.? (The video is embedded on

Britain's Scout movement is considering welcoming atheists for the first time by creating a Scout Promise that does not include a pledge of "duty to God", it said Tuesday.

Scouts could welcome atheists into their ranks for the first time in 105 years as they seek to increase diversity, the association said Tuesday.

Britain's Scouts could welcome atheists into their ranks for the first time in 105 years as they seek to increase diversity, the association said Tuesday.

A US judge ruled Monday against Christians seeking to force municipal authorities to allow them to erect traditional Christmas Nativity displays in Santa Monica, California.

Protestants no longer make up the majority of the US population, while the proportion of Americans who claim no religious affiliation is at an all-time high, the Pew Research Center said Tuesday.

Restrictions on religion were growing worldwide by mid-2010, even in Western countries with traditionally few limits on the practice of faith, the Pew Research Center said Thursday.

Sri Lankan scientists have identified a new genus of fresh water fish and named it after the evolutionary biologist and renowned atheist Richard Dawkins.

Sri Lankan scientists have identified a new genus of fresh water fish and named it after the evolutionary biologist and renowned atheist Richard Dawkins.

An Indonesian man arrested after writing "God doesn't exist" on his Facebook page was jailed for 30 months Thursday for sharing explicit material about the Prophet Mohammed online.

Acclaimed Turkish composer and pianist Fazil Say faces trial in October on charges of insulting religious values, with a possible 18-month prison sentence, his lawyer said Friday.

The acclaimed composer and pianist Fazil Say said Monday that he was turning his back on his native Turkey and would live in exile in Japan after becoming disillusioned by the rise of conservative Islam.

Minutes of the Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting released Tuesday showed the bank's nervous agnosticism about the recovery, with policymakers reticent about declaring victory or launching new stimulus.

Thousands of atheists, agnostics and other non-believers turned out in the US capital on Saturday to celebrate their rejection of the idea of God and to claim a bigger place in public life.