The Arrogant Atheist

Religion and IQ.

2011-11-11T10:35:00.000-08:00

At a recent atheist convention, we heard a researcher discuss the startling volume of recent scientific studies that seemed aimed at bolstering religious solidarity. How? By attempting to prove that religious people are happier, healthier -- altogether better -- than those without religion. Whether through junk science, poor sample data or creative interpretations, the results of these studies appeared as though they had been determined from the start. And most every study was backed by a religiously affiliated institution. Despite the flaws this researcher found, the studies continue to flood the journals in an apparent attempt to validate veracity through sheer staggering quantity.

We all hear of the multi-million dollar bankrolls religious groups readily use to influence politics, erect mega-churches and run PR campaigns. Now it looks like they may want to get their hooks into the scientific journals, too.

In the spirit of rallying up support for serious studies to tackle the very real issue of religion's influence on society, we've launched this shirt based on legitimate studies about the relationship between IQ and religiosity: http://www.thearrogantatheist.com/IQ.html

In one study, the authors reported a correlation of 0.60 between atheism rates and level of intelligence, which is "highly statistically significant." We might have guessed as much.

Zombie Jesus!

2011-03-21T00:09:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the infamous quotation: "Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead." Matthew 28:2-7.

Get Zombie Jesus on a shirt and mock the ridiculousness: http://www.thearrogantatheist.com/zombie-jesus.html.

A little animation:

That's all for now.

Atheist Shirts...Big Sale (our first one)

2011-01-07T21:11:00.001-08:00

We just launched our first big clearance sale (http://www.thearrogantatheist.com/discount.html). It's an opportunity for you to get some of our atheist shirts while saving money (up to 40% off right now) -- or to get the items, sizes or colors that we'll no longer be offering before they're discontinued. Check it out soon because once these things are gone, they're gone!

Holiday cheer :D

2010-12-06T19:38:00.000-08:00

So we remixed the infamous Crazy Catholic Mother clip into a holiday jam. It was pretty easy since she was already throwing down some old-school gangster rap:

We took our blaspheming to iTunes so you can spread your own brand of holiday cheer by playing this song at the christmas parties this year. That is to say, you can download the song there. Yes, it's true, The Arrogant Atheist is now on iTunes.

We also added a new shirt so you can drop the knowledge on the true origin of the season.

Arrest the Pope

2010-04-19T17:39:00.000-07:00

Pope Benedict XVI, Bishop of Rome, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City, Servant of the Servants of God has earned a new title, less prestigious, but vastly more accurate in terms of character portrayal and actual execution of duties: Protector of Grand-Scale Child Molesters.

We're not going to outline every last detail--you're likely already very familiar with the scandal--but for more on the Pope's vile transgressions, here's a reputable news source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/world/europe/25vatican.html

No, we're here to call you to arms. The church is not above reproach. Vatican City is not immune from international law. And as the Pope has shielded from justice some of the worst and most prolific sex offenders in history, then he too is a criminal.

Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens have enlisted a legal team to hold the Pope accountable for his crimes; Join the movement to bring an evil man to judgment--a man more concerned with the image of his institution than hundreds of tormented children--and tear down the veil of secrecy and the facade of moral superiority that has protected the Catholic Church for centuries. Wear an Arrest the Pope shirt, start an uproar, and support the cause. Get it here: http://www.thearrogantatheist.com/

Aleksi Sihvonen of Medicated (and now Norther!)

2010-03-13T01:52:00.000-08:00

The Arrogant Atheist is proud to announce our sponsorship of Aleksi Sihvonen.

He's the front-man for Medicated, a hard-hitting, virtuosic metal band, over which Aleksi displays stunning vocal diversity. Their standout track "Scream for God" outlines the anatomy of the band rather precisely: double-bass blasts, blistering guitar riffs replete with shrieking pinch harmonics and layered lead passages against Aleksi's roar...that is, until the chorus hits, and where before there were vicious growls, we now have a haunting, nearly angelic voice, reaching a climactic and stratospheric high C. The result is heavy, visceral music with just a flair of wonder and awe: executed with technical mastery.

In light of Aleksi's unique abilities, it's no surprise that he's been asked to replace Petri Lindroos as lead vocalist in Norther, a world renowned death metal band that's toured with the likes of Children of Bodom and Dimmu Borgir. You can download his demo recording of Frozen Angel (which got him the gig) from the official Norther website.

In closing, be sure to check out Aleksi's projects; you'll be glad you did. And what of us? Well, we're proud to say we make Aleksi's stage-wear, helping him look like a metal musician should.

merry christmenos

2009-12-06T01:47:00.001-08:00

Searching for holiday presents? Let's make this easy for you:

Yeah, fish feet. Help any 'jesus fish' evolve. Gift them to poke a little fun at your christian friends, get a laugh out of your atheist friends, or buy some just for you to amuse yourself in parking lots by performing mass 'conversions.'

I'd say you're pretty much done shopping.

Happy holidays! Or...

...Merry Christmenos.

American Humanist Association: Humanist Network News

2009-11-14T21:54:00.000-08:00

Hey, if you haven't visited the Humanist Network News site yet - check it out! They do a remarkable job of highlighting many of the exciting things happening in the atheist community; it's a part of the American Humanist Association website (AHA).

They also have a monthly podcast which you'll find entertaining and informative; Here's their most recent episode where Jende interviews Susan and I about our band, Galt Aureus, and The Arrogant Atheist clothing. The show includes another intriguing segment where Jes interviews one of the founders of Eternal Earth-Bound Pets, a post-rapture pet rescue program (run by atheists).

Definitely worth subscribing to their podcast on iTunes.

How Awesome Are Atheist Conventions?

2009-10-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

The answer is exceedingly awesome. Huge thanks to everyone who came, chatted, said nice things and bought stuff.

Also, seeing people show up to the convention in our clothes? Mind-blowing.

In addition to meeting a horde of delightful atheists (and a few grumpy bastard atheists), we got the chance to meet Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett!

Here's Susan extorting an autograph out of Richard Dawkins in exchange for the safe return of his laptop.

Kidding. No extortion necessary. In actuality, he was overwhelmingly gracious- as was Daniel Dennett, who came by our booth and checked out all the Arrogant Atheist stuff.

What's particularly exciting for us is that both brilliant fellows got the new Galt Aureus album (which indeed, features anti-religious and atheistic songs- more on that in another blog). In my excitement, I suggested track 5 to Dennett. I know nothing of his musical tastes, but I'm fairly certain at least the sentiment of the piece will be appreciated.

Finally, thanks to everyone hitting us up for interviews for their newspaper columns, documentaries, podcasts, blogs, youtube channels and all the rest. Granted we hadn't slept in 40+ hours, worked like dogs, overdosed on caffeine and ate more McDonalds #2's in one weekend than in the last 10 years- maybe a camera in the face mightn't have seemed overwhelmingly enticing to others in the same situation- but for us, it was heartening as all hell to see that we're not alone in this fight. Atheists exist, and if we really push, we can make this world change.

One more thing, actually. The guy in the pic below, on the left? That's Leif. He helped us setup and run the booth this weekend. He also participated in one of the most epic Nerf-gun wars of all time. It seems only appropriate to publicly thank him for helping to make this weekend one of the best in a long time.

Atheist Alliance International Convention

2009-09-29T12:13:00.001-07:00

The blog's been a bit quiet, sure, but for a good cause! We've been gearing up for the Atheist Alliance International Convention 2009 in Los Angeles. Speakers at this year's AAI Convention include: Richard Dawkins, Bill Maher and Daniel Dennett. We'll have our own booth this year, so if you're coming, be sure to stop by!

Also, it's not too late to buy tickets. So head over to the AAIC website to check it out.

The Blasphemy Contest

2009-07-21T07:47:00.000-07:00

Want a $50 gift certificate to The Arrogant Atheist store? It's as easy as one, two, blasphemy!

1. Take a picture of yourself (or your cat) wearing anything from The Arrogant Atheist Store in the most blasphemous location you can think of.
2. Email said picture to contest@thearrogantatheist.com by 8/31/09.
3. Get struck down by lightning?

Entries will be judged on their creativity and the quality of their blaspheming. Entries will be featured in a video on The Arrogant Atheist youtube channel (www.youtube.com/arrogantatheist) and the winner will walk away with the cold, hard 50!

No restrictions on the gift certificate, by the way. You can spend it on anything we offer: shirts, hoodies, bags, hats - you name it!

Good luck :)

Atheist hats, gifts, accessories!

2009-07-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks to tons of requests for atheist related gifts and accessories, we updated our store with exactly that.

Here are a few of the new things we added (there's lots more in the accessories section itself):

10 out of 10 atheists have heads.

a handy bag into which you can place items.

having a bbq? bring the jesus fish!

many atheists also have wrists.

So, yes, we have atheist shirts. Definitely. No question there. But now we have all kinds of other things. You can check out all of the new atheist accessories in our, you guessed it, gifts and accessories section.

Atheist clothes for women!

2009-07-09T01:00:00.000-07:00

We updated the women's section with a ton of new colors and options (including long sleeve, polo shirts and tanks). For a taste, here's a few pictures (click the pic to be taken to that particular item)...

Or just visit the women's section to see all the atheist clothing available for ladies.

The Fantastical Story of Creation

2009-07-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

The good part of Christian mythology: all the hilarious corollaries that must be made when the Bible is taken literally. Sure, plenty of Christians decide to interpret the Bible rather metaphorically (though puzzlingly take the actions and morals prescribed by it quite literally); nonetheless, there is still that startlingly sizable populous that believes the Bible word for word.

And so it is worth taking note of these people. To explore their beliefs to their depths. As an anthropological exercise, you see. No, certainly not for our own amusement.

To that end, we created an atheist shirt as a part of this noble study of humanity. It highlights the fascinating concept that...well...why don't you just watch the video below?

An update, a video and thoughts on the interview

2009-06-30T23:24:00.001-07:00

Our appearance on the Jesse Woodrow show went well; I wholeheartedly advise watching our YouTube video (below) which is a distillation of the exchange that occurred. It's also a recording of the interview from our end, so it's crystal clear - quite a bit better than had you watched live - yet we still captured the host and the chat room to reproduce the experience of the live feed.

Be warned: this video may or may not also contain piquant "LOL-commentary" for your amusement; I'll constrain that probability somewhere between 1 and 1 that it does.

Before I let you go, I must mention that I still am boundlessly surprised at the misinformation that creationists seem so passionately to profess; Jesse Woodrow's feeble grasp on the theory of evolution was in such wild contrast to the conviction with which he spoke about it- confronting this requires one to consciously recall that the certainty with which an opinion is spoken does not correlate to its validity.

Along that line, sometimes I muse in wonder at the prevalence of creation science and how people manage to swallow such incoherent drivel, however, today my wonder was dispelled; when a fundamentalist opens his mouth, a world of madness spews forth- and yet it is a world entirely devoid of doubt.

Fundamentalists: deluded, irrational, misinformed, whatever you want to call them, must at least be lauded in some upside-down manner for not flinching in the face of reason. No, they carry on, each step more strident than the last, deep into the dark pits of insanity, smearing pitch over their eyes to guide them on their way.

Radio Appearance: 6.30.09

2009-06-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

The Arrogant Atheist is appearing on the Jesse Woodrow show; it's Christian radio so this should be interesting. 1-1:30pm PST on Tuesday, June 30th. We'll be discussing The Arrogant Atheist - the clothes and our mission - as well as religion at large. Be sure to tune in!

RECENT GUESTS OF THE JESSE WOODROW SHOW INCLUDE...
Former Presidential Candidate: RON PAUL
Privacy Expert: DR. KATHERINE ALBRECHT
Former UN Ambassador: JOHN BOLTON
Director of Eye of the Phoenix: CHRIS PINTO
Director of Riddles in Stone: DAVID BAY
Former Presidential Candidate: THOMAS TANCREDO
Author of The Energy Non Crisis: LINDSEY WILLIAMS

Iranian Protests

2009-06-24T05:17:00.000-07:00

Tear gas and batons: the only retort of an insidious will to the restless masses, the new emblem of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Ahmadinejad, a mouthpiece of tyrant clerics, proclaims his re-election as "among the great achievements of the Iranian people," and he's right. A powder keg needs but fuse and spark, and this president's short-sighted ambition in manipulating the June 12th election may well have incited the riots that will end the regime that should never have been.

The Arrogant Atheist supports the protesters in their stand against an oppressive government; as the Islamic Republic of Iran administers its will with the baton, its streets swathed in blood, thirty years of echoes from the violent reign of Ayatollahs ringing still, these new blows fall before the eyes of the world. Let it see the true nature of a theocracy: sanctioned by a book but enforced at the point of a gun.

To aid the Iranian people in this pivotal moment in history, we're giving 50% of all proceeds from sales of our shirt, "Nothing is your own," to the Foundation for Democracy in Iran which promotes freedom, internationally recognized standards of human rights and regime change in Iran.

Visit: www.thearrogantatheist.com to get the shirt. Do your part- wear it around to promote discussion- so the people in Iran aren't fighting in obscurity.

To A New Era...

2009-06-23T05:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The Arrogant Atheist Blog!

Here you'll find our rants on current events, philosophy, religion, atheist culture as well as announcements on the latest from our clothing-line where we make apparel for the fashionably-minded atheist.

The Arrogant Atheist was founded to combat the rampant spread of religion, the archaic yet potently oppressive force that stifles the progress and happiness of man to the very edges of the earth; even in an otherwise scientific and technological age, the specter of religion rules your every action, from governmental policy to social convention.

But we can change all that. We can unite, all brilliant minds forming a single torch- illuminating the dark corners of the world where threats, fear and the autocracy of ignorance still reign with seemingly unconquerable strength.

We can bring a revolution to the world- creating an enlightened age where man no longer grovels and bows down, but reaches skyward.