Self-appointed elect …

… Dave Shiflett: Where Atheists Meet to Evangelize - WSJ.com. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Workshop topics will include starting your own atheist group, how to lobby politicians, and how to debate Christians and "other religious apologists." The contact page at the American Atheists website states: "Please note: we are not interested in debating or being preached at," which to some ears might sound a tad hypocritical and closed-minded, qualities often used to describe the organization's adversaries.

Yesterday, in reference to an article I wrote in Sunday's Inquirer, someone wrote to tell me that, as an atheist, he knew there was no God. I wrote back and explained that "as a theist, I do not claim to know whether God exists or not. For reasons I find adequate, I have faith that he does. If, when I die, it turns out that I am wrong, at least I will never know it."