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Imagine there's no heaven. John Lennon

To believers, atheists are generally considered those poor, godforsaken creatures without a hope in the world.

But behind the popular image is a community of often "free thinkers" who are just as awed by nature's mystery and grandeur as they are - to be fair - by the sometimes unspeakable acts committed by people in religion's name.

On the Web, discover sites devoted to the cause of rational thought & science in social & political discourse, discussions on the strict separation of church & state, the teaching of evolution in schools, and other hot-button issues championed by atheists & agnostics who make it a habit to not take anybody's word as gospel...

Atheism - Encyclopedic knowledge on the topic from Wikipedia, with a sweeping overview including subtopics on agnostic atheism, ignosticism, naturalism and related philosophies, global statistics, historical perspectives, plus an extensive collection of links to more information, facts, criticism & discussion.

Secular Web - A prime source of historical, literary, and current trends in atheism, agnostism and naturalism, with an extensive archive of articles & related reference materials, busy forum, suggested reading, links to e-mail lists and discussion groups.

American Atheists - Watchdog organization following issues of particular U.S. interest including separation of church & state, evolution in the classroom, scientific studies, related legislation, with an electronic version of their quarterly journal including a collection of articles from the print version plus Web-only content, subscription information.

The Raving Atheist - Daily blog with related visitor comments, links, news & reviews, and a very active forum.

Celebrity Athiest List - Just like it says, with background info on famous writers, actors, directors & other celebrities as self-proclaimed atheists, agnostics, or otherwise labeled as "ambiguous".

Ethical Atheist - Huge archive of articles questioning God's existence that wavers between thoughtful and contentious, with a collection of rants, political & scientific discussions, including an online forum, suggested reading, related links.

also see -> Buddhism