The "Atheist War Council"

No, it's nothing about waging war on religion or anything like that, so, don't get all worked up. The idea came to me from a Facebook game, Castle Age, in which there is an option to got to war against other players. To do so, you have to choose your 7 best generals (including you) and put them in charge of different places in your castle.

I know, sounds awfully geeky, but let's put that aside for a moment.

I was thinking, if I had to choose 7 atheists to have by my side, this would be my War Council:


The West and East ramparts would be guarded by Daniel Dennet and Michael Shermer respectively.

Daniel Dennet is an American philosopher whose philosophy research has been very related to evolutionary biology. Dennet is a member of the Secular Coalition of America and, along with Dawkins, a proponent of the Brights Movement.

Michael Shermer is the founder of the Skeptic Society and editor in chief of the Skeptic magazine. Shermer used to be a fundamentalist christian, but then became a non-believer. He tends to use the label of "Skeptic" instead of "atheist", "agnostic" or others.

Christopher Hitchens would guard the Mage Tower (hopefully he wouldn't mind the title). Hitchens is journalist and a writer, very outspoken against religion. Maybe most known for his book "God is not Great", he also writes for Vanity Fair, Slate, and other magazines. Sadly, Hitchens is now suffering from esophageal cancer, but doesn't have any plan in converting to any faith.

Dr. Eugenie Scott is in charge of the Tower. Dr. Scott is a physical anthropologist and director of the National Center for Science Education. She is a strong critic of "Intelligent Design"and has been a key advisor during the trials that involve creationism in schools.

Hemant Mehta, a.k.a. "The Friendly Atheist" goes in the Archer Wall. Mehta, while not as prominent as the others, is one of the best known bloggers regarding atheism. Mehta authored the book "I sold my soul on eBay" in which he "auctioned" his time and went to church. Few days ago, he wrote a column for the Washington Post regarding the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero.

ZOMGitsCriss guards the Armory, in part because I like to think she will be near me. Cristina Rad (her real name) is a videoblogger with a Youtube channel in which she posts videos criticizing religion in a very interesting way, using sarcasm, common sense and her unique sex appeal.

Finally, in the Main Gate, Richard Dawkins, along with me. It's hard to say something unknown about Dawkins. Most non-believers have heard of him, and if not, they will. Dawkins is, besides a leading scientist, a prominent atheist activist. Because of his strong vies against religion, he is sometimes a polarizing figure among non-believers. But, it's undeniable that many things about the atheist movement wouldn't haven been possible without him.

So, this would be my "War Council". Maybe not the most leading figures within the skeptic movement, but a very varied group. A philosopher, a journalist, a blogger, a videoblogger, a scientist, an editor, and the ultimate activist. What else could I ask? Well, there is something I would ask:

Sagan.