Articles written by Andrea Nostramo

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About me - Andrea Nostramo

Andrea Nostramo received her Master's Degree in English Literature in 2009. She received the Rosemary Deen prize for a personal essay at Queens College in 2006 and tied for third place in FFRF's College Essay Contest in 2008. She is currently writing and

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Religion & Spirituality > Christianity (Other) Are homosexual acts natural or sinful?: 3 of 48

The answer to this question is simple. Those who find homosexual acts sinful are probably getting their information from the Bible. So I'll start there. If homosexuality is sinful - as it says so in the Bible - then should we also stone someone for working on Sunday? Because in the Bible it says you should. Should we condemn...
Politics, News & Issues > Justice System Is the death penalty an effective crime deterrent?: 8 of 84

This is not a matter of opinion. The question was not whether or not capital punishment is morally wrong but rather whether it deters crime effectively. The answer to that is, factually, no. I will get to that momentarily. First off, the sentiment of "an eye for an eye" is most often misconstrued. The saying is not meant to ...
Religion & Spirituality > Religion & Spirituality (Other) Should the Bible continue to be used for swearing-in ceremonies and in courtrooms?: 16 of 162

Defenders of this custom often cite that the United States was built as a "Christian nation;" they mention the founding fathers and claim that the foundation of the U.S. was one of unified Christianity, and that simply because non-believers are more prevalent today is no reason to dismantle a tradition rooted in the largest ...
Parenting & Pregnancy > After School Should parents raise their children without television?: 28 of 228

There is absolutely nothing wrong with raising children with the joys of television. Not doing so is a warped and antiquated concept undoubtedly based in fear. We all recall those news stories we've heard over the years: the kids who broke their bones emulating "Jackass," the kids who set something on fire copying Beavis and...
Computers & Technology > Malware & Identity Theft How to prevent your PC from being infected with spyware: 4 of 31

There isn't an Internet user alive who hasn't encountered that privacy-breaching nuisance known as Spyware. These programs slither into your hard drive undetected and lounge around among your files, tracking your every move and sucking up your resources. There are several things one can do to remove these scoundrels once the...
Religion & Spirituality > Atheism & Agnosticism Agnosticism: Why neither religion nor atheism is right: 3 of 16

Certainty. The word alone has a definitive ring to it. This word perfectly and succinctly sums up the problem with devout believers and atheists alike. Because no one can ever truly know. The foundation of religion is faith. Blind faith. This is what few atheists understand. When they try to convince pious believers to doubt...
Politics, News & Issues > Constitutional & Contract Law Should a woman have the right to choose abortion?: 61 of 300

Yes. A woman should have the right to choose abortion. However, this debate is far from simple. There are two different schools of thought regarding this debate, the religious, and the non-religious. I will cover the latter first, which begins with one very important question: is abortion "murder"? To answer this, one must f...
Religion & Spirituality > Bible Study Can information contained in the Bible be placed in the realm of absolute truth, or does it simply present us with fables and myths?: 6 of 24

In the 1,900 or so years since the last book of the Bible was finished, science has come a tremendous way in debunking much of the obvious myths and fairy-tales in its midst. It is no surprise that the bible contains such stark untruths; humanity was extremely uneducated and knowledge was rare. For the time period in which i...
Education > Educational Philosophy Should schools be allowed to teach creationism alongside evolution as part of their science curriculum?: 23 of 69

Defenders of this practice often claim that because Creationism deals with one very important aspect of science - the origins of the Universe - that it falls under the umbrella term of "science" and should be taught alongside Evolution in schools. Other defenders claim that Evolution is a theory - thus its oft-used title "Th...
Religion & Spirituality > Christian Beliefs & Culture Should we let our children choose whether to be christened?: 5 of 15

The Jesuits used to say that if you gave them a child until he was six years old, he would be a Christian for life. This philosophy acts as proof that it is wrong to christen children, or indoctrinate them into any organized religious tradition, before they are old enough to know exactly what it is they are believing in. Chi...