February 2008
You Know What They Say About Assumptions… →
Christian Commentary
Can you smell that? Smells good doesn’t it? Yes, it’s the political season in the States, and there could be nothing sweeter! I understand that some of you here may not be as much as a “political junkie” as me, but don’t worry, I’m not going to get into the nitty-gritty of everything. Although if I may…Obama ‘08!! Okay, it’s out of my system, let us continue.
Now as sweet...
That Looks Quite Circular… →
Gotta break the cycle somewhere…
(via The Frame Problem)
Technorati Tags: atheist, atheism, Christian, Christianity
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January 2008
Complaints Against Penn & Teller’s Bullshit! →
Thank you, Freedom of Information Act.
Governmentattic has a collection of complaints made to the FCC regarding Penn & Teller’s Bullshit!
It’s amazing how many people don’t know how to change the channel or can’t stand any form of criticism against their beliefs.
Here’s the PDF of the complaints.
These are my favorite pages:
Page 6 — It includes this comment by Catholic League president...
Freedom and democracy in Afghanistan →
If you bothered to listen to the king this past Monday you’d heard him state that everything’s great in the newly minted democratic Afghanistan. There’s only one problem. A 23 year old journalist was recently sentenced to death for blasphemy in what appears to be vengeance for his elder brother’s stance against local strongmen.
How’s that for freedom and democracy?
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Stop the presses! Bigot found in church! →
A choir member at Greater Mount Calvary Holy Church up in Washington decided to quit the choir because “80 percent of the tenors are homosexuals and act more like a female in choir rehearsal than [she does].” She stated this in two emails sent in December and January and people are a bit upset with her.
The outings added to the inner turmoil experienced by a large number of gays who attend...
A Message Board →
Unbrainwashed recently made a comment suggesting we ought to have a message board so that people who visit this site can carry on their own discussions. The upside to this is that the threads could last several days, as opposed to a blog posting, where discussions tend to be short-lived.
I don’t have enough knowledge about how to do this, but if anyone would like to shed some light on how it...
The Example That Is You →
“Example is not the main thing in influencing others it is the only thing” - Albert Schweitzer The above quote strikes a deep chord with me. We talk the talk, do we walk the walk? As we travel along our journey, what kind of example are we to those whom we touch? We all know that […]
Book Update →
I’ve finished chapter 8 of my book. (It’s considerably longer than the last few chapters, which is why it’s taken so long.) The chapter is titled “Universal Utilitarianism” and addresses the basis for an atheist’s morality and the flaws in divine command ethics, drawing on my essays “The Ineffable Carrot and the Infinite Stick” and “The Roots...
Call for Secular Short Stories →
Lisa Swinehart is compiling a collection of “secular short stories” written by current and future leaders of the atheist/agnostic/Humanist/what-have-you movement.
Since many of you are popular bloggers who fit that description, you might already have a story that is perfect for this… or you’ve been waiting for just the right time to write it all down.
The short stories should be non-fiction and...
A General Rule for Airline Pilots… →
… Don’t go crazy and start screaming that you want to talk to God in the middle of a flight.
It scares people.
An Air Canada flight made an emergency landing in the Irish Republic after a pilot apparently suffered a breakdown.
A passenger said the pilot was carried from the plane shouting and swearing, saying he wanted to talk “to God”.
…
One of the passengers, Sean Finucane, said he saw...
“You’re Just Angry at God!” →
De-converts from fundamentalist and evangelical Christianity get used to hearing a lot of things from our former fellows, especially with regards to the reasons for our apostasy. One of the more common and familiar charges made is that we rejected (and continue to reject) Christianity because we are ”angry at God”. I think there are some important issues involved in this discussion, so I would...
What Julia Sweeney Has Learned Since Performing... →
Julia Sweeney, the former Saturday Night Live actress who now performs her one-woman show Letting Go of God, addressed the crowd at the Freedom From Religion Foundation convention in October.
Her remarks are hilarious. She presents them around the theme of what she has learned since she started performing her show.
You can download the audio here (MP3).
The transcript below is courtesy of...
God needs better lawyers →
Religious people do weird things and when they’re not doing weird things they’re apparently coming up with ways to get around doing things their god wants them to do. Case in point:
A Jewish law apparently exists that states every seven years the farming land held by Jews has to lay fallow for an entire year. Not being complete idiots, the Jewish landowners apparently “sell” the land to...
What’s new in racism →
The scandal involving District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal here in Houston has brought to light a new way to be a racist without actually saying anything “racist”. The word is “Canadian” as in “a couple of Canadians on the jury felt sorry for the defendent and convicted him of a lesser charge”. The Canadians in question? Those would be black Americans serving on a jury here in Harris county.
It...
Holy Joe to attend GOP Convention →
Joe Lieberman says he’ll attend the Republican convention should his buddy McCain win the nomination as he will “probably be more welcome there”.
Gee. I wonder why.
Maybe it has something to do with his endorsement of and campaigning for John McCain and him now being an official member of McCain’s campaign after getting elected as an Independent during a campaign wherein he stated that it was...
Help a Couple Seminary Students →
Josh and Karlene are seminary students looking to speak to non-Christians as part of a class project:
We are seminary students who have been given an assignment in one of our classes to have a series of conversations with others who do not share our Christian faith. The purpose of these conversations is NOT to convert anyone, but to practice talking about traditional elements of our Christian...
Pope Benedict: Don’t fire me, bro! →
The Bishop of Rome has once again opened his mouth about science, this time declaring that science must be accompanied by research in “anthropology, philosophy and theology” to give insight into “man’s own mystery, because no science can say who man is, where he comes from or where he is going”, the Pope said.
Science, of course, has already answered those questions. Thanks to some brave folks...
Atheist MySpace Group Still Defunct →
The Atheist and Agnostic Group on MySpace (once, technically the largest atheist group in the world) is still deleted.
The Secular Student Alliance issued this press release:
“MySpace refuses to undelete the group, although it never violated any terms of service,” said Bryan Pesta, Ph.D., the group’s moderator. “When the largest Christian group was hacked, MySpace’s Founder, Tom Anderson,...
A look at Kenneth Copeland’s Empire →
CBS news recently did an investigation into the grandfather of the money making scheme called the “prosperity gospel” Kenneth “Holy Warrior” Copeland an this is what they found:
Four private jets, an airport/strip and a lakeside house over 18 thousand square feet in size? If I didn’t have a conscious….
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The Ludicrous Penny →
Stupid Thing: The Penny Why it’s stupid: Money that’s not. Costs 1.2 cents to mint. Need handfuls to buy a cup of coffee.
Bad rationale: Sentimentality, Hoarding Short-term solution: Round prices to nearest nickel or dime Long-term solution: All-electronic cashless transactions
“A penny for your thoughts…”
Are you a penny hoarder or a penny tosser? Do you leave them in the tray at 7-11? Or...
On the Character of Jesus →
One of the most common tenets of Christian faith, believed by denominations across the spectrum, is that Jesus Christ taught and displayed some kind of unique, superlative moral virtue, unmatched by any other individual from myth or history. I’ve also heard this belief advanced as a counter to the argument from religious confusion, claiming that we should consider Christianity to stand out...
The Ludicrous Penny →
Stupid Thing: The Penny Why it’s stupid: Money that’s not. Costs 1.2 cents to mint. Need handfuls to buy a cup of coffee.
Bad rationale: Sentimentality, Hoarding Short-term solution: Round prices to nearest nickel or dime Long-term solution: All-electronic cashless transactions
“A penny for your thoughts…”
Are you a penny hoarder or a penny tosser? Do you leave them in the tray at 7-11? Or...
Is the Catholic Church Approving Condoms? →
They are!
Kinda.
One year after the election of Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican, in a reversal of church doctrine, is prepared to allow the use of condoms to combat AIDS.
In a victory for reform-minded critics of the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI has now reversed the Catholic Church’s long-standing position with regard to the use of condoms to combat the spread of the HIV virus.
The Vatican’s...
Friendly Atheist Contest #16: Tell Us About Your... →
Last week, I ran this contest:
What would have to happen for you to start believing in a God?
Thanks again to Patrick for the question!
Here are the Top 5 responses (with submitters)!
5|
Adriana Lima turns out to not be a virgin, which means that some man has sold his soul to the Devil of that privilege, which means the Devil must exist, which means God must exist.
(Paineroo)
4|
...
“A Simple Twist of Faith” →
On a recent post Donna (aka writerdd) made this comment:
As I said on skepchick recently, it’s important to remember that most fundies “are not the evil, bigoted fools portrayed by the media. Although these people do exist, primarily as hypocritical leaders who care more about power or money than they care about spirituality or charity, the layperson sitting in the pew is much more likely to be...
Coalition of Secular Voters →
The Coalition of Secular Voters has a few goals: “raising voter awareness, empowering voters with information, and raising the visibility of voters who support secular government.”
The CSV is not affiliated with any other secular organization.
It was begun by someone who had a specific mission:
This group and website are focused specifically on issues of voting and legislation, namely...
The Harmony of Our Thoughts, Words and Actions →
Happiness is when
what you think,
what you say,
and what you do
are in harmony” – Gandhi
What Gandhi says so simply is so very wise. When what we think, what we say and what we do are all the same, then there is incredible harmony in our life.
Of course this is easier said then done. There are […]
Part of the Problem (the way I see it, anyway) →
Here’s a quote from one of my favorite authors:
“Christian churches in Europe and North America were deeply involved in colonialism and, until the nineteenth century, deeply involved in slavery. When the church is that complicit in a lot of injustice in this world, I think it becomes harder for them to really face the call of the gospel on them for how they behave in this world. It’s...
Artwork from Crap Hound →
Crap Hound is a clip-art zine. It’s described on Boing Boing like this:
Each page is a kind of collage of stark, black-and-white imagery of these things, laid out with a lot of wit and yet with a solemn appreciation for the subject.
The new issue comes out today and it’s called: Crap Hound #7: Church & State.
Here is one of the images from the zine:
Beautiful.
If you’re like me,...
Death to Vespidae! →
The only good hornet is a dead hornet!
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Richard Dawkins answers questions →
The following video is an excerpt of a talk Professor Dawkins gave a Macon’s last year. A young woman asks him that time worn question of “what if you’re wrong” and his response is priceless:
The text as I heard it:
Well, what if I’m wrong? I mean, anybody could be wrong. We could all be wrong about the Flying Spaghetti Monster and the pink unicorn and the flying teapot. You happen to have...
Lack of Respect →
Cartoonist Don Addis hits the target yet again:
(via Freethought Today)
Technorati Tags: atheist, atheism, Freedom From Religion Foundation, FFRF, Christian, Jesus, cross
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Hating the gods ain’t the same as being an atheist →
Why do so many theists persist in telling testimonies that are completely at odds with claims that they were atheists?
I read one such testimony recently where the man telling it made a statement to the effect that he was an atheist because he was too arrogant to bow down before the cross of Christianity. He never actually said he didn’t believe in God, just that he had issues with God and...
Speech and Bad Spelling →
Not atheism-related.
I help coach the Speech Team at my school. The state tournament’s coming up. Good luck to us.
Anyway.
While our Varsity squad was kicking butt at one tournament, our JV squad took second place at another (considering we were up against other schools’ varsity teams, it wasn’t a disappointing showing at all).
The best part? This was the trophy we received:
We were all...
Top 10 Ways Christians Tend to Fail →
John Shore (a Christian) wrote up his list of the Top 10 Ways Christians Tend to Fail:
Too much money
Too confident that God thinks we’re all that and a leather-bound gift Bible.
Too quick to believe that we know what God really means by what he says in the Bible.
Too action-oriented.
Too invasive of others generally.
Too invasive of others personally.
Too quick to abandon logic.
Too...
Church Politics (and Joel Osteen) →
This time of the year, a number of pastors (and their churches) get in trouble for endorsing candidates for local, state and national offices. Even when withholding an endorsement, many churches allow the candidates to speak to their congregations.
But not Joel Osteen.
Jeremy Leaming of Americans United for Separation of Church and State says this:
… it is refreshing to hear of Pastor Joel...
Catholic Identity More Important than Helping... →
The Catholic News Agency is running a story of which it should be clearly ashamed. Should we be the least bit surprised? We are seeing once again a (sort of) startling admission from near the very top of the Catholic hierarchy. Archbishop Chaput of Denver, Colorado has threatened to end the Church’s services to the poor and needy if the government forces it to adhere to anti-discrimination...
Catholic Identity More Important than Helping... →
The Catholic News Agency is running a story of which it should be clearly ashamed. Should we be the least bit surprised? We are seeing once again a (sort of) startling admission from near the very top of the Catholic hierarchy. Archbishop Chaput of Denver, Colorado has threatened to end the Church’s services to the poor and needy if the government forces it to adhere to anti-discrimination...
State of the Union - SNAFU →
As I write this Dumbya is being introduced for what hopefully will be his last State of the Union Address. Instead of the hour or so allotted for this speech all that is really needed is the time it takes to interrupt a program for a commercial break. If Bush were to be truthful (I can’t believe I used Bush and truth in the same sentence) all that is really required is for him to step up with...
Stay Safe; Play the Censored Version →
I won the first round with Ganesha. But with multiple arms, you totally saw that one coming.
As reader ash child points out, “it’s worth it just to read the initial disclaimer.”
So true.
(Thanks to Ash for the link!)
Technorati Tags: atheist, atheism
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Friendly Atheist Dating #1 →
Some of you submitted dating profiles after I put out a request for them. I’m posting the “datees’” information below! If you’re interested, feel free to contact them directly.
And if you’d like to submit a profile for future postings, feel free to contact me.
Let’s see if this works!
…
Name: Michael
Age: 21
Links: MySpace
Email address:
Location: Seattle, WA
A little bit about...
Make sure you tie one on this evening before... →
King George I President Bush will be giving his (hopefully last) SOTU address. His plan is to:
“… report that over the last seven years, we’ve made great progress on important issues at home and abroad. I will also report that we have unfinished business before us, and we must work together,”
I suppose if we count screwing over everyone except the top 1% of Americans as progress - the man...
Mike Birbiglia and Religious Rock →
Christian rock does tend to sound alike… Comedian Mike Birbiglia also creates songs for other religions.
There needs to be an atheist rock song, too!
My non-prayers have been answered:
In case you wanted them, here are all the lyrics.
Technorati Tags: atheist, atheism
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Bad science or just good faith? →
If you’ve been an atheist for longer than five minutes you’ve probably heard the one about the stereotypical self-destructive atheist who after years of being an all around jackass finds himself* in a situation that is life-threatening. Despite being a cold-hearted machine that runs on pure reason said atheist decides that Jesus really does love him and the two of them walk off into the sunset...
Scientology and Christianity →
This video has a bit of a retro feel to it. The premise is that the claims of Scientology and fundamental Christianity are equally absurd:
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What Is Missing In Your Life? →
What’s missing in your life? I would like you to take a moment and consider this question. Is it romance, money, your soul mate, time, family? What is it that you are missing that if you had it would complete you or make you happier than you are right now?
Many people believe that something is […]
The problem with moderate Christians →
The problem with moderate Christians is that they are unwilling to bluntly state that the conservatives are wrong and will hem and haw to avoid bluntly stating that the Bible itself is wrong. If there’s one subject that they clearly show this tendency on, it is evolution.
A simple reading of the bible makes it quite obvious that it states Yaweh created the planet and everything that it is on it....
Copeland declares "holy war" against Grassley →
Last November Senator Grassley of Iowa decided to investigate claims that several prosperity gospel ministers were abusing their tax exempt status by using the loot donations they get via their ministries to fund their near obscene lifestyles.
It’s been an uphill battle since with the targeted ministers suddenly pronouncing their support for separation of church(es) and state.
Today it just took...
Wolves in the Fold →
In February of 1906, Pope Pius X issued an encyclical titled “Vehementer Nos”, which denounced France for its passage of a revolutionary law establishing the separation of church and state. This document contained a blunt insight into the Catholic view of the relationship between religion and government:
That the State must be separated from the Church is a thesis absolutely false, a...
Help Me Be More Organized (And Call for Blogroll... →
I have a blogroll page, and each of the websites there has an RSS feed that is in my Google Reader. Most are atheist sites, though there are some Christian sites and others that are purely science-related.
I also check out a number of other sites that have nothing to do with religion — ones written by friends, or local blogs, or others that are just amusing or fascinating in their own right.
...