David Margolick has just released a short book (a Kindle Single) called A Predator Priest, a candid look at the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals through the story of one priest and the family he destroyed. Is anyone surprised to hear that it’s a true story…? … Margolick [tells] the tale of Father Bernard Bissonnette, a remorseless priest whose victims included one Tommy Deary. Deary’s eventual suicide provoked his family to pursue Bissonnette through a wake of victims that crossed… Read more
If anyone else did it, there might be more of an uproar, but when a reverend does it, you might think twice. Rev. Geraint ap Iorwerth of Wales, at a celebration of the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, revealed artwork in which he had cut out the “nasty parts” of the Bible and put them on a giant Wall of Shame: “I find it highly offensive that people would think I have given my life to serving that… Read more
After recent storms devastated the city of Vinton, Iowa, guess where the volunteers for the cleanup effort are coming from? A [University of Northern Iowa] student group, the UNI Freethinkers and Inquirers (UNIFI), will be traveling to volunteer in the city cleanup on Saturday, July 23, 2011. The students will be meeting up with local secular groups and coordinating their efforts with the Vinton authorities. “Everyone needs a helping hand sometimes, and we’re glad to be able to offer it… Read more
I’m vegetarian. And I love Taco Bell. And this is a conversation I’ve honestly had at the drive-thru: Me: I’d like a BEAN burrito. Taco Bell Guy: Anything else? Me: A Mexican Pizza… but with BEANS instead of beef. Taco Bell Guy: Anything else? Me: An order of cinnamon twists. Taco Bell Guy: You want beans on that, too? Me: I hate you so much… Occasionally, they screw up my order. It’s rare, but it happens. I don’t realize it… Read more
I don’t watch Dexter, but reader Derek points me to the Showtime trailer for Season 6, in which Dexter encounters a man who killed his own wife. The man has a Jesus tattoo on his chest. How does he reconcile the tattoo with his crime? “God forgives us… You cannot kill me, because God is a mighty fortress! I’ve been washed in the blood of the lamb and He Will Protect Me!” Trailer is possibly NSFW: Derek adds: Dexter is… Read more
The Blonde Nonbeliever offers a synopsis of just about every conversation between a theist and atheist… featuring Homer Simpson as the theist: Atheist hints at nonbelief during some random conversation. Theist picks up on it, smells an opportunity, and bites. Theist, with a kind, approachable smile, gently inquires about Atheist’s beliefs. Atheist either dodges and says something bland like, “I don’t go to church anymore, but I’m still spiritual,” or blatantly asks, “I’m an atheist, you got a problem with… Read more
Remember that Ideological Turing Test I posted about a couple weeks ago? Leah at Unequally Yoked asked a group of 15 people (a mix of Christians and atheists) to answer a number of questions about god and religion. It was up to readers to decide which was which. Could we figure out which answers were genuine and which ones were the Christians “acting as atheists”? Or did the Christians really know what our arguments would be? The results are up!… Read more
Reader Radek from Poland (supposedly, an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country) tells this story: … Poles celebrate a holiday in June called Corpus Christi. It might not be as popular in the US, but here, traffic is banned in whole towns for hours because of the processions. These ‘parades’ can be very loud, take up police time, block traffic, and if any other religion or denomination wanted this kind of privilege, they would not be able to get it. Very recently,… Read more
The Centre For Inquiry in Canada has a nifty offer from a donor. If they can raise $300,000 by the end of September, the donor will chip in $200,000 — all going toward establishing physical buildings for freethinkers across the country. (They’ve raised nearly $100,000 so far. In Canadian money, no less!) Think of all those people who don’t have atheist literature in their homes (or libraries), who live in religious homes and can’t speak freely about religion, who never… Read more
American Atheists’ President Dave Silverman recently appeared (sans goatee) on Fox & Friends to discuss Texas Governor Rick Perry’s upcoming Pray-a-thon. He handled himself beautifully: This clip should be mandatory viewing for classes on How to Handle the Media. It’s not just that Dave got off a lot of important points in a hurry, which is not as easy as it sounds. It’s not just that Dave said the line, “This is a political attempt to cover his incompetent butt”…… Read more
