Last year, the group Stop Islamization of America paid for bus ads in places like New York City and San Francisco encouraging people to leave Islam. They also told them where to find more information about leaving the faith and getting support. When the same ads were to go up in Detroit, they were rejected. The ad reads: Fatwa on your head? Is your family or community threatening you? LEAVING ISLAM? Got questions? Get answers!” “It’s a purely anti-Muslim hate… Read more
Mike Lee, the religiousantagonist, is back with a new video. This time, he’s not reshelving books in a library. Instead, he’s trying to cut a deal with a homeless person: Will he remove the word “God” from his sign in exchange for $20? My initial reaction was: Dammit, Mike, why are you being a jerk? How dare you exploit a homeless family like this? If you want to help them, just give them the money. You know what? From now… Read more
Congratulations to resident advice guru Richard Wade for winning the “Best Chat with the Bishop, Mishies, or Other Church Leaders” poll at the Main Street Plaza blog! I know it’s an online poll, but the accolade doesn’t surprise me at all. One of his columns must have stood out to the ex-Mormons at that site in order to be nominated in the first place. Thanks to everyone who voted. And feel free to share your love for his columns in… Read more
This is a guest post by frequent commenter Claudia. … Often the circumstances that surround an event tell us more than the event itself. We all know the stories of the manger scenes around the holidays: City puts up a manger scene on public property, secular group reminds city of the existence of the “Constitution” (and “lawsuits”), city takes down manger scene, and the atheist community is flooded with vitriol and hatred by religious people. In these situations, it’s not… Read more
Is the word “female” offensive? Tom Slowikowski offers up a thought experiment to test that out. He urges people to substitute the word “male” anytime a synonym is used — by yourself or others. “Those guys” becomes “those males.” “That man” becomes “that male.” Try it out. As Tom asks, do you feel devalued? Objectified? Dehumanized? Depersonalized? Or did you not mind at all? Read more
