Rachel Ford is a programmer, and since 8:00 to 5:00 doesn't provide enough opportunity to bask in screen glare, she writes in her spare time. She was raised a very fundamentalist Christian, but eventually "saw the light." Rachel's personal blog is Rachel's Hobbit Hole, where she discusses everything from Tolkien to state politics.
Christian author Derek Flood recently tackled a subject that we often see raised in atheist circles: if the Bible is supposed to provide moral guidance, why is it filled with terrible, immoral commands and acts ascribed to God? And his approach is a rather good example of how inventive we humans can be when it comes to preserving respect for an idea or belief that really doesn’t merit it. Read more
You might think that, in a country of 1.2 billion people, where over 80% of your population is Hindu, you probably don’t have to worry about the preservation of the religion. And even if you’re somehow concerned that roughly 20% of your populace practices some other religion, it might seem impolitic to imply that child bearing is a religious duty for women of your faith. You, then, are not Sakshi Maharaj, a member of parliament from Uttar Pradesh: Read more
The New York Times published an article about recent changes to Pennsylvania’s laws governing homeschooling, and it highlights a number of concerning points — both in relation to Pennsylvania and homeschooling in general. Full disclosure: I was homeschooled for my entire K-12 education and learned a lot of really silly religious stuff (like Creationism) in the process. My mom taught us what she and my father believed to be true; but, at the same time, she was a great teacher (when religion didn’t conflict with reality) who fostered a keen love of learning and the natural world. My problem with homeschooling, then, isn’t that I imagine a lack of sincerity on the part of the parents or that I think there are no potential benefits or scenarios where it could work well. Read more
We already know that the Religious Right loves marriage so dearly that they desperately want to keep it away from gay couples. Turns out, in Florida, there are some city officials who love it so much that they would prefer to keep it away from everyone rather than let gay people get married. Read more
After Young Earth Creationist Ken Ham heard of the Secular 10 Commandments contest that recently wrapped up, he put out a devastating response on the Answers in Genesis website. And it’s sure to sway any wayward non-believers who chance upon it, because he’s unleashed the big guns: the Bible! He begins by comparing the atheists involved to the Devil (not even joking here): Read more
