Terry Firma, though born and Journalism-school-educated in Europe, has lived in the U.S. for the past 20-odd years. Stateside, his feature articles have been published in the New York Times, Reason, Rolling Stone, Playboy, and Wired. Terry was the founder and Main Mischief Maker of Moral Compass, a now-dormant site that pokes fun at the delusional claim by people of faith that a belief in God equips them with superior moral standards. He was the Editor-in-Chief of two Manhattan-based magazines until he decided to give up commercial publishing for professional photography... with a lot of blogging on the side. These days, he lives in an old seaside farmhouse in Maine with his wife, three kids, and two big dogs.
As all atheists know, blasphemy is a victimless crime (it’s a joke, people!), but tell that to the hopping mad French Muslims who are suing the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo over this cover, which reads: “The Qur’an is crap; it doesn’t stop bullets.” The website of the National Secular Society explains: Read more
When news of Archbishop John J. Myers’ extravagant weekend and vacation home leaked out last month — renovations include a 3,000 square feet addition and a second pool — many Catholics in the Newark Archdiocese were disgusted. Now, some are saying they will no longer contribute to the archdiocese, at least for now. But rather than withholding their contribution in silence, they’ve hit upon a pretty neat grassroots idea to stress their displeasure in a way that the padres will notice. They’re still be sending in the customary donation envelopes, but the envelopes will contain… nothing. Read more
Late last week, George Leo Thomas, bishop of the Helena, Montana archdiocese, received an unwelcome surprise: a petition calling out the Catholic hierarchy for the callous dismissal of a pregnant schoolteacher. The statement had been signed by 20,000 people and received national attention. The case centers on Shaela Evenson of Butte Central Elementary-Junior High School, a literature and phys-ed teacher of eight years. An anonymous letter the school received a few months ago charged that Evenson, who isn’t married, was pregnant; when she confirmed it, the Catholic institution felt it had grounds to fire her. Read more
