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.
What was the biggest atheist event of 2013? I’d argue that it was the election of Pope Francis (I was seriously tempted to title this blog post “All I Want For Christmas Is Pope Frank”). More on the popular pontiff in a minute. First, I’d like to introduce you to Joe Simmons. A Jesuit philosophy professor in Omaha, Nebraska, Simmons likes the concepts of inclusiveness and divine beneficence, but his gut reaction when Pope Francis (kind of) declared atheists fit for heaven earlier this year was still one of shock and envy. He wrote back in June: Read more
A curious case is winding its way through the Iowa court system. It involves an imam named Nermin Spahic, 40, who’s been charged with one count of third-degree sexual abuse and two counts of sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist. The Des Moines Register reports that Spahic … was arrested in August after a 42-year-old woman and her 18-year-old daughter told police that Spahic sexually assaulted them during a religious ceremony. … The woman on Aug. 12 called Spahic to her house in Johnston for help with her daughter, who reportedly suffered personal issues, including depression and drug use, police and court papers said. Spahic allegedly performed an Islamic ceremony that involved “chanting and rubbing the body with oil,” court papers said. Spahic’s lawyer has now filed motion to drop two of the charges, arguing that the defendant performed a religious service, and didn’t engage in counseling or therapy. Read more
Most church scandals, when they come to light, are sharply delineated events — a pastor raped a child, a priest got caught stealing from the collection plate, et cetera. What officials of the influential Salem Baptist Church in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania did to contractor Walter Logan is more longterm and insidious. But the gist of it, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, is this: The church’s lawyers accused Logan of a crime they knew he didn’t commit. Then, well-connected church members used their power and political pull to see to it that Logan got arrested, cuffed, and perp-walked. They carried out this dishonesty and venality in an effort to gain the legal upper hand in a contractual dispute between Salem Baptist and Logan. Walter Logan’s company had been hired by Salem to build a family center, but the church unexpectedly pulled out of the agreement in 2007, triggering a “groundless termination” lawsuit from the contractor, who claimed Salem Baptist still owned him more than $200,000. Read more
Did you know? Child-abusing priests were just trying to spread some love. Another Polish cleric has claimed that broken homes are a catalyst for paedophilia. Father Ireneusz Bochynski, from the city of Piotrkow Trybunalski in Central Poland, has said he knows of 10-year-old children who “went to bed with adults, wanting to be fulfilled, and it was the choice of the child.” Read more
Congressman Sam Johnson (R-TX) thinks atheists in the military should be forced to acknowledge God and swear a pledge to the Almighty. He’s even introduced a bill to make that happen. Johnson’s initiative is a response to the U.S. Air Force top command’s recent decision to make saying “So help me God” optional when cadets pledge they’ll abide by the military code of honor. In other words, cadets who want to say that phrase may just say that, as before; those who don’t will swear the oath just the same, but without the deity reference. Sound reasonable? Not to Johnson it doesn’t. On his blog, he writes: Read more
