The Bible barely mentions homosexuality, but we know just how obscenely-seriously evangelicals take those passages… David Hayward puts it into perspective: Read more
dogmaticCURE tells the story of the Arabic Golden Age and what might have been if religion didn’t get in the way… Read more
Now look: Most atheists don’t eat children simply for the heck of it. We’re just more practical and pragmatic about consuming young flesh than most people. It pains me that there are those among us who still frequently endure hunger pangs, refusing to feast upon even the juiciest juveniles. These fellow atheists are the victims of an outmoded uneasiness that the rest of the world refers to as “scruples.” Fortunately, I just came across this 1970s book that helps explain, in an inspired fashion, why taking a bite out of a well-buttered bambino ought to be a guilt-free indulgence — and indeed is often the sane, rational thing to do. More here. Read more
Heather Dinich, an ACC reporter for ESPN.com, opens a story about college football players on a mission trip with a rather strange comparison: Read more
In response to the fracas between South Carolina’s Governor and a state senator over the alleged atheism of a political appointee, there was a wonderful editorial in The State about whether that should even be an issue: Read more
Lloyds Bank, a major chain in England and Wales, makes you pay a hefty fine if you draft more money than you have in your account. But there are two ways to avoid paying the overdraft fee: 1) Don’t go into the red. 2) Be Muslim. According to a new terms and conditions booklet sent out by the bank to customers, “Islamic Account” holders will have all overdraft fees waived so they don’t violate Sharia Law, which forbids the “acceptance of specific interest or fees for loans of money.” Read more
In his New York Times column today, Nicholas Kristof writes about religious illiteracy in our country and makes this surprising statement: Secular Americans are largely ignorant about religion, but, in surveys, religious Americans turn out to be scarcely more knowledgeable. He doesn’t cite any surveys, but I can, and the results are precisely the opposite. Despite overall low scores, Secular Americans know more about religion than any religious group. A 2010 Pew Forum U.S. Religious Knowledge survey asked Americans 32 questions about the beliefs of various faiths and Atheists/Agnostics scored higher than any other group: Read more
In 2012, Republican Matt Salmon was comfortably elected to the House of Representatives from the 5th Congressional District in Arizona, representing the western suburbs of Phoenix. (He had previously served as the Representative from the 1st district from 1995-2001.) Salmon opposes federal funding of abortions, gay marriage, and gay adoption (despite his own son being gay). He also voted against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. In short, he needs to go. And James Woods wants to be the person replacing him. Woods is a legally blind, very progressive, openly atheist candidate and, unlike some other Arizona politicians we won’t name, he’s not afraid of admitting it: Read more
We lost another great leader in the Humanist community yesterday. Warren Wolf was president of the Institute for Humanist Studies (IHS) and former president of The Humanist Institute. His organizations were actively involved in educating future leaders about the history and power of ethics beyond religion. Read more
