Abdul Aziz Qassem, writing for the Saudi Gazette, is in high dudgeon over “The Global Index of Religiosity and Atheism,” a 2012 poll conducted by WIN-Gallup International. He writes: The poll showed that the percentage of atheists in Saudi Arabia is the same as in advanced European countries like Belgium. The strangest part in the poll is the finding that the number of atheists in Saudi Arabia reached five percent. This makes the [Saudi] Kingdom the first country in the Islamic world… Read more
Those of you with far-reaching memories may recall the series of video interviews that my trusty sidekick Mikey and I put together from The Amazing Meeting 2013. I understand it is now 2014, but we had some technical difficulties (i.e., the computer he was using to edit everything unexpectedly crapped out and we needed to get a new one. Guys, computers are not cheap. Even with this baller blogging money. Apparently, the four-year-old semi-functional laptop I write on is not good enough for his fancy schmancy editing programs. La. De. Dah.) Anyway, now that we have gotten everything back in good working order, Mikey has been able to get back in the swing of things. For our long-awaited relaunch, we’re kicking things off with the remarkable Dr. Karen Stollznow. Though I had missed her talk at TAM, there was a gentleman who was also blogging there who told me that I absolutely needed to talk to her. Holy cow. He was right. Read more
A news story attributed to Agence France-Presse (AFP) (see here, here, and here) says that a prominent Bulgarian clergyman who was seen in a just-surfaced video having sex with four women (another source says two) has been dismissed from the Orthodox Church. Read more
Another day, another example of the Catholic Church making a mockery of its civic responsibilities: Court documents obtained by CBC News allege that the Catholic Church is withholding millions from former students of Indian residential schools. The church was part of the Indian residential school settlement reached in 2006. While the government paid the lion’s share of the billion-dollar settlement, the churches were also required to make reparations. The Anglican, Presbyterian and United churches have met their obligations, but according to the federal government, the Catholic Church is shirking its responsibility. Read more
After seeing allegations of sexual abuse at Christian schools like Bob Jones University and Patrick Henry College, it’s worth asking whether there’s a pattern there. Is there something that needs to change about the culture at those schools that might help alleviate the problem — or at least give the victims at those schools a way to report problems without feeling like they did something wrong? This isn’t a problem unique to Christians, obviously, but it’s one that needs to be addressed wherever it occurs. In the case of atheist conferences, we’ve seen organizers start to promote codes of conduct and that’s a welcome sign. It’s not an admission of any wrongdoing, but a way to let attendees know that their safety is a priority and any reports of harassment will be taken seriously. But that’s not the way Creationist Dr. Terry Mortenson sees it. In a piece promoted by Ken Ham, Mortenson seems to think the existence of a code of ethics is a black mark for American Atheists: Read more
Michael Powell, a New York Times columnist, recently visited Pittstown, New Jersey, to get a first-hand look at the weekend/vacation home of John J. Myers, the long-failing head of the Newark Archdiocese. The 4,500-square-foot home has a handsome amoeba-shaped swimming pool out back. And as he’s 72, and retirement beckons in two years, he has renovations in mind. A small army of workers are framing a 3,000-square-foot addition. This new wing will have an indoor exercise pool, three fireplaces and an elevator. The Star-Ledger of Newark has noted that the half-million-dollar tab for this wing does not include architects’ fees or furnishings. There’s no need to fear for the archbishop’s bank account. The Newark Archdiocese is picking up the bill. Read more
Who wrote the United States’ Constitution? Well, you might think James Madison had something to do with it… but you’d be wrong. The correct answer is: God. At least that’s what former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay says: Read more
As all devout Christians know, the Lord will provide. To some, that includes free restaurants meals (for when the loaves and fishes run out, I guess). Take a gander at this recent dustup at the A&G restaurant in Winter Haven, Florida. It involves a woman named Ruthena Lewis, 44, and her 78-year-old mother Willie, who went there for breakfast last month. According to the police reports, Crystal Henson, a restaurant staff member, ran a credit card that Ruthena Lewis gave her and it was declined. Restaurant staff told police Ruthena Lewis held the cancel button down as she ran the card, according to the reports. The report said police were told that “(Ruthena Lewis) stated to (Henson) that if she gave them the meal for free she would go to heaven. If she ran the credit card again, she would go to hell.” Read more
Last week, we learned that Alabama State Rep. Duwayne Bridges (R, obviously) was sponsoring a bill that would allow public display of the Ten Commandments: House Bill 45 would amend the state Constitution to say: Property belonging to the state may be used to display the Ten Commandments, and the right of a public school and public body to display the Ten Commandments on property owned or administrated by a public school or public body in this state is not restrained or abridged. The civil and political rights, privileges, and capacities of no person shall be diminished or enlarged on account of his or her religious belief. No public funds may be expended in defense of the constitutionality of this amendment. The Ten Commandments shall be displayed in a manner that complies with constitutional requirements, including, but not limited to, being intermingled with historical or educational items, or both, in a larger display within or on property owned or administrated by a public school or public body. The legality of these displays is sure to be questioned now that the House has voted overwhelmingly in favor of the change: Read more
Muslims may not go on hazardous deep-space flights. That’s official, inasmuch as a fatwa issued by a committee in the United Arab Emirates can make it so. The committee issued its religious ruling after weighing the pros and cons of a manned flight to Mars. “There is a possibility that an individual who travels to planet Mars may not be able to remain alive there, and is more vulnerable to death.” Whoever opts for this “hazardous trip”, the committee said, is likely to perish for no “righteous reason,” and thus will be liable to a “punishment [in the hereafter] similar to that of suicide.” Read more
