Usually, when I link to an advice column, it’s because the advice-giver said something so completely wrong, it’s deserves mocking. When the advice column is written by a religious figure, the odds of that happening are even greater. (Think Rev. Billy Graham’s column.) But Rev. Jason Peterson, writing for the Algona Upper Des Moines newspaper, had such a fantastic response to the question “How should Christians approach the question of school prayer?” that it’s worth our attention. Instead of arguing about those damned liberal hippie Communist atheists who took prayer out of our schools, Peterson gives us proper background on the issue and offers a very reasonable approach for Christians to follow: Read more
West Virginia Delegate Peggy Smith (below) just got a bill through the state House establishing the first Thursday in May as the “West Virginia Day of Prayer” (to coincide with the National Day of Prayer): Read more
This past June, in response to a Ten Commandments monument outside the Bradford County Courthouse in northern Florida, American Atheists installed a bench peppered with quotations about atheism and church/state separation: Now, the Williston Atheists (also in Florida) are looking to do the exact same thing outside the Levy County Courthouse where there’s another Ten Commandments monument: Read more
Just when you thought the previous amazing Christian horror film, The Lock In, couldn’t possibly be topped, here come the Cheys. Writer/director Tim Chey and producer Susan Chey are a married couple whose movie, Final: The Rapture, which is in (a couple of) theaters now, was made for “less than 10 million dollars” (note budgetary wiggle room). It was reportedly shot in six countries over five months. In an interview this week with the Orlando Sentinel, the makers explain their cinematic and marketing strategy. Read more
Remember the Awkward Moments (Not Found In Your Average) Children’s Bible? It’s a book documenting little-known verses from the Bible that few Christians would ever want to admit are in there: The anonymous authors are now trying to raise money to purchase a series of billboards to “preach back” at Christians. The designs are fantastic — the only question is whether billboard companies would be willing to put them up. But just check out the signs you could be seeing in Kansas, South Carolina, Texas, and several other locations in the Bible Belt: Read more
Michigan State Senator Rick Jones, a Republican in case you have any doubt, has introduced legislation to honor the words “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. That may not seem all that weird, given that it’ll soon be the 60th anniversary of the day those words were shoved into the original Pledge, but Jones is going a step further. His legislation, Senate Resolution No. 108, will make sure those two words remain permanently in the Pledge — no matter what atheists try to do: Read more
Remember how the Mormon Church responded when The Book of Mormon musical came out? They embraced it (without quite endorsing it), placed ads in the Playbill, and even issued a well-crafted public statement: The production may attempt to entertain audiences for an evening, but the Book of Mormon as a volume of scripture will change people’s lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ. Brilliant. So when a theater company in Northern Ireland wanted to perform a comedy called “The Bible: The Complete Word Of God (abridged)” — a show that pastors have long-enjoyed as it’s a satirical look at a subject near and dear to their hearts — you would expect the reactions to be along the same lines. Instead, politicians there demanded the cancellation of the show because they believed it was too blasphemous: Newtownabbey councillor Billy Ball claims the play makes a mockery of the Bible and Christianity. “This is supposed to be a Christian nation and we are allowing the Bible to be mocked and slated,” he said. “Our parliaments are sworn under it, the courts offer an oath on the Bible, if that’s your religious choice. “Christians can be slagged for their beliefs and I can take that, I don’t mind that, but when it comes to the Bible that’s different, it’s sacred.” And as we all know, nothing that is sacred to anyone can ever be mocked! Well, guess what? Freedom of speech is sacred to me, and Ball’s call for censorship is far more offensive to me than anything this acting troupe is doing to the Bible. Unfortunately, his tactic worked. Evangelical Christians in the nation’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) pressured the theater into canceling the production: Read more
According to a new cringe-worthy short film by Andy Matthews, walking in on your masturbating roommate (who, for some reason, left his door wiiide open) — and not telling authority figures about it — is a lot like leaving a wounded soldier on the battlefield: Read more
Ernie Chambers is arguably the highest-ranking openly-atheist politician in the country right now. The African-American Nebraska State Senator served for 38 years (beginning in 1970), making him the longest-serving senator in the state’s history, until he was term-limited out in 2008. When he was eligible to run again in 2012, he did so and won easily. And now he has introduced a bill, LB675, that would eliminate a state property-tax exemption for religious organizations — essentially taxing churches. The bill itself is a riot because all Chambers does is cross out the word “religious” from the current list of groups that are exempt from paying property taxes: Chambers’ Statement of Intent for the legislation is also the best thing you’ll read all day: Read more
I’m thrilled to announce that my friend Jesse Galef has accepted a new position as the National Community Coordinator for the Humanist Community at Harvard (after years working as the Communications Director for the Secular Student Alliance): He’ll be working alongside a team headed up by Harvard’s Humanist Chaplain Greg Epstein: Read more
