Richard Dawkins has gone on the record as saying he would never debate Creationists because “they’ve won the moment you agree to have a debate at all. Because what they want is the oxygen of respectability.” But now that Bill Nye has agreed to debate Creationist Ken Ham, Dawkins has some advice for his sidekick in science: Read more
Last year, the Bossier Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana lost $15,000 in federal funding for its Young Marine Program. On the surface, the program sounds great, promoting the “mental, moral and physical development of its young recruits.” The problem was that it was a religious program, emphasizing “the love of God and fidelity to our country,” subjecting members to a Young Marine Obligation to not disgrace or dishonor God, and having students sign on to a Young Marine Creed that included: “Keep myself clean in mind by attending the church of my faith.” The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice made it very clear that the money would be returned to the Sheriff’s office once the God references were removed. That never happened. Sheriff Julian Whittington complained to Governor Bobby “we’ve got to stop being the stupid party” Jindal, prompting Jindal to join him at an “In God We Trust Rally” on July 4: That’s when Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) stepped in. She sponsored a bill that would “prohibit the revocation or withholding of Federal funds to programs whose participants carry out voluntary religious activities.” Read more
I guess if you make an album called “Yeezus” and post for a Rolling Stone cover like this, it was bound to happen: There’s now a new religion created in His honor: Read more
Daniel is back with another montage of some of the awful things done in the name of God over the past month: (via ConversationWithA) Read more
Can you be a Christian and support LGBT-rights at the same time? American Atheists’ Dave Muscato says no: Read more
Responsive Education Solutions is the euphemistically-named company running the largest charter school district in Texas. Their schools are tuition-free, funded by taxpayers, and home to 17,000 students in the state. Just one problem: Their textbooks promote Creationism, along with other examples of bad science. Zack Kopplin, building off of work by Jonny Scaramanga, explains: Read more
According to a survey released yesterday by Public Religion Research Institute, waaaaaaay too many Americans think they have some sort of direct effect on how their favorite sports team does: Read more
You may have heard the tragic story of Jahi McMath, the 13-year old girl from Oakland, California who was declared brain dead over a month ago: While a lot of the debate surrounded her story has dealt with the Terri Schiavo-like situation she’s in — a court allowed her parents to keep her on life support despite her condition — there’s another controversy brewing involving her school. EC Reems Academy of Technology and Arts recently held an assembly in her honor — a perfectly fine thing to do — but what transpired at the event was a travesty, as is the administration’s handling of the situation: The academy’s chief operating officer Lisa Blair said she has tried to honor Jahi’s family’s wishes by telling students that their classmate may still be alive, even though doctors say she is legally and clinically dead. The students responded with an outpouring of faith. “Most kids are Christian here,” Blair said, “and they believe that if you continue praying, there’s always a possibility. The students understand the debate. They’re just choosing spirituality over science.” … On Thursday, about 250 of Blair’s students donned purple T-shirts emblazoned with the words “#TeamJahi” and “Keep Calm, Pray On.” Read more
Farrah Abraham — the “Teen Mom” on MTV who parlayed her 15 minutes of fame into a “leaked” porno with James Deen, a forthcoming erotic fiction novel, and a line of sex toys — just announced her latest project: Read more
