Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt (a.k.a. “Dr. Chaps”) — a right-winger and Bryan Fischer-wannabe — says he has scientific proof of God’s existence! And mathematical proof, too, as seen below: But back to the science (at the 24:44 mark): Read more
This isn’t turning out to be a very good month for the American Legion. First, members of Post 311 decided they wouldn’t attend a Veteran’s Day assembly at a Pennsylvania public high school because the superintendent told them their chaplain wouldn’t be allowed to deliver a prayer at the event. Then, there was the PR smackdown suffered by an Illinois chapter of the organization. You’ll recall that after Morton Grove Park District Commissioner Dan Ashta declined to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, piqued members of Legion Post 134 decided they would withhold their $2,600 worth of financial support. On Hemant’s initiative, atheists from all over the country quickly contributed $3,300 to more than make up the shortfall at least for this year, ensuring that Morton Grove residents can continue to enjoy their greenery. And now, there’s this: Read more
Recently, one morning, in a public school in Spring Hill, Florida… this happened. To a fourth-grader. As the students recited [the Pledge of Allegiance], teacher Anne Daigle-McDonald took the boy’s wrist and placed his hand over his heart. He protested, pulling his arm down and reminding her he was a Jehovah’s Witness. “You are an American, and you are supposed to salute the flag,” Daigle-McDonald said, according to a statement the boy gave to a school administrator. The next day, Daigle-McDonald again placed the boy’s hand over his heart. She then addressed the class. “In my classroom, everyone will do the pledge; no religion says that you can’t do the pledge,” several students told a school administrator, according to a report. “If you can’t put your hand on your heart, then you need to move out of the country.” Read more
You’ll all be thrilled to learn that one Dr. Mukesh Batra has launched a magazine called Homeopathy & You: I can’t top Paul Fidalgo’s take on it: Read more
Kylee Chapa is a Mormon missionary currently working in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was recently teaching the Book of Mormon to a 13-year-old girl named Kami and they came across a horrific passage in which Nephi is told by God that he must kill Laban in order to secure some brass plates. In the story, Nephi struggles with the command to kill someone else because, you know, murder is wrong. But if Heavenly Father says so, why not?! So Nephi cuts off Laban’s head. If you’re a missionary, how do you teach this story? And if you’re hearing it for the first time, don’t you have some natural objection to it? Kylee writes: Kami asked a question, and it amazed me because I had just learned this lesson myself a couple of weeks ago. She said, “Why did Nephi have to cut off Laban’s head? Why didn’t he just slit his throat or something?” Read more
The VineLife Church in Longmont, Colorado, may now be referred to as the ViceLife Church. Two months ago, Colorado cops police arrested 35-year-old Vineland pastor Jason Allen Roberson (pictured below). They charged him with sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, sexual exploitation of a child, unlawful sexual contact, and stalking. Roberson is suspected of coercing a 15-year-old girl under his pastoral care into a sexual relationship that lasted seven years. Earlier this year, his colleagues found out about it and suspended Roberson pending an internal investigation, but never notified the authorities. After the victim went to the police, the church stonewalled the police probe that ensued. Read more
Yesterday, oral arguments were made at the Supreme Court in the case of Town of Greece v Galloway. While there are plenty of recaps and analyses to go around, here are a few notable exchanges directly from the court transcripts: Read more
Munem Wasif is a Bangladeshi photographer who’s been capturing, in glorious black and white, “the intersection of Islam and culture” in his home country. His work is featured in the new online issue of Time. The caption under this particular photo reads: “Hena’s mother and sisters cry after her death. As punishment for being raped, Hena was whipped to death by local villagers and an Imam.” Read more
The video below, part of The Atheist Voice series, answers the question: Did evolution create religion?: We’d love to hear your thoughts on the project — more videos will be posted soon — and we’d also appreciate your suggestions as to which questions we ought to tackle next! Read more
As you may recall, last holiday season, Friendly Atheist featured a series called Heathen Holiday Cards, and the response was outstanding! We featured the secular holiday cards from viewers like you, whether they were funny, subversive, or sweet. Like this one: Read more
