Just days ago, Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile wrote about how, if Christians only described gay sex graphically, then we’d all be grossed out and work to eradicate the gay gene (or something like that). Even before that, San Antonio Councilwoman Elisa Chan made remarks (in a private setting) “calling homosexuals ‘disgusting’ and saying that gays should not be allowed to adopt children.” She refuses to apologize for what she said, which makes sense, since she obviously still believes it. Now, right-wing blowhard Bryan Fischer is jumping into the mix, praising Chan and reiterating this unbelievably silly myth that describing how homosexuals have sex will help turn the tide in his direction: [Click headline for more…] Read more
When students attended the first day of school at Minneha Core Knowledge Magnet Elementary in Wichita, Kansas last week, they saw a bulletin board displaying the core beliefs of one of the world’s largest religions: The Five Pillars of Islam. As far as displays go, this one pretty unimpressive. And uninformative. There’s almost literally no useful information in that display. I mean, it doesn’t even explain what the Five Pillars are… But somehow, conservatives found a reason to freak out about it. The Facebook page Prepare to Take America Back posted the image with a caption that made a factual claim with no basis in reality: [Click headline for more…] Read more
I know we’re talking about different churches here, but the juxtaposition is just appalling. Yesterday, we posted about a Chattanooga church that kicked three people out of the congregation for supporting a family member’s civil rights as a gay woman. Well, another Chattanooga church is *not* kicking out the pastor’s son… and wait till you hear what he did: [Click headline for more…] Read more
You may have heard about how Coptic Christian churches have been under attack in Egypt — just read the lede in this Wall Street Journal article: Osama Makram Amin woke to the sound of gunfire, looked out his window and saw what he says were young men throwing gasoline bombs at the nearby Coptic Christian church. Awful stuff. Seriously awful. The Center For Inquiry has issued a statement condemning the religion-based violence: [Click headline for more…] Read more
Here’s some good news: The Secular Therapist Project has helped its 2000th client! [Click headline for more…] Read more
James Kirk Wall makes a lot of sense: Nobody has ever submitted themselves to God: Did the ancient Egyptians submit themselves to god? They submitted themselves to a myth. They submitted themselves to a dead man’s definition of god. They submitted themselves to baseless superstition and false authority. They submitted themselves to their own interpretations and fantasies. And how are they different than the Jews, Christians and Muslims of today? They’re not. Nobody has ever submitted themselves to god as every word that has ever been claimed to have come from god was nothing more than the words of men put into the mouths of invisible puppets. Puppets who hated who they hated, carried the same prejudices, held the same insecurities and possessed the same ignorance of the universe that was no more and no less than what was known at the time that they lived. Read the piece for the uplifting final paragraph! Read more
If you’re a photographer, you could do a hell of a lot worse than to shop at New York’s Adorama and B&H Photo. Both are excellent, ultra-reputable stores at which I’ve happily spent many thousands of dollars over the years. But truthfully, a lot of my photography budget goes to Amazon, Hunt’s, and Beach Camera these days — and to other online stores that do business when it suits me, instead of them. What’s the problem with Adorama and B&H? It’s not that the owners are observant Jews. It’s that in their case, being observant means they effectively freeze their web and retail operations during so many days of the year (for religious reasons) that non-Jewish customers will have to double-check whether these places will actually take/fulfill orders on a particular day. This is the September schedule that I received from Adorama earlier this week. Of the 28 days shown, the store and the printing lab will be closed on half of them. [Click headline for more…] Read more
Police detective Kat Cooper (photo, right) became sort-of-famous in Tennessee earlier this month when she petitioned the city of Collegedale, a suburb of Chattanooga, to extend partner benefits to her wife, Krista (on left), whom she’d married in Maryland in May of this year. “It should be of no importance to my employer if my lifelong commitment is made to a man or a woman — both are equal,” Cooper said [addressing the city commissioners]. “Small ripples can precipitate huge waves. In this case, a great opportunity lies in your hands.” The commissioners voted on the matter on August 5, and the outcome, 4 votes to 1, was yes, fair’s fair, let’s do it. Case closed, right? From the city’s perspective, yes. But for Ken Willis, the minister at Cooper’s family’s church, not so much. [Click headline for more…] Read more
This is an article by Becky Garrison. It appears in the 3rd Quarter 2013 issue of American Atheist magazine. American Atheist magazine is available at Barnes & Noble and Book World bookstores in the U.S. and at Chapters Indigo bookstores in Canada. Go to Atheists.org/magazine to see a map of store locations, to subscribe, or to join American Atheists. Members receive free digital subscription. … Why in no god’s name did a comic emcee the Reason Rally? Has Atheism now de-evolved into a punch line that’s past its prime replete with watered down cocktails, stock sitcom characters, and right leaning puppetry? Paul Provenza riffs via telephone with Becky Garrison on the evolution of comedy, Atheism, and all that jazz as he points the way forward for those seeking authenticity and truth in a culture driven by Christianity and commerce. [Click headline for more…] Read more
This is a guest post by Joe Zamecki. … As I type this, the church next door to my house is focusing its attention on Katy Elementary School which is across the street from us. It looks like Orientation Day, so all of the new students and their parents are at the school, late in the day, and they’re all very busy, moving from one area to another. The church is medium-sized, which in this town, Katy, Texas, means that the building is about the size of a high school gymnasium. It’s a Methodist church, and a somewhat active one. [Click headline for more…] Read more
