You have to read the rest of the strip for the punchline 🙂 The blog post underneath it is worth reading, too. (via Happle Tea — Thanks to Julien for the link!) Read more
Americans United for Separation of Church and State is on a roll. First, they put out a hilarious music video featuring Jordan Peele and Jane Lynch… and now, they got rapper Macklemore to speak out in support of church/state separation: [Click headline for more…] Read more
Before she conceived her daughter, who is now a toddler, Christa Dias worked as a technology coordinator in two Ohio parochial schools, both governed by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati. This same diocese now owes Dias more than $170,000 — $100,000 in punitive damages, $20,000 in compensatory damages, and $51,000 worth of back pay — as the result of a wrongful dismissal suit. After revealing her pregnancy at 5 ½ months gestation, when she went to speak to school administrators about her options for maternity leave, Dias lost her jobs at Holy Family School and St. Lawrence Elementary. [Click headline for more…] Read more
There’s this thing called Google that protects you from sticking your foot in your mouth. Minister David Brassfield of the Newalla Church of Christ in Oklahoma must not have discovered it yet, because he gave members of his church the following handout over the weekend, suggesting that atheists can’t be found in times of crisis: After our recent major loss of life and property, thousands of people and many organizations stepped up to help. The list included churches, benevolent groups with religious ties, and even local casinos. What you did not see on the list were groups who have been critical of religion and are unbelievers in God. The Freedom From Religion group got the 10 commandments removed from an Oklahoma school, but they could not be bothered with helping the victims of the storms. Neither could you find the ACLU, any agnostic or atheistic organization, nor anyone or anything associated with the Humanist Movement on the list of those who were helping the hurting. People who are members of these organizations are conspicuously absent whenever people need comforting, whether it is from natural or manmade tragedies. Like I said, you have to try really hard to avoid finding evidence of atheists helping out tornado victims. [Click headline for more…] Read more
Today, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, a Hindu monk and publisher of Hinduism Today, will give the opening prayer in the U.S. House at the request of Representative Ed Royce (R-CA). Hopefully, it’ll go more smoothly than the last time a Hindu gave the invocation. In 2007, when Rajan Zed did it, a Christian Right group protested in the House chambers: [Click headline for more…] Read more
Take South Carolina, a school named Liberty, and a Christian valedictorian… and mix them all together. What do you think’s gonna happen at graduation? Prayer, of course. And not just a brief thanks to God, but a full-out Lord’s Prayer: The backstory to this is well worth exploring… [Click headline for more…] Read more
If you’re a middle school student — or any student, really — you probably prefer reading a book that you chose instead of one your teacher chose for you. So, at Hadley Junior High School in Glen Ellyn, Illinois (not far from where I live), the English teachers include in their curriculum the opportunity for students to choose their own books to read, discuss, and analyze. This past December, one group of students chose to read The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, a book (and popular movie) about a teenager named Charlie who has to deal with issues that are pretty heavy (and all too relatable) for any adolescent. It covers sex, suicide, drugs, crushes, and so much more — which is a large part of why so many students are drawn to it: The district has a policy when it comes to books chosen by students, and the teachers let the parents know about it early in the school year. In essence, it says that parents have final say when it comes to their child’s independent reading: If parents feel a book is inappropriate, their child doesn’t have to read it. The teacher will then help the child find a different book. There’s no penalty for that, of course. Sounds simple enough. Because this particular book has some mature themes, the teacher told the students that they should get permission from their parents before tackling it, reinforcing the policy already in place. That’s when one of the student’s parents flipped out. [Click headline for more…] Read more
The juxtaposition here is incredible. Franklin Graham, the son of Billy Graham (and tarnisher of his legacy), wrote an article asking “Is Our Nation Intolerant of Christianity?” The very first line in the piece goes like this: Recently I was at a White House meeting with Vice President Joe Biden… Stop. Just stop. You’ve already disproven your thesis in the first sentence. If you get to have a meeting with the Vice President of the United States, I think it’s safe to say you’re doing just fine. When those meetings are closed off to you because it might be political suicide to be seen in public with a Christian leader, then we’ll talk, okay Franklin? Read more
Of all the ways to market a major movie, this has to be at the bottom of the list: Warner Bros. and MinistryResources.org have partnered to create a website which contains “Man of Steel” resources for Christian priests, pastors and ministers. Yep: They’ve pre-written a sermon (PDF) for pastors to use in church, comparing Superman to Jesus. The superhero created by the sons of Jewish immigrants is being used to market Jesus. Seriously. [Click headline for more…] Read more
Last year, hip-hop singer Toby Ganger released an EP full of pro-atheist themes called “Evolutionary.” More recently, Ganger released a sequel, aptly titled “Evolutionary 2,” and since I didn’t share it when it came out, I wanted to share one of the tracks with you now. The song “Nowhere to Run” is all about breaking the bonds religion and challenging religious ideas openly: [Click headline for more…] Read more
