I had to watch this, so now you have to watch this: A Christian version of “Thrift Shop”: Apparently, that’s not the only version… (via The American Jesus) Read more
The Secular Coalition for America has a Washington DC-based office headed by Edwina Rogers. The Center for Inquiry also has a DC-based Office of Public Policy headed by Michael De Dora. And the American Humanist Association is based in DC and does public policy work, too. And now, American Atheists is looking for someone to assist with the implementation of its public policy goals: [Click headline for more…] Read more
In recognition of upcoming Mother’s Day, this is the third in a trio of letters I received from three young men who come from Muslim, Jewish, and Hindu backgrounds respectively. Note: Letter writers’ names are changed to protect their privacy. Sir, I am 17 years old and I was raised in an extremely religious Hindu family. It has been about a year since I managed to discard my faith and all its superstitions. I am an atheist now but I… Read more
This morning on NBC’s Today, weatherman Al Roker visited Silver Spring, Maryland’s Forest Knolls Elementary School as part of his “Wake Up With Al” tour. It starts off all well and good and cute. Roker even helps with the morning announcements. Then, at the 1:37 mark, they all say the Pledge of Allegiance together — even the Today show anchors join in via satellite: That by itself wouldn’t bother me. Most schools say the Pledge and that’s really not the point of the segment. But then they discussed what just happened and things got weird: [Click headline for more…] Read more
Reader Lauren found this recipe in a Presbyterian Church Cookbook owned by her mother-in-law: Anyone else get a little freaked out by the Leviticus reference on the list…? Feel free to look up the ingredients yourself, but you’ll be happy to know no homosexuals were harmed in the making of this cake. [Click headline for more…] Read more
Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation just released a report on recommendations to revise the U.S. tax code (which hasn’t been comprehensively revised in over 25 years). Wait! Don’t fall asleep yet! In one section, the committee highlighted comments and suggestions they received in regards to charitable and tax-exempt organizations, and it appears they took the advice (PDF) of the Secular Coalition for America. It’s not quite “Tax the Church” but the message is “Don’t give churches any special privileges.” [Click headline for more…] Read more
You know how praying in schools is perfectly legal? Because it is. And no atheist group would even think about taking that right away from students who pray privately or in a non-disruptive way. But that didn’t stop the North Carolina General Assembly from unanimously passing Senate Bill 370 yesterday. SB 370 is a Republican-sponsored bill that “clarif[ies] student rights to engage in prayer and religious activity in school.” As if people were trying to put a stop to that… [Click headline for more…] Read more
Stuff Fundies Like has a horrific story of Pensacola Christian College’s treatment of a female student — Just one portion is below: Of course PCC isn’t known for really caring much about fire safety anyway. For years the rule has remained on the books that all female students must be in “proper” attire before they leave their rooms for a fire drill. If you happen to be sleeping in pajama pants, you must take the time to put on a skirt before you try to escape the flames. If you should perish then at least you’ll know you died for the cause of not tempting the fire fighters to lust after you. It only gets worse from there… Just FYI, I’ve contacted PCC to find out what their actual protocol is in the case of a fire. I’ll update this post if I hear back. (Thanks to Anu for the link) Read more
A couple of atheists want to move from South Carolina to California but they could use some cash to help them out… so they’re selling some of their belongings at a yard sale this weekend. Their Craigslist ad about the sale is the best thing you’ll see all day: [Click headline for more…] Read more
In an earlier post, I told you about Imad Iddine Habib, a Moroccan atheist now in hiding as authorities seek him out for the crime of “shaking religious faith.” His case is gaining more attention, as the threat to his life grows. Among the strikes against him, Imad is the founder (at 22 years old) of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Morocco, and to rally support to Imad’s cause, the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain has declared May 15 “International Imad Day.” From their website: We, the undersigned, are extremely concerned about Imad’s safety and life and call on the Moroccan government to guarantee his security and respect freedom of expression and thought. Rather than prosecute freethinkers, the government should prosecute those who issue fatwas and death threats. On 15 May we call for an International Imad Day in order to stand with and defend Imad. He is all of us. [Click headline for more…] Read more
