I don’t want to mock a child for not understanding how evolution works — most adults don’t either — but I sure as hell can call out the adults who egg them on, denying them the knowledge of how beautiful evolution really is. Like the Creation Museum’s Ken Ham, who just found out that a few kids created an online “Virtual Creation Zoo” and couldn’t be prouder: … These three children have pinpointed the primary issue surrounding disbelief in God’s Word: man’s stubbornly rebellious heart and willful ignorance of the truth. Now, their “zoo” continues to be developed, but visitors can find out information on a variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, and marine life—even dinosaurs! And all of the information is from a creationist perspective, drawing on resources from Answers in Genesis, the Institute for Creation Research, and other creation organizations. Oh, this should be good… let’s take a look at the creatures profiled in this virtual zoo: [Click headline for more…] Read more
They’re always quick to point fingers at people who — coincidentally, I’m sure — just happen to believe something differently from them. And David Hayward responds so eloquently with his drawings: And this older one: [Click headline for more…] Read more
I just heard on the news that President Obama will attend an interfaith service for the Boston bombing victims and their families on Thursday, April 18th. My thoughts immediately went to the Newtown interfaith service shortly after the Sandy Hook massacre there, and how humanists, atheists, and freethinkers were not represented. I haven’t been able to find out if that was because no group asked to be included, or if they did ask but were turned away. Nevertheless, I think it would be a very good thing for a Boston-based secular group to at least ask to be included to make some remarks, so that we nonbelievers can add our voice to the support of those who have been harmed. This happens to fall on National Ask an Atheist Day, so it seems to me to be all the more appropriate that nonbelievers be included. [Click headline for more…] Read more
Kathryn Joyce, the author of the horrifying (and excellent) book Quiverfull, has an eye-opening piece in Mother Jones about the horrors of evangelical Christian adoption. While it sounds wonderful when Christians spend more time focusing on kids who are already born instead of the embryos inside other women, the plan goes downhill when they see those adoptable children as little more than extensions of a ministry: [Click headline for more…] Read more
As I’ve mentioned before, the Secular Coalition for America is sponsoring a Lobby Day and Secular Summit next week. It’s a packed event full of educational meetings, panels about issues non-theists care about, and addresses by government officials. The SCA announced weeks ago that Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) would be a Keynote Speaker on the morning of Wednesday, April 25th. And they’ve just announced that their second keynote speaker (giving a talk that same afternoon) will be Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA): [Click headline for more…] Read more
WeAreAtheism.com, the Boston Atheists, the Humanist Community at Harvard, and the Secular Coalition for Massachusetts have teamed up to do a little fundraising for the victims and families of the Boston bombing yesterday. [Click headline for more…] Read more
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is no friend of science educators. Last year, he passed a voucher plan that would give more than $11,000,000 of taxpayer money to private schools that teach Creationism. But I can’t remember him ever supporting the teaching of Creationism as openly as he did in a recent interview with Hoda Kotb (the relevant portion begins at the 9:00 mark): [Click headline for more…] Read more
We’re used to seeing letters-to-the-editor and random conservative bloggers and pundits defend the Boy Scouts of America and their decision to ban gays (and atheists) from being members of their organization. Now that the BSA is reconsidering their decision, those people are urging them to stick with their current policy. What we’re not used to seeing is editorial boards of newspapers defending the old policy. They’re supposed to be the voices of reason leading the way forward. So you have to wonder why the staffers at the Kingsport Times-News (Tennessee) believe that separate but equal is the best way to go. (The article is behind a paywall… maybe they thought it’d be best if only local residents saw this piece): [Click headline for more…] Read more
Bradford County Commissioner Mark Smith is a proud Christian running for Lieutenant Governor in the state of Pennsylvania. He was also the lead guitarist for an up-and-coming Christian rock band — until he publicly announced his support for marriage equality. During his campaign and on Facebook, Smith has been open about supporting same-sex couples’ right to marry. His campaign website reads, in part: [Click headline for more…] Read more
