The Westboro Baptist Church filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, not supporting either side in the Proposition 8 case, but still in support of the ban on gay marriage in California. This list of citations in their brief is priceless: Read more
In case you missed the PBS airing of The Revisionaries, the documentary about the Texas State Board of Education and the fundamentalist Christians sitting on it, you can now watch it online through the end of February: Read more
Missouri state representative Rick Brattin has clearly decided that his state’s ranking as 33rd in science education is far too high. Brattin has re-introduced a bill that is designed to ruin science education for Missouri students. He tried this last year to no avail, so he’s giving it another shot. Read more
Over the weekend, I was handed a program from a church service. (Not because I went to one, but because these things just happen to me…) I was going through the pages and suddenly came across the greatest thing *ever*: I can’t tell what I love more… Read more
Last week, Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) submitted a resolution “[e]xpressing support for designation of February 12, 2013, as Darwin Day and recognizing the importance of science in the betterment of humanity.” Now, there’s a White House petition circulating with the intent of striking down that potential resolution. Read more
Sometimes, I hear a conversation so awful that I just don’t know how to respond. This is one of those times. But I’m going to try, anyway. Here is a clip of two idiotic, misogynistic, small-minded numbskulls who (because the world just isn’t fair) have a radio show of their very own with, I guess, people who listen to it: The only reason I would recommend actually listening to it is, if you read the transcription — and yes, I painstakingly and painfully transcribed the whole damn thing — and think, “Well, Jessica is making crap up again; Clearly no one could be this dumb!” you’ll realize the error of your ways. Truth is stupider than fiction. Read more
Nicome Taylor is a California native, with a religious background rooted in the Baptist Church. Now 30, she admits that this type of upbringing had a great impact on her worldviews especially during times of hardship. Her grandmother’s principles and values were heavily influenced by the Bible and her southern roots laid the Christian foundation that would be adhered to by her children as well as her grandchildren. Nicome’s mother battled with kidney failure, so having faith in “God’s promise” of an afterlife played a significant role in her life. Knowing that her mother’s condition was temporary, that in the next life she would be pain-free, she had peace of mind. When Nicome was only 17 and her mother passed away, this is what she clung to. Still, like so many theists, she struggled to understand why God would allow her mother to die instead of healing her illness. Read more
Damn, this looks like fun. Wish I could be there! On March 7th, Dan Barker will be debating Reverend Joe Boot on the topic: Is There Life After Death? Read more
Mental disorders, emotional problems, and relationship problems are experienced by theists and atheists alike. I have received many letters to the “Ask Richard” column from atheists who have sought counseling for such difficulties, but the counselors they went to started telling them to “get right with God,” or similar religious nonsense. They had not advertised themselves as “pastoral” or “religious” counselors, but gave the impression that they are simply mainstream psychology-based therapists. Then once the sessions had started, they began… Read more
Two weeks ago, I wrote about a EU court decision, upholding rulings against three Christians who had been sacked for basically choosing their faith over what was expected of them by their employer. The specifics of each case are a little more barbed than that, but you can read the original piece to get a fuller picture. Since then Mike Judge, the Head of Communications at The Christian Institute, has written two articles for the Huffington Post UK defending each victim and attacking the court’s ruling as well as the media and public response to it. Read more
