I’m heading to Nebraska this weekend for the Midwest Freethought Conference — tickets are still available at the door if you’d like to attend. And if you can’t, the hashtag to follow on Twitter will be #MWFT2012. One of these days, I will finish my book. Sooooo close… Read more
Two months ago, two young atheists filed a lawsuit in Tennessee. They wanted the Hamilton County Commissioners to stop praying — in Jesus’ name, no less — at meetings. They wanted the commission to replace the prayer to with a moment of silence because, in the words of one of the plaintiffs Tommy Coleman: We are doing this for everyone of every faith [and] people of none. It is only through a moment of silence that everyone is heard. Also… Read more
In the wake of the Chick-fil-A controversy, one of the ways the pro-gay-marriage side is fighting back is through the “National Same Sex Kiss Day at Chick-Fil-A” taking place today. Another way to fight back is to follow the (half-joking) advice of YouTuber Jackson Pearce: Go to Chick-fil-A and ask for a glass of water, which they will give you for free (it’s the Biblical thing to do!), so you’re essentially taking money from them… (It would be even better… Read more
From 8:00-9:00p (CT) tonight, I’ll be chatting with the Damsels of Dorkington on their Google+ page. So if you want to see us make funny faces and talk about all sorts of random things that will inevitably offend everyone involved, come check it out 🙂 If you’re not familiar with them, check out one of their older videos below: Actually, you should just watch their entire YouTube channel. Because they’re awesome. Read more
The Pew Research Center just published a survey (PDF) they did about Catholics and their views on religious liberty. First, let’s talk about the big findings: Most Catholics who are familiar with the “religious liberty” issues agree with the bishops: That is, they agree that the Obama administration is threatening their religious liberty by mandating that some church-affiliated institutions, such as schools and hospitals, provide free contraceptive services to their employees, in violation of church teachings. But when you look… Read more
The war over the Affordable Care Act is far from won. The Supreme Court, of course, found the Act to be constitutional back in June; however, the Court was specifically concerned with the complicated Article II limitations on Congressional power to enact the law and enforce the “individual mandate.” In the wake of the decision, numerous lawsuits have begun winding through the lower courts that challenge the Act on religious exercise grounds. The plaintiffs (just about all are Catholic) argue… Read more
In 1994, Pastor Jack Schaap wrote the greatest book *ever* on the subject of dating. Dating With A Purpose is free to read online and features such gems as these tips on how a girl can catch a guy’s eye: (3) By all means, keep your weight down to the proper level. Hundreds upon hundreds of times I have had young men tell me that they would date a particular girl in whom they were interested if only she would… Read more
Seen in Melbourne, Australia: Well played, RMIT Secular Society… but how dare you discriminate against me?! (via Reddit) Read more
My friend (and I sincerely mean that even though we only know each other through the Interwebs) Rachel Held Evans is an LGBT-friendly, evolution-accepting Christian. So she’s in an obviously rough spot when it comes to maintaining ties with the Christian world — which, for reasons I can’t quite grasp, she still loves — while trying to pull them in the right direction on social issues. When it came to the Chick-fil-A controversy, she tried to offer advice to both… Read more
