If you visited the town of Dugger, Indiana over the past two years, this is what you would have seen: That’s a 26-foot-tall cross on public property. Until recently, no one ever complained about it. But Americans United for Separation of Church and State sent the city a letter asking them to take it off the property and, as you might expect, people are going a bit crazy about that. (I love the part in that video where the guy… Read more
I’m pleasantly surprised at how many atheist film festivals are out there. Here’s one more to attend if you’re in the area: The Portland Humanist Film Festival 2012 will take place October 26th-28th and they’re looking for submissions! Read more
Black Skeptics is announcing the creation of the “First in the Family” scholarship fund beginning this school year: $200-$500 scholarships will be awarded in June 2013 to up to ten South Los Angeles high school students of color in the Los Angeles Unified School District who will be the first in their immediate family to go to college. BS will seek matching funds from community based and partner organizations in the humanist, social justice and LGBTQ community. The eligibility requirements… Read more
A Louisiana fortune-teller and Tarot card reader has just successfully defended her First Amendment rights — but not the rights you’re (probably) thinking of. The city of Alexandria, LA enacted an ordinance in 2011 that made it “unlawful for any person to engage in the business or practice of palmistry, card reading, astrology, fortune-telling, phrenology, mediums or activities of a similar nature within the city, regardless of whether a fee is charged.” The ordinance carried a fine of up to… Read more
Crispian Jago just gave away all the trade secrets on how religion writers — depending on whether they’re liberal or conservative — edit their articles. They just go to Microsoft Word’s AutoCorrect feature. This is what shows up for conservatives: I think he forgot the Automatic CAPS LOCK box. You can see the liberal version here 🙂 Read more
If you’re a supporter of marriage equality, eat less chikin. Fast-food chain Chick-fil-A sparked controversy the last couple of years for donating millions to anti-gay organizations and SPLC-classified hate groups. But while the numbers don’t lie, Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy did: “We have a whole spectrum of team members that work with us who are part of the gay and lesbian community. They know as employees of Chick-fil-A that they are welcomed, they are embraced, and they are part of the… Read more
In case you were looking for the worst review of 50 Shades of Grey ever written, I would read Jared Wilson’s at The Gospel Coalition. All he does is reference a passage from a Christian book by Douglas Wilson about how “perverted” the whole idea of dominance and submission is: … however we try, the sexual act cannot be made into an egalitarian pleasuring party. A man penetrates, conquers, colonizes, plants. A woman receives, surrenders, accepts. This is of course… Read more
Syndicated radio talk-show host Joe Soucheray can’t understand why atheists in Minnesota would want to promote themselves at a ball park: I have never quite figured out what it is that an atheist intends to promote. To me, it’s got to be the easiest thing in the world to be an atheist, like being left a billion dollars in a trust fund by a distant uncle. You’ve got nothing to worry about. While the rest of us might be nagged… Read more
Remember how conservative radio host Scott Voorhees recently said “atheists chicks are easy”? Here’s the context from an interview he did last week with former president of the University of Nebraska – Omaha Secular Student Alliance Luke Hoffman: Hoffman: … That was why we were such a big deal on campus, because we hosted this event that was– Voorhees: So you didn’t go out and help build any homes, you didn’t clean oil off of birds, you didn’t help any… Read more
