Chilean artist Sebastian Errazuriz will be handing out popsicles at his art opening this weekend at Gallery R’Pure in Manhattan’s Flatiron District… but these aren’t just any frozen treat. These popsicles are made from holy wine AND have cross-shaped tongue depressors with the Anointed One stamped on them. I think they’re just perfect for the summer, don’t you? Read more
In an unprecedented move this week, the Norwegian Parliament voted unanimously to abolish the national Church. Considering that 72% of the population (3.6 million people) are non-believers, it may not be a very surprising move, but it’s still noteworthy. Before the parade starts, though, it turns out that this isn’t a complete separation of the two entities as was initially reported. The country used to financially support the church and participated in selecting certain church officials — this new step… Read more
On Monday, the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington D.C. joined other Catholic organizations to sue the U.S. Government over a new healthcare law mandating them to provide employees with access to contraception as part of their health insurance. The lawsuit cites the First Amendment guaranteeing protection of religion. There are already provisions in the law which bend over backwards to accommodate religious organizations, but the plaintiffs argue that these provisions don’t go far enough. The argument hinges on what can and… Read more
I am a massive fan of Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show. I try to catch every episode, and I think Stewart is consistently on point and relevant. Shockingly, the Catholic League and I do not agree on this. On April 16th, The Daily Show featured an amazing send-up of Fox News Channel’s protest of the term “War on Women”: The Daily Show with Jon StewartGet More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook At the 4:50 mark,… Read more
Sexism in the secular movement is a topic that seems to forever be a topic of discussion. I hate to add to the cacophony of voices speaking out, but after having read this piece over at Freethought Blogs by Stephanie Zvan, I feel compelled to share my thoughts. Zvan’s post discussed how many female skeptics, famous or otherwise, had been warned to stay away from certain popular skeptic men due to their ungentlemanly behavior. As a member of the freethought… Read more
Tony Jones at Theoblogy points out that this image is making the Christian rounds on Facebook: The word of God gets weirder by the day… Apparently, it never occurred to them that humans are capable of hugging each other. (Then again, we *are* talking about the people who do side hugs…) Tony also throws out a great question for the Christians passing it around: “What if the person getting the creepy hug were a man?” Would they be so quick… Read more
Earlier this month, the country was all abuzz with news that President Obama stands in support of gay marriage rights. Of course, amid new Internet trends and celebrations, there was a predictable right-wing media backlash. One of the most spectacularly homophobic was the response of Mississippi State Representative Andy Gibson (Republican… of course): Rep. Gipson came out with an impressively transparent reaction to Obama’s pro-gay marriage stance. He didn’t initially masquerade behind the whole “it will confuse and destroy children” argument or… Read more
As you might expect from the headline, this case is disturbing, disgusting, and revolting. What you might not expect is that the good guy in this story is the religious leader. In 2009, an 11-year-old girl told her mother that, two years earlier, her 15-year-old male cousin had raped her (when she was nine). The facts in the case are horrific: The victim awoke in the middle of the night when defendant pulled down her pants and underwear. He then… Read more
