If you want an example of the problems of applying a 2,000-3,000-year-old text to modern life, look no further than Alabama State Senator Shadrack McGill. Alana Horowitz with the Huffington Post reports: “Teachers need to make the money that they need to make,” McGill said, according to the Times-Journal. “If you double a teacher’s pay scale, you’ll attract people who aren’t called to teach … and these teachers that are called to teach, regardless of the pay scale, they would… Read more
Hi. Come here often? I do, but I’m new to contributing. I’m Mary. Mary DeJesus. A quick bit about me before we move on to more exciting things. I consider myself a Christian in the sense that I follow the teachings of Jesus, do believe he is the son of God and was the ultimate sacrifice for brokenness on the earth. I do realize how absolutely insane that sounds, but I believe it. I’m also intensely overwhelmed with how the… Read more
So… umm… this really happened on The 700 Club: In case you can’t bear to watch that, here’s a rough transcript, courtesy of Hoyden About Town: Pat Robertson: Atheists don’t believe in ANYTHING. I mean, a theo means “no God,” they have no Gods, so they don’t have anything, so they don’t believe in anything. But they can protest, somebody who believes in SOMETHING. I mean, isn’t this a strange thing, that we would allow somebody who doesn’t believe in… Read more
I’m always impressed by how Zach Weiner manages to begin his cartoons one way before taking it in a completely different direction: You can read the rest of it here 🙂 (Thanks to Dawn for the link!) Read more
Yesterday, I posted about a new ad campaign sponsored by African Americans for Humanism. Now, some of the extended interviews with prominent black atheists have been posted online. Check them out — not just because they’re black, but because it’s sincerely heartwarming to listen to people talk so openly and comfortably about leaving their childhood faith and becoming a freethinker despite the cultural and social difficulties. They’re all compelling, but I think Mark Hatcher’s really hit home since I also… Read more
The Palouse Coalition of Reason has just formed in Idaho and they’re celebrating their arrival by bringing in some heavy hitters to speak in honor of Charles Darwin — and announcing it on a new billboard: The Darwin on the Palouse events herald not only Charles Darwin’s 203rd birthday on February 12 but the 153rd anniversary of the first publication of “Origin of Species” on November 24. … “We have teamed up with the new Palouse Coalition of Reason to… Read more
Remember when the Harry Potter books were still in their prime and you’d hear about those Christian parents trying to ban the series from local and school libraries? What do you do if those are your parents? Or your best friend’s parents? And how do you go about changing their minds? That’s the crux of the conflict in a fantastic graphic novel called Americus (First Second Books, 2011) by MK Reed with illustrations by Jonathan David Hill: The story centers… Read more
Once, when I was twelve or so, my dad forgot to pick me up from play rehearsal after school. In the pre-cellphone era, I just stood at the big double doors of the school’s entrance, watching for headlights in the rural blackness of middle-of-nowhere, Indiana. The evening janitorial staff kept shooting me these pitiable looks, and I was starting to wonder how comfortable the tile floor would be to sleep on, and how I’d never live down wearing the same… Read more
it turns out when you simplify the Koran, it’s still something you want to avoid: You can see the rest of the strip here. (via Jesus & Mo) Read more
