Suppose you’re pregnant. Suppose it’s your second child. Suppose you tell a friend about it. It’s going to be a boy. You already have a girl. What’s the appropriate reaction from your friend? Perhaps, “Congratulations! You have one of each now!” Libby Anne comes from a Quiverfull family, though, and that reaction is far from normal in her world: The assumption, of course, is that I’m done. I can’t tell you how often I get this. People find out I’m… Read more
For decades now, Horace Turner (a.k.a. “Bible Man”) has been making appearances in Jackson County elementary schools in Alabama. When the Freedom From Religion Foundation received a complaint from a local parent, they sent the school district a letter informing them of the problem and asking that they put a stop to the in-school proselytizing. The FFRF complaint said that during the month of December an assembly held by “Bible Man” included a display with baby Jesus on it and… Read more
That’s the amount of money the Rhode Island ACLU has billed the Cranston School District for their court costs. And they’re being generous: In a release, Steve Brown, executive director of the RIACLU, said the amount includes major discounts for hours of work by volunteer attorneys Lynette Labinger and Thomas Bender. He also said the amount is mindful of the school district’s budget woes in recent years. “In terms of its complexity, the ACLU noted that the school district initially… Read more
Today’s edition of the New York Times includes an editorial that defends Jessica Ahlquist’s lawsuit: The anger and hatred directed at Ms. Ahlquist — she was called “an evil little thing” on talk radio by a Cranston state representative — helps explain why the judge, responding to her brave lawsuit, did his duty under the Constitution and ordered immediate removal of the prayer, which begins “Our Heavenly Father” and concludes “Amen” and was visible throughout the auditorium. … … Recent… Read more
Hats off to Debbie Goddard at the Center For Inquiry for rebooting African Americans for Humanism — just in time for Black History Month — with a new, welcoming website and an introductory video that just makes you want to hear more from the people speaking: The press release (PDF) explains the need for the campaign: African Americans may be the most religious minority in the United States, but many feel that the churches don’t speak for them. AAH hopes… Read more
By now, you’ve probably seen this hilarious attempt to preach abstinence… by way of a bear: That video, intended to promote the Day of Purity, was all over the blogosphere a couple of weeks ago. Everyone was mocking it. Even the Tosh.0 bloggers got in on the action: Taking stuffed animals on a date is a great way to stay a virgin whether you want to or not. But it’s especially effective if your stuffed animals sound like they drive… Read more
I posted last week about an event hosted by the Southeastern Collegiate Atheist Alliance (SECAA) and Alabama Atheists & Agnostics (AAA), but the video of JT Eberhard’s talk hadn’t gone up yet. Now, it’s up and you should watch it. If nothing else, listen to the first four minutes. JT makes some great points about the Jessica Ahlquist saga. Young activists FTW. If you liked any particular portion of the video, please leave the timestamp in the comments! Read more
I feel like such a fair-weather Survivor fan for saying this, but I had no idea popular contestant Rupert Boneham was running to become the Governor of Indiana (as a Libertarian): He recently released this video promising to fight against House Joint Resolution No. 6, which would limit marriage to that between a man and woman only: As if I needed another reason to love Rupert… His campaign site is here, in case you’d like to bask in his awesomeness…. Read more
A Utah man convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to death has appealed his conviction, arguing in part that potential jurors were discriminated against on the basis of their religion. After Von Lester Taylor pled guilty to murdering a mother and her daughter, a jury sentenced him to death. Taylor now claims that one juror should have been disqualified due to his belief in “blood atonement” and that the entire jury selection process was invalid because evidence… Read more
Donna Hunter is a fighter. She’s been fighting for years now to get just one secular school in Morinville, Alberta (Canada) — and she’s only one of several mothers fighting for that cause. Right now, the Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools manages all four of the schools in the area, leaving non-religious parents with no alternatives. ‘ Last I heard, there was actually going to be a secular alternative, but it doesn’t look like that’s panning out. They just got… Read more
