As Pope Benedict came through Barcelona, Spain today, about 200 protesters were ready for him… Good thing he was in the PopeMobile or else he would have caught The Gay. (via Joe. My. God.) Read more
A few friends (real and virtual) have been blogging for a while and they have reached some important milestones, so consider sending some love their way: Larry Moran at Sandwalk has been at it for 4 years. Alise at Big Mama’s Blog is on year 5. William at The Bolingbrook Babbler has been publishing a local tabloid for 12 freaking years. I’m impressed by anyone who has the willpower to keep writing a blog for more than a few weeks…. Read more
***Update***: There’s a Facebook page for the event! … This Thursday, I’ll be at Pomona College in Claremont, California as part of a panel discussion on atheism: Now What?: Atheism Beyond the Question of God Thursday, November 11th, 2010 Edmunds Ballroom, 7 pm Although the number of American non-believers has doubled in the last twenty years, and the number of young atheists has quadrupled, atheists remain politically and publically underrepresented… The atheist movement is coming together, but despite significant developments… Read more
The leaders of the Humanist Rationalist Association, Godhra (in India) want to show that black magic and ghosts are non-existent, so they’re offering a pretty sizable reward for anyone who can offer proof that those things are real. It’s their version of James Randi’s $1,000,000 Paranormal Challenge: This year, the group has thrown a challenge to persons in Godhra by announcing a prize of Rs 50 lakh for anybody who proves that ghosts do exist. The group has also put… Read more
“Luc Duval” is a student teacher in music and he’s learning what it’s like to be an atheist in the classroom: … a class discussion led from languages into questions about where I’m from, and a student decided to ask me, “Are you Christian or Catholic?” I managed to resist addressing the glaring semantic issues of the question and answer, “I’m not comfortable answering questions about religion.” Many in the class were shocked but I moved on quickly. How many… Read more
This is either a gigantic white zombie king rising out of a gargantuan grave to eat people whole, or a colossal Christ statue, said to be the tallest in the world, being erected in Poland. We report, you decide. Read more
Somehow, during all the election craziness this week, I missed this story out of my own backyard: Congressman-elect Randy Hultgren, 44, from west suburban Winfield, is a state senator and evangelical Christian who said he “absolutely” believes that God directed his steps through the race. That faith would not have been shaken, even in defeat, he said Wednesday, a day after ousting Democrat Bill Foster. “For me, it’s part of my life that every day I want to be walking… Read more
I had my annual observation earlier this week — for me, that involves an administrator visiting my classroom and taking extensive minute-by-minute notes on what I’m doing, what I’m not doing, how I can improve, etc. My boss happened to visit me early in the day — around the time the Pledge of Allegiance is said over the loudspeaker. I never say the Pledge. As it turns out, neither do my students. They don’t stand either. I chalk that up… Read more
The Catholic Church knows it’s losing popularity fast. So they’re making a few dramatic changes. The Vatican is rolling out a new translation of the Roman Missal, the text around which the Mass and its prayers are built. … Here’s a sampling of the wording changes… Old: (Priest) The Lord be with you. (People) And also with you. New: (Priest) The Lord be with you. (People) And with your spirit. I get it. When two non-existent things meet, they must… Read more
August Brunsman, the Executive Director of the Secular Student Alliance (and one of its founders), will be speaking at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA tonight. The event takes place at 6:30 p.m. in the Johnson Center (3rd Floor Meeting Room A) on the main Fairfax campus. More information can be found here. If you have a chance to go, I urge you to check out what August has to say. No one has a more thorough knowledge about the… Read more
