In Louisiana, the Livingston Parish School Board wants to teach Creationism in the public schools and unanimously voted in favor of continuing discussion on this. This type of thing only happens when a school board is taken over by people who don’t know the law and don’t care about the education students receive. Who needs Take a look at the statements made by the board: Board Member David Tate quickly responded: “We let them teach evolution to our children, but… Read more
I’m not a scientist and I don’t claim to be one. At least I can admit that. Dr. Jason Lisle of Answers in Genesis can’t seem to do the same. He claims to have solved the “distant starlight problem”: This is the issue of how starlight from the most distant galaxies is able to reach earth within the biblical timescale. Although light is incredibly fast, the most distant galaxies are incredibly far away. So, under normal circumstances we would be… Read more
A major problem with religion is that it causes believers to accept nonsense over reality. Sometimes, it’s just silly. Other times, that can lead to disaster. Take a look at what happened to 8-month-old Alayna May Wyland: I don’t care if that makes you uncomfortable. Keep reading: The Wylands’ daughter, Alayna, had a small discoloration over her left eye when she was born. The area started swelling and the fast-growing mass of blood vessels, known as a hemangioma, eventually caused… Read more
A six-week old baby has died in Moldova. The culprit? Superstition mixed with a preacher blinded by religion. Father Valentin dunked the baby in a tank of water three times, never covering its mouth. The father explains what he saw: “He couldn’t inhale, his face turned blue and he was foaming at the mouth. He [the priest] said we should not interrupt this… ritual,” he said. “We couldn’t believe it that he just put his hand over his belly and… Read more
It happens at In-N-Out Burger, Alaska Airlines, and Forever 21 — Christians verses popping out at you when you least expect it. No, it’s not a big deal, but it’s a little off-putting when you find out your sandwich and sweater are made of Jesus. Now, it’s happening in Aldi stores. Reader Trace bought a carton of eggs from the grocery store and saw this on the inside: This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice… Read more
I’m finally back home (and rested) from the annual Secular Student Alliance conference in Ohio. I’ve been involved with the organization for several years and this was by far the best conference our staff has put together. A few thoughts on why it worked — and other thoughts about the weekend — are below… The start time for events on Saturday and Sunday was 10:30 a.m. It was wonderful. You could go out at night, talk to other conference-goers in… Read more
Whenever Salman Rushdie’s memoir comes out, I’m going to stop whatever I’m doing to read it. “I just thought it might be time to tell that story,” Rushdie said. “I always for a long time didn’t want to tell it. First of all I was in it and that was not likeable. Then I got out of it and I thought the last thing I want to do is put myself back in it and think about it for the… Read more
Normally, I’m all for baby cakes. But this one is a bit creepy… Oh, wait! I get it. It’s Upside-Down (Baby) Cake. In that case, someone cut me a slice. (Thanks to Elyse for the link!) Read more
If someone would pitch this song by Jim Steager to a megachurch, I’m pretty sure they’d go along with it. It’s not like churches pay attention to lyrics, anyway… that’s how they end up with bland, boring songs that mention Jesus 32845492 times. (Thanks to Todd for the link!) Read more
Note: I responded to this letter by email, offering the kind of caution and encouragement that I usually give to young people who are in very vulnerable positions. The advice itself is not remarkable; what you might expect for this situation. I decided to publish it to raise awareness about atheists in developing countries, where sometimes poverty combines with inducements by missionaries to create unique social pressures, and conflicts between native culture and imported religions complicate things even more. I… Read more
