A couple stories from the LGBT world. Constance McMillen, the girl whose school canceled prom rather than allow her to attend with her girlfriend, will appear at the White House today to celebrate LGBT Pride Month. I hadn’t heard this part of her story before, but it looks like Itawamba County Area High School had a special present for her during graduation: McMillen will attend a White House reception Tuesday for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens from around the… Read more
For those of you in Chicago, I’ll be doing a Christian/atheist dialogue with the good people at Elements[Chicago] tonight. It’ll be a chance for Christians and atheists to ask questions about faith — via moderator — to me and a Christian from their side. It’s not a debate; it’s a conversation. Fun! The details: Where: Flourish Studio, 3020 N. Lincoln, Chicago, Illinois 60657 When: TONIGHT, Wednesday, June 23rd at 7:30 p.m. (It’ll probably go till 9:00 p.m.) The event is… Read more
The Exploring Islam Foundation has put up a series of “Inspired by Muhammad” ads on buses in London. Because when you think Muhammad, obviously the first things that come to mind are social justice, women’s rights, and the environment… (Women’s rights? Really?! The woman saying that is wearing a hijab, something that many Islamic women are forced to wear!) This commenter debunks every one of those claims above. Journalist Douglas Murray can’t believe this either: The campaign posters show British… Read more
Publishers Weekly has a bit of info on Penn Jillette’s upcoming book: The louder, larger half of magic duo Penn & Teller, novelist, comedian and producer of The Aristocrats, Penn Jillette’s GOD, NO! SIGNS YOU MAY ALREADY BE AN ATHEIST AND OTHER MAGICAL TALES, a reinterpretation of the ten commandments that reveals one outspoken atheist’s experience in the world — from performing on the Vegas strip alongside Siegfried and Roy to children and fatherhood to his ongoing dialogue with proselytizers… Read more
The Amazon Kindle is now available for $189. I’ve been using mine for a couple months now and I’ve been able to make the transition from “real” books to the Kindle pretty easily. If you don’t have one, I’d seriously think about getting one. I’m currently reading Nomad by Ayaan Hirsi Ali on it and one of the great things about the new Kindle software is that certain passage are “pre-underlined” for me, representing sentences that other people found most… Read more
It’s not the first time I’ve heard this phrase, but it’s the first time I’ve ever seen this terrific image 🙂 (*Applause* for the double entendre?) The design was created by Bruce Harris and you can now buy a shirt with the logo at Zazzle. All net proceeds from the shirt will be donated to the Triangle Atheist, Agnostic, Freethinker, and Humanist Meetup Group in North Carolina — a fantastic group for anyone in the area. (Thanks to Todd for… Read more
It’s nice to see an excerpt from the Pledge of Allegiance — as it was originally written — on a billboard: Thanks to the North Carolina Secular Association, that ad’s home for the next month is will be along the Billy Graham Parkway in North Carolina 🙂 We believe the evidence clearly demonstrates that our Founders intended to establish a secular government, one that separated church from state. We believe the kinds of officially sanctioned marginalization and discrimination covered above… Read more
Jeff Hawkins, the inventor of the PalmPilot and Treo, is the latest addition to the Secular Coalition for America Advisory Board. “The separation of church and state, a cornerstone of our government, is one of the main reasons the United States has led the world in science, technology, and personal freedom,” said Hawkins. “The Secular Coalition for America is the leading organization working to maintain those freedoms and advocating for the rights of Secular Americans. I am happy to help… Read more
Yesterday, I mentioned that New Zealand’s Oasis Elim Church was accepting money from a man who really couldn’t afford it: Whetu Abraham is 54-years-old and a “partial tetraplegic with head injuries.” He sits in a wheelchair. He can’t afford dental care. He no longer has his life savings. … [Said Rest home manager Lucy Dever] “He’s got no family or next-of-kin on our list, and they’ve taken everything from him. It is unethical, immoral and I believe un-Christian. “He used… Read more
Congressman Zach Wamp (R-TN) is running for Governor of the state this year. He spoke at a Tea Party convention in Gatlinburg recently and explained why his hometown city of Chattanooga has a booming economy: “Let me tell you one of the reasons why Chattanooga is a very blessed city today, why we have so much new economic development and why we’re really an anointed city… There are no abortion clinics in Chattanooga. We made a decision. We made a… Read more
