On PostSecret this past weekend, the following card appeared: One reader wrote in to say: I didn’t forgive him for his sake, but to set myself free. And it worked. How would you get over something as tragic as that? (Thanks to Greta Christina for the link) Read more
Even if you’re not a soccer fan, when the World Cup is being played in your home country and the games are on TV, it’s pretty damn fun to watch. Definitely better than watching a religious program on TV. 61-year-old David Makoeya felt that way during the recent Germany/Australia match. He wanted to watch the game instead of hearing the gospel. His family said no. And they meant it. “He said, ‘No, I want to watch soccer,”’ police spokesman Mothemane… Read more
Penn Jillette has a number of choice quotes in an interview with Eric Spitznagel of Vanity Fair: … there was that ad in Variety from the Catholic League accusing you of “hate speech.” Well remember, the Catholic League is just one divorced guy in his garage. Or as Teller and I like to say, the Catholic League and his wife. I love that it’s called hate speech when you have the audacity to suggest that pederasty and child rape might… Read more
The other night, President Obama gave his address about the BP oil disaster in the Oval Office. (Personally, Rachel Maddow’s version is way better) Obama mentioned God and prayer way more than the “obligatory” amount: Somehow this became an important topic for the FOX News Channel hosts and Newt Gingrich: Brian Kilmeade: Alright, Mr. Speaker, what do you think of that? Gingrich: Well, I hope he means it. […] I’m sad that it took a crisis of this scale, but… Read more
Remember how the Secular Student Alliance was represented at a meeting of the White House’s Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships a couple weeks ago? The topic was Advancing Interfaith and Community Service on College and University Campuses. SSA’s Executive Director August Brunsman and Harvard’s Humanist Chaplain Greg Epstein were there on behalf of the non-theist community. Two guys. There were a total of 110 participants, not including White House staff. You do the math. The SSA issued this statement… Read more
Because I read the Chicago Tribune article about the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s latest bus ads online last night, I didn’t pay too much attention to the print version in today’s paper. When I checked it out earlier today, though, I noticed this at the end of the article, urging people to comment on the Tribune’s website: How should you respond to a culture that challenges your right to your own beliefs? Weigh in online. Whoa, whoa, whoa… The FFRF… Read more
Note: When letter writers sign with their first names instead of a pseudonym or nickname, I randomly change their name for added anonymity. Hello, Richard. I’m a female in my mid to late 20s, not exactly an atheist, but definitely losing my religion for a variety of reasons only some of which are mentioned here. I’ve spent most of my life as a Christian of varying religiosity, but I grew up in a conservative Christian home and was home schooled… Read more
The Freedom From Religion Foundation has a new ad going up on 75 Chicago buses this month: “Obviously, there are many reasons to reject religion, most of them intellectual,” said Dan Barker, FFRF co-president. “But face it — one of the immediate benefits of quitting church, besides getting a 10 percent raise because you can stop tithing, is getting to sleep in on Sundays! What the world really needs is a good night’s sleep.” It’s a funny line but it… Read more
Next time you shop at Hobby Lobby, realize that some of the money you spend is going toward the building of a National Bible Museum in Dallas. With a goal of establishing a national Bible museum of great depth and size, the evangelical Christian family behind the Hobby Lobby chain of craft stores has been spending heavily to amass a collection that has set dealers buzzing in the staid world of rare books. … The man leading the effort is… Read more
