by Jesse Galef – Writing advice columns is new to me -– I’ve never tried, especially with Richard Wade doing such a fantastic job of it. But when Richard received this letter from Determined Teen, he thought my perspective could be particularly useful and asked whether I wanted to respond. After reading “Determined Teen’s” letter, I recognized a lot of myself in her story. I can’t do this as well as Richard does, but I hope my life experiences can… Read more
I’m reading Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s book Nomad — it’s incredible; you all need to check it out — and her story is very similar to that of Canadian Aqsa Parvez. Bother families were ruled with an iron fist by the father. Rebellion wasn’t allowed. Marriages were decided by the father, too. Ali managed to run away from her Muslim family. Parvez did not have that chance. Her family got to her first. Aqsa Parvez, 16, the youngest in the family,… Read more
You know what I like about Doug Stewart? Instead of preaching to the choir, he politely (or passive-aggressively?) steps into the world of the religious and offers himself as a go-to guy for all questions atheism-related. Last time we saw him, he was driving with a mini-atheist-billboard on top of his car: This was in addition to his hyper-personalized license plate: Now, Doug is back with a new idea. Occasionally, after returning to my car after visiting a shopping mall… Read more
You’ve heard of “honor killings” where a victim of rape is killed because she has “dishonored” her family…? This is a different version of the same horrid practice: In India, clan councils want the government to ban marriages within the same sub-caste. But some couples who choose love over tradition pay the ultimate price: death at the hands of their own family. The caste system is no different from racial discrimination, where some people truly believe that something you can’t… Read more
Paul Prather is a “contributing columnist” to the Lexington Herald-Leader. He’s a pastor who has written an awful piece about atheism. And they wonder why no one reads newspapers anymore… Here’s a guy who stereotypes atheists while he writes that we stereotype Christians. He makes the same mistakes we’ve seen Christians make time and time again. The irony is that this current brand of aggressive atheism is just another form of fundamentalism. These particular atheists are zealots on the subject… Read more
His recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance has a lovely little omission: This can only mean one thing. Porky was a Communist. Incidentally, yesterday was the 56th anniversary of the addition of the words “Under God” in the Pledge. Read more
Public schools across the country are facing budget issues — good luck finding a teaching job for next year — and they’re looking for any way to cut costs without having to fire staff. Out of desperation, they will also try to raise money in questionable ways. Like this school in Florida: When his budget for pencils, paper, and other essential supplies was cut by a third this school year, the principal of Combee Elementary School worried children would suffer…. Read more
This is Touchdown Jesus, a.k.a. Drowning Jesus, a.k.a. Big Butter Jesus, a.k.a. Quicksand Jesus, a.k.a. King of Kings, in Monroe, Ohio: He no longer exists, though. An “act of god” has done away with him. The large Jesus statue iconic to Interstate 75 in Monroe is destroyed following an apparent lightning strike. Motorists were stopped along the highway and around the Monroe area to watch the 62-foot “King of Kings” statue burn before officers dispersed traffic. The fire was reported… Read more
As a member of the Secular Student Alliance’s board of directors last year, Phil Ferguson pounced on an opportunity to have PZ Myers lead a tour through the Creation Museum. It was one of the more publicized things we’ve ever done at the SSA, and the reactions all over the blogosphere were incredible. There were tons of writeups as well as major media mentions. Phil has a timeline of how the whole event came to be, including much of the… 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. Dear Richard, I am thirteen, almost fourteen years old, and recently my parents have been bugging me about confirmation. At the church that I attend (for social reasons), children are confirmed during their freshman year of high-school. Both of my parents are aware that I am an atheist, and my mother is in fact agnostic, but, again,… Read more
