This post is by Jesse Galef — I just realized that instead of giving you a Friday Funny, I put up a post with that horrid “Letter From Hell” abomination. My apologies. To remedy the situation, I give you James Randi in 1992 explaining why it is impossible to prove a negative: On style, Randi’s delivery is excellent – from his comedic timing to his facial expressions. On content, he provides a wonderful explanation for why we cannot empirically… Read more
This post is by Jesse Galef — If you ever wanted a find situation desperately in need of more skepticism (and who hasn’t?), look no further: The Iraqi army is spending $16,500 to $60,000 per dowsing rod and trying to use them to detect explosives. This foolishness is not only a vast waste of money for what is essentially a wobbly stick of metal, but it puts people’s lives in danger. Um… Iraq, you know the whole “security” thing? You’re… Read more
I received an email from an “atheist in a foxhole” recently. He’s a teacher in a very religious, conservative part of Texas. (Yes, I know. Who knew there were any other parts of Texas?) He has a dilemma, though, and he’d like some input: Our school, as part of a Veteran’s Day celebration, has asked its veterans to lead a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. While I have no problem saying the pledge in general, I do have a… Read more
Reader Matt sent over a couple pictures of neighboring houses in Peterborough, Ontario. The first one wouldn’t be all that uncommon in parts of the Bible Belt, I would think: The second one is a little more unique and amusing 🙂 I don’t know if they collaborated on that or if they’re passive-aggressively feuding with each other. But I fully approve of rooftop displays of faith. Read more
Sex columnist Dan Savage explains the benefits of having a religious upbringing. As usual, he’s a joy to listen to: (via Atheist Media Blog) Read more
During his Inaugural Address, President Obama gave a shout-out to us: “For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers.” It could be considered lip-service (and nothing more, some could argue) but it was a meaningful gesture for a lot of us. Yesterday, he did it again. While addressing the massacre at Fort Hood during his radio address, President Obama made this… Read more
The latest XKCD offers a beautiful explanation of why most atheists don’t fear death — we know that it’s possible for us to make a difference even after we die. We can leave behind legacies and memories, of course, but we can also leave behind physical parts of ourselves to people who need them: I’m an organ donor and proud of it. Most atheists I know are. I think it’s selfish not to do that (or to donate your body… Read more
The Bad Faith Award is given out by New Humanist magazine and it goes to “the person who has made the year’s most outstanding contribution to talking unadulterated (and often destructive) nonsense about matters of religion.” Last year, the winner was Sarah Palin. This year’s nominees are certainly worthy… to say the least. Adnan Oktar, aka Harun Yahya Anjem Choudary Anthony Bush The British Chiropractic Association Cormac Murphy O’Connor Dermot Aherne Damian Thompson Pope Benedict XVI Terry Eagleton and Karen… Read more
We’ve all heard stories about how some Christians pharmacists cite “conscience clauses” to withhold birth control or morning-after pills from women because those things go against their faith. (Of course, they should be fired for not doing their job.) But this notion of religious fundamentalists thinking the rules don’t apply to them stretches beyond the pharmacy. Pam McLaurin, an evangelical Christian and kindergarten teacher in Texas, refuses to give police her fingerprints for a background check and she’s suing over… Read more
LeRoy Matthews led people in prayer on Tuesday night. And now, he’s in trouble, The reason? He led the prayer while driving a Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority bus… And he wouldn’t let passengers out until the prayer was over. In the complaint, the passenger told MARTA officials the bus was traveling northbound when it stopped at the corner of Northlake Parkway and Lavista Road. As the passenger, whose name was not released, approached the front of the bus, Matthews… Read more
