After some back and forth between himself and Center For Inquiry CEO Ron Lindsay, Paul Kurtz is reasserting his objection to Blasphemy Day (emphasis mine): My objection to Blasphemy Day is that it can be rather sophomoric; particularly the holding of a contest to see who come up with the most pithy forms of blasphemy. I have consistently said that if we are to be taken seriously, we need to provide the best scholarly and scientific examination of claims. I… Read more
For over five years, the cheerleaders at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School in Georgia have been rooting for their football team by using pro-Christian banners: Apparently, ripping through the word Christ helps you win games? But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that’s illegal. You can’t endorse religion like that at a public school event. A former class president of the school (and current youth pastor) doesn’t seem to understand the legal problems here: “The cheerleaders are not trying… Read more
Have you seen this person? Why the hell not? Just a quick post to say that I’m in Burbank, California for the Atheist Alliance International Convention! If you’re here too, let me know! For the most part, I’ll be at the Secular Coalition for America table in the exhibit hall, so I shouldn’t be difficult to find. Here’s a tip though: I’m Jesse, not Hemant. Curlier hair and lighter skin. If you come say hello, I’ll give you a spiffy… Read more
***Update***: Some of you take this waaaay too seriously 🙂 I’m not going back on what I wrote below — I don’t think Blower’s call is as impressive as it has been made out to be. It just so happens that many things (that I find relatively predictable) came together all at once. That is pretty cool — I’m not denying it — but it’s not all that unusual. If we took stock of all predictions, with this degree of… Read more
After months of lead up work, the pre-launch website for Foundation Beyond Belief is now live! What is FBB? As the site says, Foundation Beyond Belief is a 501(c)(3) charitable and educational foundation created (1) to focus, encourage and demonstrate humanistic generosity, and (2) to support a nationwide education and support program for humanist parents. (Full disclosure: I’m on the board of directors) I say pre-launch because, come January 1st, the full website will be available to use (including a… Read more
Because one day, the lobsters will seek revenge… At least they’re going for the tastiest among us first. That means I’ll have some time to spare. (via Evilkid Comix — Thanks to CarolAnn for the link!) Read more
The economic downturn affects most of us, but churches are in a particularly bad position. They’re reliant on tithes/donations, private school tuition fees, and a stable worshiper base. All of those areas are getting hit hard. Rachel Zoll explains: Organized religion was already in trouble before the fall of 2008. Denominations were stagnating or shrinking, and congregations across faith groups were fretting about their finances. The Great Recession made things worse. It’s further drained the financial resources of many congregations,… Read more
At the University of Alabama this past weekend, the Alabama Atheists and Agnostics group decided to advertise their upcoming meeting by chalking the campus (the link goes to an article in the campus paper… but the page is freezing up my browser. You’ve been warned). They inscribed the following messages around the school along with info about their next meeting: “You don’t need God to be Good.” “You’re not alone if you don’t believe in God.” “Those who believe in… Read more
Did you do anything blasphemic that was worthwhile today? Let us know 🙂 Paul Lundgren wrote an open letter to the Catholic League’s Bill Donohue in which he explains why he criticizes the Catholic Church: Bluntly speaking, you deserve it. Your church has no claim to morality of any kind anymore at all. The crimes committed under the steeples of your church all over the world are what are truly appalling. But the cover-ups, the papal edicts ordering the cover-ups,… Read more
I don’t think this is worthy of anything other than mockery and derision, but Glenn Beck performed what must have been a stream of consciousness rambling monologue on Fox News. It’s remarkable how he jumps from one topic to another, insinuating an argument without ever giving reasons or evidence. He even mentioned the American Nones survey, and gave a visible shudder just to mention us. “America I have a question for you. Why do you think we’re are powerful as… Read more
