This post is by Jesse Galef, who works for the American Humanist Association. He usually blogs at Rant & Reason. … Scott Adams, Dilbert cartoonist, has said silly things about evolution and religion. But his recent blog post entitled The Power of Ridiculous Reasons brings up an interesting idea worth contemplating: The human mind is wired to accept ridiculous reasons as if they are legitimate. Studies have shown that people are more likely to agree to a favor if the… Read more
Reader Andrew had a relative pass away and he was unsure of what to do during one part of the funeral. Maybe you can offer some advice: My grandmother died recently and her funeral is this Friday. I wasn’t especially close to her, but I am (of course) upset. I have a bit of a dilemma, though. She and most of my family on her side are extremely religious — part of the Church of Scotland. There will be a… Read more
Look at all the things this atheist had to do to hide her atheism from her family: I was very careful to cover my tracks, and I hated living the lie. I sanitized my online profiles, I hid my browsing history, hid my writings, I bowed my head during family prayers, and it killed me inside. Every time I had to pretend to pray for a meal when visiting, or attend church, or lie about attending a Christian club, I… Read more
Trying to catch Michele Bachmann (R-MN) in a lie is about as hard as finding candy in a candy store. Check out what she said in Congress the other day (courtesy of Chris Rodda): … George Washington, our first President, demonstrated that he was not offended by the image of the risen Christ. In fact, our Nation’s first President let his views be known quite clearly on his inauguration by a prayer which George Washington himself gave at his inauguration…. Read more
I thought Canadians were supposed to be better than we Americans when it came to education issues… we’re the country that can “boast” of the Creation Museum, forbids gay marriage in all but four states, and kept George W. Bush in office for eight years. Maybe Canada’s trying to catch up to our stupidity. At least Alberta, anyway: A controversial Alberta bill will enshrine into law the rights of parents to pull their children out of classes discussing the topics… Read more
Not to rationalize a criminal act, but I wonder if the sexually repressed climate at Liberty University played any role in this. When masturbation is seen as a sin, you’re only allowed to hug another person for three seconds, and you’re not allowed any more PDA than holding hands in public, this is one hell of a way to rebel: A Liberty University student is behind bars after being arrested in a sting to catch Internet sexual predators. State Police… Read more
On Friday’s episode of Real Time, Bill Maher had a response to Creationists who may be going to see a doctor about the swine flu: I love the line at the end 🙂 Read more
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise: The video was created by ChuckyJesus666. (via The Hidden Atheist) Read more
A lesson for churches: When trying to win over unwitting, young souls, don’t try to lure them into your van. It’s really creepy. And, I’m sure, it’s not what Jesus would have done… According to Colorado Springs School District 11 officials, a church group tried to lure a seventh-grader into a church van after school, and the girl went home and told her parents… … Cornerstone [Baptist Church] is about 2.5 miles from Russell and has created public uproars in… Read more
This song is courtesy of the Austrian band wosIsig. (The subtitles help.) Catchy, no? You *know* you’ll be humming that later today… (According to No Guy in the Sky, there’s a mistranslation. The singer isn’t saying she’s a “little atheist.” She’s saying she’s a “skinny atheist.”) (via thaelm4nn) Read more
