Because you’re not a Christian teenager engaging in unprotected anal sex in order to preserve your virginity. I think you should get bonus points if you use the words Saddlebacking and Santorum in the same sentence. But I have no desire to read that sentence. (I suppose I should give a shout-out to Rick Warren for making this happen? But I’ll give it to Dan Savage, instead.) Woo! I met the cunning linguist a few years ago. He rules. Read more
I can understand how topics like abortion and gay marriage and gun rights are controversial. But surely, everyone would be on board to support something called No Name-Calling Week for young children, right? The event is just what it sounds like: No Name-Calling Week is an annual week of educational activities aimed at ending name-calling of all kinds and providing schools with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate bullying in their communities. Who… Read more
I realize I’m setting myself up here… But this is too amusing to pass up. Here’s a billboard seen in Australia: Jesus is the Answer… So I have to wonder: what is the question? Make me laugh. Don’t be a jerk. (While you’re at it, check out the Oz Atheist’s post and see why Australian atheists are on the lookout for specific religious billboards.) Read more
If you an atheist in or around Chicago, here’s a show you won’t want to miss: Julia Sweeney (author of Letting Go of God) and singer Jill Sobule are coming to Chicago’s Lakeshore Theater. They’ll be performing their two-woman show, aptly titled “The Jill and Julia Show with Julia Sweeney and Jill Sobule.” (Try not to forget that.) It’s a mixture of songs and humorous anecdotes. I saw it a while back and it is *wonderful*. Bring friends. The show… Read more
The local NBC affiliate in Charleston, South Carolina interviewed Secular Coalition for America president Herb Silverman yesterday (though not about SCA). It’s a short clip (just over one minute), but Herb does a great job of explaining why he and other members of Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry are putting the following atheist billboard in their area: It’s always tough to do media — even tougher when you’re edited into such short soundbytes. But I think Herb handles it well… Read more
First, Ian Bushfield, president of the University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics, manages to convince his school to change their convocation charge. They used to tell graduates “to use their degrees for ‘the glory of God.'” As if one already exists. Now, they will be telling students to “serve your God.” If you believe in one, the phrase implies. It really is a big difference. And the measure was passed by a large majority. Congratulations to Ian and others who… Read more
Yeah, you do! Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine and the author of Why People Believe Weird Things and (one of my personal favorites) Secrets of Mental Math, will be giving a talk at The Ohio State University on the evening of February 19th. Before his talk, though, he’ll be eating food. (This is shocking to you, I know.) And you can join him! Students For Freethought is hosting the fundraiser — A small intimate dinner with Shermer and a… Read more
To nobody’s surprise, LifeWay Christian Stores sells Christian books among their many products. As any reader of these books knows, however, the authors can range anywhere from super-fundamentalist to relatively-liberal. To help their customers out, LifeWay now puts a label on certain books stating “Read With Discernment”: While we recognize that almost every title requires some measure of discernment, certain titles should clearly be read with extra discernment. … We want you to know that the authors of books marked… Read more
I’ll be working all day, but Ted Haggard is going to be on Oprah on Wednesday. Please provide me with the Cliffsnotes version in the comments if you see it! And in the meantime, check out the breaking story about his other male lover, Grant Haas — a younger guy who was paid off by Haggard’s former church: … Brady Boyd, senior pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., said a young man announced his alleged inappropriate relationship… Read more
The author of The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins, will be heading to four colleges in America in early March. He will be discussing “The Purpose of Purpose”: We humans are obsessed with purpose. The question, “What is it for?” comes naturally to a species surrounded by tools, utensils and machines. For such artifacts it is appropriate, but then we go too far. We apply the “What is it for?” question to rocks, mountains, stars or the universe, where it has… Read more
