I don’t get it. A senior priest in Florence is under investigation for fraud after allegedly amassing £3 million by performing fake exorcisms. Fake exorcisms… As opposed to what, exactly? It’s all fraud. Some people are just gullible enough to fall for it. In this case, though, Father Francesco Saverio Bazzoffi had his friends pretend to be possessed and he later “cured” them. Others then gave their money so they could get rid their demons as well. More importantly, though,… Read more
The entire debate between brothers Christopher Hitchens and Peter Hitchens is not available on line right now (YouTube videos were removed). But that doesn’t mean a couple excerpts can’t be found in print! Christopher Hitchens praised the war in Iraq, saying it “brought one of the great war criminals of the world to justice.” And it’s about time for humankind to depose the “heavenly dictator,” too, he said. “(Religion) is a totalitarian belief. It is the wish to be a… Read more
A nice compilation of recent (and some not-so-recent) statistics about atheism: (via Bligbi) [tags]atheist, atheism[/tags] Read more
Rachel Donadio’s article in tomorrow’s edition of The New York Times profiles Giuliano Ferrara, a “third party” candidate in the upcoming national elections in Italy. One fringe candidate is different. He is Giuliano Ferrara, a Communist turned conservative who is Italy’s most operatic and most mercurial intellectual provocateur. A newspaper editor and former government minister, Mr. Ferrara is best known here as a television talk-show host. He combines the political theatrics of an Abbie Hoffman with the rhetorical flair of… Read more
He’s already filed a lawsuit (PDF) that says he was denied a promotion because of his atheism. Since then, Specialist Jeremy Hall hasn’t won many fans in the military. He’s still facing threats. Spc. Jeremy Hall filed a formal statement Wednesday with the Army. He says he overheard a conversation between two sergeants in his platoon and one wanted to “bust Hall in the mouth.” Hall says he faces the animosity because he is an atheist and is suing the… Read more
At least, the crawl at the end of his show tonight said so. Dawkins is scheduled to appear on the April 11th broadcast (11:00 p.m. ET on HBO). Not coincidentally, Bill Maher’s movie about religion, Religulous, will be coming out in a couple months. Should be fun. (Thanks to Keith for the info!) [tags]atheist, atheism[/tags] Read more
Battlestar Galactica will begin its fourth (and final) season tonight. Here’s the promo picture for the premiere: That looks strangely familiar… And for those interested in the sci-fi genre, Dragon*Con is taking place on Labor Day weekend (Aug. 29th to Sept 1st) and the guest list is already filled with impressive speakers (including the following from the skeptic/atheist world): Lori Lipman Brown Lori Lipman Brown is a lawyer, an educator, and a former Nevada State Senator who now directs The… Read more
Anne Jackson talks about a question posed to her and a (religious) leadership development team during a recent trip to Uganda: “Would you rather your children grow up in Uganda or America?” What would you say? Seems like an easy answer, no? One man — a pastor/father/Ugandan — said this (without hesitation): “Uganda.” Some of us seemed a little shocked. America. It’s the land of opportunity. It’s safe. You can get medical attention. At least three meals a day. “Exactly,”… Read more
Outspoken atheist Rob Sherman, who (with his daughter) filed a lawsuit that eventually put a stop to the Mandatory Moment of Silence, was back in the Illinois General Assembly on Wednesday. He was there arguing Governor Rod Blagojevich’s $1,000,000 grant to the Pilgrim Baptist Church — which was given to them via the more secular Loop Lab School. (Shadiness all around.) Anyway, he got into an exchange with Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago). You won’t believe what she said (emphasis is… Read more
