The Bridge Collapse is devastating, to say the least. Jeannette from Minneapolis informs me that insurance companies will not be covering cars damaged in the collapse because it was an “act of God.” (There are no news stories I found that include further information on this, so if you see one, please link to it in the comments.) That phrase is legal language, for what it’s worth. In the meantime, read postings from people in the area and send some… Read more
Mark Oppenheimer at Slate has an article about Scientology where he writes that while it’s strange beyond belief, it’s not very different from other faiths: And everything of which Scientology is accused is an exaggerated form of what more “normal” religions do. Does Scientology charge money for services? Yes—but the average Mormon, tithing 10 percent annually, pays more money to his church than all but the most committed Scientologists pay to theirs. Jews buying “tickets” to high-holiday services can easily… Read more
But Cthulhu is so cute in these pictures… (via MyConfinedSpace) [tags]atheist, atheism, Cthulhu[/tags] Read more
47-year-old Kevin McKeither (above) has been charged with beating and raping a 77-year-old woman (umm… what?) at knife-point. The attacker ripped her dress, and threatened he would cut her throat if she didn’t do what he told her to do. He pushed her to the ground, stood on her chest and [then] raped her before leaving. When the woman asked him, “Don’t you have any decency?” he said these words: You stupid woman, there is no decency. There is no… Read more
Two things I never like to do: Link to an article from USA Today. Agree with a representative of the Thomas More Law Center (a Christian advocacy group). I will do both, though. The USA Today article talks about schools giving Muslim students preferential treatment: The University of Michigan at Dearborn is planning to build foot baths for Muslim students who wash their feet before prayer. An elementary school in San Diego created an extra recess period for Muslim pupils… Read more
Reminiscent of Stephen Colbert’s “The Word” segment, Edward Current presents “Atheism is a Religion!” Funny stuff 🙂 (via Atheist Perspective) [tags]atheist, atheism, Stephen Colbert, Edward Current, religion[/tags] Read more
Julie Clawson writes about a recent series of “Motivational” posters that mock the Emerging Church… … and the posters created in response to it. I’ll admit I found some of the Motivational posters funny. Because we all know Christians who seem to embody those traits. If you want to see a more accurate description of what the Emerging Church is, as told by someone who is part of the church, check out the rest of the response posters. (via Emerging… Read more
If you’re Atheist and Conservative, this is your site! Have fun, all three of you. I’m intrigued by the logo on the upper left side of the page. There’s an explanation for it… We use the symbol in our logo as an immediate indication that we do not believe the world was created by a divine intelligence. It’s position in the banner just makes it look like a Conservative Atheist is irrational… [tags]atheist, atheism, Republican, Convservative[/tags] Read more
Here’s a study you can quote during talks and debates with theistic friends. From the Chicago Sun-Times (emphasis mine): Atheist and agnostic doctors are as likely to provide care for the poor as religious physicians, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Chicago and Yale New Haven Hospital. … The study is based on a survey of 2,000 doctors with a 63 percent response rate. Thirty-five percent of non-religious doctors, compared with 31 percent of religious… Read more
First, here’s a quotation from a news story: “We have control over things we didn’t have control over before. That’s the progress of science,” [John] Hagelin said. The progress of science! Yes! Good, right? What’s he talking about? Meditation. More specifically, meditating for a rise in the Dow Jones, fewer hurricanes, and better relations with North Korea. I should also mention that there’s no explanation as to how any of this is scientific. Hagelin just says it is. I’m not… Read more