The Chicago Reader reports on a phenomenon going on in the city: illegal church parking. There’s a whole back story about how the parking situation is hurting the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation (CBF), which had some great uses for the roads in questions. But here’s the part that involves the churches… … signs make it clear that no parking is allowed at any time in the fast inside lanes of the boulevards—not for churchgoers or anybody else. But on Sunday those… Read more
***UPDATE 2: The Blogroll should be fixed now. Thanks for your patience!*** ***UPDATE: Yes, there’s a problem with the blogroll page (it only goes through the letter H). I’ll fix this as soon as I can. In the meantime, feel free to continue commenting with your links. Sorry for the confusion!*** I’m taking a break for a few days, so postings will be minimal. Be good while I’m gone! And in the meantime, you can join the blogroll! (Yes, I’m… Read more
Jessa Crispin at Bookslut has this complaint: Can someone write a book about science without the snobby bullshit included? I would be much more willing to finish reading The Canon if Natalie Angier had not kept including constant swipes at people who believe in god, the superstitious, and people who read fortune cookies. I’ve always believed that the best way to convince someone they’re wrong is to call them an idiot. I agree that you’re not going to win people… Read more
Not kidding. (Website’s subtitle? Study the Word long and hard.) (Also in the website’s banner? WhoWJD?) These are freakishly expensive, though. $2.23 a pop. Unless you want to buy a pack of 100. In which case, they’re still freakishly expensive at $1.20 each. But maybe it’s not too bad, considering your 100 atheist friends will think this is the greatest birthday gift *ever*. So, who are these people? We don’t get a clear answer, but we do get this: We… Read more
Jim Gerard at the Huffington Post has an idea of who the Republican candidate should be: God — and I’m talking about the wrathful, Old Testament Lord, not Jesus or the Holy Ghost – is the perfect Republican candidate. He then gives a list of reasons why God should be the GOP’s pick. For example, His near 80% approval rating. Why else is God the best choice? … there is no better candidate to carry the Republican’s fear-based message than… Read more
If you live in West Virginia, your job search is over! Mercer County is looking for a part-time Bible teacher. (It would be wonderful to have an atheist teach that class.) If you’re interested, you must “must hold or be eligible for a WV teaching certificate.” Oh, and you have to have a “dregree in Bible.” I didn’t even know “Bible” was a major. Bible Studies, perhaps. A quick Google search tells me Bible really is a major… it just… Read more
According to the BBC, A report from England’s Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills) says that Religious Education classes in the country “must provide children with a more sophisticated understanding of the subject in a post-11 September world.” What does that mean? It says teachers should include ways in which religion is not always a force for good. I’m surprised that wasn’t taught before… The BBC article states that the classes discuss religion in the context… Read more
The questions were asked by Dennis Diehl when he was a child. He never seemed to get satisfactory answers. Somehow, he went on to become a pastor for 26 years, but that eventually stopped. He writes about his questions here. The horrible answers he gets should be a lesson at any seminary school in what not to say to children (unless you want them to leave the faith, which I’d be ok with…). There’s a (longer) part two with questions,… Read more
The Atheist’s Bible is a book by Joan Konner, a former dean of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. It’s mostly a collection of quotes and aphorisms that an atheist can enjoy on the beach, on the couch, and on the toilet. (Oh, you know you do it.) Carlin Romano, book critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer, has a lot of great things to say about this collection, especially when compared to the “heavier” atheist books that are out there: The… Read more
Chris Clapp, a soon-to-be college student, wrote a guest column for the Winston-Salem Journal newspaper. It’s a great example of expressing the positive sides of atheism without denigrating religion. Here are some of my favorite excerpts: People ought to be free to seek God, forgiveness or unity with the universe in whatever way they see fit, or not at all. This freedom is exactly what the fabric of America’s democracy is based upon. … Two centuries ago, black men, women… Read more
