The editorial at the beginning of the April issue of Scientific American is startling. You can read it here: There’s no easy way to admit this. For years, helpful letter writers told us to stick to science. They pointed out that science and politics don’t mix. They said we should be more balanced in our presentation of such issues as … Read More
How To Make A Schiavo Protester’s Head Explode
Wait until they start to complaining about all the judges out there who (supposedly) are conspiring to "kill" Terri, nod your head in strong agreement, and then pull out your Bible. Open to Deuteronomy 1:16 and read: Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, "Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his … Read More
“Why wasn’t letting Schiavo die a Christian option, too?”
It’s a damn fine question, asked by (among many others) the Rev. Frederick Schmidt, an Episcopal priest and theologian at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, according to this wonderful article in the St. Petersburg Times: "I think the religious right is captive to a medical, scientific description of life that equates merely to survival," said Schmidt, director of spiritual life … Read More
What Would Jesus Do?
Beautifully put by Heriod at The American Street Dateline Jerusalem, 29 a.d. — The ongoing controversy surrounding whether or not Jesus of Nazareth has the right to voluntarily die on the cross, took a dramatic turn yesterday. Roman Senator, Billius Fristus Felinocidicus announced that in a late night, weekend session, the Senate had passed an imperial edict, signed by Emperor … Read More
Change of Heart
A nice story out of San Diego: The head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego apologized Monday to the family of gay nightclub owner John McCusker, less than a week after decreeing that McCusker couldn’t have a Catholic burial because of his "business activities," according to a statement released by McCusker’s family. In a stunning twist to a … Read More
God Detector
Just in time for the high holy days, too. How many times have we heard it said, "Oh, Lord, give me a sign!" Alas, too often the reply is vague and ambiguous: the phone rings at an opportune time, a feather falls from out of the blue, a water stain appears that resembles a religious image. We all want to … Read More
Starving to Death? The Calculated Inflammatory Rhetoric of the Christian Right
As one might expect, the American Journal of Bioethics is following the Schiavo case closely. One recent bioethicist/commentator took to task those who like to insult the hospice industry, under the false assumption that caring nurses and doctors would allow Terri Schiavo to experience pain and discomfort. She writes: One of the more disturbing aspects of the political rhetoric is … Read More
Fundies Stole My Jesus!
That’s the cry of an angry single mom at, uh, the Angry Single Mom blog. Here’s a sample: Arthur Ruger wrote a thought-provoking article about the dichotomy between the Jesus of the New Testament and the Jesus of the fundamentalists. He correctly compares the High Priests of Evangelical Hyperbole to the Pharisees and the Sadducees, those responsible for Jesus’ death. … Read More
What Is That Smell??
Why, it’s Jesus burning! Couple Sells Candles That Smell Like Jesus A South Dakota couple makes and markets candles they say smell like Jesus. You can find candles with just about every fragrance imaginable, from blueberry to ocean mist to hot apple pie. Now there’s a candle that lets you experience the scent of Jesus, and they’ve been selling out … Read More
Hitler’s Christianity
"To deny the influence of Christianity on Hitler and its role in World War II, means that you must ignore history and bar yourself forever from understanding how this atrocity occurred." That’s sure to ruffle a few feathers. Read more.
Project Steve
I just found out about this. This is great. This is how you win debates — with humor and snarkiness. From the National Center for Science Education ("Defending the Teaching of Evolution in Public Schools"): NCSE’s "Project Steve" is a tongue-in-cheek parody of a long-standing creationist tradition of amassing lists of "scientists who doubt evolution" or "scientists who dissent from … Read More
Bible Translation Causes Controversy
From the Daily Telegraph: One of the world’s most widely read Bibles, the New International Version, has been modernised by a team of 15 American and British scholars and is published today. Gone is the word "aliens", which the academics thought was invariably associated in the minds of the younger generation with extra-terrestrials. It is replaced with "foreigners". Even the … Read More
Block That Metaphor!
Stupidity from Doug Giles: God designed Christianity to be a 4WD spiritual vehicle with mudders, a truck that brings life to the outback. It is not a sensitive Miata that must be preserved from going offroad and into the bush. I’m just wondering . . . why didn’t God give Christianity bigger cupholders and DVD players for the kiddies in … Read More
Spamming God
Mel Gibson wants us to "hammer God with prayers and hammer him hard." (Source). All this to keep Terry Schiavo alive. Now, I have many thoughts on the Schiavo case, but that’s for another day. My point here is that I don’t think we should be "hammering God" with prayers, the way Viagra companies hammer me with ads for penis … Read More
The Jury Is Still Out . . .
even though it has been eighty years since it came back. Look, folks. The Earth revolves around the sun. The Bible is wrong when it says otherwise. And evolution is real. The Bible is wrong if it says otherwise. It is time to face facts. If your belief in God is so shaky that you have to belief everything in … Read More