Category / Humanism
Take That, Atheists!
It’s amazing there are any skeptics left with ‘evidence’ like this pouring in from all over. According to Chuck Missler, if evolutionary theory stood up, jars of peanut butter would occasionally contain new life when you opened them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZFG5PKw504
Oh. My freakin’ gourd! That’s the kind of profound misunderstanding of evolution we’re dealing with. And when I say, “we’re dealing with,” I mean this is the kind of stuff being peddled to people who understand even less about evolution.
An Atheist Goes Undercover
What happens when an atheist goes undercover to attend a major Southern evangelical church’s ‘Encounter Weekend’ retreat? Matt Taibbi tells us exactly what happens in this excerpt from his new book, The Great Derangement, about his experiences at a Hagee’s boot camp for new converts. And it’s not very pretty.
Apart from the grim descriptions and assumptions about various church goers, there’s not that much in here that really surprised me. If you’ve seen Jesus Camp and know what these kinds of people put their children through at these retreats, then it should come as no surprise the adults get it just as bad. In fact I think its a little worse. The kids are just being misled and abused. These idiots should KNOW better.
I guess I’m just asking too much of these folks to stop thinking an imaginary god wants them to worship it so their imaginary souls can get into his imaginary heaven.
Via: AlterNet
I’m A Math Atheist Too
‘Don’t Believe In God?’ Billboard in Philadelphia
That’s the billboard drivers on Interstate 95 north of Philadelphia will see as they head out of town. Placed to coincide with the National Day of Reason, the billboard faces outbound traffic and helps to “make nontheistic people, such as atheists and agnostics, aware that they aren’t alone.” says Joe Fox, president of the Humanist Association of Greater Philadelphia.
The billboard will be up for three months and is one of a series that will appear around the country, raising the public profile of humanists and freethinkers. The billboard is backed by an active Web site at PhillyCOR.org that sets forth the larger mission of the effort and offers ways that individuals can get involved. An image of the billboard appears on the site, but people can also phone 1-800-NEW-REASON. Either way they will be able to learn more about the national and Philadelphia organizations behind the effort.
I’d like to see more of these all over the country. If nothing else, just to even the playing field against all the religious crap you’re forced to look at every time you hit the interstate. And three months just isn’t long enough.
The billboard is a joint venture by national humanist and freethought organizations, including the American Humanist Association and it’s independent marketing adjunct FreeThoughtAction, Atheist Alliance International, the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia, the Humanist Association of Greater Philadelphia, and Temple University Secular Students.
Via: Press Release
John Oliver’s Sticker Solution
Skepchick pointed me to this brilliant bit of old stand-up comedy by Daily Show corespondent John Oliver regarding politics, evolution and creationism.
I agree. Let’s teach the controversy about creationism. Let’s put stickers on all Bibles explaining that they only offer one of many creation theories.
Religion Is ‘The New Social Evil’
I wouldn’t exactly call it ‘new’ but pollsters in the UK asked 3,500 people what they thought were the worst aspects of modern society and discovered religion was high on the list. The results were very reassuring… for the UK, that is.
The researchers found that the “dominant opinion” was that religion was a “social evil”.
Though poverty and drug abuse are higher on the list (and rightly so), it seems Britain is fed up with religion. Other issues expressed by the 3,500 polled included family breakdown, young people’s behavior and fears over immigration.
“Britain has had it with religion,” said Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society.
Via: Times Online
Just A Reason To Live
The New Humanist Blog just posted a short piece on comedian Ricky Gervais’ near-instant conversion to atheism. Head on over and read the whole piece. I just wanted to share this quick quote from Gervais
I no longer needed a reason for my existence, just a reason to live.
Well said. Why do so many religious people feel they need a reason for their existence? Indeed, they spend most of their lives searching for it. We should all tear a page out of Gervais’ book and stop looking for reasons for our existence and start finding our reasons for living instead.
Via: New Humanist Blog
Did I Say Little Victory?
My earlier post title just doesn’t do this justice any longer. This has become a pretty big victory as Reuters reports Texas officials have now removed over 400 children, who would have otherwise grown up with a severely distorted world view, from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints’ 1,700 acre slave girl factory ranch. Many of which were said to have left voluntarily, as BBC NEWS reports:
Women and girls in long dresses with their hair pinned up in braids could be seen leaving the ranch voluntarily.
And the best part of all this - The part that really makes me smile… All of this started when one 16-year-old phoned police to complain that she had been sexually and physically abused. One 16-year-old girl. Because of one brave voice, hundreds of children are being set free. It’s rare when true inspiration like this happens. So very rare.
Get Out Of That Seat!
If you haven’t heard by now, atheist activist Rob Sherman of Buffalo Grove and Ill. was testifying before the House State Government Administration Committee when Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago) interrupted and began lashing out at him for nothing more than being an atheist.
What you have to spew and spread is extremely dangerous, it’s dangerous … It’s dangerous to the progression of this state. And it’s dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists! … Get out of that seat!
Sherman was there to testify against Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s legislature that would send a million dollars (of Government money) to benefit a Baptist church.
Barry Duke at the Freethinker draws an interesting parallel between Rob Sherman and Rosa Parks, who were both instructed to “Get out of that seat” and both of which refused. A parallel only reenforced by comments made by Mr. Sherman himself on his blog…
Now that [African American] have political power, it seems that they have no problem at all with discrimination, just as long as it isn’t them who are being discriminated against.
This kind of bullshit has got to stop! If you live in Chicago, write Rep. Davis and let her know that atheists are Americans too, that we will not be discriminated against and that she has officially lost both your respect and support.
Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago)
Via: Change of Subject - Chicago Tribune
Via: The Freethinker
Little Victory In Big Texas
Hooray for state officials in Texas!
Texas state officials have removed 52 183 girls from Warren Jeffs’ Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints’ polygamist ranch during a child abuse investigation. Eighteen of them, aged between 6 months and 17, are now in state custody and many are being prepared for foster homes.
Jeffs, head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was jailed in November for 10 years for being an accomplice to rape. He was convicted after he forced a 14-year-old girl to marry her cousin.
The self-proclaimed prophet is currently awaiting trial in Arizona on charges of being an accomplice to four counts of incest and sexual conduct with a minor stemming from two arranged marriages.
Regardless of my personal views on polygamy, I’m a humanist and I’m absolutely against forcing young girls who don’t know any different, to grow up in your whacked-out crazy 1,700 acre ranch enclosed within an 80 ft. wall, sealed off from the rest of the world, to become your personal little slave girls.
“We’re dealing with children that aren’t accustomed to the outside world, so we’re trying to be very sensitive to their needs,” Marleigh Meisner said.
The girls in this looney-ass, Christian sect don’t know and will never be introduced to any other ways of thinking. They’re taught from birth that being a slave to their husband is the only way there is.
Members believe a man must marry at least three wives in order to ascend to heaven. Women are meanwhile taught that their path to heaven depends on being subservient to their husband.
This kind of thinking is just downright appalling. There is absolutely no difference between men and women aside from our genetic predisposition to one sex or the other. We are the same species and should be treated as such. It’s good to know some of the state officials feel the same way. Call them up and thank them for taking a stand on equal and moral human rights.
UPDATE: It would appear the number of total young and adult women removed from the ranch is now 183! Reuters reports:
Texas Child Protective Services spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner said the 183 consisted of 137 girls and 46 women, but she could not discuss why they were taken from the ranch or whether they had left voluntarily.
Hot Dang!
Image: EvolveFish.com
