Raymond Tallis on the Neuroscience Delusion *

Apr 11th, 2008 | Filed by

Academic literary critics now place the firing of neurons rather than signifiers at the heart of lit crit.… Read the rest



Breaking Open the Temple *

Apr 10th, 2008 | Filed by

FLDS lawyers said members were praying in front of the temple as officers dragged them out of the way.… Read the rest



Oh That Kind of Temple *

Apr 10th, 2008 | Filed by

The kind that provides a bed where men rape underage girls.… Read the rest



What Kind of Extremism Does Blair Have in Mind? *

Apr 10th, 2008 | Filed by

Catholic church’s attitudes to gender equality makes development goals almost impossible. … Read the rest



Underage Girls in Texas Sect Forced Into Sex *

Apr 10th, 2008 | Filed by

Several of the teenage girls have children. Many could not spell their last names or state their birth date.… Read the rest



Rabbi Flees to Canada, Israel Seeks Extradition *

Apr 10th, 2008 | Filed by

Has been described as the ‘spiritual mentor’ of a group involved in the systematic abuse of children.… Read the rest



Religious reasons

Apr 10th, 2008 11:29 am | By

This is insane. That camp of horrors in Texas –

The sect’s lawyers had sought to limit a search but have agreed temple records can be scrutinised under supervision. A representative of the sect will be appointed to vet documents, computer files and family Bibles for records that should not be used as evidence for legal or religious reasons, the Associated Press reports.

A representative of this pack of male lunatics that imprisons women and children and forces them to act as baby-factories will be appointed to decide what documents and files should not be used as evidence for religious reasons? What ‘religious’ reasons? They have god’s signatures on them? They might include god’s password? ‘Religious’ reasons are the … Read the rest



In action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god

Apr 9th, 2008 5:58 pm | By

Why the human brain evolved. So that it could dream up pastimes like this:

A radical rabbi once linked to a plot to fire a missile at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, is hiding in Canada, Israeli police said Monday, announcing that he is wanted for his alleged role in a series of ghastly abuses of his followers’ children…[H]e has been described as the “spiritual mentor” of a group involved in the systematic abuse of children, allegedly using his status as a rabbi to convince a mother of eight that her children’s shortcomings could be beaten and burned out of them…Two of the eight children, aged 4 and 5, were hospitalized in serious condition two weeks ago after Mr. Chen allegedly

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On Samantha Power on Sergio Vieira de Mello *

Apr 9th, 2008 | Filed by

Moving from one hellhole to another, he experienced the conflicting claims of power and morality.… Read the rest



Avishai Margalit on Sectarianism *

Apr 9th, 2008 | Filed by

The idea of the sacred describes what is indivisible and hence not subject to compromise. … Read the rest



Persecution of Salah Choudhury for ‘Blasphemy’ *

Apr 9th, 2008 | Filed by

Journalist faces sedition, treason and blasphemy charges for confronting jihad and religious hatred. … Read the rest



Blair Makes up for Lost Time on the God Front *

Apr 9th, 2008 | Filed by

‘He has converted to Roman Catholicism. This requires much thought and reflection.’ Hmm.… Read the rest



All label and no content

Apr 9th, 2008 11:44 am | By

Blair doing God.

Issues of faith have clearly been consuming Mr Blair. Since leaving office, he has converted to Roman Catholicism. This requires much thought and reflection. After confessing serious sins, a convert must make the “Rite of Reception”, including saying that: “I believe and profess all that the Holy Catholic Church believes, teaches and proclaims to be revealed by God.”

And saying that requires thought and reflection? Wouldn’t you think it requires something more like the avoidance of thought, the abdication of thought? To say you believe all that the ‘Holy’ Catholic Church proclaims to be revealed by God is to say you believe something very all-encompassing, very broad, very dogmatic, and very evidence-free. What does that have … Read the rest



Old Tibet Was no Shangri-la *

Apr 8th, 2008 | Filed by

One third of the boys in Tibet were forcibly taken by the monastery. That’s human rights?… Read the rest



Wafa Sultan Forced Into Hiding *

Apr 8th, 2008 | Filed by

Sultan joins a growing list of public critics of radical Islam facing death threats.… Read the rest



Cross-dressing Children Shock-horror *

Apr 8th, 2008 | Filed by

Christian radio station rebukes costumes at school; cites ‘traditional family values’ and ‘Biblical values.’… Read the rest



Grayling and Monk Debate Education *

Apr 8th, 2008 | Filed by

The appetite for finding out, and thinking about what is learned, grows by feeding.… Read the rest



Turkey Considers Tiny Change to Article 301 *

Apr 8th, 2008 | Filed by

Proposed amendment would replace denigrating Turkishness with denigrating the Turkish nation.… Read the rest



Illinois Legislator Tells Atheist ‘Get Out’ *

Apr 8th, 2008 | Filed by

‘Get out of that seat. You have no right to be here! We believe in something. You believe in destroying!’… Read the rest



As well as

Apr 8th, 2008 9:10 am | By

The BBC reports that what it calls the ‘next UN investigator into Israeli conduct in the occupied territories’ has defended his comparison of Israeli actions in Gaza to those of the Nazis. But a couple of paragraphs down it adds something that should be (but isn’t) decorated with little red warning flags.

Professor Falk is scheduled to take up his post for the UN Human Rights Council later in the year.

Ah – the UN Human Rights Council. How depressing it is that that sounds like a good thing and is in fact a very bad thing. The IHEU explains why.

By 2005, the Commission for Human Rights had become widely discredited…The Commission was abolished by vote of the

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