On religious texts and the modern world *

Aug 25th, 2010 | Filed by

 Only in religion do ancient texts brimming over with superstition and ideas contrary to modern human rights get a pass.… Read the rest



R Joseph Hoffmann on pedantic multiculturalism *

Aug 25th, 2010 | Filed by

A zealous mullah and a zealous priest wear different tunics, but the intolerance that makes their lives happy has the same source.… Read the rest



The freeedom not to respect

Aug 25th, 2010 10:44 am | By

Quinn O’Neill, in her much-discussed piece on religion and reason and “tolerance” offers a familiar confusion:

Ensuring individuals’ freedom of religion is undoubtedly important in securing secularism.  As Michael Shermer eloquently put it: “As long as religion does not threaten science and freedom, we should be respectful and tolerant because our freedom to disbelieve is inextricably bound to the freedom of others to believe.”

Ensuring individuals’ freedom of religion is important for a lot of reasons, but ensuring individuals’ freedom of religion does not depend on being “respectful and tolerant” of the content of individuals’ beliefs. It does not, and it cannot, because that would in fact interfere with everyone else’s freedom of religion (which, of course, includes freedom … Read the rest



Sam Harris on what “moderate” imams should say *

Aug 25th, 2010 | Filed by

“Our traditional ideas about martyrdom, jihad, blasphemy, apostasy, and the status of women must be abandoned…”… Read the rest



Scientists criticize stem cell ruling *

Aug 25th, 2010 | Filed by

But Tony Perkins of the “Family Research Council” welcomed it.… Read the rest



Ben Goldacre wonders: are exams getting easier? *

Aug 25th, 2010 | Filed by

Some people say they are, some say they aren’t, but how do they know?… Read the rest



The rest of it

Aug 24th, 2010 6:22 pm | By

The meeting at Glöm aldrig Pela och Fadime was Friday morning, then there were other things during the afternoon, then there was dinner with the Fri Tanke people and Lena Andersson, a well-known columnist and unapologetic atheist. Great fun. Saturday afternoon I went to a meeting of a group recently formed within the Swedish Humanist Association to raise awareness on the issue of religious oppression of women. It was terrific. Everyone from the dinner was there, and Eduardo Grutzky, who started out in Argentina and spent time in Israel before settling in Argentina, and Sara Mats Azmeh Rasmussen, who writes a columnist for Aftenposten and set fire to a hijab on Women’s Day 2009, and Haideh who … Read the rest



Soldiers required to attend evangelical concert *

Aug 24th, 2010 | Filed by

“Spiritual Fitness Concert” featured a band “who aren’t afraid to take an aggressive stance when it comes to spreading the gospel.”… Read the rest



IHEU condemns attack on Leo Igwe’s family *

Aug 24th, 2010 | Filed by

Protests to the Nigerian government.… Read the rest



I will continue to speak out for justice and human rights

Aug 24th, 2010 | By Leo Igwe

The recent attack on my family which led to my father’s loss of one eye was an unfortunate development. It was yet another attempt to intimidate us and undermine our campaign for justice.

 To any intelligent observer of the trends in Nigeria, this incident would not have come as a surprise. Because Nigeria has practically been taken over by thugs, hoodlums, kidnappers and bandits.

Nigeria is held hostage by forces of dark age and barbarism. Anything that appears to be civil or enlightened about Nigeria is mainly on the surface. Since independence Nigeria has been descending gradually into anomie, anarchy and criminality. Nigeria has derailed and deteriorated due to misrule, bad governance, collective irresponsibility and insensitivity, lack of vision and … Read the rest



Priest suspected in bombing was protected *

Aug 24th, 2010 | Filed by

Seán Brady said he accepted the report’s findings, but said the church did not engage in a cover-up.… Read the rest



NY Times says stoning is misunderstood *

Aug 24th, 2010 | Filed by

It’s not prescribed by the Koran. It’s rare. It requires strict conditions. Anyway societies evolve.… Read the rest



Forced adoptions in East Germany *

Aug 24th, 2010 | Filed by

All it took to be judged a bad parent was to infringe on vague “socialist guidelines.”… Read the rest



Swaziland: albino girl, 11, murdered *

Aug 24th, 2010 | Filed by

Witch doctors think the blood and body parts of albinos can bring good luck when used in potions.… Read the rest



Sex segregation for Jerusalem light rail? *

Aug 24th, 2010 | Filed by

Not a problem, says CEO Yair Naveh. A problem, says Rachel Azariya of Jerusalem city council.… Read the rest



In Minneapolis news

Aug 24th, 2010 10:40 am | By

In case you’ve been worrying and fretting and gnawing your fingernails –

PZ got a stent, and is enjoying the drugs, and will be going home tomorrow.

Yeah!… Read the rest



Smug self-satisfied atheism shock-horror *

Aug 24th, 2010 | Filed by

“Unlike you, a believer,” the smug atheist boasts, “I lack the hubristic will to know about life, the universe, and everything.”… Read the rest



Judge rules against Obama’s stem cell policy *

Aug 24th, 2010 | Filed by

“Embryos are preborn human life that should be protected and not destroyed,” said one of the Christian zealots who sued.… Read the rest



No, you can’t say that

Aug 24th, 2010 7:21 am | By

Messing around with Google in Swedish, I find a blog post by a guy who was at the seminar on Thursday. He includes the wonderful book cover by Elisabeth Wallin and adds that he was the model for the guy on the left – the rabbi holding a big jagged stone ready to throw. How cool is that?!

There was a giant blow-up of the jacket at the launch – it was about the size of a door. In the huge version it becomes clear that all three clerics are spitting on the women at their feet. Once you know that you can see it in the small version – that thing that looks like a wispy beard on the … Read the rest



Not a dry eye in the house

Aug 23rd, 2010 7:11 pm | By

Catching up. Jerry has some thoughts on Phil Plait’s famous best-selling Booker Prize-winning Library of Congress-approved “don’t be a dick” speech. One thought is that it sounded a good deal too much like “Tom Johnson” and his Amazing Experiences With the Out-of-control Atheist Fiends. Another thought is that Plait didn’t offer a shred of evidence for all his claims of pervasive atheist baddery. Those two thoughts are not unrelated to each other. “Tom Johnson” didn’t offer a shred of evidence for his exciting tale of persecution and spitting, either, and oh hey gee what do you know, it turned out that that was because it never happened and Tom Johnson was just throwing mud at people he doesn’t like. … Read the rest