Athiests call NPR militant pope-huggers.… Read the rest
Has Karen Armstrong read Feuerbach?
Sep 16th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe real irony is that Feuerbach’s argument is above all applicable to the elusive, ungraspable ‘God’ for which Karen Armstrong makes her case.… Read the rest
Malawi: Children Commit Suicide After Prayers
Sep 16th, 2010 | By Leo IgweOrdinarily, not much is heard about Malawi -a country that was ruled for so many years by the late dictator, Kamuzu Banda. Apart from the recent case of a gay couple convicted and later pardoned by President Mutharika who is also the current Chair of the African Union, Malawi is hardly in the news.
But that does not mean that all is well with this country. No, all is not well with ‘Nyasaland’. Malawi like many other African countries is trapped in the vicious circle of poverty, ignorance, superstition and religious fanaticism. Independence has not brought this nation emergence and prosperity. Education has not resulted in emancipation, civilization and enlightenment. The different religious groups in the country are living together … Read the rest
Hello darlings: you’re all Nazis
Sep 16th, 2010 12:25 pm | By Ophelia BensonSo the pope, feeling somewhat backfooted by all this fuss about a few children being groped or cuddled or raped by priests and bishops, goes on the attack in his friendly pastoral visit to the UK.
… Read the restEven in our own lifetime, we can recall how Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society and denied our common humanity to many, especially the Jews, who were thought unfit to live. I also recall the regime’s attitude to Christian pastors and religious who spoke the truth in love, opposed the Nazis and paid for that opposition with their lives. As we reflect on the sobering lessons of the atheist extremism of the twentieth
Transcript of the pope’s disgusting speech
Sep 16th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia Benson“We can recall how Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society…”… Read the rest
“Temporary marriage” in Iran
Sep 16th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe man pays the woman to “marry” him for an hour or more; no adultery, no stoning, no problems.… Read the rest
Ratzinger compares atheists to Nazis
Sep 16th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia Benson“As we reflect on the sobering lessons of the atheist extremism of the 20th century, let us never forget” to libel atheists every chance we get.… Read the rest
Pope in UK, continues attack on secularism
Sep 16th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonUrges UK to “maintain its respect for those traditional values and cultural expressions that more aggressive forms of secularism no longer value or even tolerate.”… Read the rest
The community’s understanding of truth
Sep 15th, 2010 6:02 pm | By Ophelia BensonThere was also the Presbyterian minister who commented (and replied to comments, in an obliging and patient way) on Jerry’s post yesterday. He’s the liberal kind of minister, which is good in its way (less likely to persecute sinners and doubters, that kind of thing), but not convincing. What he said sounded merely evasive and empty to me (and to others). It sounded like what you would say if you were a liberal minister in an age of science; it sounded more like excuses than like theology.
… Read the restThere are lots of priests, pastors and theologians in the Catholic Church and in many other denominations who would describe the resurrection as mystery or metaphor. What is essential in
A look into the Psychology of Dictators
Sep 15th, 2010 | By Jahanshah RashidianThe behaviour of dictators like Ahmadinejad, Ghadafi, Idi Amin etc., is not solely a funny subject for people, a witty personage for media, and a caricature for satirists; such behaviour has the potential of catastrophes for a whole nation. They represent an Islamic, authoritarian or even totalitarian regime which is morally bankrupt and thus can commit any wrongdoing.
While many psychopaths are incarcerated in psychiatric hospitals and penal institutions, it has been recognised that a few of them were clever enough to enter the history of mankind, creating catastrophes. All these misfits need to rule is an insane ideology or belief system through which they surround themselves with mad people, devoted followers and blind killers who are equally clueless about … Read the rest
Oley oley olsen freeo
Sep 15th, 2010 3:52 pm | By Ophelia BensonI’m an expert on the hidden god, so I’m interested in what Rabbi Alan Lurie has to say about it.
This notion, that God’s presence is hidden, is a significant dilemma for many, and for some is clear proof that God does not exist…Many site the Holocaust, for example, as clear proof of God’s impotence or indifference.
No not proof; evidence; reasons. The notion that God’s presence is hidden is a reason to think god either doesn’t exist or is a nasty trickster.
… Read the restThe first step, then, is to let go of a literal vision of God, and to begin to know that the search for God is more akin to the search for love and connection than
Sweden: center-right government likely to win
Sep 15th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonSupport for the government sharply picked up along with the economy’s performance, sending Reinfeldt’s alliance past Mona Sahlin’s opposition bloc.… Read the rest
US to sell $60 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia
Sep 15th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonYes, Saudi Arabia.… Read the rest
Third Iranian diplomat resigns and seeks asylum
Sep 15th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonFarzad Farhangian joins Hossein Alizadeh and Mohammed Reza Heydari in Green Wave protest over 2009 election.… Read the rest
Which invisible beings does our Leader believe in?
Sep 15th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonObviously we cannot know what the supreme leader truly believes deep in his primary blood-pumping organ.… Read the rest
An open letter to Facebook founder on Namazie and Ahadi
Sep 14th, 2010 | By Maryam NamazieMr Mark Zuckerberg
Facebook Headquarters
156 University Avenue
Palo Alto
California 94301-1605
Dear Mr Zuckerberg,
I am writing to ask that you reinstate the Facebook accounts of Maryam Namazie and Mina Ahadi as a matter of urgency. Their accounts were disabled without warning on Monday 13 September 2010. As well as reinstating these accounts, we ask that an explanation is provided as to why they were disabled.
Maryam Namazie and Mina Ahadi are well known human rights campaigners who have worked globally to end the barbaric practice of stoning, as well as other human rights abuses. Both have been awarded Secularist of the Year by the National Secular Society (UK) and named in the top 45 ‘women of the year’ … Read the rest
Open letter to Facebook on Namazie and Ahadi
Sep 14th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonTheir campaign to save Ashtiani is vital, so their accounts must be restored as a matter of urgency. [Namazie’s now has been, but Ahadi’s has not.]… Read the rest
Those bloodthirsty New Atheists
Sep 14th, 2010 2:21 pm | By Ophelia BensonI saw this article by Chris Mooney yesterday but I couldn’t summon the will to comment on it. I waited for Jerry to do so instead. If I had commented I would have said something brisk about the silly word “spirituality,” but mostly I would have pointed out how heavily Mooney always leans on war-language when he talks about overt atheists, and how invidious that is. He leans especially heavily here.
… Read the restWe hear a lot these days about the “conflict” between science and religion — the atheists and the fundamentalists, it seems, are constantly blasting one another. But what’s rarely noted is that even as science-religion warriors clash by night, in the morning they’ll see the battlefield has shifted beneath
Ben Goldacre on the pope and Aids
Sep 14th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonSabotaging an effective intervention which prevents a disease that kills 2 million people a year makes you a serious global public health problem.… Read the rest
LRB on the Institute of Ideas gang
Sep 14th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonA Trotskyist splinter turned libertarian splinter.… Read the rest