Every woman not wearing hijab would get acid in the face.… Read the rest
All entries by this author
The Catholic constitution
Jul 30th, 2008 12:04 pm | By Ophelia Benson‘The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy’ attempts to throw its weight around.
The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy (a national association of 600 priests & deacons) respond to the sacrilegious and blasphemous desecration of the Holy Eucharist by asking for public reparation…We find the actions of University of Minnesota (Morris) Professor Paul Myers reprehensible, inexcusable, and unconstitutional. His flagrant display of irreverence by profaning a consecrated Host from a Catholic church goes beyond the limit of academic freedom and free speech.
Unconstitutional? How’s that?
The same Bill of Rights which protect freedom of speech also protect freedom of religion. The Founding Fathers did not envision a freedom FROM religion, rather a freedom OF religion.
Clever; we’ve never heard that before. But … Read the rest
Nesrine Malik on Why Muslim Women Stay
Jul 30th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe pull of the eternal deep-rooted institution is omnipresent – be it religion, nationality, race or class. … Read the rest
AC Grayling on the Ambitions of Religion
Jul 30th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonBelievers are tireless and persistent in their efforts to recapture the world for dogma.… Read the rest
Terry Sanderson: Faith is not the Answer
Jul 30th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThere are ways to be philanthropic that don’t involve taking orders from priests… Read the rest
Clergy Group Fails Free Speech 101
Jul 30th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘Attacking the most sacred elements of a religion is not free speech anymore than would be perjury in a court.’… Read the rest
The Dumbing Down of Science
Jul 30th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe Franklin Institute seems as scared of learning as it does of science.… Read the rest
Calls to Kill in the name of God or Religion
Jul 30th, 2008 | By IHEU and AWEJoint written statement submitted at the Sixty-second session of the UN Commission on Human Rights by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), and the Association for World Education, and the Association of World Citizens, February 28, 2006.
1. The legitimacy of the use of violence and acts of terrorism in the name of Islam is
the subject of continuing debate within the Islamic world. The debate, which is clearly
divisive, turns on interpretations of the concept of Jihad when carried out as “Holy War.”
2. It is significant that persons close to those who carried out the London bombings on
7 July 2005 and the earlier attacks in Madrid, as well as other terror attacks, claimed that
they did … Read the rest
No dogs or atheists allowed
Jul 29th, 2008 3:34 pm | By Ophelia BensonMoving on, from the sadistic to the ridiculous – Birmingham Council won’t let its staff read atheist websites. (So can Birmingham Council staffers read B&W? I wonder. I know B&W is banned in Iran [yes, I am proud of that, and so would you be, so quit staring] so perhaps its Bluecoat Software can detect heterodoxy just as well as Iran can. I’d love to know.)
… Read the restThe rules also ban sites that promote witchcraft, the paranormal, sexual deviancy and criminal activity…The authority’s Bluecoat Software computer system allows staff to look at websites relating to Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and other religions but blocks sites to do with “witchcraft or Satanism” and “occult practices, atheistic views, voodoo rituals or any other
Take a cold shower
Jul 29th, 2008 3:14 pm | By Ophelia BensonNext up we have an Archbishop in the Philippines saying why contraception is such a bad terrible wicked thing.
Archbishop Lagdameo argued the bill would not solve the problems of population growth but would only undermine the dignity of marriage and endanger women. He said that artificial contraceptives cause physical and psychological harm to women.
Whereas having children that they don’t want to have causes no physical and psychological harm to women at all, good heavens no. Women are invariably better off if they are forced to produce as many children as they can churn out, no matter how poor they are, no matter how much they might prefer to have one child or two children that they could … Read the rest
Constitutional pharmacology
Jul 29th, 2008 2:52 pm | By Ophelia BensonMore bullshit from the Catholic News Agency.
Colorado for Equal Rights, an organization backing a measure on the Colorado ballot that would define a person in the state’s Constitution as “any human being from the moment of fertilization,” has released a list of over 70 physicians and pharmacists from around the United States who agree that a person includes any human from the moment of conception.
‘Any human being from the moment of fertilization’…That’s an interesting idea: a microscopic fertilized egg is a human being and a person, even though of course…it isn’t. Let’s define everything that way. A daffodil bulb is a daffodil. A swallow’s egg is a swallow. A caterpillar is a butterfly. A truckload of boards … Read the rest
187 Executions in Iran So Far This Year
Jul 29th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonAmnesty International is appalled by the mass execution of 29 men in Evin Prison on 27 July.… Read the rest
A.I. on China and Universal Ethical Principles
Jul 29th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe Chinese authorities have broken their promise to improve the country’s human rights situation.… Read the rest
Clerics in Philippines Fight Contraception
Jul 29th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonArchbishop said bill would undermine the dignity of marriage and that contraceptives harm women.… Read the rest
Pharmacists ‘Attest’ When Personhood Begins
Jul 29th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonCatholic News Agency seems to think life and personhood are the same thing.… Read the rest
Birmingham Council Bans Atheist Websites
Jul 29th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonSystem blocks sites to do with witchcraft, Satanism, occult practices, atheistic views, voodoo rituals.… Read the rest
What’s the difference?
Jul 28th, 2008 12:15 pm | By Ophelia BensonThe Cairo Declaration differs sharply from the Universal Declaration overall in its emphatic rejection of universalism, in rejecting the UD’s ‘without exception’ in favour of firm, decided exceptions. In the detail, the CD differs from the UD in its avoidance of clarity, precision and openness and hence accountability and reliability. The Cairo Declaration injects exceptions into its concept of human rights, without spelling out exactly what they entail; this introduces a whole new element of doubt, uncertainty and fear into what is supposed to be a human rights document. Worse, it presents itself as a human rights document (of sorts) when in fact it puts anyone who subscribes to it in the position of (perhaps unknowingly) endorsing laws, restrictions … Read the rest
MP Views Homosexuality as an Abomination
Jul 28th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIris Robinson said as a Christian she viewed homosexuality as an abomination.… Read the rest
‘Divisive’ Study on Muslim Attitudes Dismissed
Jul 28th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia BensonFindings have outraged Muslim students’ leaders; they have dismissed the research as flawed. … Read the rest
NUS President Criticizes YouGov Poll
Jul 28th, 2008 | Filed by Ophelia Benson‘Just another report by a biased, right-wing think-tank…wilful misrepresentation of the views of Muslim students.’… Read the rest