Just the people we want informing Congress about contraception:
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Just the people we want informing Congress about contraception:
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Why is the British Government courting the Holy See in this way? Why should the last absolute theocracy in Europe be invited to participate in the affairs of the British Government?… Read the rest
“It is not secular organisations which lobby to maintain privilege and have exemption from laws – like equality laws – that should affect everyone equally.”… Read the rest
No, says a Guardian panel. What infuriates Pragna Patel is that the issue of gender equality should already be at the heart of policymaking in government.… Read the rest
Timothy Dolan told a meeting of the pope and his fellow cardinals that they must spread the
faith with joy, love — and blood if necessary.… Read the rest
The atmosphere in the auditorium was raucous at times. People pressing for the legal fight to continue wore signs around their necks that said “Appeal.”
In the US Congress today a hearing on birth control and religion, chaired by a Republican, included on the panel a Catholic bishop, a rabbi, a minister, and two male academics, but no women.
No women.
No women on a Congressional panel discussing birth control.
No women.
No women on a panel discussing birth control. For the government.
Three clerics, and no women.
They have more in common with the Taliban than they have with me.… Read the rest
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
There were almost 300 people on the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.
In [a] statement to the BBC, the family of Abdulmutallab said they were “grateful to God that the unfortunate incident of that date did not result in any injury or death”.
Grateful to “God”? But without “God,” the incident wouldn’t have happened in the first place. Abdulmutallab thought he was doing a good deed for “God.” It’s ridiculous to thank “God” for Abdulmutallab’s failure to make the bomb go off.
… Read the restA video from the FBI showing the power of the explosive material found in Abdulmutallab’s underwear was also shown at the hearing. As the video played Abdulmutallab twice said loudly “Allahu akbar” – Arabic for “God is great”.
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
More religious bullying. (Of a much worse variety. Of a nightmarish variety. That’s how it is – we lurch from the bad to the horrendous, day by day and hour by hour. But the horrendous doesn’t make the bad something we should shrug off. We have to pay attention to all of it.)
Shakila, age 8, was grabbed by a bunch of men with AK-47s, and held for a year.
… Read the rest…the taking of girls as payment for misdeeds committed by their elders still appears to be flourishing. Shakila, because one of her uncles had run away with the wife of a district strongman, was taken and held for about a year. It was the district leader, furious at the
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Shakila, 8, was grabbed and held for a year because her uncle ran off with a married woman. This is a traditional Afghan form of justice. Well not so much justice…… Read the rest
A twist on a classic psychology experiment suggests that our minds have two parallel moral systems, and they don’t always agree.… Read the rest
Result is uproar about failure to “respect” religious beliefs.… Read the rest
To seal the deal, the prospective member must formally agree to submit to the “authority” of the Mars Hill leadership.… Read the rest
At the Rally for Free Expression.
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
In 1936 no newspaper would publish news of Wallis Simpson; now no newspaper will publish the Danish cartoons. This is not progress.… Read the rest
Another story of children whose parents think they are witches, sent to me by Leo Igwe.
… Read the restSeoul (CNN) — A pastor and his wife are in custody accused of killing three of their children by starving them to ward off evil spirits, police in South Korea said Wednesday.
The couple told police the children — aged nine, seven and three — had been ill, which they believed was a sign they were invaded by evil spirits after eating too much on Lunar New Year.
They then cut the children’s hair to chase the spirits out and starved them from January 24 until February 2, only allowing them to drink water. Local media reports said the parents had beaten the
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Whatever else we do, whatever metaphysical view gets us there, the first order of business has to be shackling women. We always have to make sure women don’t have too many rights. We have to make very damn sure they’re not as free to decide how to live their own lives as men are.
We have to carve away their genitals so that they won’t have sexual feelings.
… Read the restIn the rural areas of Egypt, in Upper Egypt, however there is scant respect for the law. You hear the words “tradition”, “custom”, “honour” uttered like a mantra when people justify their decision to circumcise their daughters.
The belief there is that it is the female who is sexually rampant and
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
“Of course we fear this new parliament won’t tackle issues like FGM because already there are extremists who want FGM unlike the previous regime.”… Read the rest