Action was brought against Bideford Town Council by the National Secular Society after atheist councillor Clive Bone complained.… Read the rest
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The sleep of reason
Feb 9th, 2012 4:29 pm | By Ophelia BensonOne of the things “faith” is good at doing – giving people a feeling of righteousness about doing something poisonous and horrible. Like the woman whose daughter
who suffers from bipolar disorder and limited cognitive abilities, went missing last Monday. For more than 48 hours, we had no idea where she was. Without all the gruesome details, after she was found, it came to light that she’d been brutally and repeatedly sexually assaulted.
A nurse gave the mother Plan B and told her she had 24 hours to use it.
But no. The woman decided not to give it to her daughter.
… Read the restIf the being that had done this to my daughter had been in front of me at that
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Worries that DSM-5 could define disorders into existence 
Feb 9th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A serial rapist could be classified as mentally ill, given a diagnosis of paraphilic coercive disorder.… Read the rest
Lawrence Krauss on the tension between science and religion
Feb 9th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A willingness to question even one’s most fervently held beliefs – the hallmark of science – is a trait that should be respected, not reviled.… Read the rest
Your personal freedom? You must be joking
Feb 9th, 2012 10:55 am | By Ophelia BensonA candidate for Egypt’s presidency by the name of Hazim Abu Ismail, “with affiliations to both the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis,” says how things are.
… Read the restHost: You have already begun to try to impose a particular dress code for us.
Abu Ismail: I’ve begun to? It’s the Lord of the Worlds [Allah] who said so. I have nothing to do with it!
Host: Allah left it for me to decide as a personal freedom.
Abu Ismail: Who said that? Where’d you get that from. See, that’s the whole point: If you claim that Allah considers it your personal freedom, show me your reference? Nobody has ever said that – except for people have no
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Egypt: presidential candidate says no freedom in Islam
Feb 9th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“If you claim that Allah considers it your personal freedom, show me your reference? Nobody has ever said that – except for people [who] have no understanding of Sharia.”… Read the rest
This god certainly hates women
Feb 9th, 2012 10:12 am | By Ophelia BensonAnother one gets away. Deborah Feldman was raised in the reactionary Hasidic Satmar community based in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. She escaped.
In her memoir, “Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots,” out Feb. 14, she chronicles her oppressive upbringing and arranged marriage.
At 23, emboldened by classes at Sarah Lawrence College, she left her husband and the community for good — taking her 3-year-old son with her.
So often the way – college classes inspire and/or embolden people to escape. Fundamentalists are right, in their terms, not to want their children to get tertiary education.
She was married at 17, to a man she had met once. Their sex life was creepy beyond belief.
… Read the restAfter the
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Jesus and Mo protest the free expression rally
Feb 9th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
We just don’t think people should be allowed to laugh at our freely expressed message.… Read the rest
Woman escapes Hasidic community
Feb 9th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
In her memoir, “Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots,” Deborah Feldman chronicles her oppressive upbringing and arranged marriage.… Read the rest
Disagreement is life
Feb 8th, 2012 5:33 pm | By Ophelia BensonLibby Anne did a great post on disagreement the other day – on the value of it, and especially the value of being allowed it. She hasn’t always had that, you see.
… Read the restGrowing up on the line between fundamentalism and evangelicalism, in a family influenced by the Christian Patriarchy and Quiverfull movements, disagreement was not allowed. Or to be more specific, disagreement simply did not happen. I have to be completely honest, the first time I learned that mainstream couples are okay with not agreeing with each other on everything regarding religion or politics I was shocked. Coming from my background, that made no sense.
As a child and teen, I never disagreed with my parents, or with my
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Catholic cardinal withdraws sex abuse apology
Feb 8th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
In an interview, Cardinal Edward Egan withdrew his 2002 apology for the Church’s handling of the sex-abuse scandal, which was once read in all New York parishes.… Read the rest
Obama goes belly-up to angry bishops
Feb 8th, 2012 10:20 am | By Ophelia BensonThe New York Times puts it a little differently. More politely. Too politely.
Facing vocal opposition from religious leaders and an escalating political fight, the White House sought on Tuesday to ease mounting objections to a new administration rule that would require health insurance plans — including those offered by Catholic universities and charities — to offer birth control to women free of charge.
That’s much too polite. What “religious leaders”? What are “religious leaders” anyway? And since when do they get to dictate to the elected government? Since when do unelected self-appointed so-called “religious leaders” get to tell secular representatives what to do? Since when did we give “religious leaders” a veto?
The White House, meaning the Obama … Read the rest
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Why the Supremes are unlikely to overturn the Prop 8 ruling
Feb 8th, 2012 9:39 am | By Ophelia BensonGuest post by Rieux.
There is a very real chance that this decision has cemented marriage equality in California permanently. Yes, it’s possible that five flaming assholes on the Supreme Court will jump in and take it all away—but to my eyes that outcome doesn’t look nearly as likely as previous commenters think it is.
To explain, in inordinately long-winded fashion:
Court decisions striking down homophobic marriage laws always make for terrific reading. Goodridge in Massachusetts, Varnum in Iowa, the Marriage Cases in California state court, and the federal district-court decision in this case, Perry, are all inspiring examples of jurisprudence—I find it hard to avoid tearing up while reading them. This is what law, legal rhetoric, and legal … Read the rest
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Obama admin trembles at rage of Catholic bishops
Feb 8th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Tries to placate them despite their lack of popular support. Tiny number of Catholic bishops have veto power over US legislation.… Read the rest
Maryam declines the request to self-censor
Feb 8th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It’s Islamism that’s demonizing Islam more than anything else.… Read the rest
Bunglawala demands friendlier reporting on Islam
Feb 8th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Appearing before the Leveson Inquiry on January 24, he said the amount of negative stories about Muslims in Britain is “demonizing” Islam and fuelling a “false narrative.”… Read the rest
Oh no, the bishops are livid, we must give in!
Feb 7th, 2012 2:28 pm | By Ophelia BensonWhat was that about US Catholic bishops insisting on imposing Catholic dogma on the entire US population by telling presidents and legislators to obey their rules? Well it worked.
… Read the restWhite House advisors, including one of President Obama’s top faith consultants, are signaling a potential compromise on a controversial new mandate that requires some religious institutions to cover contraception costs for employees.
David Axelrod, a senior campaign adviser for the Obama reelection campaign, said Tuesday that Obama may be open to a compromise that would expand a religious exemption in the new Health & Human Services mandate to satisfy religious groups.
“We certainly don’t want to abridge anyone’s religious freedoms,” Axelrod said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “So we’re going to
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
That would come in handy
Feb 7th, 2012 2:05 pm | By Ophelia BensonJen offers “The Justifications for Saying ‘Cunt’” bingo card. Hilarious but pathetically true.
I got nothin to add. Just go play Cunto.… Read the rest
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
Falangists in Fleet Street
Feb 7th, 2012 11:11 am | By Ophelia BensonIt’s interesting how cheerfully unabashed the Telegraph is in its belief that Catholic bishops should tell US presidents and legislators what laws to make. It’s interesting that they take theocracy – and reactionary all-but-falangist Catholic theocracy at that – for granted. It’s interesting and somewhat surprising. Would they really like reactionary Catholic bishops making laws in the UK?
… Read the restRoman Catholic leaders have furiously criticised President Barack Obama for approving new regulations that compel religious organisations to include morning-after pills and other contraceptives in employee health insurance coverage.
New rules, introduced under Mr Obama’s overhaul of the US healthcare system, mean that religious charities, universities and other groups must now provide contraception in staff insurance packages.
…
At least 153
(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)
US Catholic bishops attempt to control legislation
Feb 7th, 2012 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
They want to impose their religion on the entire population, and call the refusal to do so a violation of their religious liberty.… Read the rest
