She went to Qom and felt “a shot of spiritual morphine,” so now she doesn’t eat pork.… Read the rest
All entries by this author
Dawkins’s foundation sues Timonen for embezzlement
Oct 24th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonRDF filed suit in California calleging that Timonen, who ran its online operation in America, stole $375,000 (£239,000) over three years.… Read the rest
Sorry, I have to return a library book that day
Oct 24th, 2010 1:05 pm | By Ophelia BensonWell…going down the list of speakers at the Global Peace and Unity Event, I find myself not at all eager to attend. I find myself thinking that it looks like an absolute nightmare.
More so than I would about a comparable Event packed with Catholic priests and bishops and scholars?
Yes, to be honest. More so.
Why?
Because most of them seem to represent a very very conservative form of Islam, or just plain Islamism, and I don’t want to live under Islam or Islamism, and I find it nightmarish that their kind of Islam and Islamism is so popular in the UK that it can draw 50 thousand people to an event of this kind. I hate and … Read the rest
Speakers at the Global Peace and Unity shindig
Oct 24th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonHome page says “it’s recognised as the biggest multi-faith gathering of its kind anywhere across Europe.” Multi-faith?… Read the rest
Tories shun the “Global Peace and Unity Event”
Oct 24th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIt’s billed as “multicultural” but it features a lot of homophobic misogynist fans of al Qaeda.… Read the rest
Gay woman forced to marry to “protect honour”
Oct 24th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThe Forced Marriage Unit has received hundreds of calls from young gay men and women who fear being forced into marriage by their family.… Read the rest
Pakistan: Islamists resist sexual harassment law
Oct 24th, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIf a woman doesn’t obseverve “modesty in accordance with the teachings of the holy Quran and Shariah” she deserves to be harassed.… Read the rest
Quiz time
Oct 23rd, 2010 5:41 pm | By Ophelia BensonI wasn’t specifically invited to take this quiz, but I’ll take it anyway. Well not really take it – more like look at it. The point is to find out what gnu atheists think, and I think a lot of things, so maybe I think some things related to the quiz.
… Read the rest1) Why is there anything?
2) What caused the Universe?
3) Why is there regularity (Law) in nature?
4) Of the Four Causes in nature proposed by Aristotle (material, formal, efficient, and final), which of them are real? Do final causes exist?
5) Why do we have subjective experience, and not merely objective existence?
6) Why is the human mind intentional, in the technical philosophical sense of
Clarence Thomas, how about an apology?
Oct 23rd, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonAnother witness steps forward. “He has manufactured a different reality over time. That’s the problem that he has.”… Read the rest
“Hang them”: Uganda tabloid names gays
Oct 23rd, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonA list of Uganda’s 100 “top” homosexuals, with a yellow banner athat read: “Hang Them.” Alongside their photos were the men’s names and addresses.… Read the rest
Publicly funded Waldorf education
Oct 23rd, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonAs Eugenie Scott of the National Center for Science Education observed: If schools follow Steiner’s views on science, education will suffer.… Read the rest
Larry Moran takes a creationist quiz for atheists
Oct 23rd, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonWhat do gnu atheists actually believe? That the answer to 1-8 is not “God.”… Read the rest
Rust Belt Philosophy also bemused by Haught
Oct 23rd, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThat’s really Haught’s argument? Yes, that’s really his argument.… Read the rest
The pope’s visit was such a joy
Oct 23rd, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonEverybody found out he’s not an authoritarian but “a little shy”…isn’t that just sweet?… Read the rest
Anti-gay zeal in Uganda linked to US evangelicals
Oct 22nd, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonA tabloid published the names and photographs of “Uganda’s 100 top” gays and lesbians alongside a yellow banner that read “Hang Them.”… Read the rest
Why?
Oct 22nd, 2010 10:44 am | By Ophelia BensonI was listening to the introduction to that panel where Dan Dennett set John Haught straight about “scientism”, and David Kelly, president of the CUNY graduate center, said that Haught had been given a “Friend of Darwin” award by the NCSE. He broke off to remark on what a nice award that would be, and everyone smirked or smiled politely, as appropriate. “What?!?” I squawked. I googled. I found it to be so.
NCSE’s Friend of Darwin award is conferred annually to people (and occasionally organizations) whose efforts to support NCSE and advance its goals have been truly outstanding.
Scroll down, and it is even as Kelly said. It’s alphabetical – he’s below Forrest and above Kitcher and … Read the rest
Steiner Waldorf uses bait and switch to get state funding
Oct 22nd, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonIt has been accepted that because the pedagogy is ‘spiritual’ it must be good.… Read the rest
Godless bus ads make atheism more familiar
Oct 22nd, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonThis increases public tolerance of dissenting views and gives more people permission to be open about their unbelief.… Read the rest
Vatican: Homer and Bart Simpson are Catholics
Oct 22nd, 2010 | Filed by Ophelia BensonExecutive producer says they are Presbylutherans.… Read the rest
Hello Freethought Kampala!
Oct 21st, 2010 6:22 pm | By Ophelia BensonThis is exciting – an atheist blog in Uganda. H/t to PZ for the link. Excellent. I want more allies in Africa.
James Onen has an excellent post on “scientism” including a video with Dan Dennett and I believe the man said Dr Haught – I’m pretty sure the man to the right of Dennett talking bollocks about literalism and “scientism” is our Friend of the Week John “carried away” Haught. He doesn’t look very contented while Dennett replies.… Read the rest