Funny, but NSFW:
The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow
A nice blog report about the services at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. As you may know, the gunman interrupted a church performance of "Annie" which (obviously) never reached the final curtain. Today, the kids sang "Tomorrow". That’s very Unitarian.
Shootings at Unitarian Church In Tennessee
You know, it’s both laughable and disturbing that pundits like Michelle Malkin can make their daily bread by referring to liberals as the "unhinged left", accompanyed by such adjectives as "deranged" and so on. When was the last time a disgruntled liberal started shooting people he disagreed with politically or socially? Ever??? It just seems to me that even at … Read More
A Place In Heaven, Guaranteed, Or Your Money Back
Dammit. WHY didn’t I think of this? A good business idea. These guys have been making a lot of money since their website has been featured in the news (Washington Post, etc) What is it? Reserve A Spot In Heaven What do you get? This basic travel package includes everything needed to transport one individual to Heaven. No more worrying … Read More
The PZ Myers Brouhaha
UPDATE: A helpful perspective from Heather in the comments…. be sure to check it out I occasionally read PZ Myer’s blog: Pharyngula. PZ, a biologist and assistant professor at University of Minnesota, is a very good writer (excuse me, very well writer) known mostly for his eloquent posts debuking creationism and intelligent design theories. While not usually incidiary, PZ — … Read More
Modern Day Salem
Via Volokh, an interesting case (pdf) from Texas involving the exorcism of demons from a teenage girl: On Friday evening, before her parents left town, Laura [Schubert, a 17-year-old congregant,] attended a youth group activity at Pleasant Glade in preparation for a garage sale the next day. The atmosphere during this event became spiritually charged after one of the youth … Read More
Where America Is Religiously
Yesterday, the Pew Forum On Religion & Public Life release the second part of a massive survey of American’s attitudes about religion. This was an in-depth survey of 35,000 Americans. The full report (PDF) is here, but there are some interesting (and what I think are encouraging) findings. The topline summary, I suppose, is that Americans are not dogmatic about … Read More
Dobson: Obama is “dragging biblical understanding through the gutter”
I’m going to assume this is a craven attempt for publicity, because on logical and argumentative grounds, Dobson isn’t saying much. From the AP: As Barack Obama broadens his outreach to evangelical voters, one of the movement’s biggest names, James Dobson, accuses the likely Democratic presidential nominee of distorting the Bible and pushing a "fruitcake interpretation" of the Constitution. The … Read More
The Religious Vote In 2008
Barna, the pre-eminent pollers of religion-related issues, says the landscape is changing: The Christian community in the U.S. has largely shifted its loyalty to the Democratic nominee in this year’s race. In the 2004 election, 81% of evangelicals voted for the Republican incumbent George W. Bush. Currently, 78% of the likely voters who are evangelical expect to vote for Sen. … Read More
More Name Games From The ID Crowd
"Creationism" didn’t work. "Creation science" didn’t work. "Intelligent design" didn’t work. So how do the creationists intend to get biblical teachings into our public schools now? Another name for the same thing: The words are “strengths and weaknesses.” Starting this summer, the state education board will determine the curriculum for the next decade and decide whether the “strengths and weaknesses” … Read More
The Coulter Foreign Policy
Great: McClatchy says the U.S. military is investigating reports that Marines have been handing out religious material at checkpoints in Fallujah, Iraq. "Multi-National Force-Iraq is investigating a report that U.S. military personnel in Fallujah handed-out material that is religious and evangelical in nature," spokesman Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll says in a statement to the news organization. "Local commanders are investigating … Read More
Interesting But Ineffective Solution To The Gas Problem
Okay, then: Rocky Twyman has a radical solution for surging gasoline prices: prayer. Twyman – a community organizer, church choir director and public relations consultant from the Washington, D.C., suburbs – staged a pray-in at a San Francisco Chevron station on Friday, asking God for cheaper gas. He did the same thing in the nation’s Capitol on Wednesday, with volunteers … Read More
The New And Improved Seven Deadly Sins
I guess because the old ones were sooooo passe, the Vatican released a list of new seven deadly sins. I’ll cut to the chase, and give them to you (they’re not in any order). But first, let’s review the old seven deadly sins. Lust Gluttony Greed Sloth Wrath Envy Pride And now the new ones: Polluting Genetic engineering Being obscenely … Read More
Confessions Of Ex-Religious Righters
Interesting article here about Frank Schaeffer, John Whitehead and Cal Thomas — three men who were once part of the Religious Right/Moral Majority movement, and who have now repudiated it. An excerpt: Frank Schaeffer spent several years making a good living writing books promoting the Religious Right’s worldview and speaking before rapturous crowds of fundamentalist Christians. Schaeffer, the son of … Read More
God, Ignorance, And The State Of The Nation
I have no problem with religion and faith per se, but I do honestly believe that in the extreme it fosters ignorance, and on a grand scale, the result is detrimental to our country. Exhibit A RELATED: Shorter Marie Jon Apostrophe: Barack Obama’s is a Christian who attends an all-black church devoted to, among other things, adoration, salvation, and biblical … Read More