In this article, a public high school teacher in Arkansas reports that teachers are not allowed to use the "e" word (meaning "evolution"). He also says: “I am instructed NOT to use hard numbers when telling kids how old rocks are. I am supposed to say that these rocks are VERY VERY OLD … but I am NOT to say … Read More
The War On Non-Belief
While fundamentalist Christians want the world to think that Christianity is a minority religion constantly under attack, nothing could be further from the truth. And all you have to do is realize the truth is answer this question: Could an atheist be elected to office? The truth is that religion – espcially Christianity – is alive and well and the … Read More
The Catholic Vote
Glenn Greenwald notes that part of Rove’s tactics for winning the 2004 election against Kerry was to take the Catholic vote. Rove did this in part by impugning Kerry’s catholicism, i.e., Kerry wasn’t a "good" Catholic. Part of the reprehensible tactics included parading Catholic Republicans in front of the microphones to suggest that Kerry shouldn’t receive communion because of his … Read More
Very Funny
The three college students arrested for several Alabama church burnings have explained their behavior as a "joke that got out of hand". This is one of those times when I am rendered speechless with incredulity. To my mind, a "joke that gets out of hand" is a joke or prank that starts off as harmless and funny, and then mushrooms … Read More
Missouri
There’s a bill going through the Missouri legislature that would name Christianity as the state’s official "majority" religion. Obviously, such a law would be struck down as unconstitutional in a heartbeat. It violates the U.S. Constitution as well as the Missouri Constitution. But it’s a little scary that this bill is even being considered.
God Sends A Message To Pat
The members of the National Religious Broadcasters have declined to re-elect Pat Robertson to their board of directors.
A La Carte Cable
Many social conservatives are pushing the idea of pay-per-channel cable services. In other words, instead of getting Time-Warner’s Basic Subscription Package, which includes a bunch of channels you will never ever watch, you just pick the channels you want and pay for them individually. Conservatives are behind per-channel cable because it means that your dear precious family won’t be exposed … Read More
Backward Evolution
This is freaky-deaky: An editor of a noted scientific journal says he has discovered a genetic defect that seems to set back the clock on human evolution by more than a million years. The researcher, Uner Tan of Cukurova University Medical School in Adana, Turkey, has posted an online video clip of an affected woman walking on all fours, her … Read More
Steves Still Winning
The Discovery Institute has updated its list of supposedly "eminent" scientists who have signed a statement disagreeing with "Darwinism". The list now has over 500 names. One of them is not Robert Davidson, who I wrote about back here: Davidson was a scientist and Christian who felt that he was bamboozled into signing the lilst, especially since he believes in … Read More
Roberts Court And Religious Freedom
SCOTUS addressed its first religious freedom case today under Roberts’ stewardship. The vote was unanimous (with Alito not participating since oral arguments took place before he was sworn in). It was actually a no-brainer in my view, and the Bush Administration rightfully lost. A small Brazilian-based religious sect in New Mexico uses hallucinogenic tea as part of a four-hour ritual … Read More
Church And Politics
Oy. They’re are it again. And right down the street from me: The North Carolina Republican Party asked its members this week to send their church directories to the party, drawing furious protests from local and national religious leaders. "Such a request is completely beyond the pale of what is acceptable," said the Rev. Richard Land, head of the Ethics … Read More
The War On St. Valentine’s Day
Shit, I missed it. No, not Valentine’s Day itself, but the War On St. Valentine’s Day. It seems that CYA (Catholic Youths Abstaining) wants to put the "Saint" back in St. Valentine’s Day, arguing that the holiday is being besmirched by oversexualization and commercialization. Pictured here, courtesy of The Stranger, is a massive CYA Seattle demonstration in which four CYA … Read More
“Intelligent” Design Loses Again
This time in Ohio: The Ohio Board of Education voted 11 to 4 Tuesday to toss out a mandate that 10th-grade biology classes include critical analysis of evolution and an accompanying model lesson plan, dealing the intelligent design movement its second serious defeat in two months. The board, which became the first in the nation to single out evolution for … Read More
Evangelical Infighting
Good: Despite opposition from some of their colleagues, 86 evangelical Christian leaders have decided to back a major initiative to fight global warming, saying "millions of people could die in this century because of climate change, most of them our poorest global neighbors." Read the full statement of by the leaders of the the Evangelical Climate Initiative. Here’s the summary: … Read More
New GOP Majority Leader No Fan Of Evolution
As reported here, John Boehner, the new Republican leader of the House, teamed up with another Ohio Republican (Steve Chabot) to push an attack on evolution. In a 2002 letter (PDF format), Boehner writes: "Public school students are entitled to learn that there are differing scientific views on issues such as biological evolution." Yet another Republican who doesn’t understand the … Read More