Archive for the tag Religion
Minaret Verboten?
First we must chase the elephant out of the room by stating that, contrary to what many European leaders claim, the Swiss minaret ban does not curtail the freedom of religion. Swiss Muslims are still allowed to worship, at home or in mosques.
Surprisingly, the French foreign minister Kouchner expressed his shock, saying “[i]t is an expression of intolerance and I detest intolerance”. A few years ago, France banned the headscarf in public schools, which apparently is not an expression of intolerance. To the benefit of the French, though, they banned all forms of overtly visible religious dress and symbols, while the Swiss target Islam specifically with their ban on minarets. Continue reading, Inshallah!
Childhood Origins of Resistance to Evolution
This is an old, unpolished file I dragged up from my folder filled with notes and clutter. Come back daily till the 12th of February for the Darwin Day advent posts and links!
In a 2002-2003 study about a third of American adults indicated that evolution is “absolutely false” (Miller et al. 2006). Disturbing as these results might be, the origin of this misconception concerning life’s humble origins lies not solely with, as one might expect, religious fundamentalism or plain ignorance. Don’t resist! Read more»
Haggard’s Law
It seems to happen so often: a public figure bashes everything he or she considers to be wrong or sinful, to later be caught involved in what he or she so denounces. Mark Foley tried to lure young guys in his bed. Larry Craig was found tap-dancing for some action in an airport bathroom stall. Glenn Murphy Jr. deliberately got guys drunk so he could give an oral examination. And the list goes on!
Well, I non-statistically analysed all these observations and discovered Haggard’s Law! Continue reading this post»
Pasta Desecration Spurs Outrage
MORRIS, MN — A University of Central Florida alumni has upset religious groups holding Pastafarian services on public campuses, by opening an Italian restaurant serving mainly spaghetti, a nutritious meal so sacred to Pastafarians they call it the Holiness of His Noodly Appendage. According to Adam Susan of the Flying Spaghetti Monsterism Defamation League the actions of the UCF alumni should be seen as a hate crime. “To open a restaurant selling the Holy Body of our Creator to infidels equals kidnapping and extortion,” he replied by e-mail. “It shows a lack of respect for our Holiest of all religions.”
Spurring even more outrage, Paul Zachary Myers, a professor at the University of Minnesota Morris, has released pictures of him, an atheist, trashing a bowl of the Flying Spaghetti Monster’s Noodly Appendages. Myers announced his intention earlier on his blog, sparking a flood of e-mails, including death threats, from both outraged and concerned Pastafarians. Myers does not see the blasphemy in his actions. He claims “it’s just a macaroni damned serving of noodles!”
Wall
I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute, where no Catholic prelate would tell the president (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote; where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference; and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the president who might appoint him or the people who might elect him.
I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish; where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source; where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials; and where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act against all.
~ John F. Kennedy, September 12, 1960
Compare this with the resent speeches of the presidential hopefuls, from Obama’s renouncement of his secular humanism, to Romney’s theocratic travesty in which he even dared to refer to Kennedy’s church-state separation speech.
Future Events Calendar: The Rapture
Does this mean that the Rapture is upon us? Great! Please do take the practicing Muslims, Jews, Scientologists, and all other die hard believers with you, God, so us secularists can have our planet back.
Worship
Demanding worship and veneration is always the mark of a tyrant
“Thediots” Say the Darnest Things
Let me take some time off from my super secret project — something involving sharks and lasers and world domination — to present you a segment called “Thediots Say the Darnest Things” (inspired by Fundies Say the Darnest Things). And the nominees are…»
Eleven-year-old Brides
You always here the stories of young girls betrothed to men four, even five times their age, but this photo slideshow on the NY Times website adds faces to these stories. In Afghanistan, young girls, still children, are given to old men to settle gambling debts or any other financial issues.
No cultural relativistic argument can ethically defend these cultural crimes.