Sprague, Heretical Bishop
Sunday November 30, 2003
Presiding bishop of the United Methodist Church in northern Illinois, Joe Sprague is a very controversial figure. He is a widely read author, but he is also the bane of ... Read More
America is Not a Christian Nation
Sunday November 30, 2003
One often hears from the Religious Right that America is a "Christian Nation," with the implication being that Christianity should therefore receive a special, privileged position both in society and ... Read More
This Date in History: Bloody Mary
Sunday November 30, 2003
November 30, 1554: For a short time during the reign of Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, Roman Catholicism was restored to England. Known as "Bloody ... Read More
Religious Turf Wars in Australia
Sunday November 30, 2003
Conflict over religion seems to be heating up in Australia. Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen has been making waves all around - both within the Anglican Communion and with the Uniting ... Read More
Abuse of Marriage?
Sunday November 30, 2003
I've posted here recently about some of the nonsense written by Theist at "The Secularist Critique" about materialism, homosexuality, and sexuality. One thing I have to acknowledge, however is that ... Read More
Must Habitat for Humanity Remain Christian?
Sunday November 30, 2003
Millard Fuller originally founded Habitat for Humanity not simply to help provide people with housing; instead, it was also created with an eye towards evangelizing to people and getting them ... Read More
The Un-Pilgrims
Saturday November 29, 2003
During the Thanksgiving holidays, most people focus on the experiences and the legacy of the Pilgrims - they are, after all, a primary source for Thanksgiving traditions and mythology. At ... Read More
Pagans Don't Have Loving Hearts
Saturday November 29, 2003
Can Pagans be generous, charitable, loving people? Most Pagans would say so, and most Americans would probably assume that this is true - but quite a few Christians would probably ... Read More
Canadian Baptist MP: Homosexuality Should Be Criminalized
Saturday November 29, 2003
Should homosexuality be legal? Most people today probably accept that it should be and that this is simply not the sort of thing that the government should be involved in ... Read More
Child Witches Suffer in Congo
Saturday November 29, 2003
Where belief in witchcraft is common, it always seems to be the weakest in society who suffer first and who suffer most - and that means women and children who ... Read More
Fish Wars in Egypt
Saturday November 29, 2003
Many Americans may be aware of the "fish wars" the occur on the backs of American cars: Jesus fish emblems, Darwin fish emblems, Darwin fish with tools, fish eating fish, ... Read More
Wall of Separation Protects Everyone
Saturday November 29, 2003
Many conservative evangelicals act as though the separation of church and state is ultimately a loss for Christianity because it is no longer endorsed or enforced by the state. This, ... Read More
Mormons Buy Russian Souls
Saturday November 29, 2003
Is your soul for sale? It could be, if you were Russian. Apparently the Mormon church is paying Russian archives for scanning their records to microfilm. It's an expensive process ... Read More
This Date in History: C. S. Lewis
Saturday November 29, 2003
November 29, 1898: C. S. Lewis, noted author and Christian apologist, was born.
God in the Public Square
Saturday November 29, 2003
Are conservative Christians being discriminated against by the government? To hear them talk, you might imagine that there is an program of active persecution of Christian beliefs in America today ... Read More
Christian Terrorist On Trial for Anthrax Hoaxes
Saturday November 29, 2003
While the administration debates treating Muslim terrorists as "enemy combatants" and denying the basic rights afforded to those normally accused of crimes, the trial of a Christian terrorist continues in ... Read More
Joe Sabia: More Church, Less State, Part 4
Saturday November 29, 2003
The targeting of Christianity is ... at the heart of the recent push for gay marriage. The atheist left has spent decades undermining the institution of marriage. They supported no-fault ... Read More
South African Anglicans Attack Homosexuality
Saturday November 29, 2003
The latest Anglican group to have something negative to say about homosexuality comes from South Africa. According to Frank Retief, presiding bishop of The Church of England in South Africa ... Read More
Identifying Christian Moderates
Friday November 28, 2003
Daniel Pipes has written a column recently which is supposed to provide a basis for distinguishing Muslim moderates from Muslim extremists. But shouldn't we have something similar for helping us ... Read More
Iran's "Hanging Judge" Dies
Friday November 28, 2003
Around the time of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sadeq Khalkhali was a widely known judge - not for his fairness or for his legal philosophy, but because of the ... Read More
Christians Cause Chaos at Psychic Show
Friday November 28, 2003
For whatever reason, some Christians really seem to go nuts when it comes to psychics, astrologers, and other sundry "occult" practitioners. In the Baxter Theater in Cape Town, South Africa, ... Read More
Religionless in America
Friday November 28, 2003
If the people in America who professed no religious adherence were organized as a single group, they would number more than every religious group and denomination in the United States ... Read More
Unnatural Carnal Behavior in Ghana
Friday November 28, 2003
New to the list of Anglican Churches to attack the decision of the Episcopal Church in America to ordain an openly gay man as bishop in the Anglican Church in ... Read More
Zurich Right Raises Spectre of "Koran Schools"
Friday November 28, 2003
The Zurich canton in Switzerland currently recognizes just three religious groups: the Protestant, Roman Catholic and the Old Catholic Churches. Recognition bring public money to assist in projects that benefit ... Read More
Evangelists Stung By Fraud
Friday November 28, 2003
Christian evangelists in America who make a living by getting thousands and millions of people to hand over their money for dubious purposes can, it seems, fall victim to fraud ... Read More
This Date in History: Charitable Contributions
Friday November 28, 2003
November 28, 1988: Argued: Hernandez v. Commissioner Internal Revenue Service If a person pays a religious or other non-profit group for services rendered, do those payments count as a charitable ... Read More
Islamic Weddings Leave Women With Few Rights
Friday November 28, 2003
A number of Muslim couples in Britain get married in mosques without ever registering those marriages with government authorities. Now, that isn't illegal and people are free to do this ... Read More
Muslims and Christians: Worship the Same God?
Friday November 28, 2003
Quite a lot of George W. Bush's support when he was campaigning for president came from conservative evangelical Christians - they regarded him as "one of them," someone who shared ... Read More
Joe Sabia: More Church, Less State, Part 3
Friday November 28, 2003
Simply because the Boy Scouts had the temerity to stand up for Judeo-Christian principles in their membership criteria, they are now the targets of vile anti-religious assaults by radical homosexual ... Read More
Russian Church Seeks Reunification
Friday November 28, 2003
After the Russian Revolution in 1917, there was a schism in the Russian Orthodox Church between the churches in Russia and those in other countries which didn't want to be ... Read More
Ohio Forces Christianity On Inmates, Blames Atheist Warden
Thursday November 27, 2003
When a person is incarcerated in a prison by the government, this means that the government has a great deal of control over what that person can and cannot do. ... Read More
Ben Franklin and the Furious Framers
Thursday November 27, 2003
When conservative evangelical Christians argue that religion should not be excluded from the public square, what they really mean is that Christianity should be endorsed by the government. After all, ... Read More
This Date in History: First Crusade
Thursday November 27, 2003
November 27, 1059: Pope Urban II called for the Crusade in a famous speech at the Council of Clermont.
American Constitution: Will it Survive Terrorism?
Thursday November 27, 2003
There is really no question about whether there are terrorist groups hoping to carry out attacks on and in the United States. There is also no question about whether they ... Read More
Joe Sabia: More Church, Less State, Part 2
Thursday November 27, 2003
The "Shut Up!" message [of the separation of church and state] has had disastrous consequences for our society, particularly in the area of public schools. Wiping God out of the ... Read More
Library Rage Over Gay Magazine
Thursday November 27, 2003
Public libraries serve all of the public, not just a small sub-group, but that doesn't stop some people from thinking that certain information should not be accessible to the public ... Read More
UFOs, Aliens, and Religion
Thursday November 27, 2003
Recently Received: The Encyclopedic Sourcebook of UFO Religions, edited by James R. Lewis.
When most people think about religions, they tend to have in mind ancient traditions centered upon worship of ... Read More
Parents Consult Fools, Baby Dies
Wednesday November 26, 2003
Adults who want to use wacky or nonsensical medical "treatments" on themselves should be free to do so - and why not? But when they apply those "treatments" to their ... Read More
Scholars Still Debate James Ossuary
Wednesday November 26, 2003
There are still those who suspect that the James Ossuary may be genuine, despite the fact that the guy who found it, Oded Golan, has been arrested and charged with ... Read More
Chinese Pay for Access to Bush?
Wednesday November 26, 2003
What are those godless, heathen, communist Chinese up to now? Well, it appears that they are paying gobs and gobs of money to Neil Bush, the younger brother of President ... Read More
Separation of Church and State = Anti-Christian Bigotry
Wednesday November 26, 2003
For some people, any opposition to the government endorsement of Christianity and Christian beliefs is the same as being anti-Christian and anti-God. They, it seems, simply don't understand that the ... Read More
Democracy vs. Theocracy
Wednesday November 26, 2003
When people try to argue that the government should promote a particular religion or particular religious beliefs, they aren't just seeking to advance a religious cause. No, they are also ... Read More
This Date in History: Bigfoot Myth
Wednesday November 26, 2003
November 26, 2002: Ray L. Wallace, inventor of the Bigfoot myth, died at the age of 84. The revelation from his family that he created the legend of Bigfoot has ... Read More
Ann Coulter Promotes Religious War
Wednesday November 26, 2003
If there is one person in America who can be counted on to say just the wrong thing, it has to be Ann "We should invade their countries, kill their ... Read More
Female Clergy in America
Wednesday November 26, 2003
According to the U.S. Department of Labor one in every eight clergy is female, with the Unitarians having the highest percentage of female clergy in their ranks, followed by the ... Read More
Joe Sabia: More Church, Less State, Part 1
Wednesday November 26, 2003
[T]he problem in our country is not that there is too much religion in the public arena, but rather too little. In our prayers this Thanksgiving, we should recommit ourselves ... Read More
The Prosperity Gospel
Wednesday November 26, 2003
Is Christianity supposed to make you rich and prosperous? Early Christian history suggests that this religion originally had something to do with serving the poor, being humble, and so forth ... Read More
Muslims Demand Censorship
Tuesday November 25, 2003
Taslima Nasrin, who fled Bangladesh in fear for her life, continues to be a thorn in the side of Muslims in Asia. Her autobiographical book 'Dwikhandita' is supposed to be ... Read More
Cross Sculpture Violates Separation of Church and State
Tuesday November 25, 2003
If a stylized logo displays three crosses, with the center one obviously larger than the other two, is that logo a representation of Christianity? Most people familiar with Christianity would ... Read More
Bus Drivers Suspended for Wearing Head Scarves
Tuesday November 25, 2003
I recently reported on a school bus driver in Florida who kicked Muslim students off of his bus, making them walk home. Now the shoe is on the other foot ... Read More
Sartre: Freedom, But Do We Want It?
Tuesday November 25, 2003
Jean-Paul Sartre, who died in 1980, is one of modern Frances most popular philosophers; at the same time, much of his actual work has been somewhat neglected for a long ... Read More
The Color of Baldness
Tuesday November 25, 2003
What color hair to bald people have on their heads? If that sounds like a nonsensical question, congratulations! You're right, it is nonsense. If you're bald, there is no hair ... Read More
Fear of Saudi Religious Police
Tuesday November 25, 2003
Religious extremism in Saudi Arabia is buttressed to a great extent by the continual presence and fear of the muttawas, or religious police, who enforce extremist interpretations of Islamic laws. ... Read More
This Date in History: Noah's Flood
Tuesday November 25, 2003
November 25, 2348 BCE: According to Archbishop James Ussher, "Noah's Flood" began on this date.
Marriage Rights for the Sterile
Tuesday November 25, 2003
Do sterile people have a right to get married? Most Americans would probably agree that they do and would view any attempts to ban sterile marriages as ridiculous at best. ... Read More
Understanding Others' Viewpoints
Tuesday November 25, 2003
One thing that bothers some atheists is the idea that they should show any consideration or civility towards beliefs and ideas they consider obviously ridiculous. If something is patently false ... Read More
Ramadan Controversy in Public Schools
Tuesday November 25, 2003
Schools in the Crestwood School District of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, will be closed today for the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Fitr (which marks the end of Ramadan). Many people are happy ... Read More
Mohler Attacks Open Theism
Tuesday November 25, 2003
I've written here before about the "heresy" of open theism. Open theism is the idea that the "omniscience" of God includes everything about the past and the present, but not ... Read More
Christianity, Politics, and Human Rights
Tuesday November 25, 2003
Recently Received: The Global Face of Public Faith: Politics, Human Rights, and Christian Ethics, by David Hollenbach, S.J.
What role, if any, should religion play in politics - local, national, or ... Read More
Students Should Obey the Ten Commandments
Monday November 24, 2003
Most of the time when people argue that the Ten Commandments should be displayed in schools, they defend their position with the idea that the Commandments are a historical document ... Read More
Religious Wars in America
Monday November 24, 2003
Much of the political conflict in America can be traced back to religious differences and religious disagreements. That's a shame, really, because that's precisely what the separation of church and ... Read More
This Date in History: Charles Darwin
Monday November 24, 2003
November 24, 1859: Charles Darwin'sThe Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection was first published. All 1,250 copies of the first printing were sold out on the very first ... Read More
Catholic Exploitation of Labor?
Monday November 24, 2003
The Roman Catholic Church has long advocated that workers be treated better than they usually are - not quite to the point of advocating socialism or communism, but far enough ... Read More
Sex: Pointless Without Fertility?
Monday November 24, 2003
Is sexual intimacy something that only exists to ultimately serve the ends of physical procreation or does it have any value in and of itself, regardless of whether procreation occurs ... Read More
Getting Drunk the Homeopathic Way
Monday November 24, 2003
Homeopathy is bunk - there's simply no other way to put it. It seems like a sign of insanity to believe that once all trace of a compound has been ... Read More
Ten Commandments: Basis of America's Laws
Monday November 24, 2003
Several times every week I report here on something dealing with the Ten Commandments - some community is trying to post them, some county is try to keep their monument ... Read More
Piltdown Man
Sunday November 23, 2003
Charles Dawson, one of Britain's great antiquarians and amateur paleontologists, is also famous for something much less distinguished: the discovery of the Piltdown Man, one of the biggest fakes ever ... Read More
Double Jeopardy Rule Scrapped
Sunday November 23, 2003
The legal principle of "double jeopardy" stipulates that if you are tried for a crime and found innocent, then the government cannot try you again for the same crime. The ... Read More
Cannibal Apology: More than Meets the Eye
Sunday November 23, 2003
Readers may be aware of the group on the island of Fiji that recently arranged to publicly apologize for the fact that Methodist missionary Thomas Baker who was killed and ... Read More
Same-Sex Couple Ejected from School Dance
Sunday November 23, 2003
American prejudice against gays is so deep and so strong that there is even discrimination against same-sex couples who aren't gay, just good friends who are out together. Anything, it ... Read More
The Bells! They're Getting Louder!
Sunday November 23, 2003
Have you ever been annoyed by loud church bells waking you up or disturbing your work? If so, then you can probably appreciate what Alan Coe is going through in ... Read More
Catholics Push for Married Priests
Sunday November 23, 2003
There has been a lot of concern in the Roman Catholic Church about the relative shortage of priests in America. Many parishes go without any regular priest and that can ... Read More
Scaife and the Right-Wing Assault on Christianity
Sunday November 23, 2003
Fundamentalist and conservative evangelical Christianity have been very vocal and very influential in recent years; one of the causes can be located in the massive investment being made in those ... Read More
This Date in History: Electing the Pope
Sunday November 23, 2003
November 23, 1970: Pope Paul VI prohibited cardinals over the age of 80 from voting for a new pope.
The "Logic" of Homosexuality?
Sunday November 23, 2003
When someone is logic-impaired, they really should make an effort not to use the word "logic" and not to pretend that they know how to construct a logical argument. That's ... Read More
Tom Cruise & Scientology
Sunday November 23, 2003
Tom Cruise is an ardent Scientologist, although one has to wonder if he has been having doubts lately. Since his break-up with Nicole Kidman, he has had some trouble with ... Read More
How To Be A Bible Apologist
Sunday November 23, 2003
Have you ever wondered how a person becomes a Bible Apologist in the hopes that you might be able to join their ranks? Of course you have - go on, ... Read More
Rape, Sexuality, and Biology
Sunday November 23, 2003
Recently Received: A Natural History of Rape: Biological Bases of Sexual Coercion, by Randy Thornhill and Craig T. Palmer.
Is there any sort of biological basis for rape, or is it ... Read More
Don't Believe What You See
Saturday November 22, 2003
Seeing is believing, right? Well, maybe not. It's already easy to trick people into believing that they are seeing something they aren't, but it turns out that it's also easy ... Read More
Economic Impact of Religion
Saturday November 22, 2003
Does religion have any sort of positive or negative impact upon a society's economic output? Not a lot of work has been done on this question, which is curious considering ... Read More
Kids Taken From Anti-Polygamist, Given to "Sister Wife"
Saturday November 22, 2003
When Tamara Phelps fled her polygamist home ten years ago, she had to leave her children behind. For eight months, she was able to take custody of them once again; ... Read More
Convert to Islam or Die!
Saturday November 22, 2003
For some people, differences of opinion over religious matters is more than enough reason to kill - even small children. A Christian school in Mosul, Iraq, has was the target ... Read More
FBI Targeting Anti-War Demonstrators
Saturday November 22, 2003
In a memorandum sent to local law enforcement agencies in October, the FBI revealed that it has engaged in extensive monitoring and investigation of anti-war rallies and anti-war groups in ... Read More
Richard Dawkins Critiques Religion
Saturday November 22, 2003
Long a critic of religion, Richard Dawkins' recent speech at Harvard University hit a lot of common themes for him: that people don't question religion enough, that religion functions like ... Read More
Ugandan Anglicans Disavow Episcopalians
Saturday November 22, 2003
Fallout from the Episcopalian decision to consecrate an openly gay man as bishop continues to be felt, and now the Anglican Church of Uganda has announced that it is cutting ... Read More
Religion Driving Science
Saturday November 22, 2003
Science, in particular medical science, is being subordinated by the Bush administration to religious dogma. Recently, the website of the National Institute of Health removed explanations that there was no ... Read More
Saddam Hussein & the Occupation of Iraq
Saturday November 22, 2003
Michael writes:Is this the war that Saddam Hussein and his generals planned all along? Top U.S. commanders fear that intended to fight an insurgency from the very beginning. It's time ... Read More
Identifying Unconscious Racism
Saturday November 22, 2003
Are you a racist? You probably don't think so and might even be offended at the suggestion that you are - but how can you be sure? How do you ... Read More
French Rabbi: Wear Baseball Caps in Public
Saturday November 22, 2003
Fear of antisemitism in France has reached the point where the Chief Rabbi of France, Rabbi Joseph Sitruk, has told Jews there that they should consider leaving their skullcaps at ... Read More
This Date in History: C. S. Lewis
Saturday November 22, 2003
November 22, 1963: C. S. Lewis, noted author and Christian apologist, died.
Jews Split on Pledge Case
Saturday November 22, 2003
American Jews have traditionally been very strong proponents of the separation of church and state, joining with other groups whenever the government was found to be promoting some particular religion ... Read More
Irrational Atheist? Part 2
Saturday November 22, 2003
A few days ago I wrote a critique of a column written by Vox Day. In that column Vox made all sorts of ridiculous and ignorant attacks on atheists and ... Read More
Clergy Group to Counter Conservatives
Saturday November 22, 2003
Conservative Christians have a myriad of well-known organizations through which they can express their views and exert influence on both politics and the wider American culture. Liberal Christians, however, have ... Read More
Erasing God at Our Peril
Saturday November 22, 2003
Is it a mistake to try and remove "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance? Many conservatives think so - according to them, this country needs to do more to ... Read More
Dr. Laura Blasts Islam
Friday November 21, 2003
Laura Schlessinger has never had a very good relationship with those who don't agree with her on religion. In the past her attacks have been focused mainly on gays, atheists, ... Read More
Play the Lottery, Support Catholic Schools
Friday November 21, 2003
People who play the lottery in Florida may not realize that some of their money goes to support some Catholic schools in the state. No, it's not so bad as ... Read More
Cruise Converts Cruz to Scientology
Friday November 21, 2003
Tom Cruise seems to have quite an influence on the women in his life. His first wife, Nicole Kidman, got involved in Scientology because of him (and then left it ... Read More
Johnny Hart & B.C.: Slam on Islam?
Friday November 21, 2003
Johnny Hart, the cartoonist who writes and draws the long-running comic strip B.C., has been criticized in the past for what many people perceive to be religious insensitivity in some ... Read More
Iraq: The Best of Times, The End of Times
Friday November 21, 2003
Just in case you didn't get the memo, the End of the World is coming. Again. No, really, we mean it this time - it's a sure thing, no question ... Read More
Not in League with the Devil!
Friday November 21, 2003
It's a pity when government officials have to defend themselves against charges that they are conspiring with Satan to undermine Christianity and American freedom, but that's just how bad it's ... Read More
Mormons Taking Over Scouting?
Friday November 21, 2003
Many readers are surely aware of the fact that there continue to be legal and social problems due to the Boy Scouts' discrimination and bigotry against atheists and gays. What ... Read More
Religious Affirmations & Patriotism
Friday November 21, 2003
People who don't want to see the phrase "under God" removed from the Pledge of Allegiance are defending it in much the same way that government-written prayers in public schools ... Read More
This Date in History: Mormon History
Friday November 21, 2003
November 21, 1857: Alfred Cumming, selected by President James Buchanon to replace Brigham Young as governor for the territory of Utah, took office. He immediately ordered armed Mormon groups in ... Read More
Catholics Debate Annulments
Friday November 21, 2003
For Roman Catholics, a simple divorce is not possible if they wish to adhere to their church's rules. Instead, they must also get an annulment, which is a church ruling ... Read More
Cincinnati Archdiocese: No Contest to Sex Abuse Charges
Friday November 21, 2003
For some time now, two grand juries have been conducting investigations into whether priests in the Cincinnati Archdiocese molested children and whether archdiocese officials failed to notify authorities when they ... Read More
Magazine Editor: Threat to US National Security
Friday November 21, 2003
In light of the increased threat of terrorism facing the United States, it isn't surprising that boarder controls have gotten tighter and people seeking to enter the country have to ... Read More
Atheist Speaks Despite Christian Fears
Friday November 21, 2003
As was reported here earlier, two churches that had agreed to host a luncheon for NJ Peace Action ended up withdrawing those invitations because a featured speaker was an atheist ... Read More
America: City on a Hill
Friday November 21, 2003
Recently Received: John Winthrop: America's Forgotten Founding Father, by Francis J. Bremer
The name John Winthrop is probably unfamiliar to most, and that is a shame. His writings and ideas played ... Read More
Word "Christmas" Removed from Town's Celebration
Thursday November 20, 2003
Tuckerton, New Jersey, is trying to be fair and even-handed with how it is celebrating the coming holiday season. When soliciting for donations to fund the events, they found many ... Read More
Habersham Ordered to Remove Ten Commandments
Thursday November 20, 2003
Located in Georgia, Habersham County has been fighting to retain a Ten Commandments monument that is displayed in the county courthouse. As in so many other communities, however, they haven't ... Read More
Austin United Way Defunds Boy Scouts
Thursday November 20, 2003
Yet another United Way chapter has decided that paying for bigotry and discrimination simply isn't a good idea and isn't compatible with the organization's general mission. The United Way Capital ... Read More
Atheists Responsible for Terrorist Bombings
Thursday November 20, 2003
When we think about terrorist attacks in the Middle East, it is not surprising that our thoughts turn immediately to religion and, in particular, to Islamic extremists. But maybe that ... Read More
Christmas in Public Schools
Thursday November 20, 2003
As the holiday season approaches, public schools are once again facing the question about how to handle the seasonal celebrations which, for many people, are closely tied to religion. If ... Read More
Misunderstanding Materialism
Thursday November 20, 2003
If you work hard enough to misdefine key terms, you can prove just about anything, no matter how ridiculous. This seems especially true when it comes to matters involving philosophy: ... Read More
Girls Suspended for Kissing
Thursday November 20, 2003
Two girls trying to draw attention to the discrimination and abuse experienced by gay and lesbian students have become the object of attention themselves - far more attention than they ... Read More
This Date in History: Grand Mosque Terrorism
Thursday November 20, 2003
November 20, 1979: The Grand Mosque in Mecca was invaded by a group of extremist Ikhwan. Led by Juhaiman Ibn Mohammed Utaibi, a former Saudi National Guardsman, the group was ... Read More
Sophie Freud: Psychoanalysis Not Useful
Thursday November 20, 2003
There was a time when psychoanalysis was very popular, but today it seems to have more detractors than supporters, especially in the scientific community. As it turns out, even Sigmund ... Read More
Right-Wing Nightmares
Thursday November 20, 2003
Roy Moore, the "defrocked" Chief Justice of Alabama's Supreme Court who may even be disbarred, is currently the darling of the extreme Religious Right in America (I say "extreme" because ... Read More
Raelians Reverse Aging Process?
Thursday November 20, 2003
The Raelians are at it again, claiming another amazing scientific advance despite the fact that there is absolutely no evidence to back any of it up. In this new case, ... Read More
Anti-Gay Custody Ruling Rejected
Thursday November 20, 2003
For 22 years, a North Dakota Supreme Court ruling has prevented gay and lesbian parents from retaining custody of their children after a divorce. Now, thanks, to the efforts of ... Read More
Sex Education in Utah
Wednesday November 19, 2003
Could a teacher break the law by telling the truth about condoms in a sex education class? In Utah they might! Utah law stipulates that sex education "...shall stress ... ... Read More
Barna: Go After the Kids
Wednesday November 19, 2003
Often lamenting the sorry state of Christianity in the United States, Christian researcher George Barna thinks he has come across the key to the revitalization of American Christianity: kids. Yup, ... Read More
Roy Moore for Governor!
Wednesday November 19, 2003
I don't want to offend people who live in the South, but what is wrong with the citizens of Alabama? Judge Roy Moore was kicked off the state's Supreme Court ... Read More
Jesus' Bathhouse: Not So Old?
Wednesday November 19, 2003
As was reported here recently, some archaeologists think that a bath house from the time the Jesus would have lived has been discovered in Nazareth. If this find is genuine, ... Read More
Creating Moderate Muslims... Fakes?
Wednesday November 19, 2003
The next time you hear about a moderate Islamic religious leader saying things that appear to approve of the West generally and the United States in particular, you probably should ... Read More
Methods of Evangelism
Wednesday November 19, 2003
Sometimes people who try to evangelize to others do it dishonestly. By that I don't mean that they aren't really interested in converting you - no, that's definitely their goal. ... Read More
Hate Crimes and Republican Anti-Gay Bigotry
Wednesday November 19, 2003
Republican lawmakers have been fighting a desperate battle to prevent a federal "hate crimes" bill from being passed. They wouldn't put up such a struggle if it weren't for the ... Read More
Reactions to Same-Sex Marriage Decision
Wednesday November 19, 2003
Well, the Massachusetts Supreme Court has decided that it is wrong for the state to restrict marriage to just straight couples. The legislature has six months to come up with ... Read More
This Date in History: Church Tax Exemptions
Wednesday November 19, 2003
November 19, 1969: Argued: Walz v. Tax Commission of the City of NY With the majority opinion written by Chief Justice Burger, the Supreme Court would uphold the tax exemption ... Read More
Unchurched Americans Feel Too Safe!
Wednesday November 19, 2003
If you aren't a regular churchgoer, you might feel safe from evangelization efforts. When was the last time you were pressured to go to church or convert to Christianity? Some ... Read More
Rabbis Defend Palestinians Against Settlers
Wednesday November 19, 2003
Many Jewish settlers treat Palestinians as if they weren't human - there is simply no getting around that fact. For these settlers, they have a divine mandate to take over ... Read More
Love the Atheist, Hate the Atheism
Wednesday November 19, 2003
Sometimes the so-called "love" that some Christians what to show to atheists is simply intolerable. Why? Because it isn't really "love," it's simply a barely-concealed disgust or hatred which is ... Read More
Madalyn Murray O'Hair
Wednesday November 19, 2003
Recently Received: UnGodly : The Passions, Torments, and Murder of Atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair, by Ted Dracos
In life and death, Madalyn Murray O'Hair was a controversial and even at times ... Read More
Anti-Christian Christmas Displays?
Tuesday November 18, 2003
In stores across the United States, Christmas is a time when special holidays displays are erected in store windows. Some of these displays have religious themes. Most have winter or ... Read More
Military Chaplain: No Atheists in Foxholes
Tuesday November 18, 2003
Ignorance continues to emanate from some Christian circles where atheism is concerned. One of the problems inherent in the official government support of religion and theism is that it fosters ... Read More
Russian Orthodox Church Freezes Ties with Episcopalians
Tuesday November 18, 2003
The decision of the Episcopalian Church to consecrate an openly gay man as bishop continues to have repercussions in Christian circles around the world. Just recently, Russian Orthodox Church decided ... Read More
Wiccan Books Removed from Anti-Drug Display
Tuesday November 18, 2003
Christian bigotry against minority religions like Wicca can take a variety of forms, some of them rather subtle. For some time. a glass case in the Sheriff's Department of Rutherford ... Read More
Santeria Priest Threatened
Tuesday November 18, 2003
Followers of Santeria, although increasing in numbers, are not very popular - their religious rites have even been outlawed, although the Supreme Court struck down such efforts as unconstitutional. ... Read More
Creeping American Fascism
Tuesday November 18, 2003
Could America be moving, slowly, to a more fascist social and political system? Some people think so, and there is no question but that some developments in politics and political ... Read More
Church Group Wants Funding
Tuesday November 18, 2003
A lot of church groups around the nation would like for the government to help pay their way. They seem oblivious to the dangers this entails; all they see, I ... Read More
The Irrational Atheist?
Tuesday November 18, 2003
"Fisking" is a recently coined word to denote the process of going through "someone else's writing line by line and show them to be a moron." Is it pointless? Perhaps. ... Read More
This Date in History: Meatless Fridays
Tuesday November 18, 2003
November 18, 1966: This was the last Friday on which American Roman Catholics were required to abstain from eating meat. The change was due to a decree made by Pope ... Read More
Humanism Equated with Poison
Tuesday November 18, 2003
There are a lot of hard feelings between many traditional Christians and humanism. For Christians, humanism is an outgrowth of both the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, two periods of European ... Read More
Conservatives: Winning Abortion War?
Tuesday November 18, 2003
Conservatives may be winning the abortion wars - but not in the way you might think! A victory for conservatives does not necessarily mean the end of abortion rights and ... Read More
Why God Created Witchcraft
Tuesday November 18, 2003
Were you aware that God created witchcraft? Yes indeed - many Christians may believe that witchcraft is a creation of Satan; thus, use of witchcraft puts a person on the ... Read More
Who Are the Evangelicals?
Monday November 17, 2003
One hears a lot about Evangelical Christians in the news - and of course here on this site as well. But just who are these "Evangelical Christians" anyway? How many ... Read More
Taking Back Christianity from the Extremists
Monday November 17, 2003
Just how extreme are many evangelical Christians? Extreme enough that other Christians have, at times, been embarrassed to even call themselves Christians - wishing that there was some other name ... Read More
God and Guns in Georgia
Monday November 17, 2003
The idea that "God and Guns" are the foundations of Southern culture is generally a false stereotype - but every once in a while someone does something to revive it ... Read More
First Dance in 143 Years at Christian School
Monday November 17, 2003
The idea of a Christian school being so conservative that they don't even permit students to dance seems like something that would have passed out of existence back in the ... Read More
Turkish Concerns Over Christian Missionaries
Monday November 17, 2003
Evangelical Christians who travel abroad to convert Muslims (and others) to their brand of Christianity generally have little regard for local mores, local beliefs, and whether people are actually happy ... Read More
Nativity Scene: Religious, not Historical Events
Monday November 17, 2003
Is a Nativity Scene a depiction of a historical event or a symbol of religious beliefs - or both? According to New York City it's the latter but not the ... Read More
Heresy of Open Theism, Part 2
Monday November 17, 2003
As was reported here earlier, evangelical Christians have been debating the status of Open Theism. According to open theists, God knows the past and the present, but does not know ... Read More
This Date in History: Contraceptives in America
Monday November 17, 2003
November 17, 1971: Argued: Eisenstadt v. Baird The right of people to have and know about contraceptives was expanded to unmarried couples because, according to the Court, the right of ... Read More
New Roadside Policy: No Crosses
Monday November 17, 2003
As was reported here earlier, atheists in Maryland challenged that state's policy of allowing roadside religious memorials to remain in place for extended periods of time, a policy which created ... Read More
Student Seances Concern Christians
Monday November 17, 2003
Apparently, seances and Ouija boards are inappropriate topics for student journalists to cover in their school newspaper. At least, that's what students at Colby High School in Kansas are finding ... Read More
Certainty & Anti-Gay Speech
Monday November 17, 2003
Just how certain are you that you are right about the various things you believe? Are you certain enough that you would be willing to restrict the speech of those ... Read More
Early Christian History
Monday November 17, 2003
Recently Received: Lost Christianities: The Battle for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew, by Bart D. Ehrman
There were a lot of things that early Christians didn't agree on: which ... Read More
Godless People Responsible For Holocaust
Sunday November 16, 2003
German MP Martin Hohmann has been in the news lately because of his comments that if the Germans were classified as a "race of perpetrators" for World War II and ... Read More
Jews Bigger Target of Bias Crimes Than Muslims
Sunday November 16, 2003
People have been justifiably concerned about the increase in bias crimes against Muslims in America after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. In reality, however, bias crimes against Muslims have ... Read More
A Very Merry Scientology Christmas
Sunday November 16, 2003
Alex Timbers has created and is directing an "Off Off Broadway" show entitled "A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant." It's evidently about the life of L. Ron Hubbard, founder ... Read More
Bait-and-Switch: School Speech Moves to Church
Sunday November 16, 2003
A trend which seems to be increasing involves motivational speakers come to public schools to give lectures on things like sexuality or drugs, then using their position to encourage students ... Read More
Missouri Baptists Defund College
Sunday November 16, 2003
As was reported here earlier, the Missouri Baptist Convention has been unhappy with William Jewell College, an institution generally regarded as considered a "bastion" of Baptist education in Missouri. Many ... Read More
Muslim Girls Struggle for Education
Sunday November 16, 2003
In Arab nations where Islam dominates culture and politics, it is very difficult for girls to get any sort of education, much less a decent education. Granted, education in general ... Read More
Ramadan Terrorism
Sunday November 16, 2003
TexRob writes: I'm curious, in the wake of the bombing in Riyadh, what the significance is of activities like this happening during Ramadan. I've heard reports of Muslims in Saudi ... Read More
Bible Reading Measure Voted Down
Sunday November 16, 2003
Throughout the United States, various communities attempt to endorse traditional Christian beliefs and practices by voting to support "National Bible Week," a measure which generally emphasizes the importance of the ... Read More
This Date in History: Robert Nozick
Sunday November 16, 2003
November 16, 1938: Robert Nozick, political philosopher, was born.
Greek vs. Chinese Philosophy
Sunday November 16, 2003
Greek and Chinese philosophy were very different. But why? Not only did they influence their surrounding cultures, but they were in fact heavily conditioned by those cultures as well. Herein ... Read More
Un-printed: Bush, Sr. Essay on Saddam Disappears
Sunday November 16, 2003
Controlling the past and history is an important step towards controlling what people think about the present and the future. The Bush administration has proven very adept at trying to ... Read More
Unchurched Kids: Opportunity for Evangelization
Sunday November 16, 2003
What should be done about kids who grow up without much experience going to church? Well, if you are an evangelical Christian, you bemoan that fact and then approach it ... Read More
Are We A Christian Nation?
Saturday November 15, 2003
Some people like to claim that the United States of America is in reality not a secular state but, rather, a "Christian" nation. Is there any justification for this statement, ... Read More
Hezbollah: More Boring than Dangerous?
Saturday November 15, 2003
Among Middle Eastern terrorist groups, few have a reputation or history quite so dangerous as that of Hezbollah. But they are getting a little long in the tooth, it seems. ... Read More
The Boy Scouts vs. Philadelphia
Saturday November 15, 2003
For a while now the Cradle of Liberty Council (the organization which administers the Boy Scouts in Philadelphia) has experienced problems with the fact that they discriminate against gays and ... Read More