Florida Recounts, 2000
Sunday October 31, 2004
Is the controversy over the election recounts in Florida in 2000 really that important? Arguably it is because the actions of both political parties reveals a great deal about their ... Read More
Ohio: Republican Thugs May Be Prosecuted
Sunday October 31, 2004
Republican operatives have been engaging in dirty tricks all over the country in order to prevent people from voting. In Ohio, they challenged large numbers of newly registered voters in ... Read More
Take the Bush Pledge!
Sunday October 31, 2004
Have you taken a pledge of loyalty to the Bush/Cheney team? Have you learned how to Pledge Allegiance to George W. Bush and the Republican Party for which he stands? ... Read More
GOP Operative Defends Unethical Behavior
Sunday October 31, 2004
Nathan Sproul is a GOP operative who sent out people in various states to register new voters - but only if they agreed to register as Republicans. Volunteers were told ... Read More
Religion Impairs Public Debate
Sunday October 31, 2004
Many people object to what they perceive as attempts to exclude religion from debates over public issues. They may have a point, but there is a serious danger when religion ... Read More
Republicans Happy that Bin Laden is Alive?
Sunday October 31, 2004
Are Republican leaders happy that Osama bin Laden is still alive and active? It certainly seems that way - they have described his recently released tape as a "gift" and ... Read More
Dionysus (Roman: Bacchus), God of Wine and Drunkenness
Sunday October 31, 2004
Dionysus (Roman: Bacchus) was the Greek god of wine, revelry, and drunkenness. Dionysus was, naturally, a very popular god with quite a few people. His festivals were among the most ... Read More
Christianity vs. Liberalism: Opposed Philosophies?
Sunday October 31, 2004
There are many conservative Christians who sincerely believe that a person cannot both be a liberal and a Christian at the same time. For them, political and social conservatism are ... Read More
Reality-Based Community: Anti-Religious?
Sunday October 31, 2004
Many, myself included, have been deriding Bush and his supporters as not really living in the "reality-based community." If a White House staffer can deride the reality-based community, it seems ... Read More
This Date in History: Joseph Smith
Sunday October 31, 2004
October 31, 1838: Joseph Smith surrendered to Missouri officials and was charged with high treason. He escaped after five months in jail, however, and fled to Illinois. Joseph Smith ... Read More
FOX News Preparing for Bush Loss?
Sunday October 31, 2004
Most conservatives seem, at least on the surface, to be confident that George W. Bush will win reelection as President of the United States. Some, though, appear to be laying ... Read More
No Middle Ground: Theocracy vs. Secularism
Sunday October 31, 2004
One of the more fundamental issues in American politics is the relationship between religious institutions and civil government. Many believe that the government should be secular, which is to say ... Read More
Weekly Quote: Lincoln on God and Politics
Sunday October 31, 2004
In great contests, each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be wrong. God cannot be for and against the ... Read More
Caring About Gay Marriage
Sunday October 31, 2004
Recently Received: Why You Should Give a Damn About Gay Marriage, by Davina Kotulski. Publisher: Advocate Books.
Gay marriage is an important topic in America today. On the one side are ... Read More
Demeter (Roman: Ceres), Goddess of Fertility and Crops
Saturday October 30, 2004
Demeter (Roman: Ceres) was the Greek goddess of corn (and grains generally). The granddaughter of Gaia and sister of Zeus, Demeter was responsible for maintaining the fertility of the land ... Read More
IRS: Churches Can't Pray for Bush Victory
Saturday October 30, 2004
Churches aren't allowed to campaign for, endorse, or oppose any specific candidates during an election. But can they pray for a candidate to be reelected? The IRS has decided that ... Read More
This Date in History: Pope Leo XIII
Saturday October 30, 2004
October 30, 1902: Pope Leo XIII published "Vigilantiae," an apostolic letter that officially established the Pontifical Commission of Biblical Studies. Created to defend orthodox readings of Scripture against outside secular ... Read More
Reality-Based Science Critical of Bush
Saturday October 30, 2004
There is nothing more reality-based than science. Perhaps that is why George W. Bush has such a big problem with science, continually subverting scientific work and conclusions for the sake ... Read More
Jesse Helms' Gay Granddaughter Uses Him for Election Advantage
Saturday October 30, 2004
Jesse Helms was one of the nastiest and most vocal anti-gay bigots in the Senate. His granddaughter is campaigning to become a district judge in North Carolina. Helms doesn't know ... Read More
College Republicans Scammed Senior Citizens?
Saturday October 30, 2004
Usually when we hear about senior citizens being tricked out of their money, it involves insurance scams or fake charities. Now, however, it sounds as if the College Republicans may ... Read More
Rights and Parenthood
Saturday October 30, 2004
Recently Received: Making Babies: Is There a Right to Have Children?, by Mary Warnock. Publisher: Oxford University Press.
Reproduction is an activity engaged in by every creature, including humans, but is ... Read More
Pakistan Reworking Blasphemy Law
Friday October 29, 2004
Pakistan has already reworked laws on honor killing and now, perhaps, they may revise their blasphemy laws. These steps represent major improvements for people in Pakistan, but it's unclear whether ... Read More
Georgia: Ten Commandments Removed from Police Department
Friday October 29, 2004
In Hartwell, Georgia, a Ten Commandments plaque has been removed from a wall in the police department. It was placed there by Mike Griffin, a reserve police officer and chaplain ... Read More
Irish Bishop Backs Gay Couples' Rights
Friday October 29, 2004
Not all Catholic leaders agree with the Vatican's harsh position against gay couples. Irish Bishop of Killaloe, Willie Walsh, has said that some sort of civil union for gay couples ... Read More
Georgia: Trial Over Anti-Evolution Stickers
Friday October 29, 2004
In Cobb County, Georgia, science textbooks come with a disclaimer that evolution is just a theory, not a fact. This contradicts genuine science and is used merely to placate religious ... Read More
NCLB As A Scam
Friday October 29, 2004
George W. Bush has made his "No Child Left Behind" Act a centerpiece of his policies on education. Is it, however, a valid basis for policy? Arguably no - it ... Read More
Gay Marriage and Interracial Marriage
Friday October 29, 2004
Quite a few people have pointed out the parallels between the current bans on gay marriage and America's previous bans on interracial marriage. Opponents of gay marriage have resisted this ... Read More
Defining Atheism
Friday October 29, 2004
Explaining the nature of atheism can be difficult. A lot of people have very deep misconceptions about the concept and while sometimes it is possible to help them understand the ... Read More
Athena (Roman: Minerva), Goddess of Wisdom and War
Friday October 29, 2004
The Greek goddess Athena (Roman: Minerva) was considered the child of Zeus alone for Zeus had swallowed her mother, Metis, and gave birth to Athena himself through his head and ... Read More
Surgeons Save Baby, God Gets Credit
Friday October 29, 2004
In Oklahoma City doctors performed emergency surgery on an infant just moments after being born - if they hadn't, the baby would have died from a rare heart condition. This ... Read More
UK: Horror Over Satanist Sailor
Friday October 29, 2004
In Britain, the Royal Navy has decided to officially recognize the religion of a non-commissioned officer who describes himself as a Satanist. He'll have all the same religious rights and ... Read More
This Date in History: Third Crusade
Friday October 29, 2004
October 29, 1187: In response to the recapture of Jerusalem by Saladin, Pope Gregory VIII issues the Bull Audita Tremendi calling for the Third Crusade. The Third Crusade would be ... Read More
When A Tee Shirt Is Not Just A Shirt
Friday October 29, 2004
For a short time Planned Parenthood sold t-shirts that stated openly and unapologetically "I had an abortion." PP was savagely attacked for this on the assumption that there is something ... Read More
Republican Dirty Tricks in Milwaukee
Friday October 29, 2004
Republican activists in Milwaukee have distributed a flyer in African-American communities in the hopes that it will keep people from voting. Ostensibly from the 'Milwaukee Voters League,' it says that ... Read More
Christian Torturers in the American Inquisition
Friday October 29, 2004
One of the tactics used by the Christian Right in recent years has been to set up parallel institutions which, over time, can attack and supplant more liberal or secular ... Read More
Fighting for Gay Marriage
Friday October 29, 2004
Recently Received: Civil Wars: A Battle for Gay Marriage, by David Moats. Publisher: Harcourt.
There may be a lot in the news about gay marriage, but while we may hear a ... Read More
Tom DeLay: Daily Kos Raises Money for Anti-US Fighters
Thursday October 28, 2004
Tom DeLay, Congressman from Texas, has been having a lot of ethical trouble recently. Well, to be fair it may be the case that he has had seriously trouble with ... Read More
Do You Believe?
Thursday October 28, 2004
I don't, but I can't say the same for everyone. There are lots of people out there with a rock-solid faith that is impervious to reasoned argument or empirical evidence. ... Read More
Bush: Mental Health Screening for All Americans
Thursday October 28, 2004
Should every American child and adult be given a comprehensive mental-illness screening? Apparently that's the recommendation of President Bush's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. Maybe our political leaders should ... Read More
Evangelicals Conflicted Over Bush
Thursday October 28, 2004
Not only aren't all evangelical Christians the same, not all conservative evangelical Christians the same. They aren't a completely monolithic group. Currently, there are cracks in what most consider to ... Read More
Catholic Issues and Politics
Thursday October 28, 2004
One of the problems facing Catholic voters is how to weigh various ethical issues. Democrats tend to be in line with most Catholic social principles and Republicans are more in ... Read More
Asklepios, God of Healing
Thursday October 28, 2004
Asklepios (Asclepius) was more a demigod rather than a god. Born a mortal man and the son of Apollo, he became very skilled at medicine, something he learned when raised ... Read More
GOP Criticizes Get-Out-The-Vote Campaign
Thursday October 28, 2004
School students in Milwaukee, Wisconsin will participate in a "get out the vote" effort on November 2, skipping school in order to go door-to-door and encourage people to vote. Sounds ... Read More
This Date in History: John Locke
Thursday October 28, 2004
October 28, 1704: English philosopher John Locke died at the age of 72. John Locke was a British philosopher who is largely responsible for modern conceptions of empiricism. Locke ... Read More
Student Threatened with Execution If He Protested Bush
Thursday October 28, 2004
That headline has to be wrong, doesn't it? Surely no one would be threatened with death merely for expressing support for Kerry while at a Bush speech? If the reports ... Read More
Slim Shady Disses Bush
Thursday October 28, 2004
It's official, I guess: George W. Bush really isn't Eminem's homie. Recently leaked to the internet, Eminem's video for the song Mosh is harshly anti-Bush. In the past Eminem's music ... Read More
Political Machine or Media Machine?
Thursday October 28, 2004
People are probably familiar with the recent flap over the decision of the Sinclair broadcasting group to air an anti-Kerry program without commercials. One question raised by this is whether ... Read More
Ethical Questions in the Computer Age
Thursday October 28, 2004
Recently Received: Cyberethics: Social and Moral Issues in the Computer Age, edited by Robert M. Baird, Reagan Ramsower, Stuart E. Rosenbaum. Publisher: Prometheus Books.
Modern society is being increasingly defined by ... Read More
Conservative Religious Caricature of Liberalism
Wednesday October 27, 2004
It can be simultaneously amusing and depressing to read certain conservative descriptions of liberalism. The descriptions are so far divorced from reality that it's inexplicable - have these people never ... Read More
Politics & Persuasion
Wednesday October 27, 2004
There is some discussion now and again about how conservative talk radio has transformed American politics, but most of what I have read hasn't really been very satisfactory. I think ... Read More
Teaching Atheism in Schools
Wednesday October 27, 2004
Earlier this year I wrote about suggestions that British schools teach about atheism alongside Christianity in schools. Well, it looks like they will soon be doing just that - as ... Read More
Bush Supports Gay Civil Unions?
Wednesday October 27, 2004
In a move that has surprised many, George W. Bush has come out in support of gay civil unions. He doesn't actually support their existence, but he does support the ... Read More
Pakistan Tightens Laws on Honor Killings
Wednesday October 27, 2004
Pakistan has finally taken serious steps to stop honor killings and treat them like the horrendous crimes that they are, but critics insist that much more needs to be done. ... Read More
Vote Suppression: Florida, Ohio
Wednesday October 27, 2004
Republican leaders screwed up and sent private communications to the wrong people - but their error will benefit others. Those communications reveal a plan to challenge nearly two thousand named ... Read More
Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt
Wednesday October 27, 2004
Twin sister of Apollo and daughter of Zeus (with Leto), Artemis was one of the most important goddesses of ancient Greece. For the Greeks, Artemis was goddess of the hunt, ... Read More
Republicans Using Church Records
Wednesday October 27, 2004
Why exactly were Republicans trying to obtain various church directories? Now we have some idea: Kris Kobach, running for Congress in Kansas, has been calling Catholic homes and appealing for ... Read More
Christian Warrior Boykin Reprimanded?
Wednesday October 27, 2004
Lt. Gen. William Boykin, the officer who played an important role in managing the interrogation techniques in Iraq and who described the war in Iraq as a religious crusade, has ... Read More
This Date in History: Desiderius Erasmus
Wednesday October 27, 2004
October 27, 1469: Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam was born. Desiderius Erasmus was a Dutch humanist and theologian who opposed dogmatic scholasticism and taught that not really a doctrine of ... Read More
Conservative Support for Literacy Tests for Voters
Wednesday October 27, 2004
Adam Yoshida, a Canadian who is too extreme for Free Republic, equates dissent with terror, wishes harm on those who disagree, and dreams of an American empire in space, is ... Read More
Kerry Popular With Vatican?
Wednesday October 27, 2004
Catholicism is usually associated with cultural and political conservatism; while that is certainly true on a broad range of issues, it's also false on another broad range of issues. Liberals ... Read More
Danger of Invoking God to Defend Politics
Wednesday October 27, 2004
Although politicians of all types do it, we are much more likely to see conservatives and religious conservatives use their religious doctrines to defend political policies that have little, if ... Read More
Right-Wingers for Kerry
Tuesday October 26, 2004
When even self-described members of the far-right are fed up with George W. Bush, you know that things are getting difficult in the Republican Party. The problem is that Bush ... Read More
More on Creationism at the Grand Canyon
Tuesday October 26, 2004
Criticisms of the Bush administration's decision to keep selling creationist literature at the Grand Canyon, thus giving the impression that creationism is approved of by the National Park Service, continue ... Read More
Ken Starr Wants More Religion in Government
Tuesday October 26, 2004
Ken Starr is best known for his role as the independent counsel who led the conservative crusade against Bill Clinton. Today he is trying to make a name for himself ... Read More
SPLC Attacked Over Ten Commandments Stand
Tuesday October 26, 2004
The Southern Poverty Law Center is frequently involved in court cases defending the rights of various minorities and, because of this, groups representing majorities tend to attack them. Although these ... Read More
Motivation, Doubt, and Faith
Tuesday October 26, 2004
The more one hears about the managing style of George W. Bush - avoiding dissent, ignoring criticism, absolute faith that one's will can overcome any possible obstacles, etc. - the ... Read More
Ares (Roman: Mars), God of War
Tuesday October 26, 2004
Ares was the Greek god of war - or, more specifically, the god of fighting spirit. Most Greek gods were very similar to their Roman counterparts, but this is an ... Read More
UnIntelligent Design & AIDS
Tuesday October 26, 2004
Phillip Johnson is well-known for his unscientific views on biology and evolution (he's a lawyer with no scientific training), but now his pseudoscientific thinking is causing him to weigh in ... Read More
God: Democrat or Republican?
Tuesday October 26, 2004
Quite a few religious people in America act as though their political choices are somehow consistent with the Will of God - as if they can't make their own choices ... Read More
This Date in History: Xenotransplants
Tuesday October 26, 2004
October 26, 1984: A baboon's heart is transplanted into a 12-day-old infant named Baby Fae, who will survive for 20 days.
Colorado: Archdiocese's Tax-Exempt Status Challenged
Tuesday October 26, 2004
A church's religious tax-exempt status depends upon not participating in any political campaigns to endorse or oppose particular candidates. Churches can speak out on issues, but not on candidates. Has ... Read More
Fear of Islam in America
Tuesday October 26, 2004
Muslims generally voted for Bush in 2000, but they are expected to vote overwhelmingly for Kerry in 2004 - despite the fact that Democrats support socially liberal policies that are ... Read More
Where is "Real" America?
Monday October 25, 2004
If Democratic politicians insulted the South generally or specific southern states, it's unlikely that conservatives and Republicans would let that pass without comment. George W. Bush can, however, insult specific ... Read More
Religion, Women's Rights, Human Rights
Monday October 25, 2004
Women's rights aren't so much a special subset of human rights as they are an important foundation for human rights. Because of that, actions that restrict women's right affect all ... Read More
Mexico: St. Death Growing in Popularity
Monday October 25, 2004
Catholicism has a lot of saints and has long encouraged the veneration of saints, but a new trend that started in Mexico is not receiving Vatican approval. Among many of ... Read More
Halloween Cancelled Because of Wiccans?
Monday October 25, 2004
As Wiccans grow in numbers and begin to assert their civil rights, the ability of government agencies to disparage them will necessarily decrease. This upsets some who think that disparaging ... Read More
Marriage Rights for Asexuals?
Monday October 25, 2004
I've written before about marriage rights for sadists and masochists, but what about the asexual? If marriage is all about creating and raising children, it's arguable that asexual people shouldn't ... Read More
Gluttony and Americans
Monday October 25, 2004
American Christians tend to be rather selective in the sins they focus on. Abortion is a big deal for conservative Christians, despite not being condemned in the Bible, but gluttony ... Read More
Apollo, God of Music and Poetry
Monday October 25, 2004
Apollo (Apollon, Phoebus Apollo) was the Greek god of music, poetry, healing, light ,and augury (fortune telling). Because of the central role these things had in Greek culture, Apollo is ... Read More
Dobson: Gays Will Destroy the Earth
Monday October 25, 2004
Conservative rhetoric against gays continues to heat up, just as it does during almost every election season. If one were to believe religious conservatives, gays are responsible for just about ... Read More
Bush Scrubs White House Web Site, Removes Embarrassing Material
Monday October 25, 2004
Profoundly embarrassed by George W. Bush's inability to keep straight whether he considers Osama bin Laden important to the war on terrorism, administration officials have begun to systematically remove from ... Read More
This Date in History: Dorylaeum
Monday October 25, 2004
October 25, 1147: Second Battle of Dorylaeum: German Crusaders under Conrad III stop at Dorylaeum to rest and are destroyed by Saracens. So much treasure is capture that the market ... Read More
PIPA: Bush Supporters Have Poor Grasp of Facts
Monday October 25, 2004
Many regard the 2004 presidential election as being fundamentally about terrorism and national security. This is especially true among those who support George W. Bush and that makes it all ... Read More
Indoctrinating Atheism?
Monday October 25, 2004
One of the more common misunderstandings of the separation of church and state is that the government, by not endorsing a particular religion or religion generally, is evincing hostility towards ... Read More
Aphrodite (Roman: Venus), Goddess of Love
Sunday October 24, 2004
Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love, beauty, fertility, procreation, sexuality, seduction, and harmony. Aphrodite was born out of the severed genitalia of Uranus which had been thrown into the ... Read More
GOP Activist Seeks Amendment to Flag Code
Sunday October 24, 2004
Currently the U.S. Flag Code requires that churches that fly the American flag must do so in a way that gives it "superior prominence," even over religious flags. Chuck Pardee, ... Read More
Anti-Abortion Sermons & Catholic Women
Sunday October 24, 2004
Over 40% of American women will have an abortion some time during their lives - and that includes a lot of Catholic women, too. It's been more difficult for pro-choice ... Read More
This Date in History: Jim Bakker Trial
Sunday October 24, 2004
October 24, 1989: Jim Bakker was sentenced to 45 years in prison and fined $500,000. Many considered this judgment to be particularly harsh and, 1991, his sentence was reduced to ... Read More
Catholics Voting for Kerry
Sunday October 24, 2004
American Catholics have traditionally voted for Democratic rather than Republican candidates. That has changed somewhat in recent years because the GOP has been able to push certain issues like abortion ... Read More
Libertine Republicans
Sunday October 24, 2004
The Republican Party is sharply divided between the Christian Right and moderates who can be categorized as libertarians, fiscal conservatives, or just moderate conservatives. Does the Christian Right have too ... Read More
Weekly Quote: Camus on Intellectuals
Sunday October 24, 2004
An intellectual is someone whose mind watches itself.
- Albert Camus, quoted in Life, Sex, and Ideas: The Good Life Without God, by A. C. Grayling
If a person has a reputation ... Read More
Nationalism and Hatred
Sunday October 24, 2004
Recently Received: Faith in Nation: Exclusionary Origins of Nationalism, by Anthony W. Marx. Publisher: Oxford University Press.
According to tradition, European nationalism developed out of the European enlightenment and, hence, is ... Read More
Zeus (Roman: Jupiter), King of the Gods
Saturday October 23, 2004
Zeus is the greatest of all the Greek gods. Son of Kronos and Rhea, husband and brother of Hera, he is the ultimate authority among all the immortals of Greek ... Read More
Did Saddam Try to Kill Bush Sr.?
Saturday October 23, 2004
Whenever discussing how awful Saddam Hussein is (something few if any people disagree with), George W. Bush has included the charge that Hussein tried to assassinate George H.W. Bush, former ... Read More
Discussion: Could the U.S. Election Fail?
Saturday October 23, 2004
A forum member writes: I'm starting to wonder if the actual machinery of the 2004 U.S. election is in danger of systemic breakdown. Every political organization is lawyering up. ... Read More
This Date in History: Dr. Barnett Slepian Murdered
Saturday October 23, 2004
October 23, 1998: A sniper shoots through a kitchen window and kills abortion provider Dr. Barnett Slepian in his home in upstate New York.
Ohio: Candidate Wants More Religion in Government
Saturday October 23, 2004
Ohio's Secretary of State, currently trying to become governor, has implied that non-Christians are second-class citizens. How? By insisting that America needs his god at its center and that his ... Read More
Israeli Rabbis Calling for Mutiny
Saturday October 23, 2004
Should Israel pull out of the Gaza Strip, taking Jewish settlers with them? Most people around the world would probably go along with that idea. Even most people in Israel ... Read More
Marriage and the Constitution
Saturday October 23, 2004
Recently Received: Same-Sex Marriage and the Constitution, by Evan Gerstmann. Publisher: Cambridge University Press.
Both supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage use the Constitution in their arguments. Supporters claim that same-sex ... Read More
The Ottoman Empire and the Aftermath of the Crusades
Friday October 22, 2004
Although the Crusades themselves were long finished, Christian Europe continued to be under pressure from the expanding Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans would make impressive victories, including the capture of Constantinople, ... Read More
Alan Keyes: Gay Marriage Leads to Incest
Friday October 22, 2004
Republican Alan Keyes hates gay marriage. He really, really, really hates gay marriage. Keyes hates gay marriage so much, in fact, that he's willing to claim that adoptions by married ... Read More
Are American Voters Stupid?
Friday October 22, 2004
Do voters pick the best or the worst candidates in democratic elections? In order for them to pick the best candidates, they would have to both know the relevant information ... Read More
This Date in History: Council of Chalcedon
Friday October 22, 2004
October 22, 0451: During the Fifth Session of the Council of Chalcedon, the final form of the Chalcedonian Creed was drafted, defining for the early church the person and work ... Read More
United Methodists Upset With Bush / Cheney
Friday October 22, 2004
A group of Methodist clergymen have written a letter condemning the actions of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, both ostensible Methodists. They are sending out the letter as part ... Read More
Abortion Grows Under Bush
Friday October 22, 2004
The traditional assumption is that if a person is opposed to abortion they should vote for the candidate who is most likely to criminalize abortion. But what if that is ... Read More
Religion in the South after the Civil War
Friday October 22, 2004
Recently Received: Rebuilding Zion: The Religious Reconstruction of the South, 1863-1877, by Daniel W. Stowell. Publisher: Oxford University Press.
Churches in the South played a crucial political and social role during ... Read More
More on Bush's Suppression of Dissent
Thursday October 21, 2004
The other day I wrote about three teachers ejected from a Bush speech because they dared to wear t-shirts emblazoned with the slogan "Protect Our Civil Liberties." More information about ... Read More
Catholic vs. Protestant Commandments
Thursday October 21, 2004
In debates of posting the Ten Commandments in government buildings or constructing monuments to them, there is one crucial issue that is often missed: there is more than one version ... Read More
Can You Be Ordered Not to Have Kids?
Thursday October 21, 2004
Many people argue that there is no "right to privacy" that includes a right to be able to control one's reproduction and, hence, a right to things like abortion or ... Read More
Business Professors Flunk Bush
Thursday October 21, 2004
George W. Bush has at times been called the "CEO President," in part because he wants to run the government like a business and in part because he seems to ... Read More
New Hampshire: No Apologies, Resignation from Gay Bishop
Thursday October 21, 2004
The Anglican report may have condemned the elevation of an openly gay man to the position of bishop, but Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson won't resign and won't apologize. He ... Read More
The Word of the President of the United States
Thursday October 21, 2004
Would you accept a course of action that could lead to war and perhaps the death of millions on the word of the President of the United States? Probably not. ... Read More
FFRF: Gaylor Steps Down
Thursday October 21, 2004
For almost thirty years Anne Nicol Gaylor has been at the helm of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. She is, after all, the one who founded it in 1976 and ... Read More
Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Crusades: 1245 - 1300
Thursday October 21, 2004
The Seventh and Eighth Crusades were led by King Louis IX of France and they were complete failures. In the Seventh Crusade Louis sailed to Egypt in 1248 and recaptured ... Read More
Theological Prostitute
Thursday October 21, 2004
Philip Jensen, Anglican Dean of Sydney, Australia, has called the Archbishop of Canterbury a "theological prostitute." That's actually one of the milder comments of his about the current state of ... Read More
California: Religion Pushed on Kids at Public School
Thursday October 21, 2004
Parents at the Desert Sands Unified School District in La Quinta, California, are upset because they feel that religion has so pervaded the middle school that an atmosphere of coercive ... Read More
This Date in History: Catholicism & Politics
Thursday October 21, 2004
October 21, 1960: In Puerto Rico, a pastoral letter from Roman Catholic leader prohibited any Catholics from voting for candidates in the Popular Democratic Party led by Governor Luis Muñoz ... Read More
Pennsylvania: Dover Schools to Teach Intelligent Design
Thursday October 21, 2004
It has been tried many times in many different places, but for the first time ever a school board has actually decided to introduce "Intelligent" [sic] Design into the curriculum ... Read More
Pennsylvania: Gay Marriage Lawsuit Tossed
Thursday October 21, 2004
A judge has tossed out a lawsuit over gay marriage - but it's not quite what you may think. Two men tried to obtain a marriage license and were refused. ... Read More
Catholicism, Contraception, and Misogyny
Thursday October 21, 2004
There is a growing movement to deny women access to birth control pills through the guise of "conscience clauses." The argument is that pharmacists have a right to refuse to ... Read More
Christianity vs. Islam
Thursday October 21, 2004
Recently Received: First Crusade, the: A New History, The Roots of Conflict Between Christianity and Islam, by Thomas Asbridge. Publisher: Oxford University Press.
The First Crusade was one of the most ... Read More
Kerry Prayer Team?
Wednesday October 20, 2004
Does John Kerry need your prayers? Some seem to think so. They also seem to be doing much the same thing that we see among conservative evangelicals: turning political elections ... Read More
The World According to Ann Coulter
Wednesday October 20, 2004
Ann Coulter is very popular with conservatives in America. They buy her books, read her newspaper columns, and invite her on their talk shows. Many insist that she doesn't really ... Read More
White House Suppressing 9/11 Report?
Wednesday October 20, 2004
In June the CIA's inspector general's office completed a report on the 9/11 terrorist attacks that addresses various intelligence and government failures. What's that you say, you haven't heard of ... Read More
Vatican Denies the Kerry is Excommunicated
Wednesday October 20, 2004
Yesterday I wrote about a report that Kerry was "automatically excommunicated" for supporting legal abortion. This was an "unofficial" statement from the Vatican, but I wrote that what counts is ... Read More
Sixth Crusade: 1222 - 1244
Wednesday October 20, 2004
Launched in 1228, the Sixth Crusade achieved some small measure of success — though not by military might. It was led by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, King ... Read More
Creationist Book Stays At Grand Canyon
Wednesday October 20, 2004
Late last year the Bush administration decided to start selling a creationist book at the Grand Canyon park bookstore. This caused an outcry among scientists, especially when the administration also ... Read More
Who Will Atheists Vote For?
Wednesday October 20, 2004
It seems that atheists elsewhere in the world are curious as to how atheists in America will be voting in the upcoming presidential election. Which of the candidates best reflect ... Read More
This Date in History: Crusaders in Antioch
Wednesday October 20, 2004
October 20, 1097: The first Crusaders arrived at Antioch.
Protestant Churches in Germany
Wednesday October 20, 2004
A few days ago I wrote about the financial problems being experienced by Catholic churches in Germany. At the time I said that "I'd be interested to learn whether the ... Read More
Politicizing National Security
Wednesday October 20, 2004
Bush's national security adviser Condoleezza Rice has made an unprecedented number of speeches in the final weeks before the election - all in hotly contested battleground states, too. Coincidence? Not ... Read More
Bush: We Won't Have Casualties in Iraq
Wednesday October 20, 2004
Pat Robertson, of all people, warned George W. Bush back in March, 2003, that he should prepare the American people for the fact that war with Iraq would be difficult, ... Read More
Iran: 13-Year-Old Girl Sentenced to Death for Incest
Wednesday October 20, 2004
In Iran, a 13-year-old girl has been sentenced to death because her 15-year-old brother got her pregnant. The boy, of course, doesn't face a death sentence - he'll only be ... Read More
Illusion of "Shock & Awe" - American Militarism and Iraq
Wednesday October 20, 2004
Fascination with militarism and military power are dangerous for any society to have, but especially for a society with an unmatched military force like the United States. It's clear that ... Read More
Jim Towey on Faith & Government
Tuesday October 19, 2004
One of the hallmarks of George W. Bush's presidency is his idea that religious organizations shouldn't be prevented from discriminating in order to receive government grants for community programs. This ... Read More
Pro-Bush Thug Won't Be Prosecuted
Tuesday October 19, 2004
During a Bush appearance in Portland, Oregon, Bush supporter Rosemary Kriegel forcibly put her hand over the mouth of protestor Kendra Lloyd-Knox. The protestor's head was shoved backward and in ... Read More
Defending Bush = Defending God
Tuesday October 19, 2004
One would think that George W. Bush's refusal to acknowledge having made any mistakes during his presidency would cause a lot of people to doubt and question his fitness for ... Read More
I'm Not Sorry
Tuesday October 19, 2004
No, this isn't a personal apology from me. This is a about a newly created campaign about abortion: instead being ashamed of having had an abortion, women who have undergone ... Read More
Sinclair Bureau Chief Decries Propaganda, Gets Fired
Tuesday October 19, 2004
Not everyone in the Sinclair organization agrees with the company's decision to air a partisan anti-Kerry program commercial-free just days before the national election. Jon Leiberman, the Washington Bureau Chief, ... Read More
Fifth Crusade: 1215 - 1221
Tuesday October 19, 2004
The Fifth Crusade was called in 1217 and only two European leaders participated: Leopold VI of Austria and Andrew II of Hungary. They captured the city of Damietta but after ... Read More
Anglican Prelates Unapologetic
Tuesday October 19, 2004
The Anglican church commission given the task of trying to deal with the status of gays and the Episcopal Church's decision to elevate an openly gay man to the position ... Read More
Discussion: Shameless Republicans
Tuesday October 19, 2004
A forum member writes: I just participated in the most inflammatory telephone poll I could possibly even imagine. Questions included:
"Do you think homosexuals should have special rights to destroy the ... Read More
Kerry Excommunication Moving Forward?
Tuesday October 19, 2004
Will John Kerry be excommunicated from the Catholic Church? Some hope so and are working to make it happen. Marc Balestrier, head of the conservative Catholic group De Fide, has ... Read More
This Date in History: Campus Crusade for Christ
Tuesday October 19, 2004
October 19, 1921: Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, was born.
Wiccans Upset Christian Neighbors
Tuesday October 19, 2004
For some Christians, having neighbors of a different religion isn't easy to bear - and it's even worse when those neighbors are Wiccans. In Oregon, one community is up in ... Read More
Bush Doesn't Attend Church?
Tuesday October 19, 2004
Many people see George W. Bush's religion as one of his most important and defining factors. He certainly doesn't do anything to disabuse people of this. He speaks often of ... Read More
Atheism of the Gaps
Tuesday October 19, 2004
Many religious believers have a real problem with materialism. Modern science works from the practical assumption of materialism: science exists to explain and predict how the world works and that ... Read More
Religious Freedoms and America
Tuesday October 19, 2004
Book of the Day: Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land: A History of Church and State in America, by Edwin S. Gaustad.
The principle that church and state are both best ... Read More
Abortion & Democracy
Monday October 18, 2004
One of the complaints often raised by anti-abortion activists is the fact that abortion was legalized through a decision of the Supreme Court rather than through an act of Congress ... Read More
Politics of the Pledge of Allegiance
Monday October 18, 2004
Religious conservatives know that the legal arguments against the phrase "under God" being in the Pledge of Allegiance are strong and arguably stronger than those for leaving it in there. ... Read More
Ireland: Lawmakers Review Gay Rights
Monday October 18, 2004
Ireland may be a predominantly Catholic nation, but it has been making a lot of progress in areas of civil rights that have been traditionally restricted in the name of ... Read More
Gay Marriage All About Profits?
Monday October 18, 2004
Is the effort to legalize gay marriage just a plot to gain economic benefits that people aren't otherwise entitled to? Some think so - they argue that it's all about ... Read More
David Limbaugh: Christians Must Fight Secular Values
Monday October 18, 2004
There are many conservative Christians in America who believe that the American government should be responsible for promoting their religious beliefs. Apparently the churches they support can't do the job ... Read More
Cathar & Baltic Crusades: 1208 - 1300
Monday October 18, 2004
The Baltic Crusade was launched in the north by Berthold, Bishop of Buxtehude (Uexküll), against local pagans. Fighting lasted until 1410 when at the Battle of Tannenberg forces from Poland ... Read More
George W. Bush: President or Prophet?
Monday October 18, 2004
When George W. Bush was elected, did he think that he was elected to become President or Prophet? It's difficult to know for sure because so much of the religious ... Read More
Discussion: Mystery of the Bulge - Is Bush Being Prompted?
Monday October 18, 2004
A forum member writes: I must say that this doesn't surprise me at all. Being a public speaker is difficult, and if you are not prepared, or if you lack ... Read More
This Date in History: Martin Luther
Monday October 18, 2004
October 18, 1512: Martin Luther received his doctorate of theology from Wittenberg. Martin Luther (1483-1547) is the person who is widely regarded as having really got the Protestant Reformation ... Read More
T-Shirt Police At Bush Speech
Monday October 18, 2004
No, this isn't a repeated story. A couple back in July were ticketed for trespassing merely because they wore anti-Bush t-shirts at a Bush speech that was paid for by ... Read More
Faith-Based Presidency
Monday October 18, 2004
George W. Bush regards himself as a Messianic figure chosen by God to lead the United States. He eschews reading, critical thinking, skepticism, investigative analysis, listening to dissenters, or any ... Read More
Why Evangelicals Should Vote Against Bush
Monday October 18, 2004
Conventional wisdom holds that Bush's presidency rests largely upon the support of evangelical Christians. This may be true, but it doesn't mean that it is necessarily appropriate for evangelicals to ... Read More
California Atheist Lives With Harassment
Sunday October 17, 2004
Atheists are often the victim of harassment and abuse if they dare to be open and outspoken about their beliefs. Not all communities are a problem, but enough are that ... Read More
Tennessee: Vibrating Sponge Duck Declared Sex Toy
Sunday October 17, 2004
A woman in Tennessee has tried to sell a yellow sponge in the shape a of duck and the authorities are upset - because the duck vibrates. Is vibrating really ... Read More
Christians Complain About Sunday Halloween
Sunday October 17, 2004
In 2004 Halloween falls on a Sunday and, in certain highly religious communities this is causing a problem. Some Christians consider it an insult to celebrate the day on their ... Read More
GOP Gays Sue Military Over Ban
Sunday October 17, 2004
Conservative gays have joined in the fight to end the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy that forces homosexual soldiers out if their orientation becomes known. A lawsuit has been ... Read More
Jews Spitting on Priests in Jerusalem
Sunday October 17, 2004
Jews spitting on Christian priests in Jerusalem? It may sound surprising but in fact it's a common problem that priests don't generally complain about because little is done when they ... Read More
Fourth Crusade: 1198 - 1207
Sunday October 17, 2004
Launched in 1202, the Fourth Crusade was in part instigated by Venetian leaders who saw it as a means to increase their power and influence. Crusaders who arrived in Venice ... Read More
Republicans, Racism, and Apartheid
Sunday October 17, 2004
During their debate, John Edwards brought forward the fact that while in Congress Dick Cheney voted in support of the apartheid regime of South Africa. Considering past conservative support for ... Read More
Any Ole God Will Do
Sunday October 17, 2004
Many Americans consider theism so important that they would prefer that one believe in some god, any god, rather than no gods at all. This is probably why atheists are ... Read More
This Date in History: Spanish Inquisition
Sunday October 17, 2004
October 17, 1483: Pope Sixtus IV launched the Spanish Inquisition, placing it under joint administration of both the church and the state. Tomas de Torquemada, 63, was appointed Grand Inquisitor ... Read More
Imperious Judiciary?
Sunday October 17, 2004
A federal judge recently tossed out the results of a vote in Louisiana to ban gay marriage because such measures are only supposed to have one measure being voted on, ... Read More
Errors in the Da Vinci Code
Sunday October 17, 2004
Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code is a wildly popular book and many people believe that much of what the book says is true, even though it is class