The New Atheist

Where's Your Messiah Now: Priest in Drunk Tank Offers Sex to Police

2011-03-03T08:06:00.000-08:00

Nothing says "save your soul" like a prison blow job!

Bill O'Reilly Thinks God Causes the Tides

2011-01-06T14:00:00.000-08:00

It's unclear whether he believes thunder is, in fact, angels bowling.

New Symphony of Science - A Wave of Reason

2010-11-22T14:17:00.000-08:00

I love these. Enjoy

Are the Origins of Morality Found in Science?

2010-11-12T10:17:00.000-08:00

Atheist heavyweights like Steven Pinker, Sam Harris, and Lawrence Krauss discuss what makes us moral beings at Arizona State University (sadly, I was not in attendance).

God's Promise to Noah Proves Global Warming is a Lie

2010-11-10T13:15:00.000-08:00

Just when I thought the climate change debate couldn't get anymore lowbrow, Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) has given the American Right a whole new reason to deny climate science (other than Al Gore’s weight).

I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you that Mr. Shimkus’ logic is air tight. His argument is well thought out and thorough. What’s his hypothesis? Global Warming can’t exist because god promised Noah he wouldn’t destroy the Earth again. I couldn't make this shit up.

Via Daily Kos

So THAT'S What He Did The Seventh Day

2010-11-09T11:15:00.000-08:00

Click to Enlarge

Via God Comics

A Truly Amazing View of the Sun

2010-11-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

See More of Alan Friedman's Beautiful Photography

Via MSNBC Photo Blog:

Look at the stunning results Astrophotographer Alan Friedman produced from his backyard in Buffalo, N.Y., when he put a webcam and a telescope together in front of a high-end filter.

Using a specialized hydrogen alpha filter, Friedman is able to look at the deep red end of the light spectrum and capture the action of hydrogen gas in the atmosphere of the sun using an industrial webcam.

A Tasty Snack for the Atheist on the Go

2010-09-10T15:46:00.000-07:00

Can I get that with extra baby?

Off Topic: Slow Motion Awesomeness

2010-07-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

Via The Daily Dish

Tempus II from Philip Heron on Vimeo.

We Are Merely Primates

2010-07-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

A friend posted this on my Facebook wall recently. While I love Radio Lab, I hadn’t heard it before. It’s the story of Lucy, a chimpanzee raised from birth as a human. She learned sign language, could string words (and thus ideas) together, kept a pet cat, masturbated to Playgirl, and could even make her own tea. Her story is as insightful as it is sad and further calls into question what we really know about animal cognition. I highly recommend it.

This is a slide show of Lucy's almost human life, including the haunting picture discussed in the program.

Lucy from Radiolab on Vimeo.

Great Venn Diagram

2010-07-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

Tea Party Darling Says God Wants Her to Win

2010-07-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

Sharron Angle, the Republican candidate who recently said that the establishment clause was unconstitutional, and that Thomas Jefferson was simply misquoted, has dropped another delusional theist whopper: God wants her to win.

Unfortunately for Sharron, God, whose omnipotence is unquestioned by 79% of Americans seems to be struggling to put some momentum behind his pick for the Nevada senate race. Nevada and national Republican politicians have already begun declaring Reid the strongest candidate, and in some cases have even offered their endorsements. (As is the case of Reno’s mayor and his wife)

It appears Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, whose reelection was once thought impossible, has received his own gift from God, Sharron Angle.

You better believe that when Angle’s campaign implodes on itself and the Nevada GOP forms a circular firing squad, I will be the first to ask Sharron: Where is your Messiah now?

Priest Accused of Stealing $1M to Fund Posh Gay Lifestyle

2010-07-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

Police say a Catholic priest stole to $1 million dollars from the church over the course of seven years to fund his double life as a gay man.

Reverend Kevin Gray is accused of spending the stolen money on things like “male escorts, designer goods, restaurant meals and hotel stays,” but also took out credit cards for a man he met at a strip club, and an escort. They charged up $67,000 and $50,000 respectively. For his piece de la resistance, Mr. Gray went all out, paying for an Upper East Side apartment for a 35 year old man. Oh yeah, and the man’s Harvard tuition, shouldn’t forget that.

To his credit Rev. Gray admitted he was gay, and said he ‘has a problem’ with the church’s stand on homosexuality.

Crazy Old Lady Went To Hell; Jesus Taunts the Fat Kid on the Bus

2010-07-02T09:55:00.000-07:00

Mary K Baxter says she spent 90 hours in Hell. Now she wants to save your soul with her cautionary tale. All you have to do is buy her book!

My favorite part is when Jesus, in all his omnibenevolence, walks around with her just rubbing it everyone’s face. To those he had damned, his message was on par with the maturity you expect from the creator of the Universe:

“You could have accepted my salvation, but you didn’t! Now look at you! Boom shakalaka, boom shakalaka, boom, shakalaka…boom.”

Okay, maybe that is an exaggeration, but who hates on people already in Hell? As if eternal torment isn’t enough, now you have to endure the Boss’s kid's schadenfreude? Thanks, dick.

Good news, she also went to Heaven. The rest of her interview is just as nutty, but for bandwidth reasons I won't post them here.

You can watch her full sales pitch here.

....And So Does Sharon Angle

2010-06-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

Sharon Angle (NV-Sen) says the establishment clause is unconstitutional, and that Thomas Jefferson (who was recently removed from Texas school books) was simply misquoted.

Via Politico:

Ralston pressed Angle on her comments to the state Assembly in 1995 that the “tenet of the separation of church and state is an unconstitutional doctrine.” When Ralston insisted that the separation of church and state is indeed in the Constitution, Angle disagreed.

“No it doesn’t, Jon. No it doesn’t,” Angle said. “Actually, Thomas Jefferson has been misquoted like I’ve been misquoted out of context.”

Rand Paul Hates Science; Puppies

2010-06-30T10:48:00.000-07:00

Pandering to a group of evangelical Kentucky "home ~~creationists~~ educators", Rand Paul essentially refused to go on record as to whether he believes in science or fantasy. To be elected as a Republican in the United States (the country to land a man on the moon, invent the internet, split the atom, etc.) you can't publicly admit that the only foundation of truth lies in science. This is true for not only the originals of the universe and our species, but with global warming as well.

To his credit, he did come out against a national religion, and faith-based initiatives.

TOY WIN!

2010-06-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

I have got to get one of these.

The GodFellas

2010-06-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the link, Katskradle84.

Patriarchy, FTW

2010-06-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

A woman concerned over her husband’s flirting made the mistake of asking Christian misogynist Pat Robertson for advice. His answer, which is essentially “look hotter and don’t be such a naggy bitch”, should come as no surprise.

Via Think Progress:

Roberts has a long history of making outrageously chauvinistic comments. He famously once said, “The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women,” but is rather “a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.” On the proper role of a wife, Robertson has said, “Christ is the head of the household and the husband is the head of the wife, and that’s the way it is, period.”

In Saudi Arabia, Kissing Earns You 90 Lashes

2010-06-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

Seeking to up hold their mandate to stomp out any co-mingling of the sexes in public, Saudi religious police arrested a man and two women for “engaging in immoral movements in front of other shoppers”. A young couple was seen via surveillance video “exchanging kisses and hugs.”

The man was sentenced to ninety lashes over three sessions, and some jail time. There is no word on the woman’s sentence; only that she would be tried in “another court”. It doesn’t take a theologian to know that the woman’s punishment is likely to be much harsher than his 90 lashes.

Sadly, this young lady can consider herself lucky to be in ~~“moderate”~~ “not as crazy” Saudi Arabia. I’m sure had she been caught making out in many other countries, she would have been stoned by now. For Muslim women, the punishment never fits the crime.

Also, I wonder why they arrested a second woman.

Via AZ Central:

The kingdom's powerful religious police, under the control of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, enforce Saudi Arabia's strict interpretation of Islam, which prohibits unrelated men and women from mingling.

Zealous officers routinely jail unrelated couples found sitting together in restaurants or coffee shops.

The policemen also patrol public places to ensure women are covered and not wearing makeup, shops close five times a day for Muslim prayers and men go to the mosque and worship.

[…]

King Abdullah has been encouraging change in the oil-rich kingdom since becoming crown prince in 1982, and has intensified his efforts since assuming the throne in 2005.

[…]

But in April, the head of the religious police fired the chief of the Mecca branch for suggesting that women and men should be able to mix freely, showing that such reforms have their limits.

Church Forces Teen Rape Victim to Apologize

2010-06-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

Women: God's Favorite Scapegoat

This is absolutely sickening. I think that stories like this are evidence that even pastors and priests don’t really believe the dribble they sell to their minions. I mean, how could a “real Christian” actually bring themselves to rape a teenager? More importantly, how could the church she confided in blame her for the crime, and then work to cover it up? It’s appalling yes, but far from unusual. God just hates those women so much!

Via Women’s Rights at Change.org:

In 1997, 15-year-old Tina Anderson became pregnant after being raped repeatedly by an older man she knew from church. Shockingly, when her pastor found out, he forced her to apologize in front of the entire congregation in Concord, New Hampshire, and then promptly helped whisk her away to live in Colorado.

According to Tina, the first time she was raped by Ernest Willis, it was in the backseat of car after he'd given her a driving lesson. She didn't tell anyone because she was terrified that she'd be blamed. After being raped by Willis again, Tina became pregnant. Willis, ever the vile human-being, offered to drive her out-of-state for an abortion or to punch her in the stomach to cause a miscarriage. It was at this point that Tina confided in her mother, who in turn notified their pastor, Chuck Phelps.

It turns out, she was right was right to fear being blamed. In a disgusting turn of events, Phelps told Tina she would have to go before the entire congregation to apologize for her sins. Excuse me? It seems that Phelps explained to Tina that while Willis "may have been 99 percent responsible," she need to confess to her "1 percent guilt in the situation."

After Tina acquiesced in this humiliating act of victim-blaming, the church and her family shipped her off to live in Colorado against her wishes, where she was instructed to give the baby up for adoption. While Phelps did contact the police about Willis — you know, since he was 99% guilty and all — it became nearly impossible for them to do anything about it since Tina was now hidden away in Colorado.

A Little Ditty

2010-05-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

This is pretty catchy! Thanks, Terrible Tim.

So, That's How it Happened!

2010-05-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

Via Godless Blogger

Thunderf00t Reflects on our Victory

2010-05-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone that sent in their drawings!

"Why We Won on Draw Mohammad Day"

Farfour, the Jihadi Mouse

2010-05-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

I’ve often said that religion wouldn’t exist without child indoctrination. No one is born a theist, we all enter the world as natural atheists, and it is only through the efforts of others that we are given a deity. Faith is so objectionable to the mind that we would almost certainly reject it if we weren’t conditioned from infancy to accept it.

I’ve posted some pretty ridiculous examples of child indoctrination (1, 2, 3, …), but these videos from Hamas give the Westboro Baptist Church goosebumps. They feature a Mickey Mouse rip off, Farfour, whose curriculum isn’t exactly what you would expect from a children’s show.

Apparently the video is part of a series, and after watching two I don’t care to see anymore. In this video, the last in the series, Farfour is murdered by Israeli agents for refusing to sell out Palestine. It looks like the expectation of martyrdom is set very early. When I was that girl’s age, I was watching Beckman’s World and Mr. Wizard.

Mohammed Drawings!

2010-05-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

Our celebration of "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day"! We are not afaid, and we will not submit. Viva free speech!

Tenkins

Name witheld by request

The New Agnostic

Randy

Ayesha

The Drunken Humanist

Andy

1950s Premake: The Empire Strikes Back

2010-05-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

Via Wesley Crusher:

Defend Free Speech: We Will Not Submit!

2010-05-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

As good atheists, you probably already know that this Thursday, May 20, 2010 is “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day”. This celebration of free speech was originally envisioned by Molly Norris, an artist from Seattle, in response to the recent South Park censorship controversy. The meme has found traction on the internet and its controversy is starting to swell. Molly herself has completely backed off it, saying that the cartoon she drew specifically calling for May 20, 2010 to be “Everybody Draw Mohammad Day” didn’t really mean that after all. Given Islam’s penchant for violence, I can’t say I blame Ms. Norris for trying to put the genie back in the bottle, but the thoroughness of her back pedaling would make John “Don’t call me Maverick” McCain blush. Maybe Molly, as she says, really is concerned that her expression of free speech will lead to “hurt” and “offense” among Allah’s peeps. Or maybe as I suspect, Molly is (rightfully) scared to death.

Molly’s website is worth checking out, as it has been completely devoted to trying to kill the new holiday before the new holiday gets her killed. She writes an apology, posts random pictures the new Miss USA (/drool), has some anti-“Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” videos, and declares May 20, 2010 ought to be “Everybody Draw Al Gore Day”. Molly, in her desperation, even goes as far as to deface her own cartoon with ridiculous apologies and thinly veiled pleas for mercy. This kind of groveling is pretty sad to see, especially when considering that Molly hasn’t done anything wrong.

Free speech is essential to our society, and without it western civilization would cease to exist. It is a shockingly fragile thing, and we should with all deliberateness resist any attempt to erode it, especially when faced with violent intimidation. As such, I encourage all my readers to take part Thursday’s defense of our most precious right. Help take some of the pressure off Molly, and give the people who have so effectively terrified her, a clear message. We will not submit.

Your drawings don’t have to be offensive, a simple stick figure, or a smiley face will suffice. After all, who is to say what represents Mohammed and what doesn’t? That was the whole point of the now infamous South Park episode, a point so beautifully illustrated by Molly Norris. If you want, you can email them to me, and I will post them here for all to see. I’m already begun brain storming mine.

"Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" is on Facebook.

Thunderf00t puts it much better than I:

Conservatives Attack Republican Candidate for Believing in Evolution

2010-05-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

The Republican’s Great Purge continues as “The True Republican”, a conservative political action committee, took aim at a Republican candidate for governor of Alabama, Bradley Byrne. Why is Mr. Byrne under attack from a right-wing PAC? For believing in evolution, among other "liberal" tendences. (See the attack ad below)

Bradley Byrne was quoted earlier this year in a local newspaper suggesting some parts of bible were meant as analogy, and in 2001 expressing support for evolution. In a state where 8 of 10 Republican voters consider themselves evangelical Christians, the blistering attack has forced Mr. Byrne to do some serious backtracking. Going with the “Shaggy Defense”, Bynre is crying foul; saying the newspaper misrepresented his views, and he has always been a strict literalist. Seeing vulnerability on Bynre’s right flank, his campaign went as far as to issue a statement insisting that:

“I believe the Bible is the Word of God and that every single word of it is true”.

Apparently fearing the possibility that he could be out-kooked still exists, Byrne went for the gusto:

“As a member of the Alabama Board of Education, the record clearly shows that I fought to ensure the teaching of creationism in our school text books.”

Is it still possible to get elected as a Republican in this country without being a pandering, science-denying, xenophobic, homophobic douche?

Cartoonist Attacked While Crowd Chants “God is Great”

2010-05-11T16:16:00.000-07:00

After watching the video, is there any doubt in your mind of what would had happened to Mr. Vilks if the police weren't there? A religion of peace, indeed.

Via Huffington Post:

A Swedish artist [Lars Vilks] who angered Muslims by depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a dog was assaulted Tuesday as furious protesters interrupted his university lecture about the limits of free speech.

[…]

A video clip of the incident by a Swedish newspaper showed police using pepper spray and batons to hold off an angry crowd shouting "God is great" in Arabic after Vilks was escorted out of the lecture hall.

[…]

Vilks has faced numerous threats over his controversial drawing of Muhammad with a dog's body, but Tuesday's incident was the first physical assault directed against him.

Earlier this year U.S. investigators said Vilks was the target of an alleged murder plot involving Colleen LaRose, an American woman who dubbed herself "Jihad Jane," and who now faces life in prison. She has pleaded not guilty.

[…]

Uppsala University spokeswoman Pernilla Bjork said Vilks was showing an excerpt from a film by an Iranian artist about Islam and homosexuality that had been banned from YouTube when the commotion started.

"It was about when Muslims and Muhammad are represented in homosexual situations," said Anders Montelius, a 23-year-old student who attended the lecture.

"Some people started shouting, things happened really fast. About 10-15 seconds later it erupts. A guy from the front row gets up and sets upon Vilks. Several others followed this man. There was commotion and police pepper-sprayed a couple of people," Montelius told AP.

"When the university person responsible for the lecture announced that the lecture was discontinued, there were cheers and chants in Arabic," he said.

Amazing View of Uranus (hehe)

2010-05-07T15:52:00.000-07:00

Via 3D Astronomer:

This image is a never-before-seen astronomical alignment of a moon traversing the face of Uranus, and its accompanying shadow. The white dot near the center of Uranus’ blue-green disk is the icy moon Ariel. The 700-mile-diameter satellite is casting a shadow onto the cloud tops of Uranus. To an observer on Uranus, this would appear as a solar eclipse, where the moon briefly blocks out the Sun as its shadow races across Uranus’s cloud tops. Though such “transits” by moons across the disks of their parents are commonplace for some other gas giant planets, such as Jupiter, the satellites of Uranus orbit the planet in such a way that they rarely cast shadows on the planet’s surface. Uranus is tilted so that its spin axis lies nearly in its orbital plane. The planet is essentially tipped over on its side.

Where's Your Messiah Now: Lord Jesus Christ Hit By Car

2010-05-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing God hates more than women, it's women drivers. I hope Ms. Cantarella isn't a lesbian.

Via MSNBC:

Police say a Pittsfield woman has been cited for running down a man named Lord Jesus Christ as he crossed a street in Northampton on Tuesday.

The 50-year-old man is from Belchertown. Officers checked his ID and discovered that, indeed, his legal name is Lord Jesus Christ. He was taken to the hospital for treatment of minor facial injuries and later released, according to the local paper, The Republican.

Police say 20-year-old Brittany Cantarella was cited for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

Lego Star Wars

2010-05-05T13:37:00.000-07:00

Fucking epic.

Via The Daily Dish

Analogy-in-Chief

2010-05-04T14:51:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, this is what American politics has become.

Thanks to my tweep, Yeggo.

You Know, Einstein Believed in God...

2010-04-30T15:47:00.000-07:00

Behold!

Via Letters of Note:

October 25, 1950

Mr. Morton Berkowitz
365 New York Ave.
Brooklyn N.Y.

Dear Mr. Berkowitz:

I felt very grateful receiving your kind letter of October 24th. Such utterances are the finest reward for an author.

My position concerning God is that of an agnostic. I am convinced that vivid consciousness of the primary importance of moral principles for the betterment and enoblement of life does not need the idea of a law-giver, especially a law-giver who works on the basis of reward and punishment

I am sending you under separate cover two books of mine containing occasional writings where you will find more about this subject.

Sincerely yours,

(Signed, 'A. Einstein.')

Albert Einstein.

Do Government Workers Make Twice as Much as You?

2010-04-30T13:13:00.000-07:00

A friend posted this on Facebook this morning. It’s an editorial in The Washington Examiner, but really is just a teaser from the CATO institute. The author sets out to expose the gross disparity between the pay of government employees verse that of their private sector colleagues. He does a very effective job and after reading his "editorial", you ought to be quite upset. Quick, someone get my tri-corner hat, gun, flag, and bible!

Via The Washington Examiner:

For decades, public sector unions have peddled the fantasy that government employees were paid less than their counterparts in the private sector. In fact, the pay disparity is the other way around. Government workers, especially at the federal level, make salaries that are scandalously higher than those paid to private sector workers. And let's not forget private sector workers not only have to be sufficiently productive to earn their paychecks, they also must pay the taxes that support the more generous jobs in the public sector.

[…]

As of 2008, the average federal salary was $119,982, compared with $59,909 for the average private sector employee. In other words, the average federal bureaucrat makes twice as much as the average working taxpayer.

[…]

With the federal deficit and national debt heading into the stratosphere, taxpayers can no longer afford to support such lucrative government compensation. Public sector pay and benefits at all levels should be reduced to make it comparable to the wages and benefits earned by the average working taxpayer. The first politician to propose a five-year plan for this purpose is likely to be cheered mightily by taxpayers.! [sic]

Hmm, it certainly sounds bad, doesn’t it? I can’t believe these big government types are making so much money in their swank government offices, with their government issued monocles, and socialized medicine.

Well, this isn't so surprising when you consider most government jobs require some post high school education. Let’s not forget that a lot of government positions are highly specialized, requiring security clearances, and other credentials.

The federal government, the nation’s largest single employer, it gives work to 2 million people. In our pool of federal employees we have engineers, scientists, doctors, lawyers, judges, law enforcement types, the military, congress, and the president - to name a few. Notice there are no fast food workers, pool boys, day laborers, dog walkers, waitresses, janitors, car audio salesmen, strip club DJs, or even lowly marketing reps (cough).

Now let’s look at the private sector workforce, the other 98 million people. Again we have scientists, doctors, lawyers, bankers, business people of all kinds, and yes, there are even fast food workers, pool boys, day laborers, dog walkers, waitresses, janitors, car audio salesmen, strip club DJs , and thankfully lowly marketing reps. I’m sure by now you see where I’m going, but please continue.

To compare a sample of 2 million people that doesn’t include any of the lowest earners to an exponentially larger sample of 98 million, which includes the whole lot by the way, isn’t exactly an objective analysis of the situation. Further, the Washington Examiner and the CATO Institute painting this as if somehow government employees are getting paid twice as much to flip burgers are you are is - at best - disingenuous. Seeing as this is coming from CATO, I’m going to just do ahead and say it’s purposely misleading.

For every judge, lawyer, doctor, FBI agent, CIA analyst, military officer, and scientist the federal government employs, how many janitors does it add to its payroll? Note, a janitor, even a *gasp* illegal one, makes more than minimum wage.

Now, I know there are those who will say that the government shouldn’t be paying any of those people, and that is a fundamental difference in opinion on the role of government. That isn’t what I’m here to debate. I just saying this comparison is clearly flawed, and judging from its source, and the language used by the Examiner, its only purpose is to agitate the base with yet another red herring.

UPDATE: PolitiFact.com tackled this in January.

A Very Catchy Ditty

2010-04-29T16:46:00.000-07:00

Just try not to get it stuck in your head. That could lead to some problems and/or hilariousness.

Via Pharungula

Holy Fuck! Check Out This Crazy Bitch

2010-04-28T15:48:00.000-07:00

This happened at Midwestern State University (Texas), a public university. I love how they just continue the ceremony while this idiot is having someone sort of Jesus-induced seizure.

The Internet: Where Religions Come To Die

2010-04-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

Yet another amazing video from ThunderF00t making it's way around the internets.

Thunderf00t Stands Up for South Park

2010-04-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

Arizona Now Most Mocked State in the Union; Texas Promises Comeback

2010-04-27T12:50:00.003-07:00

Jon Stewart skewers Arizona over the series of ridiculous laws that have made my home state infamous.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Law & Border

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

In Death, Chimps Reveal Their Humanity

2010-04-26T15:07:00.000-07:00

A mother protects her baby's corpse from scavangers

This reminds me of an old post about chimps mourning a dead companion that really touched me. I still can’t read the quote from researcher out loud without getting choked up. I’ve been saying for years that higher order animals are much more cognizant than science currently understands. So to me, these stories are more direct evidence our common linage, and yes, even our common culture with our fellow hominids.

Via Discovery News:

From holding deathbed vigils to comforting the dying, chimpanzees face death in humanlike ways that indicate their awareness of death is probably much more developed than previously thought, suggest two new studies.

[…]

For the first study, scientists observed how three adult chimpanzees reacted when an elderly female, named Pansy, gradually passed away in an indoor enclosure at Blair Drummond Safari Park in Stirling, Scotland. The over 50-year-old Pansy had grown increasingly lethargic before lying down on the floor one day after eating.

[…]

"In the days before Pansy died, the others were notably attentive towards her, and they even altered their routine sleeping arrangements to remain by her, by sleeping on the floor in a room where they don't usually sleep," lead author James Anderson told Discovery News.

Blossom, another elderly female, and Pansy's daughter, Rosie, both stroked and groomed the dying Pansy, and sometimes just sat, subdued, beside the elderly female. Blossom's son Chippy checked to see if Pansy was alive by manipulating her arms and trying to open her mouth.

[…]

"As she died, all three were closely gathered around her, and they paid especially close attention to her face," said Anderson, who is in the Psychology Department at the University of Stirling. "After some lifting and shaking of her head and shoulders, all three moved away from her, and there was no more such contact at all."

After Pansy died, however, overhead video cameras captured Chippy jumping onto the platform with Pansy's body. He leapt into the air, brought both hands down and pounded on Pansy's torso. He later sat by the corpse, and gently removed straw from the face.

NPR covered this story today.

Troll Provided Video - James Randi's Fiery Takedown of Psychic Fraud

2010-04-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

A troll posted this demanding, "Now I want you to listen to this little f*cker...", so I did. I’m not sure what exactly he was trying to confer with the video but it’s really good. I have a special contempt Sylvia Browne, as she is the only person to my knowledge to actually be discredited by Coast to Coast AM.

April 24th, 1990

2010-04-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

April 24th, 1990 is a very important day in the history of scientific progress. It’s the day that the space shuttle Discovery delivered the now 20 year old Hubble Space Telescope (HST) into Earth orbit, and forever changed the way we view the cosmos. Since its launch, the HST has set the new standard for astronomy. For the first time in our history, we can see the cosmic landscape free of the distortion caused by the atmosphere. Hubble, which was dangerously close to becoming a national embarrassment after its main lens was cut incorrectly, has truly lead to a great leap forward. It is a quiet reminder of American ingenuity, 375 miles above our head.

Today NASA released Hubble’s latest shot, made possible by the newly installed “Wide Field 3” camera. It is a stunning view of the Carina nebula (above). MSNBC compiled a slide show up Hubble’s greatest pictures. It’s worth a look, if you are into the whole awe and humility thing.

Behold, Sol!

2010-04-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

This is an amazing picture of the surface of the sun, the one thing directly responsible for (most) life on Earth.

Click to enlarge.

Via Huffington Post:

The red granules (reminiscent of pomegranate seeds to some) are "hot, rising columns of plasma edged by dark lanes of cooler, descending plasma," APOD explains. The white dots are locales that have concentrated magnetic fields, which appear so bright because of strong magnetic pressure that "opens a window to hotter deeper layers below the photosphere," says APOD.

[...]

For a sense of scale, note that the white line in the bottom left h hand corner of the image represents 5000 kilometers.

Tired Old Man Falls Asleep Listening to Tired Old Myth

2010-04-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

Irony was lost on Sunday when Il Papa fell asleep during religious services he was leading. Is anyone surprised that even the fucking Pope couldn’t stay awake for a typical mass? Growing up Catholic, I’m sure the hell not. Is there anything more boring than Church? When God’s earthy ambassador can’t stay awake to listen the monotonous, self-aggrandizing dribble; that should be cause for introspection. To his credit, it was his birthday on Friday, so I’m sure he had a long weekend of Jesus Juice, and pre-pubescent penis.

Allah Says: Have A Problem? Blame a Woman

2010-04-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

According to “a senior Iranian cleric”, responsibility for earthquakes lies not with plate tectonics as godless scientists would have you believe, but instead falls into the lap of Islam’s favorite scapegoat, women. Specifically, women who choose not to don themselves in from head to toe in an all black burqa, or Islamo-babes as I prefer to call them.

Via Yahoo News:

"Many women who do not dress modestly ... lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which (consequently) increases earthquakes," Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi was quoted as saying by Iranian media. Sedighi is Tehran's acting Friday prayer leader.

Women in the Islamic Republic are required by law to cover from head to toe, but many, especially the young, ignore some of the more strict codes and wear tight coats and scarves pulled back that show much of the hair.

"What can we do to avoid being buried under the rubble?" Sedighi asked during a prayer sermon Friday. "There is no other solution but to take refuge in religion and to adapt our lives to Islam's moral codes."

[…]

"A divine authority told me to tell the people to make a general repentance. Why? Because calamities threaten us," Sedighi said.

[…]

Minister of Welfare and Social Security Sadeq Mahsooli said prayers and pleas for forgiveness were the best "formulas to repel earthquakes."

"We cannot invent a system that prevents earthquakes, but God has created this system and that is to avoid sins, to pray, to seek forgiveness, pay alms and self-sacrifice," Mahsooli said.

Wanted: One Deity, Mid 30's, Well Hung A++

2010-04-15T17:03:00.000-07:00

Wow, yet another well-endowed Christ? For people who really hate gays, they sure are obsessed with big dicks. Certainly explains a lot, doesn’t it?

Via Newsok.com:

"There are a couple people who have left the parish,” said the Rev. Philip Seeton, the church’s pastor. "There are people in the parish who don’t like it and have stayed.”

Critics of the crucifix take issue with what appears to be a large penis covering Jesus’ abdominal area. Seeton said the portion of the crucifix in question is meant to be Jesus’ abdomen "showing distension” — not a penis.

[…]

"I’m already very sensitive because of the pedophilia issue,” Smith said, referencing sexual abuse scandals that have plagued the Catholic Church in recent years.

Smith said she stopped going to church because of those scandals.

"This doesn’t make it any better,” Smith said.

Question

2010-04-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

Is the blog taking a long time to load for everyone? It seems to work fine in Chrome and Firefox, but always crashes Internet Explorer. I really like the new layout, but if I can't fix these performance issues it may have to be rethought. What do you think?

The Sarah Palin Network

2010-04-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

Arrest the Pope? Not So Fast

2010-04-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

By now it has become clear that the Pope was an active participant in the cover-ups, and foot dragging that became the modus operandi of the Holy See in the face of a growing sexual abuse problem. As a Cardinal, he personally lobbied against defrocking abusive priests for fear of a wider scandal. Before he was elevated to the papacy, Ratzinger was the head of the Catholic Church’s doctrinal watchdog office, the office charged with supervising and disciplining priests. During his tenure Cardinal Ratzinger’s chief concern was the "good of the universal church”, rather than the past and future victims of the priests who were under his authority. He let pending pedophilia cases languish in his office for years unaddressed, while the priests carried on in their crimes. He knew of abusive priests, but not only did he fail to act, he used his position of authority to actively work against the local dioceses trying to remove pedophiles from their ranks.

Joseph Ratzinger is at least criminally negligence, and at most downright culpable. People around the world are taking notice of the growing public fervor. Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens have already hired a prominent Australian human rights attorney, in hope that they will be able to convince a U.K. judge to issue an arrest warrant for Il Papa. An American group plans to hold a sit-in at St. Peter’s square with 50,000 victims of priestly pedophilia, both symbolically, and literally dropping the scandal at the Pope’s doorstep. Even South Park chimed in, making several references to the Pope’s crimes in their March 31st episode, Medicinal Fried Chicken.

The Pope’s arrest would be a great societal coup for secularists, perhaps our greatest. It’s obvious and painfully ironic that the only reason he hasn’t faced arrest already is his status as “God’s representative on Earth”. If he were a CEO, or a politician, he would already be confronting the consequences of his inaction. I applaud their efforts, and while their success would be the realization of my wildest dreams, unfortunately I think that Hitchens and Dawkins will fall short. The Pope still has a lot of clout around the world, and I doubt the U.K. will want to be seen as the nation to shackle the leader the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics. Further, while the Pope is not technically considered a head of state by the United Nations, there is the nebulous concept of diplomatic immunity the Pope could hide behind if the atmosphere got that ugly.

I think the absolute best we can hope for is Ratzinger’s resignation, and even that is a long shot. While it is true that past popes have resigned, there isn’t much precedence for it, and the Vatican has already said that Il Papa would never consider it. If Ratzinger’s true concern is with the “good of the universal church” as he claimed while the faithful were being molested, then he needs to ask himself how the church is better served, with a papal resignation, or a continuing papal pedophilia cover-up. The answer is obvious, and so are the Pope’s real interests.

The Atheist Biker on "Militant Atheism"

2010-04-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

This was posted on the fan page. It's pretty well done! Thanks for sharing, Atheist Biker.

RELATED: Am I Militant?

Vatican War Room

2010-04-05T11:32:00.000-07:00

(via MSNBC)

Religion Illustrationed - By Christopher Hitchens

2010-04-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

I've never been Hitchen's biggest fan, but this is worth watching.

Reaching The Stars is Easy

2010-03-31T14:58:00.000-07:00

A great new video from Phil Hellenes:

A Terrorist by Any Other Name

2010-03-31T11:49:00.000-07:00

By now, I’m sure you have heard all about Hutaree, the right-wing “Christian militia group” that was planning to murder a police officer as a catalyst for a larger ambush on the ensuing funeral. The Hutaree militiamen thought their attack would trigger a Harper’s Ferry like uprising against the government, and possibly trigger the second coming. This group, America’s answer to the Taliban, was poised for a Christian jihad.

In America, we have a problem with semantics. As a divided people, we love to use two completely different words to describe the same phenomena. This may seem harmless enough at first, but given time, its consequences can be very profound. Our politics have been diluted to buzz words and slogans. Our media has become a prisoner of its own nomenclature. We find it perfectly reasonable to call Muslim extremists “terrorists”, while their Christian counterparts are simple “militiamen”. Some, like the Southern Poverty Law Center, even go as far as to call these extremist cells mere “patriot groups”. I don’t know about you, but for me “patriot” conjures up a very different image than does “terrorist”. This is no accident.

So why does the media, and our society at large, shy away from calling the Hutaree what it is, a home grown, all-American, terrorist cell? Simply put, it’s because most of here in the United States share the “militiamen’s” religion. With religion’s “us verse them” model, coupled with our tendency as a species for tribalism; it would be unthinkable to suggest to a largely Christian nation that yes, Christianity too can produce terrorism. After all, aren’t we supposed to be the good guys?

Tribalism is in our nature. As a species we are constantly dividing ourselves into groups, and subgroups. Fear of the outsider is, and always has been, hard wired into our neurology. In America, Christianity is familiar, the “self”, and Islam is foreign, the “other”. We do everything we can to keep the self/other line drawn as clearly as possible. We are willing to endure all kinds of fuzzy logic and double standards to ensure that it’s not us, but the other guys who are the heathens. That is why when a Muslim is ready to kill for his religion, he is a terrorist, and a like-minded Christian, isn’t.

If these 9 “militiamen” were American born Pakistanis, who were otherwise pushing the exact same agenda; do you think their organization would be called patriots by anyone, under any circumstance? No, they would be labeled (appropriately) as terrorists. Religious fanaticism is just that, religious. It doesn’t manifest itself in only certain belief systems. Instead, it is a direct result of theist dogma being taken to its extreme, natural conclusion. Both al-Qaeda and Hutaree are theistic terrorist organizations. There can be no escaping it. They even worship the same deity, the god of Abraham. From a secular standpoint, they cannot be separated. The Hutaree, like al-Qaeda, was going to use their religion as a justification for atrocity. Terrorism is not solely an Islamic enterprise, but it is almost exclusively a religious one. We as a society would be wise to recognize that the threat comes from dogma in all forms, not just the ones that happen to be unfamiliar.

So I will call the Hutaree what it is, a theistic terrorist organization (TTO). We already refer to all other non-Christian TTOs as terrorists, so it’s very important we include violent Christian organizations in our TTO label, less people forget what terrorism actually is. Hutaree, Hamas, and al-Qaeda are manifestations of the same phenomena. Ours is a battle of words, and we need to stress that too often terrorism is religious violence, not just a violent religion.

Oh, and what the hell does God need with human soldiers anyway? Idiots.

The Scale of the Universe

2010-03-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

A journey from .0000000001 yoctometers to 140 yottameters.

This flash applet may take awhile to load, but it’s well worth it. Check it out!

NOTE: The loading screen is an ad for an online game, don't be scared off. Just wait for it to load to 100% and click play.

Sam Harris on Science and Morality

2010-03-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

Where's Your Messiah Now: God Abandons Favorite Gator

2010-03-25T12:08:00.001-07:00

Whether he is writing bible verses on his face or making commercials for Focus on the Family, former Florida Gator, and current douche bag Tim Tebow just can’t help throwing his religion around. Yes, Tim loves his Jesus, and he really wants you to know just how righteous he is.

In the latest example of Tim’s exhibitionism, he tried to offer a prayer before the Wonderlic test, which is essentially the SAT test of the NFL. As expected, the Lord didn’t have his back.

Via NBC Sports:

At the Scouting Combine, the Wonderlic exam is administered to players in groups. The 12-minute test is preceded by some brief instructions and comments from the person administering the test.

Per a league source, after the person administering the test to Tebow's group had finished, Tebow made a request that the players bow their heads in prayer before taking the 50-question exam.

Said one of the other players in response: "Shut the f--k up." Others players in the room then laughed.

In Bangladesh, a Human Sacrifice

2010-03-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

Via Telegraph:

Four suspects were arrested for murdering the 26-year-old bricklayer in a remote town in northern Bangladesh on the instructions of the brick-field's owners, said Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan, a local police chief.

"They said the owners were unhappy as the brick-field was not producing reddish bricks despite enough heating. A fortune teller then suggested that the brick-field needed a human sacrifice," he said.

Well, If It's Good Enough for These Guys...

2010-03-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

God Is Imaginary

2010-03-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

Haha, get it?

Via lolgod

Muslim Creationism

2010-03-12T10:38:00.000-08:00

Via lolgod

Glenn Beck: Jesus was a Commie-Nazi

2010-03-11T11:48:00.000-08:00

Last week (and again today) the bigot Glenn Beck urged his listeners leave their church if it preached social justice. Instead, Glenn claimed compassion for the have-nots, or “social justice” is just a front to impose communism and/or Nazism on an unsuspecting populous. Does Beck really think that equality leads to Nazism? This claim, like so many of Beck’s, is so absurd that only a theist would be capable of doing the mental gymnastics required to accept it.

Beck:

I beg you, look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words. Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes!"

[…]

"Communists are on the left, and the Nazis are on the right. That's what people say. But they both subscribe to one philosophy, and they flew one banner. . . . But on each banner, read the words, here in America: 'social justice.' They talked about economic justice, rights of the workers, redistribution of wealth, and surprisingly, democracy."

In a perfect world making such over-the-top statements would serve to discredit everything the man says and does, but ours isn’t a perfect world. Indeed, quite the opposite seems to be happening. The closer to the edge Beck gets, the more his followers deify him. Around three million devotees watch him every night. They hang on his every word, taking it as fact, all the while Beck himself gets more paranoid, more hateful, and more irresponsible. This tells us something very deep about the state of our society, and our politics. For the likes of Beck, Savage, and Limbaugh, American politics has become a race to the bottom.

Every day it seems like the right comes up with a new way to distort religion to conform to their political views. Remember the Conservative Bible Project? This bible is unique, as they actually change the “word of God”, rather than just offering weak minded interpretations. Simply put, they just cut out the middle man, and directly inserted their politics.

Let’s take a look, here are two “translations” of Mark 3:6.

King James Verson:

And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

Conservative Bible Project:

The Liberals then fled from the scene to plot with Herod's people against Jesus, and plan how they might destroy him.

That’s right; the liberals are now a biblical foe. What is more, it is no coincidence that’s those ~~Pharisees~~ Liberals are followers of Herod, the infanticidal ruler of the Jews. Given religion’s long history as an excuse for injustice and violence, it looks as if they are trying to make the hatred of liberals "righteous". The normalization of hate in American is something that should keep us all up at night.

Jesus Was No Capitalist.

Beck, like most theists, has no problem flatly ignoring a multitude of biblical teachings in order to enjoy the benefits of living in the modern world. Sure, the hypocrisy of the “God wants you to be rich” crowd is one of many, but this the most glaring. The sexual abuse scandals are bad, very bad, but there aren’t pro-molestation evangelical sects popping up all over the country. The God-the-capitalist movement is actually institutionalizing their hypocrisy.

You may say: “What does an atheist know about God’s preferred economic system?” Well, one only has to look to his “word” to see that he is far from Dick Armey.

Mark 10:21 And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

Luke 14:12-14 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

Luke 19:8-10 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods give to the poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost."

Luke 6:20 “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."

Luke 18:25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Matthew 19:23 Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Sorry Glenn, but you can’t have it both ways. One can’t be the all-loving savior of humanity, and embrace raw me-first capitalism. Omnibenevolence and capitalism are mutually exclusive. Like water and oil, special relativity and quantum mechanics, Ted Haggard and his sexuality; they cannot be reconciled.

If Only the Tooth Fairy Would Liberate Us

2010-03-10T09:25:00.000-08:00

Via Failblog

Minister Knew He Had HIV; Had Sex With Child Anyways

2010-03-05T14:28:00.000-08:00

Via WHAS 11:

A Shelbyville, Kentucky minister has been sentenced for having sex with a 15-year-old boy and the minister is HIV positive. And Minister James Bell admits, he knew he was HIV positive at the time of act.

[...]

The church's website says Bell is married with three children and "a man of great faith who preaches the whole counsel of God."

UPDATE: He was sentenced to only seven years.

“Infidel” Author, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Gives Lecture to Muslim Students

2010-03-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

Ayaan Hirsi Ali's story is one of personal courage and unlikely success. A Somali ex-pat, and outspoken critic of Islam, Hirsi Ali has accumulated many death threats from followers of the Religion of Peace. She currently has to live under government protection in the Netherlands.

Via The Badger Herald:

“Allahu Akbar,” several audience members yelled as Ayaan Hirsi Ali took the stage Tuesday night. “That means God is great,” she responded. “I’m not going to say God is great.”

[...]

In November 2004, the controversial nature of her messages came to a front when the Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, who was working on a film with Hirsi Ali criticizing the treatment of women in Islam, was murdered in the streets of Holland.

Shot and beheaded, van Gogh was left in the street with an explicit death threat for Hirsi Ali stabbed into his chest.

The Poetry of Reality

2010-03-01T12:20:00.001-08:00

A new Symphony of Science video! I love these things!

Priest Spent $23,000 on Porn, Sex Chat, and Hookers

2010-02-26T11:08:00.000-08:00

To Quote a Reader: I don't know whats more sad, the fact that idiots still look to these people for eternal life/happiness (just ask him how to get into heaven, lol), or the fact that he describes 15cm (5.9inches) as "well hung for your pleasure".

Via The Huffington Post:

The priest spent the money, some of which had been collected in a drive for Haiti, on sex chat lines, internet porn sites and prostitutes over the year he was a priest at two parishes in the small towns Totanes and Noez.

Martin had also posted adverts online offering himself as a prostitute.

"Heterosexual man for women and couples. Real photos. Well hung (15cm) to give you pleasure and happiness," he wrote. "I am open to everything except sadism. Hotels and private addresses. 24 hours. You won't regret it, I will give you pleasure like never before."

STUDY: Atheists and Liberals Are Smarter than Most

2010-02-24T14:06:00.000-08:00

I’m sure this comes as a complete shock to you all, but apparently we value reason over fantasy because we are smart, and by smart I mean, “not completely devoid of thought”.

Via Science Daily:

More intelligent people are statistically significantly more likely to exhibit social values and religious and political preferences that are novel to the human species in evolutionary history. Specifically, liberalism and atheism, and for men (but not women), preference for sexual exclusivity correlate with higher intelligence, a new study finds.

[…]

The theory suggests that more intelligent people are more likely than less intelligent people to adopt evolutionarily novel preferences and values, but intelligence does not correlate with preferences and values that are old enough to have been shaped by evolution over millions of years."

[…]

In the current study, Kanazawa argues that humans are evolutionarily designed to be conservative, caring mostly about their family and friends, and being liberal, caring about an indefinite number of genetically unrelated strangers they never meet or interact with, is evolutionarily novel. So more intelligent children may be more likely to grow up to be liberals.

[…]

Young adults who subjectively identify themselves as "very liberal" have an average IQ of 106 during adolescence while those who identify themselves as "very conservative" have an average IQ of 95 during adolescence

But what about religion?

Young adults who identify themselves as "not at all religious" have an average IQ of 103 during adolescence, while those who identify themselves as "very religious" have an average IQ of 97 during adolescence.

To add insult to injury, those godless liberals shared the “values” theists and conservatives love to tout (but rarely live by). So not only are we smarter, we are no less human.

One intriguing but theoretically predicted finding of the study is that more intelligent people are no more or no less likely to value such evolutionarily familiar entities as marriage, family, children, and friends.

In your face, God!

One Year Old Starved to Death for Not Saying "Amen"

2010-02-23T10:58:00.000-08:00

There is almost no coverage of this in the American national media, at least not that I can find. It has however been picked up by several foreign news outlets.

As if reading straight out of the theistic murder playbook, these kooks have decided to defend themselves at trial. This, of course, means they will be going away for some time. Good.

via The Sydney Morning Herald:

The leader of a US religious cult was "outraged" when a one-year-old boy did not say "Amen" before a meal and ordered her followers to deprive him of food and water until he died, a prosecutor told jurors on Monday.

Three members of the now-defunct cult known as 1 Mind Ministries are on trial for murder in the death of Javon Thompson, who was around 16-months-old when he died of starvation and dehydration in either December 2006 or January 2007, according to authorities.

[…]

The cult members "did everything they could think of" to make Javon say "Amen" before Antoinette ordered them not to feed him until he did, Drake said. She later took the boy away from his mother and placed him in Williams' care, the prosecutor said.

"In full view of every member of that household, Javon wasted away," Drake said. "If this little boy had ever had the capacity to say 'Amen,' he surely lost it. He could not say anything."

Ramkissoon prayed for days for Javon to be resurrected, and Antoinette "told her it was her fault" the boy did not come back to life, Drake said.

They will have a long time to contemplate why God hath forsaken them. I doubt any of their minds will change though, as the mother of the starved boy insisted on an unusual stipulation in her plea deal. Under the terms, should her son miraculously come back to life, the deal would be thrown out.

A sad believer to the sad end.

It's Funnny 'Cause It's True

2010-02-22T19:54:00.000-08:00

Thanks, Jessie.

via Sinfest

Watch Cosmos Online

2010-02-18T17:17:00.000-08:00

Did you know you can watch Carl Sagan's Cosmos online? If you haven’t seen Cosmos, you should check it out. Carl Sagan takes you on a history of our understanding of the universe, and has a way of eloquently putting it all in perspective. I can’t recommend it enough. It is old however, and can get a little cheesy, but stick with it. I promise you won’t regret it.

Full Series on Hulu.

First Episode

On a Mote of Dust Suspended in a Sunbeam

2010-02-17T20:13:00.000-08:00

Twenty years ago this week, Voyager 1 took a now famous picture, the Pale Blue Dot. This snapshot in time is one of the most consciousness raising I’ve ever seen (here’s another and another). I’ve been sitting here, for over an hour, trying to think of eloquent ways to tell you how what thoughts it conjures and what emotions it stirs. But I can’t.

The title of this post is a quote from Carl Sagan, and if you haven’t heard his thoughts on it, do yourself a favor, and watch this clip taken from Cosmos.

Yup

2010-02-17T14:54:00.000-08:00

(via lol god)

In Arizona, We Love God; Drunk Chicks

2010-02-17T11:50:00.000-08:00

The Arizona Senate appropriations committee has voted to erect a ten commands display at the Arizona State Capital. A state democrat tried to include an amendment that would allow displays from all religions, not just Christianity, but failed. The state of Arizona appears poised to be nationally embarrassed again.

Off topic AZ Hilariousness:

I know this girl!

Phoenix New Times: Drunk Scottsdale Chick Steals Cab, Hits Four Parked Cars, and, Of Course, Gets Arrested.

Religion Wouldn't Exist Without Child Indoctrination

2010-02-15T15:59:00.001-08:00

Non Stamp Collector Has a New Video!

2010-02-15T12:40:00.001-08:00

And it brings the lulz.

Mass Briefly Interrupted After Two California Teens Shot

2010-02-15T09:35:00.000-08:00

Via MSNBC:

Police were seeking a hooded gunman who horrified the congregation of a San Francisco Bay area church when he paced the aisles then pulled out a gun and shot two teenagers.

[…]

The gunman flanked by two companions in hooded sweatshirts walked into the church, scanned the pews and fired about five shots, hitting a 14-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man in front of about 100 people, Richmond police Sgt. Bisa French said.

[…]

A handful of congregants returned to the church after police processed the crime scene and finished the service.

"We went on and had church anyway," Miller told the Chronicle. "We were giving thanks that nobody was killed. We wanted to go and serve the Lord anyway."

Arizona Church Counselor Arrested for Trying to Sex up 13 Year Old

2010-02-12T13:23:00.000-08:00

Via AZFamily.com:

TEMPE - A man was arrested for luring a minor for sexual exploitation on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe.

Phoenix Police spokesman James Holmes said in a press release that the suspect, 21-year-old Garrett Allan Baker of Phoenix, had met an 11-year-old girl in 2008 at the El Camino Pines Lutheran Church summer camp in Camarillo, Calif.

Holmes said Baker was a counselor at the camp, and that the suspect exchanged numbers with the girl, whose name has been withheld, while she was there.

Baker allegedly stayed in contact with the girl on Facebook and with text messages after she left the camp, and the two continued to keep in touch after Baker moved to Arizona in the fall of 2009.

Holmes said the communications aroused the suspicions of the girl's father, who installed phone-monitoring software which recorded the texts between his daughter and Baker.

The sexual nature of the texts prompted the girl's father to contact authorities, who were able to use the girl's phone to assume her identity and set up a meeting with Baker, Holmes said. Police were able to convince Baker that he would be meeting the girl on Feb. 10, 2010 at the Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe, where he would pick her up and take her to his Phoenix apartment for sexual contact.

Happy Darwin Day - Natural Selection Flash Game

2010-02-12T11:46:00.000-08:00

Edwin Hubble once said regarding the pursuit of knowledge:

“The search will continue. The urge is older than history. It is not satisfied and it will not be oppressed."

Since our dawn, human knowledge has always progressing. This progress, of course, is obtained through the method we call science. Science is a slow, deliberate (and often not), grinding process. Each generation builds on the work of the last, with no end in sight. It is a labor of curiosity and wonderment, born from a relentless desire to understand.

On occasion, a scientific advance is so profound that it changes our entire existence overnight. It comes with such insight that when we look back, we say “of course! It’s so obvious, how could have anyone missed it?” Such discovers raise our consciousness and change the very nature of the human condition.

Happy Darwin Day.

Now play this Natural Selection Flash Game from the Science Channel.

A Doodler's History of the Universe

2010-02-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

Via The Good Atheist:

UPDATE: Well, God Certainly Showed Me!

2010-02-11T08:58:00.000-08:00

So, God finally decided to actually help someone.

Via MSNBC:

A Haitian judge recommended Thursday that the 10 U.S. missionaries accused of kidnapping 33 children and trying to spirit them out of the earthquake-stricken country should be released.

As part of Haiti's legal requirements, investigating Judge Bernard Sainvil is required to send a notice of his decision to the prosecutor, a judicial source told Reuters Wednesday.

Once he receives the order, the prosecutor could offer an opinion that one or more of the Americans should be held but that would have no legal effect on the judge's decision.

Taking Questions for my Upcoming Interview with Megan Phelps

2010-02-10T12:35:00.000-08:00

Megan Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church (GodHatesFags.com) has agreed to an interview with The New Atheist. It has been tentatively scheduled for February 27.

I’m looking for some reader feedback and suggestions. I would like to stay away from red meat, and have a more substantive dialogue. So, where do you think I should go with it? Is there anything YOU would ask?

Email me, or leave them in the comments, either way, I appreciate it! God@TheNewAtheist.com

Megan Phelps:

The Atheist Delusion

2010-02-10T12:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks Krista! And yes, it's satire.

Lightning Reveals Its Power in Slow Motion

2010-02-09T12:11:00.000-08:00

Via Wired:

Lego Win

2010-02-06T08:34:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the pic, Doug.

“Mike Real” (Whoever That is) is a Cliché Theist Idiot

2010-02-05T15:06:00.000-08:00

So I came across an article yesterday by some “entrepreneur”. His name is Mike Real, and he doesn’t think you exist. Yes, Mike’s thesis is this: there are no real atheists, because he knows everyone is afraid to die, and to alleviate that fear he knows that everyone would turn to God when their death is imminent.
He started by regurgitating the tired old “no atheists in foxholes” argument. He asks his readers to mull it over, as if it wasn’t a common, intellectually bankrupt slogan, but instead some profound epiphany. Mike I’m afraid that “people are afraid to die” is hardly a deep concept.

Via SkewIn.com (All spelling is in context):

A wise retired military man told me something years ago I found very profound. He stated “There’s no such thing as an atheist, everybody prays to someone or something when bullets are flying”. Hmm let that one marinate in your brain real quick.

[…]

But when you analyze thestatement and put it into perceptive it makes perfectly good sense. No I’m not saying every one believes in the same God, nor am I staying whose religion is right or wrong. What I am saying is everyone believes in a God or something to some degree.

Contrary to Mr. Real’s weak minded assertions not everyone is afraid to die, theists and atheists alike. What I find interesting is that statics show the most devout are the most fearful of death. Choosing to stay on life support longer than non-believers, Christians cling to life at all costs. This I don’t understand. Why continue living on life support, in pain, with a cancer riddled body when you “know” an infinite reward awaits you? It makes no sense whatsoever. Using man made machines to keep someone alive that would have already been dead at any point throughout human history save for the last 60 years is hardly expressing your unwavering confidence in an afterlife.

I submit to you Mr. Real that there are no real theists. Just as you are sure every atheist has their doubts, I am sure every theist has their doubts. This is why they get so defensive, and begin spurting out whatever slogan they can remember when their beliefs are challenged. This is why they are obsessed with recruiting new followers, as the more people they have in their sect, the easier it is for them to justify their beliefs to themselves. I suspect deep down they all know that (at best) their faith is just wishful uncertainty.

Mike says there are, indeed, two kinds of atheism. He puts into (only) two unflattering categories: Fake atheists or part-time atheists.

What are part-time atheists? Well, his explanation is unclear, the only description he gives are people who are mad at God, apparently for not giving them money. Oh, those “angry atheists”, will they ever learn that God isn’t a bank? Atheists, by definition, can’t be angry at God. I don’t know a single person who is angry with something that doesn’t exist. Is Mike angry with Santa Claus because he may have had a shitty Christmas? Are you angry at the mole people? Am I upset about my 13 inch penis? Of course not, don’t be dumb, Mike. Atheism means something very specific; there is another word for so- called part-time atheists. Agnostics. (Note: When I say part-time atheist, it is not Mr. Real’s definition.)

Not to miss a cliché, Mike jumps right into thoughtless mode, going to the staple “atheists are persecuting me” argument.

Then we have the flat out “fake” atheist who only claims their a nonbeliever only to get attention from others. These jackasses normally get off on provoking Christians or other believes; therefore I normally just look at these clowns with the side eye, because some of them are straight up idiots.

Yes, we are all idiots, well done. You have exposed us! Please don’t tell anyone…

I, like many atheists go out of my way to avoid debating random theists. Why? Well it serves no real purpose. You aren’t going to convince them they are wrong, and I’m sure for the most part you will only piss off other people around you. I only debate a theist when they just won’t drop it, following me around and trying to “save my soul” and the like. That kind of intrusive garbage has led me to debate a few theists in my time, and as expected, I always own them. But, that is rare, and I rather not perpetuate the “arrogant atheist” stereotype.

Theists are not widely persecuted, and if they are, it’s by other theists! This is America, and religion has a massive influence on all aspects of our society. We purposely deny our children a decent education in science in order to protect their fragile and archaic belief system. Hell, they can’t even release the movie Creation (Darwin bio pic) in the United States, as the idea of evolution is in the studio’s words, “too controversial”.

Its mighty funny listening to these so called atheists run around talking crazy, then as soon as some type of adversary comes their way they’re the first one’s trying to make a deal with God. “God I promises I’ll never cheat on my wife again if you help me out of these one”, or “God I promise I’ll go to church every Sunday if you get me out this speeding ticket” etc. What it seems like to me is there’s a hell of a lot of so called atheists running around but I’ve yet to find a legit one, so cut all the damn noise

Are you a legit atheist? Would you abandon your atheism over a ticket? I didn’t think so, but don’t tell me, tell Mike.

Oh, one more thing, isn’t “entrepreneur” just a nice way of saying unemployed? Or at least, under-employed?

Religion of Peace - Muslim Teen BURIED ALIVE for Talking to Boys

2010-02-05T14:51:00.000-08:00

Holy fuck. Thanks for the link, Ayesha.

Via Huffington Post:

The body of a 16-year-old girl who police say was buried alive by relatives in an "honor" killing carried out as punishment for talking to boys has been discovered in Kahta, Turkey.

[…]

The girl, identified by police only by her initials M.M., was said to have a large amount of soil in her stomach and lungs, indicating she had been buried alive.

"The autopsy result is blood-curdling. According to our findings, the girl - who had no bruises on her body and no sign of narcotics or poison in her blood - was alive and fully conscious when she was buried," one anonymous expert said.

Even Hitler Knows the Audio Bibles Were Fucking Thoughtless

2010-02-04T15:58:00.000-08:00

Original Post: Food, Medicine and Blankets be Damned! Christian Group Sends Solar Powered Bibles to Haiti

Via Atheist Media Blog:

UPDATE: Accused Christian Kidnappers CHARGED in Haiti

2010-02-04T13:53:00.000-08:00

Original Post: Church Tries to Kidnap (and Sell?) Haitian Children

Via Forbes.com:

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Ten members of a U.S. missionary group who said they were trying to rescue 33 child victims of Haiti's devastating earthquake were charged with child kidnapping and criminal association on Thursday, their lawyer said.

Edwin Coq said after a court hearing that a judge found sufficient evidence to charge the Americans, who were arrested Friday at Haiti's border with the Dominican Republic. Coq attended Thursday's hearing and represents the entire group in Haiti.

Group leader Laura Silsby has said they were trying to take orphans and abandoned children to an orphanage in the neighboring Dominican Republic. She acknowledged they had not sought permission from Haitian officials, but said they just meant to help victims of the quake.

[...]

Coq said that nine of the 10 knew nothing about the alleged scheme, or that paperwork for the children was not in order.

"I'm going to do everything I can to get the nine out," Coq said. That would still leave mission leader Laura Silsby facing charges.

[...]

Several parents of the children in Callebas, a quake-wracked Haitian village near the capital, told The Associated Press Wednesday they had handed over their children willingly because they were unable to feed or clothe their children and the American missionaries promised to give them a better life.

Their accounts contradicted statements by Silsby, of Meridian, Idaho.

In a jailhouse interview Saturday, Silsby told the AP that most of the children had been delivered to the Americans by distant relatives, while some came from orphanages that had collapsed in the quake.

France v. the Burqa

2010-02-04T13:38:00.000-08:00

France won’t grant citizenship to a man with a veiled wife. Saying instead that the burqa was an affront to the French values of gender equality and secularism. It should be noted that the man currently lives in France on a long term visa, he will not be deported, but he will also never be a French citizen. During the naturalization application process, the would-be immigrant in question is quoted as saying:

Via Washington Post:

[…] my wife will never be able to go out without the full veil; I don't believe in gender equality; women have inferior status; I will not respect the principles of the secular society.

What is more, this isn’t the first time France has denied naturalization on this account:

Via Time:

Silence is hardly the word to characterize the matter of France and professions of religious piety. Last year the country's highest administrative court denied the naturalization request of an otherwise irreproachable Moroccan woman on the grounds that her wearing a burqa was incompatible with French secularist statutes.

The French president, Nicolas Sarkosy recently called burqas degrading and went as far as to say they are unwelcome in France. This is all part of a national movement to impose an outright ban on the burqa.

I’m all for state secularism, in fact I think it is essential for a functioning global society (which we don’t have). But, I cannot support using the power of the state to force secularism into the private life. Sure, banning them in state funded public schools and offices is one thing, but a complete public ban?

Please don’t get me wrong, as my picture of this post suggests, I feel great empathy for countless women who forced to comply with the rigid societal rules Islam demands. But I think there are easier, less draconian means to liberating them, or at least giving them the tools to liberate themselves.

I do think there should be bans against forcing a woman to wear a burqa. Should a woman express her desire to be free of (what I believe to be) the oppressive burqa, she should have that right. Also, the state should aggressively enforce it.

I may be a lot of things, but I like to think I'm not naïve. I know that many women are devout Muslims who are indeed, pro-burqa. I also know that many more who are forced into submission are afraid to speak out. Its just such a ban would only galvanize the Muslim fervor that exists today in France, and no doubt there will be declarations of jihad from all over the world. Instead, we should seek to free those who wish it. Much like the gay rights movement and (the atheist equivalent) the Out Campaign, each woman who stands up for her rights will make it slightly easier for the next.

All across western civilization secularism is on the rise; let us not take a step backwards by giving ammo “atheists are persecuting me” crowd. Or for that matter, the "the west is at war with Islam" kooks.

What do you think? This is an issue I'm conflicted on.

Need Fatwa Insurance?

2010-02-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

Via Daryl Cagle's Political Cartonist Index:

Where is your Messiah Now? - Faith Healing Parents GUILTY

2010-02-03T15:57:00.000-08:00

The “Followers of Christ” have a long history of letting their children die. In fact, they directly lead to a 1999 Oregon law limiting faith healing as a legal defense. Well, now more members of the now infamous Followers of Christ will be going to jail. Yes, once again these kooks have let a child die needlessly (and painfully).

Somehow I doubt God will be sending Jeff and Marci Beagley a cake with a file baked in. I mean he did let their son die, and let them be convicted by the godless state, so I’m thinking if he hasn’t shown up yet, he isn’t going to. This sad truth is undoubtedly lost on these murdering idiots. Yes, I invoked murder here, as I don’t see it as anything but. They could have done something, but choose to go out of their way to do nothing. I consider this on par with starving your children to death, sure you didn’t directly kill them, just denied them what they needed to live.

Remember Ava Worthington? I wrote about her sad case in 2008 (early days of the blog, very bad), and 2009. She died slowly over months while her parents prayed over her. Simple antibiotics would have saved her life. Well, the Beagleys are members of the same church! In fact the Beagleys now deceased son, Neil, was little Ava’s uncle. Yes, the Beagleys and the Worthingtons are related. The Beagleys watched Ava die, and then four months later watched their son die. Where was their Messiah? How can anyone watch a child die like that? In this injustice, all things appear fair.

God, like his wacky parents, did nothing. And now he will let some of his most faithful rot in prison. Good.

UPDATE: Oh, and one more thing, the Neil’s parents will only get a maximum sentence of 18 months. So if you a have kids and don’t want them, just let them die if they get sick and you will be free in under one year with good behavior. Fucking sick and wrong.

Source

Photographer Rediscovers the Beauty of Math in Nature

2010-02-03T11:36:00.000-08:00

Full Album via Wired:

Our Morality is a Gift from God? Think Again!

2010-02-02T12:02:00.000-08:00

Great video on the origins and nature of human morality.

Now This is a Church I Can Appreciate

2010-02-02T09:09:00.000-08:00

More church fails via Failblog.

In Case You Missed It - Obama Skewers House GOP

2010-02-02T08:46:00.000-08:00

The President calls the out "loyal opposition" on being partisan obstructionists and gives them a badly needed history lesson. And then takes questions!

I can't believe the House GOP agreed to do this!

Church Tries to Kidnap (and Sell?) Haitian Children

2010-02-01T15:03:00.000-08:00

Religion can be, and is used to justify just about anything. From murder, genital mutilation, torture, imprisonment, denalism, to (what Haitian authorities are calling) child trafficking.

Via MSNBC:

Ten American Baptists were being held in the Haitian capital Sunday after trying to take 33 children out of Haiti at a time of growing fears over possible child trafficking.

To be fair, there is an orphan crisis in Haiti, so what is the problem with the church “adopting” (as they claimed) a few ?

"As far as we know they would have been, I say it clearly, sold for $10,000 each," said Georg Willeit, who runs the SOS Children's Village outside Port-au-Prince. "That's what one of the policemen told us. Every child was very desperate, hungry, thirsty. They all were in a bad condition."

"One of the elder girls told us, 'I'm not an orphan. I still have my parents,'" he added. "She thought she was going on a summer holiday vacation given by friendly people from America and the Dominican Republic."

The church, of course denies all this, saying instead they were just going to take them to a foreign country to populate a new orphanage.

The group had described its plans on a Web site where it asked for tax-deductible contributions to help it "gather" 100 orphans and bus them to Cabarete before building a more permanent orphanage in the Dominican town of Magante.

"Given the urgent needs from this earthquake, God has laid upon our hearts the need to go now versus waiting until the permanent facility is built," the group wrote.

Yes fool, God needs you to clean up the humanitarian disaster that (as you believe) he orchestrated. Is God is like that shitty roommate that you always have to clean up after and is constantly blowing up the bathroom? Yahew, if you broke it, you bought it - now get to work - less anymore children get kidnapped in your name. I should consider that maybe God wants the children of Haiti to suffer, or maybe he just wants a cut of all that loot? God always needs money, as you know.

One Voodoo leader said the Idaho group's plan — to give each child "new life in Christ" while facilitating their adoptions by "loving Christian families" in the United States — is deeply offensive.

"There are many who come here with religious ideas that belong more in the time of the inquisition," said Max Beauvoir, head of Haiti's Voodoo Priest's Association, which represents thousands of priests and priestesses. "These types of people believe they need to save our souls and our bodies from ourselves. We need compassion, not proselytizing now, and we need aid — not just aid going to people of the Christian faith."

It is unclear if proselytizing was the motive at this time, but who would be suprised if they were kidnapping these children to "save their souls"? I wouldn't.

100 Miles out to Sea, a Dog is Rescued on an Ice Flow

2010-01-27T20:55:00.000-08:00

Via Huffington Post: