fayfreethinkers.com

Doctor prays for "dead" patient, [Paddles are applied] patient rises!

LINK

*abortion

Abortions Highest Where Religion is Highest

"Given how opposition to legal abortion is almost entirely based on religious dogma, one might think that areas where belief in religious dogma is highest will be areas where abortion is lowest. That, however, is incorrect - abortion rates are highest in places where religiosity is highest but lowest in more secular areas. This is not an incidental correlation: not only does it disprove the popular idea that secularism destroys the moral values which oppose abortion, but it points to how religion itself can make demand for abortion higher.

As societies become more prosperous and women acquire better opportunities, they seek smaller families. In the early years of transition, contraceptives are often hard to obtain and poorly understood, so women will also use abortion to limit the number of children. But, as a study published in the journal International Family Planning Perspectives shows, once the birth rate stabilises, contraceptive use continues to increase and the abortion rate falls. In this case one trend causes the other: "Rising contraceptive use results in reduced abortion incidence." The rate of abortion falls once 80% of the population is using effective contraception.

A study published in the Lancet shows that between 1995 and 2003, the global rate of induced abortions fell from 35 per 1,000 women each year to 29. This period coincides with the rise of the "globalised secular culture" the Pope laments. When the figures are broken down, it becomes clear that, apart from the former Soviet Union, abortion is highest in conservative and religious societies. In largely secular western Europe, the average rate is 12 abortions per 1,000 women. In the more religious southern European countries, the average rate is 18. In the US, where church attendance is still higher, there are 23 abortions for every 1,000 women, the highest level in the rich world. In central and South America, where the Catholic church holds greatest sway, the rates are 25 and 33 respectively. In the very conservative societies of east Africa, it's 39. One abnormal outlier is the UK: our rate is six points higher than that of our western European neighbours. The Guardian

[url=http://atheism.about.com/b/2008/ ... t.htm]LINK

Tennessee House Overturns Scopes "Monkey Trial" Verdict

BY BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN ON MON, APR 11, 2011

"Welp, they did it. The Tennessee House voted 70 to 28 to pass a bill that would allow science teachers to teach alternatives to broadly accepted scientific thought, including evolution. The language of the bill is broad, designed: "to create an environment within public elementary and secondary schools that encourages students to explore scientific questions, learn about scientific evidence, develop critical thinking skills, and respond appropriately and respectfully to differences of opinion about controversial issues."

But the intent is clear: to allow teachers to teach alternative "theories," such as creationism, in science classes.

It is, of course, absurdist political theater, yet another example of social engineering and meddling in places where our legislators shouldn't be meddling. Creationism is Christian theology, period, and has no business in a science class in a public school. But that doesn't bother these clowns, who seem intent on making Tennessee the backwoods, possum-eating, snake-handling laughingstock of the U.S.

In truth, the bill is fairly meaningless, as it's written. It's a symbolic gesture, meant to appease the rubes and the GOP's far-right base — and piss off progressives. Mission accomplished, you morons. Of course, these people never bother to consider that any corporation looking to relocate to Tennessee might think twice about asking its employees to move to a state that allows creative "interpretations" of scientific learning.

The bill will accomplish something: If Governor Haslam signs it into law, we'll have another clear indicator of just how low he's willing to go to pander to his party's neanderthals. And how little he cares about its effect on job "creationism."

Link

And this just in...

Catholic group claims children raped by priests were ‘homosexual’ participants, not victims

"The anti-gay Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is going on the attack against "those who are distorting the truth about priestly sexual abuse."

The group bought an expensive full-page ad in The New York Times Monday that places the blames for the church's scandals on "homosexuality, not pedophilia."

And perhaps most shockingly, it also claimed that some children were active participants in the abuse.

"The refrain that child rape is a reality in the Church is twice wrong: let’s get it straight -- they weren’t children and they weren’t raped," self-appointed Catholic League president Bill Donohue wrote in the ad."

RAW Story

THE complete David Barton debunk.

Barton's Bunk

Barton’s Bunk: Religious Right ‘Historian’ Hits the Big Time in Tea Party America

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Why Barton Matters
Barton 101
Sloppy Scholarship
Good Timing for Bad History
Barton’s Bible = Tea Party Platform
Barton on Politics:GOP = God’s Own Party
Barton on Environmentalism: Green = Evil
Barton on Religious Minorities
Immigration
Racial History
The Courts
Gay Equality
Enlisting Jesus in the War on Unions
Conclusion
Additional Resources

All here at People for the American Way:

http://www.pfaw.org/rww-in-focus/barton ... ty-america

In local religious news...

Van Buren Principal Asks Select Staff To Pray With Her

Posted: Tuesday, April 19, 2011 8:31 am | Updated: 10:29 am, Tue Apr 19, 2011.

TIMES RECORD • MCRIDER@SWTIMES.COM The Times Record

In a handwritten letter this month, Van Buren High School Principal Becky Guthrie asked 20 high school employees to become prayer warriors with her to resolve the crises at the school.

In the letter, Guthrie called the recipients her "brothers and sisters in Christ," and noted that she's never before written such a letter "and have certainly never sent one through school," but felt a calling to do so at this time.

"We are under attack. God is moving in so many ways within our school. (A)nd Satan is angry," Guthrie wrote.

The crises she cited in the letter were of a personal nature and apparently referred to staff issues - cancer, surgeries, discouraged spirits and personal struggles.

She paraphrased a biblical passage in Philippians 4: "Let us stand firm in our God who will give us the peace that transcends all understanding and will guard our hearts and mind."

She closed the letter by stating, "Our God is a strong and mighty God."

Guthrie declined comment Monday, referring questions to Van Buren Public School Superintendent Merle Dickerson.

Dickerson said his office was unaware of the letter until it was brought to his attention Monday.

"It's been handled as a personnel matter, and I don't think it'll happen again," Dickerson said.

He said he made several phone calls and doesn't think the principal's disseminating such a letter to select staff at school was illegal although it may have been ill-advised. Dickerson said he did not consult the school district's attorney.

Dickerson said he knows Guthrie didn't intend to put her staff in an awkward position.

"She's a good principal," Dickerson said.

SAV
For the record, Dickerson told district employees in August that he prefers having teachers "who know God" and pray.
For the record, Guthrie "resolved" a violation of policy by an employee earlier this year by praying with the person.

Read the comments. The locals are up in arms. They can't believe that this is even a story.

Welcome to the Bible Belt, freethinkers.

On arguing with inerrantists and biblical literalists:

Guys, you can't argue the validity of the bible. That's just not fair. You know the person believes in the book, and you know the book includes things like walking on water, turning water to wine, and coming back to life after you die. That means that right off the bat you know the person you are arguing with is irrational. They think the world was created in 7 days, if you look at a city as god destroys it you get turned to salt, and black folks come from laughing at Noah. They take glacial evidence as proof of their 'great flood.' They believe that because 2 folks ate an apple, we all need forgiveness. Come on now, they actually believe a young pregnant woman when she explains her condition with 'god did it!!!'

You can't argue with them. Their brains are broken.

Comment on Barton thread on Ark times

Texas has been suffering from...

"...no significant rainfall for almost three months, matching rainfall deficit records dating back to the 1930s; and [this is] sparking more than 8,000 wildfires which have cost several lives, engulfed more than 1.8 million acres of land and destroyed almost 400 homes, causing me to issue an ongoing disaster declaration since December of last year;..."

But don't worry, the governor of Texas has a Republican Solution:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RICK PERRY, Governor of Texas, under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Statutes of the State of Texas, do hereby proclaim the three-day period from Friday, April 22, 2011, to Sunday, April 24, 2011, as Days of Prayer for Rain in the State of Texas. I urge Texans of all faiths and traditions to offer prayers on that day for the healing of our land, the rebuilding of our communities and the restoration of our normal way of life.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto signed my name and have officially caused the Seal of State to be affixed at my Office in the City of Austin, Texas, this the 21st day of April, 2011.

"God doesn't send you to hell, it's your own free choice..."

Darrel wrote:"God doesn't send you to hell, it's your own free choice..."

IF there is a God with specific rules that people must obey at the risk of going to hell, then God is immoral not to make it clear that these are, in fact, his rules. There have been tens of thousands of gods imagined in human history, and all of them have exactly the same amount of evidence in their favor: zero.

If the god of the Bible exists, he should distinguish himself by making his existence undeniable. Currently, the majority of human beings on earth do not believe in this god.

Ted Drange's Argument from Nonbelief is relevant here. In short (modified version):

Let us define God as a being that is omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, and he has rules that everyone must obey at the risk of going to hell.

1. If God existed, then he would not want anyone to go to hell. (because he is omnibenevolent)
2. If God did not want anyone to go to hell, then he would make his existence and his rules undeniably evident to everyone.
3. His existence and these rules are not undeniably evident to everyone.
4. Therefore, God does not exist.

As seen on Skepticmoney.com (via Blaghag). Protesters at the Atheist convention:



Welcome to conservative morality circa 1920. Some battles lost are just hard to get over.

Savonarola wrote:Welcome to the Bible Belt, freethinkers.

DOUG
Same school district, but now a middle school.


See here.

School Ends Teacher’s Prayer Practice
A Van Buren teacher prayed over her class, handed out individualized pocket Bible verses and posted Bible verses on her classroom wall, according to some parents.

On April 21, a parent said, her son told her that before the students' annual Benchmark exams the preceding week, Central Middle School teacher Jan Redden prayed "for the Devil to be bound up and not to enter their brains."

Although she is Christian herself, the parent said, she practices with a more ecumenical denomination than does the teacher.

"I no more want her leading my child in prayer than I would want someone from a different faith leading a meditation," the parent said.

Redden, who has landed several grants for innovative teaching programs, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Following another parent's complaint during the Benchmark exam period, district administrators handled the matter, stopping the pretest prayer as well as Redden's practice of giving the children personalized Christian Bible verses to carry in their pockets, Van Buren School Superintendent Merle Dickerson said Thursday.

The Bible verse postings on the classroom walls were confirmed Thursday by Dickerson and Central Middle School Principal Eddie Tipton during a conference with the teacher, and the posters were removed Thursday morning, Dickerson said.

A second parent photographed them during a school open house and voiced concerns about infringement on students' First Amendment civil rights regarding religion.

That parent provided the photos and documents to the Times Record, which in turn provided copies to district administrators, requesting comment.

...Dickerson said the district follows the U.S. Department of Education's guidance regarding religious practices at public schools and will continue to do so. He said he is unaware of other such violations in the district.

...As for the teacher, the matter was handled as a personnel issue, the superintendent said.

Pope says atheists are responsible for environmental destruction:

***
The Pope has claimed that atheism is responsible for the destruction of the environment. In a speech at the Vatican on Wednesday, Ratzinger said: “Is it not true that inconsiderate use of creation begins where God is marginalized or also where his existence is denied? If the human creature's relationship with the Creator weakens, matter is reduced to egoistic possession, man becomes the ‘final authority,’ and the objective of existence is reduced to a feverish race to possess the most possible.”

Terry Sanderson, President of the National Secular Society, commented: “This is rich coming from the leader of an organisation that has plundered the world to enrich itself. As he sits in his golden palaces, surrounded by unimaginable luxury and material wealth, he lectures the rest of us about restraint and greed. We have nothing to learn about environmentalism from this hypocrite.”

LINK

From the mailbag:

***
Greetings to all. My name is Charles Henry. I am the Vice President of Air Capital Skeptics, and I would like to invite you to Rapture Day on May 21st. Some of you probably already know about this event. For those that don't Rapture Day is going to be a day of speakers giving presentations with a focus on religion and how it relates to various doomsday claims. This free event will be held at Wichita State University CAC theater. Our guest speakers include Blair Scott, Darrel Ray, Richard Carrier, David Fitzgerald, JT Eberhard, and Brother Sam Singleton. For more information go to our website ( http://www.raptureday.org/about.php ). Remember this could be your last day on earth. Don't you want to spend it with us?

Thanks,

Charles

California atheist billboard vandalized 3 days after going up

"A billboard put up Tuesday by the Central Valley Coalition of Reason in Fresno, CA was discovered to have been damaged by vandalism. The billboard, which read, "DON'T BELIEVE IN GOD? Join the Club" and the group's web address, "ValleyCoR.org" in smaller letters below it, had the word "DON'T" painted out and the large letters"MADC" painted on as well.

LINK

Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) responds to the National Day of Prayer with this statement and attempt to turn it into a National Day of Reason.

***
"Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Thursday, May 5, 2011 as the 2011 National Day of Reason.
The National Day of Reason, observed by millions of people in this country and around the world since 2003, celebrates the application of reason and the positive impacts it has had on humanity. Reason and rational discourse have the power to improve living conditions around the world and cultivate intelligent, moral, and ethical interactions among people.

Reason and rational thinking have made our country great. The Constitution of the United States of America is based upon the philosophies developed during the historical Age of Reason and the idea that citizens engaging in rational discourse and decision-making can govern themselves. The Constitution also contains a strong separation of church and state, making it clear that government should continue to be built on reason.

Our nation faces many problems — ending two wars, creating jobs, educating our children, tackling our budget, and protecting our safety net. Although the gravity of these issues may drive many to prayer, the way we will solve them is through the application of reason.

The National Day of Reason is also about taking time to improve our communities — whether that means holding a blood drive or collecting items for the local food bank. It is also about ensuring that our government represents citizens of all beliefs and backgrounds.

I encourage everyone to join in observing this day and focusing upon the employment of reason, critical thinking, the scientific method, and free inquiry to the resolution of human problems and for the welfare of human kind. It is the duty and responsibility of every American to promote the development and application of reason."

Skeptic Money

Half of New Testament forged, Bible scholar says

By John Blake, CNN

Excerpt:

"In fact, virtually half the New Testament was written by impostors taking on the names of apostles like Paul. At least according to Bart D. Ehrman, a renowned biblical scholar, who makes the charges in his new book “Forged.”

“There were a lot of people in the ancient world who thought that lying could serve a greater good,” says Ehrman, an expert on ancient biblical manuscripts.In “Forged,” Ehrman claims that:

* At least 11 of the 27 New Testament books are forgeries.

* The New Testament books attributed to Jesus’ disciples could not have been written by them because they were illiterate.

* Many of the New Testament’s forgeries were manufactured by early Christian leaders trying to settle theological feuds."

The rest

"I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die.
I have so much I want to do first. I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail.
There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."
--Stephen Hawking, who is usually the smartest person in the room.

LINK

Mass Bible-Based Sexual Dysfunction as Root of Culture Wars?

Frank Schaeffer Breaks It Down Novelist and ex-fundamentalist talks about growing up with
Bible bedtime stories, his debt to a free-spirited mother, and the meaning of American religion’s rightward turn.

Sex, Mom, and God: How the Bible’s Strange Take on Sex Led to Crazy Politics—
and How I Learned to Love Women (and Jesus) Anyway
Frank Schaeffer
Da Capo Press (2011)

LINK