Changing of the Guard at the British Humanist Association
The British Humanist Association has announced that physicist and author Jim Al-Khalili will become the association’s new President in January. He succeeds social justice campaigner Polly Toynbee after her three-year term comes to an end and will become the Association’s eleventh president.
New Church Billboard Gives Jesus a Rainbow Halo and Urges Him to Come Out
St-Matthew-in-the-City is the Auckland, New Zealand church known for their support of equal rights for the LGBT community and putting up the best billboards ever.
They just put up their latest one and it’ll no doubt stir up some controversy:
The Secular Student Alliance and Foundation Beyond Belief Comment on the Newtown Shootings
Yesterday, the Secular Student Alliance put out this statement in response to the tragedy:
Heathen Holiday Card of the Day! (12/16)
I was super excited to receive this one, because it’s our first submission of someone’s actual, personal card, which I love!
Mike Huckabee: The Shooting is the Fault of Church/State Separation Advocates… and Gay Rights Supporters… and Obamacare
Not long after the Newtown shootings, Mike Huckabee went on FOX News Channel to claim that he wasn’t surprised by the carnage because “we have systematically removed God from our schools.”
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Last night, Huckabee made another statement on his own show, explaining the first statement…
Stop Calling the Shooter ‘Evil’
When so heinous an act is carried out that it falls outside the realm of normal human comprehension — like an elementary school massacre — people search desperately for “answers.” This impulse is certainly understandable. The shooter’s motives remain inscrutable, and it is very difficult to imagine what would possess anyone to systematically execute kindergartners…
Is Evangelical America Really in Decline?
In today’s New York Times, pastor John S. Dickerson writes about “The Decline of Evangelical America” and why that’s happening:
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Dickerson (at least in this article) entirely ignores the fact that people are pushing back against evangelical Christianity because we’ve found a better alternative: Reality. Atheism and its weak cousin “spiritual-but-not-religious” are no longer unfavorable options like they used to be. You’re no longer as isolated or shunned if you say you don’t believe that churches or any one religious faith has all the answers. Emphasizing “free forgiveness” won’t help when the idea that the death of someone two thousand years ago cleanses you of your sins is laughable from the get-go.
The Atheist Census is Back Up and Running!
After suffering a DDoS attack, the Atheist Census is back up and ready to collect data. The heading on the page now reads:
We Don’t Need to Force God Into Our Schools; Mass Murders Happen in Religious Places, Too
Since Columbine, there have been dozens of mass shootings in America. For all the talk that God was kicked out of our schools and that God won’t go where he’s not wanted, it seems appropriate to mention that several of the shootings occurred at religious schools or places of worship:
This Atheist Display Looks Pretty Festive To Me
In Warren, Michigan, this is now the sight next to a controversial Nativity display on government property:
What Has Religion Done for Us This Month?
Daniel created a depressing-but-important montage of some of the awful things done in the name of God over the past month:
You Knew This Was Coming; Westboro Baptist Church Will Picket Site of School Shooting
It’s not surprising. We knew it was going to happen. Still, though, it’s absolutely infuriating because it takes focus off the victims and onto those who use the Bible to justify their bigotry:
Heathen Holiday Card of the Day! (12/15)
Today’s Heathen Holiday Card comes from reader Erin Sameck! She sells super cute cards at her Etsy shop: Polka Stripes Studio.
There is quite a selection there, but here are my favorites!
Gun Confiscation: The Right-Wing Christian’s Worst Nightmare
One of the most common nightmare scenarios posited by popular radio/Internet personality Alex Jones is that the U.S. Federal Government, having been co-opted by a vast constellation of evil forces collectively known as the “New World Order,” will someday attempt to seize citizens’ firearms. This could occur imminently, Jones often warns; like legions of God-fearing, patriotic Americans, he’d view any such forcible confiscation as tantamount to an act of war — and quite possibly cause for open revolt.
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