Creationists are still trying to convince everyone that they are being intellectually stifled by big bad science. Notice how Charmaine refuses to answer the question of how old the Earth is. She is obviously there to try and appear intellectually honest, but in truth she believes in a fairy tale, and wants this junk to be taught in science class.
Author Archives: Jacob Fortin
Christian chiropractor fires employee for being an atheist
What is more Christian than discrimination? I wonder. It seems like every day I hear about someone being fired from their jobs, or losing a big promotion simply because their bosses discover they do not believe in God. I don’t normally give my belief (or lack thereof) a second thought, but that’s because I am lucky enough to live in a city where my religious beliefs have never been a contentious issue. Not everyone, unfortunately, is as lucky as I am.
Amanda Donaldson did not benefit from the kind of tolerance I am acclimatized to. She recently got fired by her Christian boss specifically because she is an atheist. After Dr. Scott Dawson read her husband’s atheist blog, he confronted her about the fact she had been identified as not believing in a God. Even though she expressed clearly the fact that her beliefs were private and not related in any way to her job performance, Dr. Dawson became upset that his worker did not believe in his bearded sky god. As a consequence, he gave her the old pink slip, meaning that she lost her medical insurance. This is especially worrisome because Amanda is currently fighting aggressive breast cancer.
Let’s recap here: a Christian boss fired his atheist employee for no other reason than his simple bigotry and intolerance of other world views, and did this knowing full well she was sick and in need of medical treatment. Yep, that’s some of that good old fashioned Christian love for you!
Unfortunately, there isn’t much Amanda can do about this. At this point the best thing everyone can do is help either by contributing to the cost of her treatment, or helping find her another job. There’s no real legal precedent that would allow her to fight this injustice. They’ve already collected over 1k in donations, so if you’re feeling generous, than I suggest giving what you can (no matter how small, it will help!).
Shitty priest says he didn’t know child abuse was illegal
Did you ever try to use the old “I didn’t know it was a illegal” defense when caught breaking the law? I’ve never been arrested, but I assume it’s pretty normal some people would try and use this lame excuse in order to avoid doing jail time. There are, however, certain times when this type of defense will do more harm than good. Case in point: retired Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland and his statements that he had no idea child abuse was a crime. Weakland apparently “accepted naively the common view that it was not necessary to worry about the effects on the youngsters: either they would not remember or they would ‘grow out of it.”
This is the same guy who in 2002 paid $450,000 to a man who had accused him of date rape, so his credibility on the issue of child molesting is somewhat hurt by this inconvenience. The fact this monster thinks kids can ‘grow’ out of being sexually abused just demonstrates the kind of willful ignorance and deception that is part of the Catholic Church’s modus operandi. How can the devout keep believing in light of such tragic and despicable representatives? I’ve got news for you: if these guys are closer to divinity than the rest of us, we all need to collectively jump off this religion bandwagon right fucking now. Who’s with me!?
MI5 tries to force Muslims to become informants
A few weeks ago I wrote an article about how poorly Muslims in England have integrated within their society, especially when compared to other European countries like France and Germany. Although I’m not in any position to speculate as to why that is, a recent story about MI5 and their campaign of harassment is telling me that relations are not about to improve anytime soon.
It seems that the desperate intelligence organization has been blackmailing some British Muslims, threatening to put them on terrorist lists if they do not become informants. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out these types of tactics are not impressing the Muslim community, and I can’t blame them; although I will admit terrorism is a serious issue, forcing people to become informants under threat seems to me like a pretty piss-poor way of getting reliable information. Why would anyone tell you the truth when you’re demanding answers at the end of a bayonet?
The real problem here is Britain’s paranoia. I think the reason their Muslim population is so poorly integrated in their society has to do with the fact their government is one of the major nations to have participated in the whole ‘War on Terror’ offensive. Naturally, this will result in being targeted by extremist groups, and because they are living in constant fear of an attack, their intelligence community treat their Muslim immigrant population as potential enemies. This negative and combative attitude actually works contrary to everyone’s interest; by antagonizing the community, they as a whole are less likely to provide information that might actually be helpful in preventing further incidents.
Here’s a pretty basic idea that might work wonders for MI5: don’t be a bunch of dicks. Don’t force people to become informants. Don’t mistreat your citizens just because they believe in a religion you feel uncomfortable about. Sounds pretty simple to me…
Catholic reform schools in Ireland home to abuse, humiliation, and rape
If you listen to Christians talk about their religion, you could swear their members must all be saints, blessed with a greater gift for compassion than their fellow man. If a person is devout, people automatically assume they are dedicating their lives to some higher purpose, and their connection with God makes them moral pillars of society.
It’s a perception that survives despite the countless times priests, monks, nuns and bishops are caught in a variety of scandals, ranging from embezzlement to child abuse. The latest incident involves the Catholic-run reform school in Ireland, where a 2900 page report painted a most unflattering picture of a huge variety of abuses dating back all the way to the 1930′s.
The schools were little more than slave labor camps, where children, living in constant terror, would be beaten, humiliated or raped for failing to manufacture rosaries in the workhouse style reform school. Amidst the controversy surrounding the report, the Church sought to bury the names and identities of the serial child molesters, either dead or living, and won the right to do so. It seems like identifying the abusers isn’t as important as protecting known child rapists. Can’t you just taste the justice?
When are we going to stop allowing these monsters to get away with these kinds of atrocities? Here you have a powerful religious institutions literally raping kids, and nothing is being done about it. If this had been any other organization angry mob wielding torches would have burned the place down. But because a religion is involved, everyone is putting on their kid gloves.
I find it insulting and mortifying that religions still get such special treatments with regard to human rights offenders. Just who is supposed to be the moral guides in this world? Does anyone want to listen to a bunch of child molesters tell us how we need to get into heaven? If there was a hell, these guys would have booked a first class flight there when they die.
Moron thinks missing link isn’t “human enough”
I enjoy reading the Examiner; not because I find the articles inspired or instructive, but because they have a large variety of editorials written by all kinds of ‘believers’. The latest ‘gem’ comes from one Larry Amon (link is dead), who is the president of a non-profit Christian ministry, and who states, quite boldly, that the missing link is a giant bust. His reasoning: Ida just doesn’t look like a person, and therefore cannot be what scientists claim.
Larry obviously loves his God, and predictably, he isn’t impressed by the fossil. He wonders why it doesn’t look more human, how we can tell how old fossils are, or the process by which scientists determine the similarities in bone structure. The answers are available to him if he bothered to actually look around (start with Wikipedia, Larry, it’s a good start) he’d have his answers. Mr. Amon, however, has opted not to find out, and instead has called the find a total hoax based on what little information he has in his brain.
This article is like magic more than science. These so called scientists think if they act like it is so amazing and obvious that it is the missing link, that everyone will buy it. It’s bad misdirection. I can say, “Look! My dog can talk,” and when you hear him bark you hear nothing. However, if I insist, maybe you will hear something. The fact is, this is how Darwinian science goes. They intimidate and shout and because they are “scientists” and we are rubes therefore, whatever they say must be true.
What bothers him the most is the lemur doesn’t look human enough. How could this tiny monkey possibly be our ancestor? Well Larry, we actually used to be a lot smaller than too, but that’s beside the point: of course the missing link would look a bit odd to you. 47 million years is a long time, and a lot can happen. Just look at us now!
The best thing about the whole article is actually the comment section. Everyone is terribly embarrassed by just how ignorant and stupid he is. Look Larry, if you want to call these kinds of scientific discoveries false, it’s probably a good idea to read a book other than the Bible. That way, you might actually have something relevant to say. Otherwise, just stick with telling people they are going to hell for masturbating…
Missing link is found
Remember all those stupid arguments you had regarding evolution with your uncle? He kept asking you “well, if we come from monkeys, where’s the missing link?” Well, you can now tell him the missing link is currently in Oslo, Norway. Ida, as the fossil is called, is perhaps one of the greatest fossil finds of our time. The previously oldest fossil of our ancestors was Lucy, who clocked in at roughly 3.4 million years old, and even she was only 40% complete. Ida, on the other hand, is 47 million years old and is 95% complete!
The species, dubbed Darwinius masillae in honor of Darwin’s 200th birthday, is a type of lemur that eventually split off into the familiar species we know of today. Ida is the most well preserved fossil from the Eocene era, so much so that scientists were able to analyze her last meal, and even what her fur must have been like.
I can already hear creationists preparing their response to such an earth shattering discovery. Here is undeniable proof of our ‘lowly’ origins, but even the missing link won’t be enough to deter religious wackos from declaring this must be a test from God or something. Can’t they just accept the fight is over? We won, bitches.
Big Surprise: Colleen Hauser on the lam
Yesterday Ryan and I speculated on whether or not Colleen Hauser, who was ordered to provide chemotherapy for her son Daniel, would flee. Well, it looks like she did, and now authorities have issued a warrant for her arrest. We’re not entirely surprised; we knew the most likely course of events would be her evading police, followed quickly by an arrest and another messy trial. That’s the type of predictable behavior you can expect when dealing with ‘true believers’.
Colleen is confused and unfortunately ignorant; she thinks her religious beliefs give her the right to do what she wants. In reality all of us living in society enter a binding contract with every new life we bring into this world: it is our responsibility to ensure the survival of our children. If we fail in this endeavor, we are held accountable for our action, or inaction.
The state of Minnesota requires parents to provide necessary medical care for their children, and Colleen’s new age religion offers nothing in the way of real actual medicine. Daniel has cancer, and chemo is literally his only hope for survival. The statues are pretty clear on this issue, and wisely so.
It makes me sad to see a person’s ignorant beliefs affect the health of their children. Religion in particular has the filthy habit of making torture, neglect and even murder a casual part of parenting (read the Old Testament if you disagree). Hopefully one day we can all break our horrible superstitions and live like rational human beings in this world.
Publishers in Britain fear terrorism in response to “Jewel of Medina”
I hate the use of the word ‘war’ in reference to any particular conflict. When I think of a war, I think of the innocents who suffer at the hands of sadistic and murderous zealots that would do anything for power. Wars bring out the very worst attributes of mankind; in conflicts we are cruel, barbaric, and savage. Because we often fear for our very lives, this removes our natural impulse to be cooperative and trusting. The very fabric of our society is often unraveled as we find reasons not to trust our fellow man.
Today we talk about the ‘War on Terror’, which is, ironically enough, a kind of politically correct term to refer to the West’s violent clashing with fundamentalist Islam. This conflict is the result of the growing marginalization of religion in secular society, and the clash of ancient traditions that are in opposition to many of our modern values. Islam seems unable to shed its 7th century clothing, and as such, the literal interpretation of the religion by conservative and often poorly educated mullahs fuel the mistrust their flocks have for the west. Slowly but surely, the foot soldiers of the ‘army of God’ are being recruited for what they think is a noble cause: the Islamification of the world.
Our response to such violent vitriol half way around the world is tame; we write books and publish editorial cartoons, only to become targets of threats and violence as a result. In an effort not to exacerbate the conflict, we relent; choosing to censor ourselves to avoid trouble. Recently, Sherry Jones learned the hard way what kind of courage we possess here in the West. Her publisher’s London home was recently firebombed in response to her book, The Jewel of Medina, a historical fiction novel about the life of Muhammad’s 6 year old child bride, Aisha.
Random House bought the rights to publish the book but by the due date of August 2008, they were having cold feet. Frightened their employees might be the target of violent extremists, they decided not to publish it. It was later picked up by Gibson Square, but shortly after one of publisher’s house was firebombed, which quickly prompted them to again delay publication in Britain.
We now live in fear of a native population that has a murderous need to defend their religion from anyone they consider a threat. The problem lies in the fact that although it is only a relatively small percentage of all Muslims that engage in violent tactics, there is little condemnation for these acts on the part of moderates. They too, fear retribution, and there are those who secretly support the violence and destruction brought on by these extremists. How else can you explain the deafening silence coming from the Islamic community in Britain over such violent blackmail?
We are not engaged in a war, for our enemy is not a person but an ideology. The principles of free speech and the rights of man conflict with the supposed ‘values’ of submission and obedience to God. So far we are losing; we are showing we are too timid and afraid to fight for our right to say what we wish. Do we really deserve freedom of speech when we cower in the face of opposition? How would those who died for that freedom feel about the fact we allow religiously motivated arsonists and murderers to tell us how to live our lives?
Can we all stop allowing Muslim extremists to bully us into silence, please? These are the same guys who want to make it a crime to disparage their religion. Clearly, this isn’t the kind of belief that takes kindly to criticism. Wonder why that is….
God doesn’t write books!
You have to love Bill. Most of this material ended up in his movie Religulous, but it’s still funny to hear.
Belief is not innocuous
A few months ago I wrote about the plight of Nigerian children who are accused of being witches. These kids are often beaten, abandoned, or killed because their parents or members of the community accuse them of being possessed by Satan. The problem is only getting worse, with an estimated 15,000 kids in Nigeria alone accused of being witches.
Even though there are a number of organizations working to undo the damage caused by such accusations, in truth this will continue to be an issue so long as the population remains ignorant. They believe witches are real, and no one so far has done enough to dissuade the population of this superstition. Why would they? Most of the organizations over there are missionaries, and a Christian priest trying to tell someone their beliefs are incorrect would only be faced with uncomfortable questions regarding his own superstitions. It’s the blind leading the blind.
The problem is also exacerbated by the fact no one seems willing to put their foot down and work on a campaign to abolish the belief in witchcraft:
“It is not the belief in witchcraft that we are concerned about,” Foxcroft said. “We acknowledge people’s right to hold this belief on the condition that this does not lead to child abuse.”
How can you ignore the elephant in the room here? Obviously it’s the belief that’s the problem. The intellectual lazy position that “everyone is entitled to their own beliefs” is not helping anyone here. No one lives in a bubble where their own personal beliefs won’t interact with reality. That’s obvious from the fact that thousands of kids will face persecution for the rest of their lives simply because their family believes in the childish notion of witchcraft.
If you want this kind of thing to stop, we’ll need to be serious about teaching the native population of Nigeria that their superstitions are in fact false. It may be unpopular, but if you can think of a better way to stop human beings from harming and killing one another, I’d love to hear it.
Another damn Cheesus
Let’s be honest here and just say that the story of how these two people found a Jesus shaped Cheetos is about as mundane, stupid and annoying as you can get. Is the news day so slow this kind of story takes precedence over the conflict in the Middle East, or child witches in Nigeria? Hey journalists, look a bit deeper for a story, will you?
Will you know people in Heaven, David?
So according to the article he’s reading angels are actually the chauffeurs of heaven or something. Man, if I was an angel, I’d be rebelling against God. I mean, first off he doesn’t give them a soul, and then he makes his angels drive a bunch of dead people around for eternity. I would have left with Satan over that kind of bullshit treatment!
Why this guy cares
It’s a pretty concise list of why atheists generally care about religion despite refusing to believe in any. I can’t say I dig the music, but hey, I’m a critical jackass.
Courts step in, force child to undergo chemotherapy
There’s always a story involving a family that refuses to treat their child for religious reasons. As we speak, one mother is facing charges in the preventable death of a young girl with diabetes, and another family in Minneapolis are being forced to give chemotherapy to their son.
Colleen Hauser believes in a New Age religion called Nemenhah, a kind of glossy ‘Native American’ style cult (founded by a known fraudster). They shun modern medical science and opt instead for a variety of New Age treatments. Colleen’s son has Hodgkin’s lymphoma; a highly treatable form of cancer. She’s repeatedly refused to seek treatment, opting instead to follow the teachings of her faith
The courts in Minneapolis have decided the life and well being of the child are more important than the parents’ religious beliefs. Mrs. Hauser may feel cheated and upset from this decision, which only goes to show how selfish and deluded these people are. They accuse the courts of supporting ‘big government’ interference in their lives. Because of their decision, however, her son Daniel will have a 90% chance to pull through, which is a big improvement over the 0% chance he had with his colonics and vitamin water.
I don’t have a child myself, but you can bet if I did, I wouldn’t put my religious belief over their well being, nor would I force those beliefs onto them. Colleen Hauser may not yet realize it, but the ‘unfair’ decisions of the court have saved her from a life of torment. I doubt her silly religion would have provided the comfort she would need from being responsible for her child’s death. Take a look at this woman to see just how little comfort religion can be in light of such facts.
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